Amazon’s affiliate program, Amazon Associates, is one of the most popular ways to earn passive income online. With its massive reach, the platform offers content creators, bloggers, and influencers an opportunity to monetize their traffic by promoting products sold on Amazon.
In fact, Amazon’s affiliate program controls nearly 50% of the entire affiliate marketing network market, and it has over 900,000 active affiliate partners.
As a trusted brand, Amazon often serves as the first destination for online shoppers, leading to higher conversion rates when you drive traffic to its product pages.
But, what is Amazon Associates and how does it work? In this blog, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about becoming an Amazon Affiliate, from getting started with your account to maximizing your affiliate earnings.
We’ll also discuss the benefits and challenges of using Amazon’s affiliate program and provide useful tips to help you succeed.
What Is Amazon Affiliate Program?
The Amazon Affiliate Program, aka Amazon Associates, is a free affiliate marketing platform that allows content creators, bloggers, and influencers to make money by promoting products and earning commissions. How does Amazon Associates Work? Let’s find out:
Affiliates receive a tracking affiliate link for each product. When someone purchases the product through the link, they earn commissions between %1-20% depending on the product category.
Keep in mind that the Amazon affiliate program commission is only paid after the product is shipped. This means if the buyer cancels the purchase, affiliates won’t get their commissions.
As you’ve seen, the commission rates on the Amazon affiliate program vary depending on the product category. In the below image, you can find the commission rates for different product categories on Amazon:
Amazon Influencer Program Vs. Amazon Affiliate Program
If you’re a creator looking to earn money online, you may have heard of the Amazon influencer program. No need to mix it up with Amazon’s affiliate program!
The Amazon Influencer program is the best choice for social media influencers with decent followers. You can create an Amazon Storefront and showcase your favorite products.
While there are some differences between the two programs, they are quite similar in earning commissions, meaning both Amazon influencers and affiliates get paid based on certain commission rates, ranging from 1% to 20%, depending on the product category. Let’s break down the key differences in a table:
| Feature | Amazon Affiliate Program | Amazon Influencer Program |
| Best for | Bloggers with a website | Social media influencers |
| Platform Requirement | a website, blog, YouTube channel, mobile app, social media account | a social media account with good engagement |
| Commission Structure | Earns the same commission as influencers based on product category | Earns the same commission as influencers based on product category |
| Follower/Traffic Requirement | No minimum traffic or followers required | Needs a decent number of followers |
| Linking & Promotion | Can generate affiliate links for specific Amazon products | Can only share a storefront link or category links, not individual product links |
| International Traffic Monetization | Can earn commissions from multiple Amazon marketplaces using OneLink | Limited to a single Amazon marketplace per Storefront |
Amazon Associates Features
In the next sections, we’ll teach you how to join the Amazon affiliate program. But first, let’s see what features and tools the platform offers and what the Amazon affiliate program’s dashboard looks like:
Once you sign up on Amazon Associate Central, you’ll be directed to your dashboard where you can create affiliate links, and view your earnings summary, performance reports, and payment details.
Amazon Associates Tools
Here are the certain tools Amazon offers affiliates within its amazon affiliate marketing program:
- Site Stripe: This is a browser toolbar that allows you to create affiliate links directly from Amazon product pages,
- OneLink: It’s a web-based service that enables affiliates to monetize international traffic by redirecting visitors to their country’s Amazon store,
- Product Advertising API: With this feature, affiliates can automate product listings, review product details, and display dynamic pricing,
- Mobile GetLink: This tool lets you create and share affiliate links directly from the Amazon Shopping app,
- Bounty Program: The Amazon Associates bounty program allows you to earn extra commissions for promoting other Amazon services such as Audible, Kindle Unlimited, and Prime memberships.
Amazon Associates Reports
In addition to the tools we talked about earlier, the Amazon affiliate program provides users with free reports, including various metrics and insights to track their affiliate marketing performance. This free report delivers insights into:
- Your Earnings Overview: You can view your total fees, bounties, and clicks in a certain time,
- Your Link Performance Summary: This provides data about clicks, conversions, total ordered items, and total shipped items,
- Your Sales Report: This gives a detailed look at all sales generated through your affiliate links, including items purchased, quantity, and the commission you earned.
Amazon Affiliate Program Advantages & Disadvantages
Like any other Amazon affiliate software, Amazon Associates has the good and bad sides. The figures show that it’s the largest affiliate marketing platform as of now, with 46.11% of the affiliate market share. What do users love about the Amazon Associates affiliate program?
Amazon Associates Pros
- Amazon has a massive global reach with millions of products. So, you’re sure that you can promote almost anything,
- It’s a trusted brand, meaning customers are more likely to trust and purchase products through affiliate links. That also guarantees higher conversion rates,
- Plus, Amazon has a relatively low payout threshold (usually $10 or $100, depending on the payment method), making it easier to start receiving payments.
On top of earning commissions from products, you can also earn some extra cash with the Amazon Prime Affiliate Program. Every time someone signs up for Prime through your link, you get a one-time payout.
Amazon Associates Cons
On the other side, Amazon’s affiliate marketing program has downsides, including:
- Compared to other affiliate marketing platforms, it pays lower commission rates,
- The Amazon affiliate cookie lasts only 24 hours, meaning you only earn a commission on purchases made within that period,
- Moreover, you don’t have control over Amazon’s prices. So, any changes in product pricing or availability can impact your earnings,
- If you don’t generate enough sales within the first 180 days of signing up, or if your site doesn’t meet its content standards, Amazon may suspend your account.
AlgoRift: A Flexible Alternative to Affiliate Amazon Program
Limitations like low commission rates may drive affiliates to look for more flexible platforms. The good news is that in the evolving world of affiliate marketing, there are many platforms that offer unique benefits over Amazon Associates. AlgoRift is one of the top Amazon affiliate marketing tools.
One user-friendly, effective one is AlgoRift which connects Amazon brands with bloggers, content creators, and social media influencers. The first advantage of AlgoRift over the Amazon affiliate program is custom contract partnerships.
Unlike Amazon which has a fixed commission structure, AlgoRift allows both sellers and affiliates to form contracts with tailored commission structures. This ensures flexible, performance-driven collaborations.
Additionally, AlgoRift enables brands to create coupons and assign them to affiliates — a feature Amazon program lacks. This is a win-win for both sides, attracting more buyers and increasing CTRs.
More importantly, with AlgoRift supporting multi-brands and accounts, it’s easier to get a broader reach, better campaign organization, and more earning potential.
What Are Amazon Affiliate Program Requirements?
If you want to join those 900k associates, you should sign up for the Amazon affiliate program. But beforehand, you need to check if you’re eligible. Let’s take a look at the Amazon Affiliate program’s requirements:
- You can apply with a website, mobile app, Alexa skill, or social media account (Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and Twitch),
- You must generate at least three qualified sales within the first 180 days,
- Your website, blog, or social media page must have at least 10 posts with valuable, unique content,
- If applying with a website, it must be recently updated (within the last 60 days) and owned by you,
- You must also use Amazon’s special affiliate links (tagged links) correctly on your approved site/social media,
- Remember, you cannot offer rewards, discounts, or incentives for using your affiliate links.
How to Sign Up For the Amazon Affiliate Program?
Joining the Amazon affiliate program is as easy as following a few steps. Here’s how to create your free Amazon Associates account:
Step 1: Go to the Amazon Associates Program and click ‘Sign Up’,
Step 2: If you already have an Amazon account, just enter your email and password and sign in. Otherwise, you need to create an account.
Step 3: Once you’re logged into your Amazon account, fill in the form and provide your personal info, including your address and postal code,
Step 4: Now, add your website, social media, or mobile apps. You can enter as many as 50 websites or social media accounts in this section. If your website doesn’t target children under 13, choose No and head over to the next step,
Step 5: Here, you should provide more information such as a unique Store ID, and a few sentences about your content,
Step 6: After completing your profile, you’re asked to choose your payment method and add your tax info to receive your earnings.
How to Sign Up For the Amazon Affiliate Program Without Website?
You don’t need a website to make money through the Amazon Associates program. Using your mobile app, YouTube channel, and social media accounts, you can sign up for the program and share your affiliate links.
To do this, enter your social media account URL while signing up for Amazon Associates Central and hit the Add button.
Whether you type in your YouTube channel, Facebook group, or Instagram page, it must be public, have at least 500 organic followers or likes, and contain original content (not just promotions).
That said, Amazon has another feature, the Influencer Program (we compared it with the affiliate program earlier), for those without a website who want to make money through TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, or other social media content.
How to Maximize Earnings on The Amazon Affiliate Program
You’ve signed up for the Amazon Associates program, but that’s not all! To make the most of your account, you need effective strategies. Here are some main points to maximize your earnings:
1. Choose the Right Niche
First and foremost, you need to choose the niche you want to earn money from. It could be any product (available on Amazon’s product categories). To find your niche, you can take two approaches:
- One is choosing a niche you are passionate about and knowledgeable in. This will make creating content more enjoyable and sustainable.
- Another approach is to select a niche that offers higher commission rates according to Amazon’s fee schedule. Some high-payout categories include luxury beauty, Amazon subscriptions, and furniture.
2. Set Realistic Expectations
You don’t expect to earn hundreds of dollars overnight, do you? Remember, earning a significant income won’t happen overnight. At first, you might make a few hundred dollars a month, but with consistent effort, you could work your way up to $1,000 a month within a year. It’s all about patience and persistence!
3. Create High-quality Content
What do we mean by high-quality content? Let’s see:
- If you have a website, create valuable and engaging blog articles that provide genuine value to your audience,
- Focus on straightforward, value-packed content that showcases the product’s benefits,
- Use a “show and tell” approach to keep viewers engaged,
- Leverage visuals — infographics, videos, and tables to increase your clicks.
4. Optimize for SEO
Use relevant keywords and optimize your content for search engines to improve your website’s visibility. Optimizing content for high-converting keywords can increase your commissions.
Pro Tip: Target phrases like “best,” “top-rated,” “review,” “vs.,” and “alternative to” because they attract users ready to make a purchase.
5. Write In-Depth Reviews
Amazon shoppers value detailed, unbiased product reviews before making a purchase. So, you have to build trust and authority. How?
- Use first-hand experience whenever possible. If you’ve used the product, share personal insights, pros, and cons.
- Include real customer feedback from Amazon to support your points.
- Compare similar products honestly instead of pushing one as the absolute best.
- Disclose your affiliate relationship to comply with FTC guidelines and maintain transparency.
6. Keep up with Amazon’s Policies & Trends
Amazon frequently updates its affiliate program policies and commission rates. Stay informed by:
- Subscribing to Amazon Associates updates to avoid accidental policy violations.
- Tracking industry trends and adapting your strategy to what’s working now.
- Using Amazon’s OneLink to monetize international traffic and increase conversions.
The Bottom Line
To sum it up, the Amazon Affiliate Program is a great way to earn passive income, thanks to its massive reach and trusted brand. While the commission rates aren’t the highest, the tools and features Amazon offers can help you make the most of it.
But if you’re looking for something a bit more flexible, you might want to check out AlgoRift. It lets you create custom contracts and offers features Amazon doesn’t, giving you a bit more control over your affiliate game.
Whatever route you take, just remember: consistency and creating quality content is what makes the difference!
FAQs
Let’s answer some FAQs about the Amazon Associate Program:
1. How Much Do Amazon Affiliates Get Paid?
Amazon affiliates’ earning depends on the commissions they get from their sales. The Amazon affiliate program commission ranges from 1% to 10%, depending on the product category. However, based on ZipRecruiter, Amazon Associates can make an average of $ 6,491 per month in the United States.
2. Do You Need 500 Followers for the Amazon Affiliate Program?
Yes, to be eligible to join the Amazon Affiliate marketing program, you must have an established account with at least 500 followers on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch.
3. Is It Free to Be An Amazon Affiliate?
Yes, to apply for the affiliate Amazon program, you don’t need to pay any fees.
4. What Are the Common Reasons for Amazon Affiliate Account Rejections?
Going against Amazon affiliate program requirements may lead to your account being rejected. Here are the most common reasons:
- Not generating at least 3 sales within 180 days,
- Lack of having at least 10 original content on your website,
- An inactive website with no new content (created within the 60 past days),
- Not using special tagged affiliate links,
- Using Amazon’s trademarked materials,
- Applying with a Non-Compliant Mobile App.
5. Can I Promote Amazon Products Without a Website?
Yes, you can also promote Amazon products on social media platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Twitch (currently supported by Amazon), mobile apps, and blogs.
6. How Can I Effectively Write Content for Amazon Affiliate Products?
If you want to write high-converting content for your Amazon affiliate products, you need to consider the following practices:
- Create different types of content, from product reviews, and how-to guides to listicles, and comparison articles,
- Optimize your content for search engines, using the right keywords, meta tags, internal links, etc,
- Add high-quality images and videos, engaging headlines, and real user cases to your content,
- Place your Amazon affiliate links strategically within the text, with clear CTAs and the right anchor texts,
- Keep your content up-to-date, based on trends and new recommendations.
7. How Many Followers Do I Need to Become an Amazon Affiliate?
Amazon requires the applicants to have an established, public social media account with at least 500 organic followers and likes. Besides, the posts and the number of followers must be visible to non-followers.
8. What Is the Minimum Traffic for Amazon Associates to Accept a Site?
There is no minimum traffic requirement for your website to be accepted in the Amazon Associates affiliate program. Yet, you must own your website and the content on your website must have been generated within the last 60 days.
