Our Methodology

At Sisterly, trust matters more than trends.

Every recommendation, product mention, brand feature, affiliate partnership, and sponsored collaboration has the potential to influence a reader's decisions. We take that responsibility seriously.

Our goal is simple: to recommend things we genuinely believe make life a little better.

That doesn't mean every product needs to be perfect. It does mean that anything featured by Sisterly should meet a standard of thoughtfulness, transparency, and integrity that aligns with our mission.

How We Evaluate Brands

Before a brand is featured, recommended, or considered for partnership, it is evaluated using the Sisterly Brand Vetting Rubric.

Our rubric considers seven key areas:

Product Integrity

We look for transparency around ingredients, materials, sourcing, and manufacturing.

We favor brands that are clear about what they're making and how they're making it.

Sustainability

We prioritize brands making meaningful efforts to reduce environmental impact.

This may include thoughtful packaging, responsible sourcing, refillable systems, waste reduction initiatives, or durable products designed to last.

Women-Centered Leadership

Sisterly exists to celebrate and support women.

While we feature brands of all kinds, we are especially excited to highlight businesses founded, led, or shaped by women whose values align with our own.

Ethical Production

We look for evidence that brands care about the people behind their products.

Transparency around manufacturing, labor practices, sourcing, and supply chains is viewed favorably.

Editorial Fit

Not every great brand is a Sisterly brand.

We consider whether a product or company genuinely serves our readers and fits naturally within the world we're building.

One of our guiding questions is:

"Would a thoughtful big sister recommend this?"

Trust & Reputation

We review customer feedback, public reputation, and overall trustworthiness.

If readers choose to spend their time, money, or attention on something because of Sisterly, we want to feel confident about that recommendation.

Mission Alignment

Some brands earn extra consideration because they are small, founder-led, community-oriented, or deeply aligned with the values we care about.

We love discovering businesses that are building something meaningful.

What We Don't Support

While every situation is evaluated individually, we generally avoid featuring brands that:

Use fear-based or manipulative marketing
Engage in greenwashing or vague sustainability claims
Lack transparency around ingredients, materials, or manufacturing
Have a pattern of poor customer experiences
Prioritize hype over substance

If we wouldn't recommend it to a close friend, we won't recommend it to our readers.

How Affiliate Partnerships Work

Some of the links on Sisterly may be affiliate links.

This means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through those links, at no additional cost to you.

Affiliate partnerships never determine our editorial opinions.

We do not accept payment in exchange for positive reviews, and we do not feature products solely because they offer an affiliate program.

Any commission earned helps support the work of creating thoughtful, independent content.

Our Promise

Sisterly was created to feel like advice from a trusted sister.

Everything we publish is filtered through a simple question:

“Would we feel good recommending this to someone we love?”

If the answer isn't a clear yes, it doesn't belong here.