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Originally published on August 9, 2022, updated November 17, 2022
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Savvy business owners have multiple routes available for making money on Amazon. While selling products is a fairly straightforward way to make a profit, the online eCommerce ecosystem has created other ways for people with varied skill sets to generate income. One that isn’t always immediately obvious to Amazon sellers is taking advantage of the Amazon affiliate program.
In this article, we'll dig deeper into how to make money as an Amazon affiliate.
The Amazon Associates program is one of the largest affiliate marketing programs in the world. Members of the program add customized links to their websites that drive traffic back to Amazon. Then they earn a commission for every visitor that goes on to make a purchase on Amazon within 24 hours of using that link.
Alternatively, the affiliate marketing platform Refersion recently launched Amazon Affiliate Marketing, a solution for both eCommerce brands and affiliates that want to connect with new audiences and drive revenue. In contrast to the Amazon Associates Program, Amazon Affiliate Marketing empowers affiliates with the benefits of higher average commission rates, tailored campaign structures, and an extended 15-day window to get paid for more conversions on their unique link.
You’ve likely seen Amazon affiliate links around the web when researching products yourself. Sites like Wirecutter and ConsumerSearch are built on affiliate marketing and regularly feature affiliate links for Amazon.
If you have a website that generates a decent amount of traffic, you could get in on the action as well.
If you’re still unsure if Amazon affiliate marketing makes sense for you, we’ve got answers to a few common questions about the program.
Publishers, bloggers, and other website owners can apply to join the program. Once accepted, Amazon Associates will help you create unique links to specific product pages on Amazon, which you will need to add to your website. The program also has tools for making links more attractive with things like images and banners.
Then, after the link is live, every time one of your website visitors clicks to go to Amazon and completes a purchase within 24 hours (even if it’s not for the specific product you linked to), you earn money.
Participants in the Amazon Associates program earn a percentage from each sale. The amount you earn depends on the category of product(s) the visitor buys, ranging from 20% for Amazon Games (the highest amount) to 1% for groceries, physical video games and consoles, and health and personal care.
Some types of products don’t qualify for commission at all, such as gift cards and Kindle subscriptions. Most categories fall in the 3-4% commission range. You can learn more about the commission rates here.
The program is for content creators who have an audience for their website or mobile app. Your site must include original content that’s not just advertising. And you’ll need enough traffic to drive at least three sales in the first 180 days.
The Amazon Associates program is meant for bloggers, publishers, and website owners who can add links to a website or app they already own. The Amazon influencer program is intended to be used by influencers with a large social media following.
Of course, Amazon Associates can also promote their affiliate links via social media. But influencers must have a significant following on social media to qualify. And they also have the option to create a unique page on Amazon they can direct followers to that highlights their recommendations—something an affiliate with their own website wouldn’t need.
In theory, yes. But that’s specifically what the Amazon Brand Referral Bonus program is for. The rates in the Amazon Brand Referral Bonus program are higher (around 10% in most categories versus 3-4% in the affiliate program). It makes more sense to stick with that program for promoting your own products offsite.
For Amazon sellers, there are two main ways to benefit from Amazon affiliate marketing:
Option 1: Sign up as an Amazon Associate yourself.
If you have a website or mobile app on which you host original content, selling as an Amazon affiliate can become an additional income stream for you. But this option can require a lot of extra work.
You need to think strategically about relevant, trustworthy content to create that relates to Amazon products, like product reviews and roundup posts. And you’ll likely need to promote your website and content in order to get enough visitors to make your affiliate links profitable.
If your website already gets a lot of traffic and this type of work sounds appealing to you, it can be a good way to increase your income.
Option 2: Partner with Amazon Associates to promote your products.
Identify program participants with content that’s relevant to the type of products you sell and reach out to see if they’d be willing to post about your content. Amazon Associates that have a big audience can bring awareness of your products to people that might not come across them otherwise. And since they earn a commission from Amazon for every sale of your products that come from their links, a partnership can benefit both of you.
Whether you pick one of the options above or decide to do a combo of both, taking advantage of the Amazon affiliate program can lead to higher profits. With how competitive Amazon is, using every tool at your disposal to make money is just smart business. Consider how Amazon affiliate marketing could fit into your business strategy today!
If you need more advice about how to make money as an Amazon affiliate or are looking for seller software that can accelerate your business growth, reach out to eComEngine for help!
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