Brand
All About the Kohl’s Influencer Program
If you’re the type of person that is always looking for the next big savings and loves a good deal then this guide is for you.
Whether you are into stacking up coupons or rewards points for your next big purchase, keep reading because we are going to explain how you can sign up for the Kohl’s Influencer Program and partner with one of the biggest department store retailers in the world.
Kohl’s: The Origins of the Retail Giant
Kohls is the largest American department store retailer in the midwest. Operated by Kohls Corporation, in every state around the country, with the exception of Hawaii, they boast a staggering 1,165 locations. Originally founded by Polish Immigrant Maxwell Kohl in 1927, who started by opening a grocery store in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Koh’s Grocery stores later went on to be a success in the local area and in 1962 they would branch out into a multistate chain by expanding into department stores. Later on, the British American Tobacco Co. became increasingly interested in acquiring the department store after seeing its success with the masses. They would take on that role while having the Kohl family still run the operation due to their success.
1979 would be the year that BATUS Inc. would finally step up and purchase the corporation. Only to turn around and sell it to a group of investors who would later take it public in 1992.
Currently, the headquarters for Kohls is located in Menomonee Falls, which is a suburb of Milwaukee. In 2012 Kohl’s passed JC Penny, their number one competitor, and is currently listed on both the Fortune 500 and S&P 400, while being the 23rd largest retailer in the US.
Recently Tom Kingsbury took the reigns in December 2022, as the company’s new CEO, which started on an interim basis but became solidified in February 2023.
The various in-house store brands from Kohls include diffusion lines from top brands such as Peter Strom, Vera Wanf, Dana Buchman, and Narciso Rodriguez. As for celebrity collabs, they have been alongside top names such as Avril Lavigne, Lauren Conrad, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Britney Spears, and Tony Hawk, which have all sold name-branded clothing through the retailer.
Then there is their Sephora Collaboration that took place in 2021, which allowed the make-up brand to have a store within certain Kohl’s stores in place of their own beauty section.
Who are the Kohl’s Influencers?
Kohl’s has fast become a leader in retail and a trusted store for most shoppers.
In some of their past campaigns, they’ve teamed up with popular influencers from North America. The brand is known for employing influencer marketing campaigns when they bring a new product to market or expands into new niches.
This is exactly what they did when they choose to focus their efforts on the healthy lifestyle demographic, highlighting athleisure brands such as Fila, Fitbit, Nike, and Under Armour.
The company’s chosen ambassadors were tasked with educating their audiences about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle. The brief was to share motivational and educational tips and tricks in the form of workouts, recipes, product recommendations, and wellness advice.
This popular campaign included Katrina Scott and Karena Dawn from Tone It Up.
Bob Harper, a personal trainer and outdoors enthusiast, and Fit Men Cook founder Kevin Curry.
Alongside household names such as Jordan Younger, Sophie Jaffe, and Alicia Archer.
Kohl’s doesn’t shy away from partnering with micro-influencers.
On Kohl’s website there’s a page entirely dedicated to “shopping the look” of influencers. Some of the popular hashtags that content creators use when partnering with the brand include #kohlsfinds #kohlspartner.
What are Kohl’s affiliate program requirements?
As well as collaborating with influencers that they’ve headhunted or reached out to, the brand also offers an affiliate marketing program that’s open to almost all applicants.
If you’re a creator with a smaller following then the Kohl’s affiliate program might be the perfect place to start, this way you can build a rapport with brand representatives and also educate your audience before pitching for a paid partnership. This is a smart strategy because you can show the brand representatives your results with affiliate marketing which can help seal the deal for a more serious and paid collaboration opportunity.
For over half a century, Kohl’s has provided their customers with a wide array of products and major savings. They state on their website that they’re proud to offer their audience everything they need from fashion and decor to pets and beauty, there really isn’t a shortage of choice when it comes to the products they carry.
Some of the key benefits of Kohl’s affiliate program:
- Commission on a wide variety of products from well-known brands
- Commission on different checkout purchases such as in-store pick-up, home delivery, etc.
- The brand’s average order is over 80$
- Monthly communications with affiliates regarding offers, sales, and new product launches
- Opportunity for increased commissions and growth
- Dedicated affiliate team with fast response times
It’s free and super simple to join the Kohl’s affiliate program! You can apply here and will be contacted within a week once the team has reviewed your application.
How to promote Kohl’s products as an influencer and make money
Kohl’s has collaborated with macro-influencers to bring awareness to the brand and use familiar faces so that audiences could relate and also further consumer trust.
Let’s take a look at how some of Kohl’s reps use their social media to promote the company:
How Influencers Promote Kohls on Tik Tok
To start our TikTok content examples, is christinevictoriaaa a micro-influencer with a little over two thousand followers on TikTok.
Christine shares a bit of everything, from fashion to decor, and recipes to nature. Her content is 100% authentic and Christine’s TikTok comes across like a digital diary.
In her Kohl’s TikTok, she can be seen trying on some new finds. Christine mentions in the video that she used her Kohl’s cash to buy some black loafers and Birkenstock dupes.
Next up we’ve got racfashionx an account run by Rabia, a fashion influencer based in DC. She has 37 thousand followers on TikTok and shares primarily fashion-centric content with an emphasis on affordable fashion and amazon finds.
In her recent TikTok, Rabia can be seen doing a Kohl’s try-on haul for her audience. The video is focused on highlighting Kohl’s clearance finds, and Rabia found some really good deals, to say the least. One of our favorites was the Champion sweater that she snagged for $5.
Lastly, we’ve got b_woodard a 22-year-old influencer who by her own admission is addicted to pink. Bella has over 213 thousand followers on TikTok alone.
Her feed is a sea of pink! Pink backgrounds, pink clothing, pink filters, you name it – this girl loves PINK!
In her recent TikTok, Bella vlogs her trip to Kohls. She introduces the video while she’s in the parking lot, and states that her mother really wanted to check out the clearance offers and invited her to join.
How Influencers Promote Kohls on Instagram
Here we’ve got Lisa Allen an Encinitas-based esthetician and content creator with 176 thousand followers.
She’s the founder of better days an all-natural organic supplement brand, selling everything from caffeine replacements to green smoothie powders.
In her recent Kohl’s sponsored post, she showcases her new kitchen facelift letting her audience know that the upgrade is part of the Food Network Collection from @kohls! They’re offering mixing bowls to cast iron pans and tableware.
Here we have lauravanessa_w a Florida-based influencer with a whooping 198 thousand followers on the gram.
Laura’s content is centered around the fashion and lifestyle niches, her feed is full of her modeling beautiful outfits and pics of going about her day.
In her recent paid partnership with Kohl’s, Laura shows off her new fit from Intempo, a brand that Kohl’s had only just started to carry.
She goes on to let her followers know that Intempo is trendy, fun, and affordable.
Lastly, for our Instagram roundup, we’ve got kennedyfrazer a Minessota-based influencer with over 100 thousand followers on Instagram.
Kennedy shares fashion, food, and travel content with her audience, and in her recent paid partnership with Kohl’s, she posted some pics of herself sitting on a picnic blanket in the park.
Kennedy mentions how one of her most important closet staples is a good pair of denim jeans, and how she found her most recent pair of Levi’s at Kohls.
How Influencers Promote Kohls on Youtube
Here we have Jennifer Lynn a micro-influencer with over 24 thousand subscribers on Youtube.
Jennifer shares her shopping trips with her audience and affordable try-on clothing hauls from retailers like Target, Kohls, Loft, Old Navy, Nordstrom, Express, Amazon, and Walmart.
Her recent Kohl’s video is filmed in a vlog format as Jennifer takes her audience along during her shopping trip.
Next up we’ve got Miss Rylee Jade, a lifestyle content creator with 88 thousand subscribers on Youtube.
Rylee’s content is mostly filmed in a vlogging format, and she shares everything from her latest fashion finds to day-in-the-life videos.
In her recent Kohls haul, Rylee can be seen trying on different outfits. The video is meant to inspire her audience with ideas for summer/fall fashion.
As mentioned previously, Sephora and Kohls began working together in 2022, so this sponsored post makes perfect sense. The brand was obviously wanting to bring awareness to the fact that Sephora could now be found in Kohls stores across the nation, and Laura did a great job at presenting that information to her audience.
Conclusion
Teaming up with Kohl’s as part of their influencer squad is a great way to expand your reach and collab portfolio. Their affiliate program is a great fit for almost all types of influencers and content creators, seeing as the retail giant carries a long list of popular brands within the fashion, lifestyle, and decor niches. There really is something for everyone!
