If you’ve been following me on instagram, first off, thank you! Secondly, you may have started to notice the mention of something called “LIKEtoKNOW.IT” in some of my posts in the past couple of months. Despite the semi-annoying (albeit short) string of letters and numbers included at the end of the caption for “grams” that include the LIKEtoKNOW.IT functionality, this instagram plug-in is actually incredibly useful, and I wanted to take a moment to share why…
As you can see here, many of my instagrams do not include clothing or accessories. But for the ones that do depict an outfit, accessory, or other product, the most common comment I receive is, of course, where did you get that? Since instagram offers fairly limited functionality, it’s impossible to include links to every accessory or article of clothing in the caption of each post. Even if I tried, you wouldn’t be able to click on them, because instagram doesn’t allow active web links in captions. (Jerks.) And, even if I also tried that anyway, you’d still be restricted from even selecting text in a caption to potentially copy and paste the URL into your web browser, because that is also disabled on instagram.
In some cases, I’ll tag the brand (i.e. @toryburch), but that still doesn’t help you find the particular item that may only be available on a discount site like zappos.com or nordstromrack.com, for example. Plus, sometimes an ensemble may feature up to ten different brands (or more) between clothing, jewelry, shoes, and the occasional featured pocket protector—so it’s almost impossible to try to tag everything in a clear or helpful way.
Before LIKEtoKNOW.it, you would have to spend countless hours scouring the internet with little to go on other than a brand name or general description of the item. And while I have the utmost respect for the mystic power of google searching, I can say from experience that the search “tan ballet flats with gold-ish blingy ankle straps” does not yield fruitful results. Three hours and 1.5 Chipotle burritos later, that google search ended in nothing but tears over a majestic and utterly mysterious pair of tan ballet flats with gold-ish blingy ankle straps spotted on instagram.
Enter, LIKEtoKNOW.it…
It’s the first and only instagram solution (Wow, I sound a little like an infomercial. Sorry. Just bear with me here…) that allows you to receive all of my outfit details straight to your inbox, where you can easily click and peruse. This saves you time and energy in posting comments asking where you can find the items and/or google searching endlessly, often to no avail.
Many of the daily outfits I post (especially casual ones on weekends) are not outfits that I also post on the blog, so for these, LIKEtoKNOW.IT is an especially helpful resource. Further, in some instagrams, I might be wearing a top or a necklace from many years ago that is no longer available in stores. In this case, I’m able to include similar styles in the list that’s emailed to you. By receiving this email, you’ll know right away that the actual item isn’t available, and you can swiftly move right into the grieving stage, then quickly pick yourself back up and move on to items listed that are similar. (Liketoknow.it will work wonders for your emotional well-being.)
Despite some of the skeptics out there, this is not some nefarious attempt to “trick” people into “liking” instagram photos. In reality, it’s the only way to offer instagram followers of fashion bloggers exactly what they always want to know—outfit details—in the most convenient and efficient way possible.
And to be clear, the string of numbers and letters included in the caption is not, in fact, an indication that I’ve begun practicing witchcraft. Rather, it is the unique identifier that tells the LIKEtoKNOW.IT system exactly which list of products should be emailed to you when you ‘like’ the photo.
So in case you haven’t signed up already, here are the deets. They’re crazy complicated and super scary so BRACE YOURSELF:
1. Register your email on the www.LIKEtoKNOW.IT website.
2. Like Instagrams that include the www.liketk.it/xyz links.
3. Receive ready-to-shop product links in your inbox.
Psych.
Whether you’re on board with LIKEtoKNOW.IT or not, keep in touch with me on instagram by following @maryorton!
Happy Monday and Happy Cinco de Mayo!!
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