How to Make a Widget in WordPress

As a fashion or lifestyle blogger, affiliate marketing is your key to monetization! It works like this: You post cute outfits and share links to each piece of clothing. Your readers follow the links and make a purchase—Then, you get a cut of the profits. It’s that simple! 

The main way bloggers share their outfits is by using an LTK or ShopStyle profile! However, having your blog in one place and your affiliate shop in another definitely separates the experiences of reading your posts and buying your clothes. Obviously, we want to maximize profit potential, so streamlining this process is essential to making your sales and elevating your brand! 

Luckily, WordPress.org offers an AMAZING and EASY way to link your LTK products and your posts. You can create user-friendly “Shop The Post” widgets that display a carousel of all the LTK items featured in your article. This way, your readers don’t need to travel anywhere else to make a purchase! 

Adding this widget isn’t hard either, especially once you get the hang of it. Since this is SUCH A VALUABLE resource for bloggers, here is our step-by-step guide to adding Shop The Post widgets to your WordPress blog:

How to Make a Widget in WordPress

Step 1: Download the RewardStyle plug-in. 

Before you can add a Shop The Post widget to your WordPress blog, you’ll need to download the RewardStyle plug-in. (And have a RewardStyle account, of course.) You can find information on adding RewardStyle to your blog here. 

Step 2: Sign in to your LTK page. 

First, you need to sign into your LTK Creator page to access all your features. Across the top, you’ll see a menu that says Products, Tools, Insights, collaborations, and Resources. 

Step 3: Select Tools and then Shop The Post. 

Navigate to the Tools tab and in the drop-down select Shop The Post. It should be second on the list.  

Step 4: Choose a folder to pull products from. 

Next, choose what folder you want to pull products from! As you find products you love, you can constantly add them to your folders!

On the left-hand side, you’ll see a search bar. There you can locate your desired folder. And yes, you can also pull from multiple folders for a single widget as well.

Step 5: Select all your products. 

Now that your folder is open, select the products you want in your widget. Each time you select one, the image will populate on the upper half of the screen. If you change your mind about any of the added products, just hit the small “X” icon in the upper right-hand corner of the image. 

Step 6: Edit your widget. 

Before you add your widget to your post, edit how you want it to appear. Select what type of currency you want displayed, how wide you want the widget, and your desired image size. 

Further down, you’ll see options to Show Brand, Show Price, and Show on Hover. Check the boxes on whatever you want displayed with your images. 

Step 7: Choose WordPress as the platform. 

The final dropdown asks you to choose your platform. Of course, if you have a WordPress site, you should choose WordPress! 

Step 8: Copy the code.

At the bottom left, there’s a button that says Copy Code. Click this button to add the HTML code to your clipboard. 

Step 8: Head to WordPress and hit Edit Post. 

Back on WordPress, navigate to your desired post, and hit Edit Post. Decide where you want the widget to be in the post, and click that spot. 

Pro tip: depending on the amount of products in your blog, you can add one widget at the bottom or top with ALL the items. Or, you can add several widgets throughout your post so they are easier for your readers to scan. 

Step 9: Add code block. 

In the upper lefthand corner, you’ll see a blue plus sign. Click that. A number of different block icons appear. Select the one that says Embed Code. A code block will appear in your desired area. If it’s not exactly where you want, just move it! 

Step 10: Paste your code. 

In the new code block, you’ll see three vertical dots in a pop-up. Click that and select Edit as HTML. Finally, paste the code copied to your clipboard in the given space. 

Step 11: Update. 

When you’re finished, click Update in the upper right corner. Then, you’re done! You can then select Preview to view your widget and confirm it looks the way you hoped it would!

Elevate your affiliate marketing by adding Shop The Post widgets to your blog posts! 

To make a career out of blogging, you need a smart monetization strategy. If you’re uploading articles that feature clothing items, adding Shop The Post widgets is key to generating more affiliate income. Take some time to add your widgets and let’s take your brand to the next level!

For more expert blogging tips and tricks, check out the InfluencerSEO blog. We have tons more info on topics like monetization, SEO, social media, blog management, and so much more. It’s a must-have resource for every aspiring blogger!