About Amazon Affiliate MarketingLearn More

Amazon Associates is an affiliate program that allows creative artists and influencers to earn commissions by referring and promoting Amazon products to their audiences via their personal websites and social media accounts. These individuals act as virtual advocates for Amazon, informing their respective audiences about the products of their choice while earning commissions for their efforts. Amazon Associates leverage their stakeholder relationships and resources to market their favorite Amazon products creatively, including blog and social media posts, videos, and more. This affiliate program allows participants to gain many of the benefits of an online store without building a separate e-commerce platform. It is a simple yet powerful way to monetize a website, blog, or even social media profiles without the need to fully enter the digital sales arena.

The Amazon Associates Program is for those with existing resources and followings who are willing and able to leverage these resources to promote Amazon products. The qualification process starts with a standard application available online. There are standard questions, but each application is reviewed on its own merits. Applicants are accepted from a wide range of specialty areas, allowing each Associate to add a personal aspect to marketing and promotion. Associates also have the flexibility to use their creativity to market and promote products in ways that work best with their current websites, blogs, or other online tools. The content and tone of these sites are not impacted by adding the Amazon Associate Program.

Amazon offers a commission program that rewards Amazon Associates directly based on referred products. Associates can provide more value to their followers and gain credibility as an influencer. Their sites, blogs, or other resources also have additional content to include to make these tools better and more robust. Sites that can offer visitors some type of tangible takeaway can be more appealing. The Amazon Associate Program provides an option that does not involve setting up or managing an online store with all its associated demands and costs. Associates reap some of the benefits of having products for sale without actually needing to branch out into e-commerce. The Amazon brand is strong and attracts visitors on its merit, so the combined marketing power of the Associate program only makes this partnership even better.

As with any form of digital marketing, affiliate links can be promoted in multiple ways on various platforms. The most common include the Amazon Associate’s existing blogs, websites, and social media accounts, such as Facebook or Instagram. There is no need to reinvent the wheel; affiliate links can be easily incorporated into existing marketing and promotional campaigns. They can also be strategically added to websites and blogs ongoing. Affiliates can also do their own PR to promote links by writing their own product reviews in articles on these sites and corresponding social media profiles. Some may also choose to do a feature on a specific product each week or monthly. With creativity, an Amazon Associate can promote affiliate links in many ways without being overly aggressive or obvious in pitching their favorite products.

As the name suggests, marketing is a key skill needed to become an Amazon Affiliate. While formal training or a marketing degree is not a requirement for success — nor does it guarantee success — specific skills will make this program a success for an Affiliate. The marketing process consists of product, pricing, promotion, and placement, known as the “4 Ps.” These areas all include knowing the target audience and meeting them where they are. Affiliates already have a built-in network, following, and resources that are already well developed, while Amazon offers the products and handles the pricing. The Affiliate needs to be able to make the right product choices for their audience, promote them in a way that will engage the audience, and maintain the right relationships to ensure that their audience continues to trust their recommendations.

Amazon Affiliates has a simple and straightforward commission structure for its participants that correlates directly to the item being promoted. Most items promoted earn affiliates a percentage of the item price. This ranges from 1% for Amazon Fresh, Physical Video Games & Video Game Consoles, and Health & Personal Care items to 20% for Amazon Games. A majority of the products fall in the mid-range, from 4-5%. Amazon Affiliates can also earn flat one-time payments through bounty and bonus events for achieving specific goals. There are maximum commissions for fine art and free ebook promotions, so be sure to check the Amazon Affiliates site to confirm how much these items can earn for an affiliate.

Like any pursuit that may earn money, Amazon Affiliate Marketing will fit well with certain people. Much of a participant’s success depends on factors like time available to devote to the program, existing resources to promote it, current following and influence, and specific choices for products to promote. Amazon Affiliates can use their existing websites and social media pages to drive their success in the program. Therefore, understanding what products to promote to their specific audiences will be key. Those who know their audiences well and choose to promote items naturally aligned with their existing brand are best positioned for success in the Amazon Affiliates program. Each affiliate will have a different selection of items to promote. The program is flexible, so there is room to try different options until the right items for an affiliate are selected.