If you’re looking to earn more from your online content, affiliate marketing might just be the answer.
Amazon runs one of the best affiliate programs, taking up nearly half the market. With more than 900,000 partners, the Amazon Associates program helps creators, publishers, and bloggers earn from their traffic.
Research shows Amazon is where most shoppers start. With such a strong presence, directing your audience to Amazon products could boost your income.
Ahead, learn more about Amazon affiliate marketing, including how to get started, maximize your earnings, and see real success stories.
What is the Amazon Associates program?
The Amazon Associates program is one of the largest affiliate marketing networks available. It helps creators, publishers, and bloggers make money by promoting Amazon products.
Once you’re accepted, you can create affiliate links to share with your audience. If someone clicks a link and buys something, you get a commission.
Commissions range from 1% to 20%, depending on the product.
Amazon has few requirements for how to promote its affiliate links. This means a variety of creators and businesses—from YouTubers and bloggers to TikTok influencers and online stores—can take advantage of the Amazon affiliate marketing program.
Amazon affiliate program requirements
To join the Amazon Associates program, you must follow Amazon’s rules and requirements. The key requirements are listed in Amazon’s program policies.
After you sign up, Amazon checks your initial activity. If you don’t meet its performance standards, your account could get rejected.
Here’s what you need to know about the Amazon Associate requirements:
Platform requirements
- Websites must be public with up-to-date and accurate information.
- Mobile apps must follow Amazon’s policy standards.
- Supported social media channels include Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitch.
Minimum performance standards
- You must make at least three qualifying sales within your first 180 days as an affiliate.
- Social media affiliates need to have at least 500 followers.
Affiliate content rules
- Your content must be your original work.
- You website or social media should have recent content (minimum 10 posts in the past 60 days)
- Every affiliate link should have the correct tags.
Common reasons for rejection
- Non-compliant content or actions.
- Lack of original or sufficient content.
- Improper tagging of affiliate links.
Becoming an Amazon affiliate: pros and cons
While there are many benefits to joining the Amazon affiliate program, it’s not a perfect fit for everyone. Let’s look at the advantages and drawbacks to help you decide if it’s right for you.
Pros
- Amazon links are reliable and widely recognized.
- You can reach a global audience.
- There are millions of products on Amazon to promote.
- Payment options include check, direct deposit, or Amazon gift cards.
- You can integrate affiliate links into ecommerce platforms like WooCommerce.
Cons
- Amazon’s cookie duration is brief. Referrals must add items to their cart within 24 hours after clicking your link to earn a commission. (They can still check out later.)
- You can’t use Amazon affiliate links in emails.
- Commission rates are generally lower than those in direct brand programs.
For some, the opportunity to promote a vast array of products worldwide is appealing enough. But for others, the limitation on using affiliate links in emails might be a significant downside, especially if email marketing is a major part of their strategy.
How to join Amazon’s affiliate marketing program
Since Amazon decides whether to approve your profile after signup, it’s easy to join its affiliate program.
Before applying, make sure your website or content channel is live, public, and has content posted. Then, you can apply for an Amazon Associates account.
Here are the steps to follow:
1. Go to the Amazon Associates homepage and click Sign Up
To get started with the Amazon affiliate program, log in with your Amazon account or create a new one. If you only have a personal account, you might want to set up a new one just for business. But if your personal account has your phone number linked, and you don’t have a business number, you won’t be able to create a separate account.
2. Enter your information
Now, fill in your details so Amazon can send your earnings to the right place.
3. Add your website, YouTube channel, or mobile app
You can add up to 50 websites or apps. If you’ve got more than one, add them all. These are the spots where you’ll put your affiliate links.
Once you’ve added a site and clicked Next, you’ll be asked if your site or app is aimed at kids under the age of 13. If it is, you can’t use the program.
4. Set up your profile
In this part, you’ll fill in details about your website and choose your store ID, usually your business name. Amazon needs to know what your site’s about and which products you plan to promote with affiliate links.
5. Explain how you bring traffic to your site or app
In the next part of the Amazon affiliate setup, you’ll need to explain how you drive traffic to your site. You can pick more than one method. You’ll also share how your site or app makes money, how you create affiliate links, your total number of unique visitors, and why you want to join the program.
After that, complete the security CAPTCHA and agree to the terms.
6. Enter your tax and payment info
Once the application is done, you’ll be asked to add your payment and tax information, though you can do this later if you prefer. After that, you can start using Associates Central to create affiliate links.
7. Use a connector app to link your Shopify store
If you’re on Shopify, a connector app can easily pull Amazon products into your store.
This approach helps you create a strong Amazon affiliate site fast. After connecting your Amazon Associates account, you can add products by entering their URLs.
Once added, the products appear in your Shopify store, ready for customers to click and buy.
Tips for successful affiliate marketing
Making the Amazon affiliate program work takes careful planning.
Here are some ways to increase your earnings and build steady passive income after setting up your Amazon affiliate account.
Find a niche
Finding your niche is key to succeeding in Amazon affiliate marketing. It helps you focus on a specific group of customers within a larger market with its own unique needs.
Choose a product category that genuinely interests you. Get to know everything about the products and the challenges people face with them. Doing this will allow you to offer targeted solutions and position yourself as an expert in that area.
For instance, if you’re into fitness, you could start a site reviewing workout gear and sharing exercise tips. As you create content, you can include Amazon affiliate links in your posts. This way, you can guide your readers to the right products while earning commissions.
Create original content on different platforms
With people consuming content on various platforms, it’s high time for brands to share their stories everywhere.
Start by creating unique content that shows what you’re all about. But don’t keep it in one place. Share it across different channels to reach more people. Customers who interact on multiple platforms tend to buy more and spend more.
Take the brand Package Free, for instance. It has a blog and a YouTube channel focused on low-waste living.
Its YouTube channel is full of tips on how to live sustainably. This kind of content draws in people who trust it, making it easier to recommend products with an Amazon affiliate link.
Another reason to create content across different platforms is to target long-tail keywords in various formats. You might create playlists or blog posts with titles like “simple eco-friendly swaps” or “sustainable shopping tips.”
Remember, building a content library takes time. But like any good strategy, the effort you put in now will pay off in the long run.
Focus on SEO
If you want people to find your website through Google or other search engines, you need to focus on search engine optimization (SEO). Optimizing your site helps it show up in search results.
But SEO isn’t about cramming in keywords. So, how do you make sure your site is optimized? You create pages or content that help search engines understand what your site is all about.
Product reviews
Product reviews help you build trust with customers and boost your SEO by keeping your content fresh.
An affiliate who posts honest, unbiased reviews—whether their own or from customers—can build loyalty and turn those reviews into sales. According to a McKinsey study, products with a rating of 3.5 stars or higher make up 95% of sales.
Talk about your experience with the product. Be clear about what’s good and what’s not, with real examples. People want to know what you liked and didn’t. Being upfront helps ease their worries and might get them to buy sooner.
You can also make buying and gift guides for products you suggest as an affiliate. Many affiliates do this and add links to places like Amazon.
When someone’s ready to buy, they just click your link and head to Amazon. For instance, sites like The Everyday Farmhouse have homesteading gift guides with affiliate links.
Product comparisons are useful too. Whether in blog posts or special pages, they help customers decide. Since most people start their product search on Amazon, these comparisons really come in handy.
Homepage
It’s easy to overlook SEO for your homepage. But don’t. Simple fixes like adding your target keyword in the homepage title, optimizing the meta description, adding SSL, and speeding up the load time can make a big difference.
SEO is key for driving organic traffic and boosting revenue. High-quality content paired with good SEO will naturally increase your visibility and drive more affiliate sales.
These are just a few SEO tips, but another great strategy is to build a blog. Posting consistent, high-quality blog content helps you become an expert on a topic, which can boost your rankings for related keywords.
Launch a blog
Creating a blog is much like producing content for other platforms. The key purpose of adding posts to your blog is to showcase your expertise, improve your SEO, and steer visitors toward your products.
Start earning with Amazon’s affiliate program
The Amazon Associates program is easy and free to join. All you need is a website, app, or YouTube channel. Just sign up with Amazon and start adding affiliate links to your content.
You can also connect your Amazon affiliate account to your Shopify store using the Amazon Associate Connector app. This allows you to showcase full Amazon product listings on your store while keeping your branding intact.
Working as an Amazon associate is an easy way to begin earning online. Once you’ve placed your first affiliate link, you’re ready to start making passive income by sharing products with your audience.
Amazon affiliate marketing FAQ
How do I become an Amazon affiliate marketer?
You can join the Amazon affiliate program by following these steps:
- Go to the Amazon Associates site and click Sign Up.
- Fill in the required details.
- Add your website, YouTube channel, or mobile app.
- Create your affiliate profile.
- Explain how you drive traffic to your site.
- Enter your tax and payment info.
- Connect your account to Shopify using the Amazon Affiliate Connector app.
- Place your Amazon affiliate links in your content and start earning.
What are the benefits of becoming an Amazon affiliate?
There are several benefits to joining the Amazon affiliate program:
- Amazon is the largest online marketplace globally.
- There are millions of products to promote.
- People trust buying through Amazon affiliate links.
- You can get paid by check, direct deposit, or Amazon gift cards.
- You can link your Amazon Associates account to a Shopify store.
How much do Amazon affiliates earn?
According to ZipRecruiter, Amazon affiliates can earn between $35,000 and $43,499 a year, at the lower end. The average Amazon affiliate makes $77,983 annually. The top 3% of earners bring in between $110,500 and $126,500.
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