Here are some of the best Amazon affiliate marketing tricks for beginners that I wish I knew when I started.
Let me know what you think, ask me a question, or suggest something I cover in the future in the comments below!
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Things you need to know before starting
Before we get into strategies, you need to know what you're dealing with when it comes to Amazon Associates.
Pay
You can earn up to 10% commissions on Amazon products in the U.S. Earnings may be more or less in different countries. For instance, U.K. affiliates can earn up to 12%.
Another thing to keep in mind is some products (very few) don't give you commissions.
Also, on the products you can earn commissions from, the category (like furniture, electronics, books, etc.) will play a part in how high your commission percentage can be.
You can also earn bounties off of Amazon services. They provide may things like Echo devices, Fire TV sticks, web services, etc.
Another perk of Amazon Associates is the fact that when people click your affiliate link, you earn commissions from anything (that's eligible) that person buys within 24 hours, whether you linked to those specific items or not.
How to sign up
You can sign up at affiliate-program.amazon.com for the U.S. If you're in another country, the program may be a little different and you'll need to go to the top right of the page and choose the right country.
Also, when getting started, you may need to build up a website first. A little bit of consistent traffic is something many affiliate programs require before approving you.
You can learn how to build a professional website with the same platform I use (WordPress) here in 3 steps.
Legality
You'll notice I have an affiliate disclaimer at the bottom of every blog post page on my website. Why?
Because, in the U.S., you have to disclose when you might earn commissions from certain links to products you're recommending. I'm not sure if this is required in other countries, but if you're in the U.S., make sure you do this on every page that contains affiliate links.
What makes Amazon Associates great
Things like legal disclaimers, only 10% commissions, and possibly needing a website to use Amazon Associates may make the program seem less attractive. I get it.
But, the real strength of this program is the fact that Amazon is the biggest retailer in the world and just about everyone with money has a credit card on file with them already.
What does this mean?
It means Amazon has people's trust. And, on top of that, they make it easy to buy stuff with credit cards already on file, just about every product imaginable available, and features like one-click purchases.
Strategies for making money
1. Link as you go
One thing I love about Amazon Associates is the fact that you don't have to try too hard to start making money from it.
You can have a blog, YouTube channel, Podcast, or social media profile centered around just about anything and just link to the products you use with Amazon.
You could, for instance, mention a book you read recently that you loved and link to it so others can check it out. When, they do, you get a small commission.
So, every time you mention a product you love, use, etc., link to it through Amazon for some commissions.
2. Have a resource page
Many well-known websites like Entrepreneur On Fire, Smart Passive Income, etc. have a resources page. I have one as well.
Basically, the point of the resources page is to link to some of the products you're using to run your business in case people are wondering.
So, you might link to the hosting company you use, favorite books, equipment, etc.
3. Do reviews and comparisons
If you want to specifically target products to earn commissions from, you might consider doing more review or comparison posts.
For instance, you could have a technology YouTube channel like Marques Brownlee where you review the latest devices. Most of the devices will be available on Amazon.
People looking at reviews or comparisons of products tend to be in “ready to buy” mode, so you could probably get quite a few commissions from just a few thousand views. On top of that, something like tech is expensive and will earn you bigger commissions per sale.
4. Gift idea/Cool product sites
Some websites like This Is Why I'm Broke have built brands centered around getting affiliate sales.
What they do is make a gift ideas or cool products website and post about a few items every day.
Many of the items on these kinds of sites, you'll notice, are available on Amazon. So, they make money by informing you about these products and linking to them with an Amazon affiliate link.
5. Affiliate YouTube channels
You can also do gift idea/cool product videos. For example, Future Tech makes videos that have compilations of cool products you can usually find on Amazon.
If you did this, you would just need to have images and clips of how these products work and put them together in high-quality videos. Then, you would just link to the affiliate products in the YouTube description.
6. Pinterest with Amazon Associates
Another highly trafficked site to take advantage of when it comes to affiliate marketing is Pinterest.
In the past, Pinterest made it to where you couldn't post affiliate links, but now they allow it, since it is a great platform for it.
All you have to do is make original Pinterest images showing the products and what they do and then change the website source to the affiliate link.
I show you how to do this in the video above.
7. Instagram with affiliate marketing
Instagram is all the rage these days, so I'm sure you'll be glad to know that you can turn your profile into a way to make money with Amazon Associates.
To do this, we can learn from Instagram influencers. You've probably noticed that celebrities and other influencers on Instagram occasionally (or sometimes way to often) post images or videos of themselves using a certain product.
Many times, they are very careful to make sure the product's label (if it has one) faces the camera, so people know exactly what they're using and could find it online.
These are called sponsored posts. Now, instead of sponsored posts, which are tough to get unless you're Instagram famous, you can use the same strategy with affiliate products.
Here's what a sponsored post looks like:
Just build your Instagram profile with quotes, selfies, dog pics, or whatever your followers like (keep some kind of consistent theme) and then do an occasional pic of you using a product you love and describe why you like it in the description. Then, link to it in your bio or just have a shortened affiliate link at the bottom of the photo and in your description so people can look it up.
Other affiliate programs to consider
As I mentioned, the strength of the Amazon Associates program is the amount of products, the trust customers have with the site, the ease of purchasing, and the commissions from products you didn't even link to.
Those are the pros.
The main con is the low commission percentages.
So, if you want bigger commissions, or just other similar affiliate programs, try:
- Etsy
- Ebay
- Clickbank
- Private programs (like Bluehost, HostGator, LeadPages, etc.)
- ShareASale
- Free referral sites (like FeaturePoints (Full review here), Ibotta, Ebates)
Let me know if you have any other questions or affiliate marketing tips in the comments!
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3 replies to "Best Amazon Affiliate Marketing Tricks for Beginners 2019"
These articles are very useful- thank you.
Question: do you know where YouTube’s get there clips from, I.E. Seinfeld clips, gossip sites etc.
I noticed niches like these get a ton of traffic & subscribers and they put links in description box. Any help would be appreciated.
I’m working. On my site plz., excuse it. 🙂
Hey Debbie,
There are many ways to do that. You can search for creative commons licensed channels in the YouTube search bar, use a screen recorder like Camtasia, use other video sites like Dailymotion and Vimeo, use stock clips from sites like Shutterstock, use a video downloader tool, etc.
To find sources, I recommend just looking at other channels and the sources they link to. If their channels are still doing well, that might mean those sources allow people to use their clips in compilations or reviews.
Hope that helps!
I love your video and article there has such a piece of great information.