In this current age of the internet, there are plenty of ways to make a buck other than selling products online. Social media influence is among the top online money-making methods at the moment, where you can promote products on your social media channels and earn a good commission.
Not just for influencers but for brands also, social media influencing is an efficient marketing tool where they can target a specific group of customers through influencers. No wonder the e-commerce giant Amazon has come up with its own influencer program to take a bite of the cake.
If you have a noticeable presence on social media, you can become an Amazon influencer and earn a healthy monthly commission. In this guide, I will walk you through the basic steps you need to take to become an Amazon influencer and give quick tips to make the best out of your social media channels.
What is Amazon Influencer Program?
It’s a marketing program run by Amazon where you can become an advertising partner and promote Amazon products on your social media channels. As an Amazon influencer, you are a content creator whose job is to recommend the products to the audience and inspire them to purchase. The position is simple here – drive traffic to the Amazon website.
To become an Amazon influencer, you must have a sizable social media following on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, etc. Also, Amazon will check your engagement level with your followers before approving your application.
Influence marketing is beneficial for the brand and marketers. For brands, it’s easier to showcase the product to a targeted audience. Most influencers follow a particular interest (cooking, fashion, accessories, etc.) and have a massive following of people who share the same. For brands, it becomes convenient to market their products to thousands of relatable consumers.
You can use your storefront or unique affiliate links to market the products and write product-related posts on your social media account. Whenever there is a qualified sale through your link, you will earn a commission.
How Can You Become An Amazon Influencer?
Becoming a successful Amazon influencer is not as straightforward. You need an excellent social media presence and a good number of followers. Earning recognition on social channels is a challenging task. It takes months or years of hard work.
There are shortcuts, such as buying followers or accounts with a massive following in advance, but Amazon relies on quality. So the best way is to work your way around, post the relevant topics on your social media and earn genuine followers.
To become an Amazon Influencer, you must fulfill these requirements:
- You must have a genuine Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, or Tik Tok account.
- In the case of Facebook and Instagram, you need to have a business account rather than a private one.
- A good number of followers (at least 10-12k)
- Your account should have genuine and quality posts with good follower engagement.
Amazon Influencer Program: What’s in It for You?
Not much needs to be said about Amazon. It’s a go-to place for everyday buyers, no matter what they need. Over the years, the company has improved its services, earning the trust of its millions of customers. By becoming an advertising partner of such a reputed brand, you establish yourself as a genuine online marketer and create opportunities for a steady side income or a full-time business.
Your monthly remuneration entirely depends on the number of qualified sales you generate through the affiliate links. Amazon awards a fixed commission depending on the product category, and it’s up to you to convince as many followers as possible to buy the product.
You can choose from numerous product categories such as food, jewelry, cosmetics, fashion, gaming, home & decor, and more. It’s wise to stick to one category as it will represent you as a serious online marketer. Creating hundreds of posts for different products won’t do you any good. Choose a category and try the product yourself, read customer reviews, and give an honest opinion to your followers. Initially, they may not buy the product, but in the long run, it will help you form a connection with your followers, and you can inspire them easily.
However, there are certain products that Amazon doesn’t allow to promote:
- Explosives and firearms
- Adult items and accessories
- Medicines and pharmaceutical products (doctor’s recommended)
- Surveillance equipment
- Vitamins, supplements, and simulators
- Alcohol-based beverages, smoking products, cigarettes
- Currency
The commission rate varies between 1% to 10%. Apparel, jewelry, and fashion equipment have the highest commission rate, while computer accessories and gaming products have the lowest. You can check the detailed commission rates on the Amazon Influencer page.
Where to begin? Step-by-step Guide
To register yourself for the Amazon Influencer program, take the following steps:
- Go to the Amazon affiliate program page or follow the link https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/influencers.
- Click on Sign up.
- Choose between a new account or an existing account. To create a new account, provide your email, email and choose a strong password.
- On the next page, you have to check your eligibility. Pick any of the four social media accounts where you have the highest number of followers and good engagement.
- Sign in and give permission to Amazon to access basic information such as posts, followers, comments, etc.
- For Instagram, you need to provide your account name, number of followers, and number of posts which Amazon will verify. For Youtube, Facebook, and Tik Tok, you are required to connect the accounts to the Influencer account.
- Finish the application by clicking on allow.
Once you finish, Amazon will review your application, and based on the quality of your social media page; it will accept or reject it. In most cases, it shouldn’t take longer than a week to get the response.
Once approved, complete the registration by providing your name, social media account URL, and permanent address. You will also need to write a 250 words profile bio and upload a profile picture (250×250).
Manage the Storefront and Start Promoting
When you become an Amazon Influencer, you have access to the storefront where you can select the products to promote. Always choose the products that will fit your social media account and followers. For example, if you own a social media account for recipes or a cooking youtube channel, stick to the products related to the kitchen, such as utensils, crockery, kitchen gadgets, etc.
There is little to do at the storefront. All you need to do is create the list of products and start promoting through affiliate links.
To advertise the products, you need to create social media posts about them. As I mentioned, be honest with your reviews and always try to help your followers understand the product. Remember, you are not a seller but a promoter. So instead of trying to convince your followers, show them the practical use of the product. For instance, if you run a skincare channel, buy the skin product and use it on yourself, and then tell your followers about its effects, side effects, and benefits.
You can insert the storefront link to your social media homepage/bio. Also, it’s wise to create accounts on multiple social channels so that you can target a wider audience.
Amazon Affiliate vs Amazon Influencer
The Amazon Influencer program is a portion of the wider Amazon associates. An influencer is yet an affiliate but it is mostly used to refer those who want to enroll as associates of Amazon.
Influencers have a huge assembly of affiliate tools in comparison to the affiliate tool. These include live streaming, shoppable photos, and personal storefront. The rate of commission for the affiliates and influencers are same.
Related Read:
Amazon Influencer Program: A Business Opportunity or Side Hustle?
With the Amazon influencer program, you can earn between $10 to $10k per month. The more you promote, the higher your commission gets. Now, some better affiliate programs available can give you a higher commission rate (up to 50%). Amazon products are so easy to market, and people trust the brand unconditionally, so there are chances that you will be able to pull off a decent income each month.
You can withdraw your earnings once it crosses the $10 threshold. However, there is quite a long wait when the money becomes accessible to you. It takes 60 days after the month of registration. If you apply for the program in January, you can withdraw your first payment only at the end of March.
Frequently Asked Questions:
An Amazon influencer is those who create content that offers recommendation to motivate audiences through social media.
There are many ways to earn, you can monetize the social media content through an affiliate link or sharing the storefront URL.