How can you make money from your social media influence? Could your next big opportunity be to be an Amazon Influencer? This allows influencers to get commissioned to promote what they believe are relevant products to their audience, without ever having to invest in inventory or product listings. Unlike Amazon’s Associate's Program, this program is built to reach individuals who have very dedicated followings and pay influencers to send their audiences to Amazon’s marketplace.
The Amazon Influencer Program works similarly to the Amazon Associates Program but with a key difference: Influencers curate and categorize their product recommendations on a unique, customized Amazon storefront. Unlike in traditional affiliate marketing, every influencer receives a unique storefront URL (for example amazon.com/shop/yourhandle), so followers can browse all a person’s products in one place.
These storefronts can be promoted through popular social media platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, etc. by influencers. Followers can simply view a range of recommended products via just one link, securing commissions when any purchases occur.
Influencers must meet specific criteria, beyond what’s needed to simply join the standard Associates Program, to be eligible.
Here’s a breakdown of what Amazon looks for:
Platform Choice: In order to apply, you need to link your Instagram, YouTube, TikTok or Facebook account. And Amazon looks at this main platform to understand an influencer’s level of reach and engagement.
Follower Count: Amazon isn’t clear on a minimum, though a bigger following will aid you. Amazon analyses factors such as post frequency, consistency, and follower engagement, and takes into consideration the quality of interactions overall.
Engagement Rate: As you can see highly engaged followers with a lot of likes, comments and shares greatly increase your chances. Influencers who can develop a relationship with their audience are more valuable to Amazon than the opposite.
For example, an influencer with 10,000 unsuspecting followers who engage with their posts will likely be more accepted versus someone with 100,000 empty followers.
Focusing on engagement is very important if you’re aiming for acceptance into the program. It can be as simple as consistent and high-quality content that is relevant to your audience. For instance, if you’re interested in outdoor activities, make your content based on hiking or adventure gear, and become an authority in that field. It helps you to focus and also tells Amazon, that you can influence a specific area.
Ready to apply? The first step is to check the Amazon Influencer Program website and register. Or, if you already have an Amazon customer or associate account, use those credentials; otherwise, create a new account. After that, Amazon will ask you to connect one of your social media profiles and evaluate it.
Within minutes, applicants who use YouTube or Meta will be able to know whether they're approved or not, while applicants who fill out an application through Instagram or TikTok may have to wait up to five days. When accepted, you can start creating and organizing your Amazon store.
Once approved, you can dive into customising your storefront, and add your logo, banner image, and product categories. This personal touch allows your followers to recognize it and know it's your page right away. Creating idea lists, organizing by themes, and adding appropriate products to your audience.
In addition to adding more products, influencers could export their posts on the storefront, so that users can easily click on the products they like and purchase them right on a storefront. These products are aimed at encouraging followers to click on product recommendations on Right Here, Instead of Amazon.
The Amazon Associates Program is similar to commission-based earnings. Commissions will vary by product category ranging anywhere from 1% to as high as 10%, depending on product category.
For example, let’s say you promote a $109.99 pet product with a 3% commission rate. Compared to that, if 1% of your 10,000 followers buy the product you’d be making around $329. However, the way to earn passive income using your social media reach is extremely simple and effective.
“Onsite commissions” are also an additional way influencers can earn. The income comes from shoppable content, for example, videos or images uploaded directly on Amazon product pages. Influencers can promote product-related content once they’ve received their onsite commission's approval and every purchase after this made by the customer is awarded as a commission. What’s unique about this approach is that it gives influencers the ability to make money without having to promote products directly to their audience.
Here are some quick tips:
Instagram: Include your own storefront link in your bio. Another good way to showcase your products and engage with followers is through Instagram stories.
Facebook: Make a link to your storefront in the ‘About’ section, and put in a ‘Shop Now’ button, also share posts that link products.
YouTube: To create people associating directly with your storefront, place your storefront link in the channel’s ‘About’ section and video descriptions.
Twitter: Not only do you include your storefront link in your bio, also tweeting on recommended products regularly is a good thing to do. Especially if your followers are sharing your link and remembering only the recommended products, you can have the traffic and make the money.
Aside from physical products, influencers on Amazon can promote Amazon services including Amazon Prime Video Channels, Amazon Music Unlimited and Amazon Baby Registry.
The “bounties” are these services come with fixed commission rates. For instance, a Baby Registry sign-up pays $3. Maximize your earnings by combining products and services targeted at your audience, offering them the Baby Registry boosting baby product.
The Amazon Influencer is a program that will prove as an impact-earning stream for established social media accounts or for one that has an established following. Influencers can earn and engage with their audience in a multitude of ways from product recommendations to Amazon services.
If you are ready to monetise your influence and curate products that you believe in, this program is a no-cost, high-potential opportunity. Head over to the Amazon Influencer Program page if you want to get started turning your social media reach into money.