User:Michelle wiki user/sandbox

History
Stylink Social Media GmbH (stylised as “stylink”, all lowercase) is an affiliate marketing company headquartered in Münster, Germany. Stylink was founded in 2017 by Sven Goik. Initially based in Hamburg, the startup permanently moved to Münster in 2019, where its single office is located. Stylink’s European operations extend remotely to Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Ireland and the UK, as well as overseas markets in the US and Australia. Stylink has approximately seventy employees, most of whom are based in Münster. The staff is made up of approximately 45 full-time employees, or “pros”, and around 25 part-time working students. The CEO of stylink is Michael Elschenbroich, who took over from Goik in April 2023.

Stylink’s primary service is its Linkmaker, with which users can create affiliate links to be shared on Instagram, YouTube, or blogs. These affiliate links generate clicks on products and drive online shop traffic. Internationally, Stylink has over 150,000 users. In 2022, around 60,000 new users joined. Most Stylink users are based in Germany.

Business Model
Stylink operates as a free remuneration platform for influencers and other online content creators, offering compensation on a per-click basis. Stylink works with around 200 online shops from which users can create links, known as “Stylinks”. Shops range from local brands such as Peony and Arms of Eve (available for stylink Australia), to global e-commerce platforms such as Boohoo and Amazon.

In addition, Stylink hosts influencer campaigns, which involve influencers partnering with online shops to promote their products or services. They also have designated Brand Ambassadors, or select influencers who work more closely with Stylink to promote the company itself. On average, Stylink has 10-15 Brand Ambassadors at a time.

Linkmaking Service
Users can create links through stylink’s website, as well as via WhatsApp or iMessage. Users must first register with stylink using their name, email, and social media handle in order to use the service. The service is free for anyone to use.

When viewers click on the Stylink via a user’s social media post, the user is then compensated according to the current cost-per-click (CPC) rate. The CPC rates differ among online shops, typically ranging from 1-7 cents.

Networking Events
Stylink regularly attends brand-to-brand (B2B) conferences nationally and internationally. Past conferences in Germany include Online-Marketing-Konferenz (OMK) Muenster, Online Marketing Rockstars (OMR) Festival, Awin’s ThinkTank Berlin, DM’s Glow Convention, and PartnerUp+ Munich. International conferences include Rakutan Advertising’s DealMaker Asia-Pacific, DealMaker Europe, the Influencer Marketing Show (IMS) London, and the Traffic & Conversion Summit San Diego.

Creator Events
Stylink also hosts brand-to-customer (B2C) events, known as “Creator Events”, where users can meet with each other and with the stylink employees. The events typically include dinner or hors d'oeuvres, refreshments, and an activity, such as an outfit competition using sponsoring brands. The Creator Events began in 2022 and have been held in multiple cities, including London, Los Angeles, San Diego, Sydney, Melbourne, Paris, Berlin, Cologne, and Munich.

The events may have a theme, such as the “Black & White” creator event in Cologne in preparation for Black Friday, October 2022.

Some meetups are partnership events in collaboration with other brands, such as the stylink x Pretty Little Thing event in London, June 2023.

Accolades
In June 2022, Stylink was awarded a Golden Link Award for “Publisher of the Year” at DealMaker Europe in London. In October 2022, Stylink was named the “Top Startup Employer in Germany” in the category of Advertising & Marketing by Business Punk and Statista. Stylink was featured on Awin’s Power 100 Report 2022 and 2023.