Amazon Influencer Program: How It Works for Creators and Brands

The Amazon Influencer Program lets social media creators earn commission when their followers buy products on Amazon. Accepted creators get a personal storefront, and their photos, videos and livestreams can appear on Amazon itself. For brands that sell on Amazon, these creators are a pay-for-performance way to reach new buyers.

What is the Amazon Influencer Program?

Amazon launched the program in 2017. Amazon describes it as an extension of its affiliate network, designed specifically for social media creators.

Accepted creators get:

• A storefront on Amazon where they group the products they recommend, often in themed lists.
• Commissionable links that earn on qualifying purchases. Creators earn on purchases a shopper makes after clicking their link, not only on the item they recommended.
• Shoppable photos and videos that can appear across Amazon, including on product detail pages, in search results and on the homepage.
• Amazon Live, for recommending products in real-time livestreams.

How is it different from Amazon Associates?

Amazon Associates is Amazon's general affiliate program. Its operating agreement covers websites, apps and social media content. Members earn commission on qualifying purchases through their links. For a guide to building a website around it, see how to start an Amazon affiliate niche site.

The Influencer Program builds on that for social media creators:

Who can join the Amazon Influencer Program?

According to Amazon, creators need a qualifying YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest or Facebook account. Amazon evaluates:

• the quality of the content
• the engagement rate
• the follower count

Creators from any content category can apply. Those who are not accepted at first can reapply later. Engagement counts, so smaller creators with an active, focused audience are not ruled out. See micro-influencers.

How do Amazon influencers earn money?

• Commissions on qualifying purchases through their links and storefront. Rates vary by product category.
• Bounties, fixed payments for sign-ups to services such as Prime.
• Creator Rewards, monthly bonuses.
• Creator Connections, campaigns where brands offer an extra commission on selected products.
• Creator Ads, a further option Amazon lists for creators.

Earnings depend on the products, the audience and how much they buy, so treat any "typical income" figure you see online with caution.

How do brands work with Amazon influencers?

For brands that sell on Amazon, influencers bring outside traffic and product content. There are two main routes:

1. Creator Connections. Brands set up campaigns for selected products and set a commission rate on qualifying sales. Creators who join promote those products. The brand pays for sales rather than for posts. Sellers find it under Advertising in Seller Central; check the current minimums there before planning a budget.
2. Direct partnerships. Brands can also agree a sponsorship or fee with a creator directly, as with any influencer marketing deal. The creator's Amazon storefront and videos then become one of the places the brand appears.

Tips for brands:

• Choose creators by audience fit, not follower count. Check that their followers match your buyers.
• Give creators what they need: product details, key benefits and honest answers about who the product is for.
• Track the result. Look at sales, not only views, and compare creator traffic with your ad spend.
• Insist on disclosure. It protects both you and the creator.

For ideas, see influencer marketing examples and how to create an Amazon landing page.

What are the disclosure rules?

Amazon's Associates Program Operating Agreement requires participants to state clearly and prominently: "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases." The agreement covers social media content.

In the US, the Federal Trade Commission also requires creators to disclose paid relationships clearly and conspicuously, close to the recommendation. For video, the FTC says to disclose in the video itself as well as in the description near the links. It also warns that "affiliate link" alone may not be understood, while "paid link" next to the link should be enough. The FTC adds that brands share responsibility for making sure the creators they work with disclose.

Is the Amazon Influencer Program worth it?

For creators whose audience already asks "what do you use?", it is a simple way to earn from recommendations they make anyway. It works best alongside other income, because commissions depend on what followers buy.

For brands on Amazon, it is a performance-based channel that pays only when products sell. It works best as part of a wider affiliate marketing and influencer plan, not as the whole plan.