Amazon Affiliate Program: How to Become an Amazon Associate to Boost Income.
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"Click the link in my bio to visit my Amazon Storefront."
That’s a line I hear a lot on TikTok. So, it wasn’t too surprising to discover that over 900,000 people participate in Amazon's Affiliate Program.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: can I actually make money from selling my favorite Amazon finds? And the answer is yes, if you do it correctly.
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Below, I’ll walk you through the process of becoming an Amazon affiliate, how the program works, and tips to hit the ground running.
Table of Contents
- What is the Amazon Affiliate program?
- How much does the Amazon Affiliate program pay?
- Eligibility Guidelines for the Amazon Associates Program
- Amazon Program Requirements and Rules
- How to Become an Amazon Affiliate
- How to Create an Amazon Affiliate Link
- How to Make Money with the Amazon Affiliate Program
- Amazon Affiliate Marketing Program FAQs
Affiliate Marketing Templates
Track the sales, revenue, and profit from your affiliate and influencer marketing campaigns.
- 1 brand-facing template to calculate the ROI of your affiliate campaigns
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What is the Amazon Affiliate program?
The Amazon Affiliate program, or Amazon Associates, is an affiliate marketing program. Anyone with a website, blog, or social media account (TikTok and/or YouTube) is welcome to apply.
Once you're approved, you can start advertising products from Amazon by sharing affiliate links. When customers click your links and make a purchase from Amazon, you'll earn a referral commission.
Still not sure what affiliate marketing is or what it’s all about? Or unsure whether it’s right for you?
What is affiliate marketing?
Affiliate marketing is a marketing tactic where an online retailer gives niche website owners the ability to create unique product links (called affiliate links). The website owners must promote the link; in exchange, when someone visits the link and makes a purchase, the website owner automatically receives commission. As an affiliate, you only make money once the link is used in a transaction.
Affiliate marketing is right for you if you already own a website or blog and your content offers opportunities for product mentions. For instance, if you own a recipe blog, you can create links for product ingredients.
It’s not the best fit for you if you sell products directly on your website, although you can use a mixture of product selling and affiliate selling to earn money.
How does the Amazon Affiliate program work?
In the Amazon Affiliate program, associates earn commission by creating unique product links, promoting the links on their website or social media, and driving referral traffic back to Amazon. Here’s how it works:
- Website owners create an Amazon Affiliate account on the platform.
- Amazon gives each website owner a unique Associate ID.
- Once the application has been approved, associates can begin creating affiliate links in their Amazon portal.
- Associates then share the links.
- Once someone clicks a link and makes a purchase, the associate earns commission.
How much does the Amazon Affiliate program pay?
You can earn, on average, from $100 to $20,000 from the Amazon Affiliate program, depending on how many referrals you generate for Amazon. The Amazon Affiliate program operates on a commission basis, meaning you’ll make a percentage per sale.
Here's something that surprised me when I first joined the Affiliate program: not all products offer the same commission rate. The rate changes depending on the product category, and can jump from anywhere between 1 to 20% of the sales price.
For instance, if I sell a hair dryer on Amazon, I can earn 10% from each sale. But if I sell an Amazon Fire Tablet, the commission rate drops to 4%. You can see a complete breakdown of Amazon's product category commission rates below:
At the beginning of your Amazon Associate journey, the numbers can skew on the low side, so I recommend having another form of income in addition to being an Amazon Associate.
Eligibility Guidelines for the Amazon Associates Program
Although it is free to join the Amazon Associates program, you need to meet certain criteria in order to be eligible. To state the obvious, you need to have a valid Amazon account. You also need to promote products through an active channel, such as a website, blog, or TikTok account.
Let’s dive into the eligibility guidelines for each medium.
Website
Most Amazon Affiliates promote Amazon products through their website or blog. To be eligible, websites must:
- Be owned by the applicant
- Have a minimum of 10 original blog posts, with the most recent one published within the last 60 days
- Be publicly available (no closed groups or paywalls)
Mobile App
App versions of websites are also eligible for the Amazon Associates program. However, your app must:
- Be available for free in the Google Play, Apple, or Amazon app stores
- Provide original content
- Look and function differently from Amazon’s shopping app
Social Media
Influencers are also eligible to participate in the Amazon Associates program, but there is a barrier to entry.
You must have:
- An active and public Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, or Twitch.tv account (Note: Applicants using Facebook and Instagram are required to use a business account)
- An established following with substantive engagement
- At least 500 organic followers
It‘s important to note that Amazon Associates’ eligibility requirements may vary by country. So, make sure to check the specific requirements for your region.
Affiliate Marketing Templates
Track the sales, revenue, and profit from your affiliate and influencer marketing campaigns.
- 1 brand-facing template to calculate the ROI of your affiliate campaigns
- 1 affiliate-facing template to calculate revenue from the brands you work with
Amazon Program Requirements and Rules
Being an Amazon Associate is a great way to monetize passion projects or make supplemental income from your brand. However, Amazon has requirements for associates to follow once you are accepted into the affiliate program, so it's best to understand those before you dive in.
After you sign up, you’ll need to think about the requirements for the application review process. Amazon requires new affiliates to make a minimum of three sales during their first 180 days. If you fail to do this, your account will be closed. However, you can reapply for the Amazon Associate program after you've made adjustments to your site.
The Associates team also reviews websites, mobile apps, and social network accounts. They’re looking for consistent, fresh, and original content that brings value to Amazon customers.
Other requirements are in place for ethical promotion to prevent associates from gaming the system. Don't skip over this — noncompliance can result in being banned from the program.
Here are some of the big ones to keep in mind:
- You must disclose on your site or in your communication that you may be eligible to earn from your recommendations.
- You must not make false or deceptive claims in your recommendations.
- Your website must not contain unsuitable, explicit, or harmful content.
- Avoid referring to prices (with some exceptions) since prices frequently change.
- Do not use Amazon affiliate links in offline promotions, eBooks, or email.
- Do not use link shorteners on affiliate links.
- Do not use unapproved Amazon trademarked materials that may misrepresent your relationship with Amazon.
You can read Amazon's full policy here. It’s also a good idea to review the operating agreement for associates for other requirements.
Note: Amazon’s affiliate program is one of the most popular programs, but it isn’t the only one. There are other affiliate programs out there that are worth trying if you don’t qualify to become an Amazon Associate.
How to Become an Amazon Affiliate
- Create a website or blog.
- Navigate to the Amazon Associates homepage and click Sign Up.
- Enter your account information.
- Enter your website address.
- Enter your preferred store ID.
- Explain how you drive traffic to your site.
- Choose your payment method.
- Create Amazon Affiliate links.
1. Create a website or blog.
To start, you must have an active website, blog, app, TikTok account, or YouTube channel. To take it one step further, I recommend pre-populated your site (or social media channels) with content. That way, it appears active and authentic to both users and Amazon.
Before I applied to become an Amazon affiliate, I created my website using HubSpot’s CMS Hub. With its drag-and-drop website builder, customizable themes, and blog capabilities, I was able to publish original content almost immediately.
Remember, you must be able to describe the purpose of your website as part of the application process. So, have a firm idea of why you‘re creating your site, the audience you’ll target, and how you'll bring in traffic.
If you’re still figuring it out, these resources can help you make these important decisions:
2. Navigate to the Amazon Associates homepage and click "Sign Up."
In order to become an Amazon affiliate, you'll need to create your Amazon Associates account. To do that, visit the Amazon Associates homepage and click Sign Up. From there, you'll be prompted to log in to your existing Amazon account or create one.
3. Enter your account information.
Next, enter your account info (including the name, address, and phone number of the payee).
4. Enter your website address.
Enter your website address(es), apps, YouTube channels, etc.
5. Enter your preferred store ID.
Enter your preferred store ID (usually the same as your primary website name), explain what your websites hope to accomplish, and select Amazon topics your links will likely target.
6. Explain how you drive traffic to your site.
Explain how you drive traffic to your websites, how you use your website or apps to generate income, how you usually build links, and how many visitors your site brings in each month.
7. Choose your payment method.
Choose whether to enter your payment (credit card) and tax ID information now or later. Then proceed to your dashboard.
8. Create Amazon Affiliate links.
Once you‘ve created your account, you’ll be sent to your personal Associate homepage. This is where you'll find your performance dashboard (including an earnings overview, monthly summary, and total clicks).
This dashboard is also where you'll search for relevant products to link to from your content.
How to Create an Amazon Affiliate Link
- Log in to your Amazon Associate account.
- Click on Product Linking in the top banner and select Product Links.
- Use the Amazon Associates SiteStripe to generate Amazon Affiliate links.
- Try other product linking options to find and create affiliate links.
- Use the generated link on your site or other promotional materials according to Amazon standards.
1. Log in to your Amazon Associate account.
Doing this ensures that the link text is generated in a way that associates the product you're promoting with your account.
2. Click on Product Linking in the top banner and select Product Links.
This will show you the different choices you have to create your links, including the “Link to Any Page” tools.
Affiliate Marketing Templates
Track the sales, revenue, and profit from your affiliate and influencer marketing campaigns.
- 1 brand-facing template to calculate the ROI of your affiliate campaigns
- 1 affiliate-facing template to calculate revenue from the brands you work with
3. Use the Amazon Associates SiteStripe to generate Amazon Affiliate links.
I find the easiest way to generate an Amazon affiliate link is by using the SiteStripe bar that shows up on product pages when you're logged in to your Amazon Affiliate Panel.
From here, I click the Text button in the Get Link selector. Then, I can choose to generate a short link or a full-length link in the popup. Now I can use that link in my promotions.
4. Try other product linking options to find and create affiliate links.
Besides linking directly to your favorite products on Amazon, I've discovered a handful of exciting options that can expand your reach and inspire your audience.
Use the Idea Hub to find the best products for your audience.
As an affiliate, I sometimes find myself running out of product ideas or unsure which of the latest promotions apply to my niche. Whenever this happens, the Idea Hub comes in clutch.
From the Promotions banner, scroll to Idea Hub. Next, click Filter & Sort and use the left-hand menu to narrow your search options.
You can filter by featured content, categories, star rating, and more. For example, if you’re not sure which products in your niche will be available for Prime Early Access, this tool can help you find them.
Link to Favorite Destinations to highlight product lines or categories.
With affiliate content, it’s sometimes more helpful to highlight a product category than individual products. For example, if I post a TikTok of my top beauty products, I can link to a page that contains a list of the products I mentioned in the video. This makes it easier for my audience to find whatever they’re looking for with a single click.
To use this tool, click on Product Linking in the top banner and select Link to Any Page. Then choose the Link to Favorite Destinations tab. From here, you can narrow your search with the drop-down menus on the left. Name your link, then click Get HTML.
A preview link will appear on the right of the tab. You can click this link to see what the page looks like.
Then, click the Highlight HTML button at the bottom to copy your new link.
Link to Search Results to highlight specific keywords within a product line.
In my experience, targeted content has been a game-changer. Essentially, you create links for a specific keyword within a product category. For example, if I'm running a spooky lawn decoration promotion for Halloween, I can post a link to that specific search. This lets me highlight many great options for my audience at the same time.
To use this tool, click on Product Linking in the top banner and choose Link to Any Page. Then select the Link to Search Results tab. From here, you can narrow your search with the drop-down menus on the left. Name your link, then click Get HTML.
A preview link will appear on the right of the tab. You can click this link to see what the page looks like.
Then, click the Highlight HTML button at the bottom to copy your new link. You can also click Text in the SiteStripe bar in your preview if you want to create a short link.
Link to Any Page to direct your audience to any Amazon link.
If you want an alternative to the SiteStripe tool, I recommend using the Link to Any Page tab to create your affiliate links. To use this tool, click on Product Linking in the top banner and select Link to Any Page.
5. Use the generated link on your site or other promotional materials according to Amazon's standards.
Just remember that Amazon‘s guidelines prohibit the use of the link in offline promotions, email, and eBooks or PDFs. As with most marketing and sales, quality content is at the heart of success. Ensure you’re attracting your audience with quality content and share relevant affiliate links with them on your site or YouTube channel.
Each link you generate will have a cookie that will then follow your website visitors after they click on the link. This is highly beneficial to you because it increases the likelihood of you receiving a commission for the sale. The only problem is that it only lasts for a limited amount of time
How long does the Amazon Affiliate cookie last?
The Amazon Affiliate cookie lasts for 24 hours after a website visitor clicks on the affiliate link. The cookie stays in their browser for that entire length of time. If they check out at any time in those 24 hours, the purchase will be credited to you.
The Amazon Affiliate cookie is just one of the ways that the Amazon Affiliate program can help you make money. But first, you must get visitors to click on the link — and to do that, you need visitors in the first place.
Affiliate Marketing Templates
Track the sales, revenue, and profit from your affiliate and influencer marketing campaigns.
- 1 brand-facing template to calculate the ROI of your affiliate campaigns
- 1 affiliate-facing template to calculate revenue from the brands you work with
How to Make Money with the Amazon Affiliate Program
From my experience, applying for the Amazon Affiliate program and becoming an associate isn’t really the hard part. The problem is making enough sales to turn your passion project into a source of income.
Here are a few tips on how to make money from the Amazon Affiliate program.
1. Choose a niche for your website.
As someone whose been in the ecommerce space for years, I live by this key principle: "The riches are in the niches."
Becoming an Amazon Associate isn’t a good idea if your website is about home improvement, beauty products, and novel writing all at the same time. To ensure you can make the most out of your affiliate partnership with Amazon, choose a single ecommerce niche for your website.
For instance, check out the Amazon storefront from lifestyle influencer Brooke Schofield. Schofield positions herself as an expert on all things beauty and style, and the products in her storefront reflect this. Odds are, her audience will be interested in these products, too.
Whether you specialize in paleo cooking or DIY educational activities for teachers, your niche must be of interest to you — something you can constantly post about without getting tired. This gives you plenty of opportunities to naturally insert product links without being overly salesy.
By choosing a niche, you also make your site look more authoritative to visitors, because talking about one thing all the time makes you look like an expert. Touching upon a wide breadth of topics could make it seem like you’re writing content for the sake of writing content. You’ll also typically have less competition if you focus on a highly specific topic that not many others have touched upon.
2. Write product reviews and comparison posts.
I've discovered that one of the best ways to make money as an Amazon Associate is by writing product reviews and posts comparing two or more products. This gives you the opportunity to link to the products you’re reviewing.
The best part? These are usually high-intent posts, meaning that the person looking for a review is close to purchasing the product (if not ready to buy). After all, no one would look for a review of a product that they have no intention of buying.
Product comparison posts offer an even greater opportunity to sell because if the visitor decides one product isn’t for them, you’re offering them several alternatives to choose from. It’s a win-win all around and a sure way to drive more referrals toward Amazon.
3. Blog consistently.
At the core of a strong Amazon Affiliate strategy is a blog that gives you plenty of opportunities to include product mentions and links. For that reason, I recommend blogging consistently.
Try to go for one blog post per week, but quality does matter more than quantity. If you write two well-researched posts per month, you may drive more qualified traffic to Amazon than if you wrote eight poorly-written posts.
Implement a content marketing strategy that will help you create blog posts that are topically relevant. You’ll want to learn SEO basics to make sure you’re optimizing your site for online search.
4. Create a storefront.
I highly recommend creating an Amazon Storefront that acts as a one-stop shop for all your content and product recommendations.
They require minimal upkeep and content writing. Once visitors get to your Storefront, it'll be simple and easy for them to browse through the products. Another benefit is that the links aren’t buried within other content.
The one thing you’ll need to do is check the links on a monthly basis to ensure your storefront drives referrals. Sometimes, product pages move, or products are removed entirely from Amazon. You want to make sure every product is still available on the retailer’s website.
5. Advertise your website on social media and search engines.
Without traffic, you won’t be able to drive referrals to Amazon and earn commission. Writing good content, learning SEO, and creating a content marketing strategy will get you far. But you want to make sure you’re covering all your bases.
Invest in paid social ads, as well as pay-per-click ads on Google. While advertising may sound expensive, the investment can be quite affordable, especially if you’re using the PPC model. You only pay when someone clicks on your ads, and the best part is that you can set a budget, so that you’re not overcharged. It’s an easy way to drive traffic to your site; all you need to do is create ad imagery with a tool such as Canva.
Here are some resources to get you started with paid ads:
- The Ultimate Guide to Amazon Advertising
- The Ultimate Guide to Google Ads [Examples]
- Guide to Instagram Ad Costs
- How to Run Facebook Ads: A Step-by-Step Guide to Advertising on Facebook
- How to Run LinkedIn Ad Campaigns: A Beginner's Guide
Amazon Affiliate Marketing Program FAQs
Now that you’ve created a strong strategy for getting your Amazon Affiliate website off the ground, it’s time to get paid.
Can anyone be an Amazon Affiliate?
Yes! However, acceptance into the program is subject to meeting their eligibility requirements and adhering to their policies and guidelines. As long as you have a suitable platform, such as a website, mobile app, or YouTube channel, and comply with Amazon's terms.
Do Amazon Affiliates make money?
Amazon affiliates have the potential to make money through commissions earned on qualifying purchases made by visitors who click on their affiliate links. However, it‘s important to note that success as an Amazon affiliate depends on factors such as the quality and relevance of your content, the growth of your website’s traffic, the level of engagement with your audience, and the effectiveness of your promotional strategies.
How do Amazon Associates get paid?
Amazon Associates get paid by direct deposit. You’ll automatically receive the funds in your bank account. Alternatively, you can opt to receive an Amazon gift card or a check by mail.
When do Amazon Associates get paid?
Amazon Associates get paid monthly, but there’s a catch: you get paid 60 days after the end of the month you’re getting paid for. For instance, you’ll get paid at the end of March for the commission you earned in January.
When does commission get officially attributed to Amazon Associates?
Amazon Associates officially earn commission when the order has shipped. If the customer cancels the order before it’s shipped, you won’t receive commission. If the customer returns the product after purchase, the commission will be deducted from your earnings.
How long do Amazon Affiliate links last?
Amazon affiliate links can last indefinitely as long as your affiliate account remains active and in compliance with Amazon's terms and conditions. Once you generate an affiliate link through the Amazon Associates program, it remains valid until you deactivate or delete it.
However, you can only earn commission on an item placed in a customer's shopping cart within 24 hours of them clicking on your affiliate link. If it takes longer than 24 hours for a customer to make a purchase from your affiliate link, you will not be granted commission.
Get Started with the Amazon Affiliate Program Today
The Amazon Affiliate program is an excellent way to turn a side passion into a source of passive income. Choose a niche, write product-centric content, and include contextual affiliate links, and you’ll be sure to grow your Amazon Affiliate income to astronomical levels.
Editor's note: This post was originally published in May 2020 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
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