The Ultimate Guide to Amazon Affiliate Program in 2024

The Ultimate Guide to Amazon Affiliate Program in 2024

Forget the heavy investments of Amazon private label selling – what if you could turn your everyday online influence into a profitable venture?

So, there should be the opportunity on Amazon where one can start working without investment. Well in that scenario Amazon do provides that opportunity that is Amazon Affiliate Marketing. It is also called the “Amazon Associate Program”.

Whether you're a seasoned blogger, a social media creator, or just starting your online journey, this blog equips you with comprehensive knowledge of Amazon Affiliate Program。

So, buckle up and get ready to discover the guideline:

What is the Amazon Affiliate Program?

If you don’t have money to open a shop, no worries, Amazon offers you to become their agent and sell their products and advertise them. Amazon will pay a commission on each sale. That commission can be 2%, 8%, or 10%. The commission varies from product to product as to which category you are selling. For example, there would be different % on beauty items and if you are working on sports equipment, Amazon's commission will be different.

Amazon is a marketplace where people have shops and Amazon advertise those shops to help them sell. You are helping Amazon in advertising by giving them client and boosting their sale, and as you claim sale, Amazon will pay you a commission as a sales agent, means you have no invested money.

Your job is to select a product from thousands of products on Amazon, sell it, and earn a commission. You don’t have to maintain inventory, nor you have to purchase it, and you don’t even pay any kind of fee to Amazon. You only sale their product and get your commission for it.

How does Amazon Affiliate Program work?

As you created the affiliate account, then Amazon asks you to select the product that you want to sell. As soon as you select the product, for example, you add a keyword blue pen, whatever pen you want to sell of which you feel the sale is good, and you can sell that easily, you are the one selecting the product. After selection Amazon will give you a “Amazon affiliate link”. The link is in three types.

The fist one is text link, which is a plain-text link that links to specific products. You lead your customers to a specific product page based on the chosen keywords.

Another is an image link. provide you a product image with embed code.

The last one is banner-form link for you to display visual ads on your website or social medias.

Now, if someone buys a product by clicking on that link, the commission against it will be automatically transferred into your account. You don’t have to tell Amazon how many sales you have done.

how Amazon affiliate program works

Pros and Cons of being an Affiliate Marketer for Amazon

Pros

Massive Organic Traffic

Amazon is one of the largest online stores globally, with lots of people visiting it every day. As an affiliate, you can benefit from this by getting lots of people to click on your links. And you may convert them into sales and earn commissions.

Smart Recommendation System

Employing advanced artificial intelligence, Amazon offers personalized product recommendations to users, enhancing their shopping experience and encouraging purchases. This smart recommendation system simplifies the process of attracting users and driving sales for affiliates.

Smart Recognition

Amazon's affiliate commission program acknowledges all purchases made within 24 hours after clicking an affiliate link. Even if users buy products not directly recommended by you, as long as the purchase originates from your affiliate link, you'll still receive the commission.

Excellent Customer Service

Amazon provides exceptional customer service support. As an affiliate member, you don't need to worry about issues like communicating with customers or handling inquiries. Amazon's customer service team will take care of these aspects, allowing you to concentrate on promotion and marketing.

Cons

No Affiliate links in Email Marketing

Amazon doesn't permit placing affiliate links directly in email marketing. This rule is in place to prevent spamming and misuse of affiliate links. Instead, you can try to bring traffic by providing your personal website link in emails and embedding affiliate links there.

Strict Penalties

Amazon imposes severe penalties for violating its policies, which may include revoking affiliate status and reclaiming commissions. Therefore, it's crucial to adhere to Amazon's affiliate policies and regularly review them to ensure compliance.

Relatively Low Commission Rates

Compared to other affiliate marketing platforms, Amazon's affiliate commission rates are relatively low, ranging from 1% to 10%. You can find detailed commission rates for various brands on their affiliate program website.

On other websites like ShareASale, commission rates often range from 20-30%. For digital products on ClickBank, commission rates are usually higher, sometimes reaching up to 50% or more of the product sales price. Commission rates on CJ (Commission Junction) vary between 1% to 20%, and they also offer additional incentives, such as extra rewards for reaching certain sales thresholds or increased commission rates for specific product categories.

Limited Timeframe for Commission Recognition

Amazon affiliate program only acknowledges orders generated within 24 hours. Orders placed outside this timeframe won't count towards affiliate commissions. This might overlook some potential sales, especially for high-value products.

Slow Commission Payment Speed

Amazon typically calculates commissions after orders are shipped and requires around 60 days for payments to be processed. Additionally, there are minimum withdrawal requirements.

One account for One Market

You'll need a separate Amazon affiliate account for each country you want to target, which can be a hassle for managing multiple markets.

But if you're aiming for cross-border affiliate marketing, Amazon's got your back with "Amazon OneLink". It lets you connect different country-specific Amazon affiliate accounts, so even if someone buys from another country's Amazon site through your link, you still earn your cut.

Eligibility of Joining Amazon Affiliate

To become an Amazon affiliate, also known as an Amazon Associate, you need to meet certain eligibility criteria.

If you have:

  • A Active Website or Social Media: You need to have an established online presence where you can promote Amazon products. This could be a website, blog, YouTube channel, or even a mobile app. There's no minimum traffic requirement. But we suggest your website or social media channel should have stable traffic and some original content that related to products you want to promote.If you are already a social media influencer with significant followers, and your want to have your own Amazon page for more personalized shopping experience to customers, you can subscribe for Amazon Influencer program.
  • Valid Amazon Account: You'll need an existing Amazon account to sign up for the Amazon Associates program.

Although Amazon doesn't specify a required amount of traffic for your personal website, it's still important to actively promote your Amazon affiliate links. If you don't generate at least three valid orders within 180 days, Amazon will close your affiliate account. You'll need to reapply in order to become an Amazon affiliate again.

How to Sign Up for Amazon Affiliate Program?

Step one, go to the application link:
https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/welcome/topic/tools/

Sign up for amazon affiliate program

Step two, click on "JOIN Now for Free" at the top right to go to the application page.

Step three, if you already have an Amazon account, enter your email or phone number and password to log in. If not, you'll need to create a new one.

Step four, confirm that the name, phone number, and address are correct for the commission recipient. If not, make changes here:

how to create amazon associates account step 1

Step five, on the left, enter the URL of your personal website, and on the right, enter the URL of your mobile app (if you have one).

amazon associates account step 2

Step six, fill in your personal information, including your preferred associates store ID, which is your Amazon tracking ID. I recommend using your name or the .com part of your domain name.

Additionally, Amazon needs to know: what your personal website is about, what content you create and types of the content.

amazon associates account step 3

Congratulations, your Amazon Associates account registration is complete!

How to create Amazon Affiliate links?

Once you've created your account,  using the Amazon Associates SiteStripe may be the easiest way to generate Amazon affiliate links. Simply click the "Text" button in the "Get Link" selector. Then copy the generated link provided in the pop-up window.

Before you generate the link, Select the format that best fits your content and promotional strategy: Text, Image or Test plus Image.

how to create amazon affiliate link

How to become an Amazon Affiliate?

Now, let’s explore three steps to make money without investment through Amazon affiliate:

Find Your Products

Find your products is the first step. It is crucial for maximizing your earnings as an affiliate. Here are 4 tips for you to find the suitable products.

Choose Profitable Products

When deciding which products to promote, think about how much money you could make. For example, promoting something that costs $10 might not earn you much. But if you sell a lot of them, it could add up. On the other hand, if you sell a more expensive item like a Sony camera, you might not sell as many right away. But when you do sell one, you'll make a good amount of money.

Offer a Variety of Products

You don't have to stick to just one product. You can promote lots of different things and make money from each sale. So, if you have a website with lots of different visitors, promoting different products can help you earn more.

Find the Niche

Focus on promoting products that match what your website is about. For instance, if your website is all about cameras, promote camera-related stuff. Don't try to sell things that don't fit your website's theme. That way, you'll attract the right people who are more likely to buy.

Make Use of Discounts

Look for products that are on sale. People love getting a good deal, so if you promote something with a discount, it'll catch their attention. And when they see the discount, they'll be more likely to buy, which means more money for you.

Promote Products with your links

Advertising can be done in 2-3 types. People create their websites, and blogs, and then paste the link there.

Promoted by Website and Blog

Once the traffic comes and people click on them and go to Amazon to make a purchase. Since the sale is done due to that link, you get the commission.

SEO is an important strategy for increasing website traffic and exposure. By optimizing for relevant keywords, your website can rank higher on search engine results pages.

Promoted by Social Media

The second option, people open their shops on Facebook, and advertise their link and promote it. Customers use those links to purchase the product, and you get the commission. If you are on your shop on Facebook and it has great popularity and if you post anything, you will get traffic, in this case, you don’t need to spend any money as your product will start selling as you have already created your social profile on Facebook that is famous amongst the people, or you have managed good traffic with the help of SEO. You don’t have traffic issues, whatever you post will start selling from there.

Promoted by Paid Ads

If you don’t have a website nor have any social media page or your page does not have much interaction. Nobody will like it even if you upload something there. For this, you use paid marketing of that link on the same page. You show your product to specific people who are interested in it. For that you need to learn “How to do Facebook marketing and how to run add campaigns on Facebook”? By using social media marketing skills, you advertise that link. Show the buyers that a blue pen is available. Do you want some? Whoever needs it, will buy by clicking on the link, and you will get the commission.

7 Types of Content to Increase Your Click-Through Rate

When it comes to Amazon affiliate marketing, the following types of content typically attract user clicks and increase your conversion rates:

  1. In-depth Product Reviews and Recommendations: Craft comprehensive reviews, whether in written or video format, showcasing Amazon products. Detail their features, advantages, drawbacks, and practical applications, providing unbiased assessments to aid users in decision-making.
  2. Shopping Guides and Curated Lists: Develop informative guides or curated lists like "Top 10 Kitchen Essentials" or "Must-Have Gear for Fitness Enthusiasts." These resources streamline product selection for users based on their specific needs.
  3. Exclusive Deals and Discounts: Share exclusive promotions, coupons, and discounts available on Amazon. This entices users to click on affiliate links to capitalize on savings, particularly during peak shopping periods.
  4. Educational Tutorials and Usage Tips: Offer instructional content on product usage, operation guidelines, and expert tips to optimize user experience. Empowering users with knowledge enhances their confidence in product purchases.
  5. Comparative Analysis and Contrasting Features: Conduct thorough comparisons between products from different brands or models. Evaluate variations in features, functionalities, and pricing to facilitate informed decision-making.
  6. Themed Events and Seasonal Content: Generate content tailored to specific themes, holidays, or seasonal trends. Examples include "Holiday Gift Guides" or "Summer Outdoor Essentials," enticing users to explore and purchase relevant products.
  7. Personal Testimonials and Expert Insights: Share authentic experiences and testimonials from personal product usage. Incorporate expert opinions and insights to bolster credibility and guide users in making well-informed purchases.

Things to Avoid When Doing Amazon Affiliate

After you join the affiliate program, it's better to review the Amazon's policy. Here are the things we suggest you to avoid when doing Amazon affiliate.

Don't Promote Amazon Affiliate Products via Email: Amazon's affiliate program doesn't allow placing affiliate links directly in emails for promotion. This could be seen as spam and violates the affiliate policy.

Don't Download Images Directly from Amazon Product Pages: It's better to use Amazon's Sitestripe tool to get promotional images. Downloading images directly from product pages may involve copyright issues.

Don't Copy and Paste Prices from Amazon Website: Amazon affiliate discourages directly copying price information. This is because prices on Amazon can change frequently. Also, avoid using phrases like "click here for the best price" as it might mislead users.

Don't Use Pop-Up Ads to Promote Affiliate Links: Pop-up ads can disrupt user experience. It may be considered inappropriate advertising.

Don't Use Amazon's Product Star Ratings: Affiliates are encouraged to provide their own honest reviews and opinions about the products they are promoting, rather than just relying on Amazon's star ratings.

Don't Plagiarize or Quote Amazon Customer Reviews: Copying and pasting Amazon customer reviews may involve copyright issues. And it is not honest or authentic.

Don't Forget the Disclaimer: Include a disclaimer on your website stating that you're an Amazon affiliate and that the links you provide may earn commissions. It is important because disclaimers are important for protecting yourself and ensuring compliance.

FAQ

Q: What is Amazon Affiliate Marketing?

A: Amazon Affiliate Marketing, also known as the Amazon Associates program, allows you to do just that. Here's the journey:

  • You sign up for the free Amazon Associates program.
  • You choose products on Amazon that align with your niche and audience.
  • You generate unique affiliate links for those products.
  • You strategically place these links within your website, blog posts, social media descriptions, or even videos.
  • When someone clicks your link and completes a qualifying purchase on Amazon (usually within 24 hours), you earn a commission on the sale!

Q: Do I need a website to become an Amazon affiliate?

A: While a website, blog, YouTube channel, or even a mobile app is ideal, there's no minimum traffic requirement. However, a well-developed platform with original content showcases your potential and increases your chances of getting approved for the Amazon Associates program.

Q: Is it free to become an Amazon affiliate?

A: Absolutely! Signing up for the Amazon Associates program is completely free. You just need an existing Amazon account.

Q: How much does a beginner Amazon affiliate make?

A: Commissions vary depending on the product category, with some as high as 10% and others lower. It depends on factors like traffic, conversion rates, and chosen products. Building a strong audience and promoting relevant products are key to maximizing your earnings.

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Xuan Xie
April 10, 2024
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