Want to make money on Amazon without selling a single product? Is that even possible? Yes, it is possible if you have a way with words and can influence other people with your suggestions. With the Amazon Influencer Program, you can inspire shoppers to purchase products on the Amazon platform. And the best part about it? You also get paid while doing it.
We’ve all heard about the term “influencer.” In the last decade, the influencer movement has become so popular that it has massively affected how e-commerce and online marketing work. Do you know that the influencer marketing industry is valued at around $14 billion U.S. dollars? (Source: Statista)
For an industry that doesn’t even require you to sell the products first-hand, the big money that revolves around it is just too much for you to ignore. If you want to diversify your income streams, becoming an Amazon Influencer is one of the best ways to add to it without having to work another full-time job.
Large and small businesses would be wise to leverage the power of social media and digital marketing. And with the change in the shopping trends of consumers since the start of the pandemic, it only makes sense that you explore the Amazon Influencer program if you want to jump on this new opportunity.
But first, we should understand the Amazon Influencer program and how it can impact e-commerce businesses. In this article, we will tackle what this program is all about, the requirements to join, and how you can make money from it. Sounds good? Then let’s jump the gun and start reading.
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What is the Amazon Influencer Program?
Before we even delve deep into how we can earn money promoting products, we should first learn what it means to be an influencer. In the simplest definition of the word, an influencer is someone who has a strong social media presence and uses their platform (online or offline) to influence other people’s decisions. That decision could be about purchasing a product, supporting a movie, voting for a politician, etc.
In the new age where almost everyone is on social media and more people are setting up online businesses, influencer marketing is fast becoming a thing. More entrepreneurs are using Amazon influencer marketing to grow their businesses by working with Amazon influencers who have large followings and can run influencer campaigns to reach and influence people.
They have a huge impact on how brands approach their marketing. And they are also paid huge amounts of money to make a single post on their social media platforms.
In 2020, BBC reported that Kylie Jenner, one of the most popular Instagram influencers today, earns around $1.2 million every time she promotes a product on her Instagram account. (Source: BBC UK) That is a lot of money paid to someone who doesn’t even have to sell a single product, right?
An Amazon influencer is someone who uses social media posts to help sellers make more sales on the platform. It is an extension of Amazon’s affiliate program, and it is also meant to help boost e commerce sales through direct product marketing.
However, unlike amazon affiliates or Amazon associates who use banners, images, and text links to promote products, an Amazon influencer directs shoppers to their own custom storefronts. Inside these storefronts, customers can now buy the products that Amazon influencers have promoted on their social media platforms.
How Do You Earn In The Amazon Influencer Program?
So, how does the Amazon influencer program work? There are many ways to monetize your content; Instagram posts, YouTube videos, and Facebook posts, and earn through the Amazon Influencer program. The process is also simple, and it doesn’t require technical knowledge to build a website. All you have to do is share affiliate links, or your Amazon influencer storefront URL, to get shoppers to buy the recommended products.
Your own custom Amazon storefront serves as the initial landing page your direct followers will see if they click on your link. You can put products that you recommend on your personalized storefront. When a follower clicks your links and decides to buy a product on your Amazon storefront, you earn a small commission for every product sold.
To make it easy to understand how to scale your Amazon Influencer business, they also provide access to important metrics. You can view the number of visits, pages viewed, traffic sources, clicks, and sales. This will help you strategize better and focus on your best-performing audience to get the most out of your social media content.
Pre-designed templates make it easy to create your own personalized online store. You can use these templates and design them via a drag-and-drop manner. You don’t need programming or website-building experience to create a beautiful, functioning Amazon storefront. This makes it so much better for those who aren’t tech-savvy but are still interested in making money through the Amazon Influencer program.
What Are The Requirements To Become An Amazon Influencer?
Just like any other program, you need to fulfill a set of requirements before you can be accepted into the Amazon influencer program. And while AMZ doesn’t have a stringent list of requirements, they are quite particular regarding accepting Amazon influencer applications.
As a customer-centric website, AMZ always puts the best interests of its customers first. This means they want to protect customers from unscrupulous brands who want to take advantage of their customers through false Amazon influencer marketing.
Listed below are some of the Amazon Influencer Program requirements that you need to fulfill before you can get accepted:
- An active profile on one or more social media accounts. This includes Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, or even a YouTube channel.
- You live or have a business in one of the following countries: the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, or India.
- You have an active, engaged, and substantial following. While AMZN doesn’t have a specific amount of minimum follower count, having a following of around 20,000 will put you in a safe spot. However, there are also some cases where AMZN considers accepting people with a small following (also known as micro-influencers). As long as you can prove that your followers are engaged and valuable customers, you can be accepted.
- You must have a registered Amazon account to be accepted into the Amazon influencer program.
There are usually no specific restrictions regarding the niches, genres, or categories you can promote in the Amazon influencer program. However, it would help if you decided what works best for you and your audience. If you are an influencer in the beauty and hair care niche, there is little incentive for you to promote tech gadgets and computers, right? Be wise in promoting to your audience so you won’t drain their engagement and lose their trust.
If you previously applied for the Amazon influencer program and got rejected, then do not fret. AMZ allows for reapplication, especially for those still growing their brand and following. If you were rejected before because you don’t have enough followers yet, try to apply again after 6 months once you start growing the number of your followers.
Why Should I Become An Amazon Influencer?
Becoming an influencer opens up many opportunities for you to make money and add to your income streams. Those with a social media following, creative writing talent, and social media skills capable of making people engage will benefit a lot from this program. If you are someone who has already built a strong base of fans and followers on Facebook, Tiktok, Instagram, or Twitter, this is a great way to make passive income.
Not only are you giving value to your community, but you are offering them great product recommendations that can help them as well.
Many third-party sellers and big brands on AMZ already hire Amazon influencers to promote products for a fee on their social media pages. Not only that, but a majority of business owners on AMZ also plan to expand their marketing by adding influencers into the mix.
As it is right now, the Amazon Influencer market is bullish and trending up for years to come. Many are searching for ways how to find Amazon influencers, which is why jumping on this opportunity is such an attractive prospect.
Here are more reasons why you should consider becoming an influencer on the AMZ platform today:
- You can earn commissions even if your followers don’t buy the products that you recommend. Yes, that’s right. As long as your followers click on your affiliate links, your affiliate cookie will be stored in AMZ for as long as 24 hours. That means that anytime your customers click on your affiliate links, any sale that happens within the next 24 hours on your customers’ account will be credited to you
- You don’t have to invest a lot of money to start: Unlike sellers who need to have an initial inventory and capital to start a business, Amazon influencers don’t really need a large amount of money to start. This means that you don’t have to take any risks at all. All you have to do is have a strong presence and following on social media. The rest will fall in place.
- You can increase your customer loyalty: By recommending products that your customers love, you can also increase their engagement and loyalty. People like to share their positive experiences, especially with Amazon influencers, they look up to. This means that you’ll have more positive reviews from your customers if you choose to promote a credible product.
- You can get sample goods and products before everyone else: One of the perks of being an influencer is getting the chance to test and see a product before everyone else gets their hands on it. Brands often send Amazon influencers early production samples to review to gauge public demand. If you are an influencer with a fairly large following, you’ll most likely get offered a chance to review an early release of a product.
- You’ll get a chance to earn passive money without risks. One of the best ways to make money is to earn it passively. Even while you are sleeping, you still have a chance to get a few dollars in your bank account. The top Amazon influencers enjoy the opportunity to add to their income without taking risks. All you need to do is promote your Amazon store and offer value to your target audience.
Setting Up Your Amazon Influencer Account
Once you have decided to become an Amazon influencer, setting up your account takes priority. To start, follow the instructions listed below:
- First of all, you need to create an AMZ account. This is one of the basic requirements that you need to do before you can get accepted. Sign up for an account here.
- Go to the Amazon Influencer page and apply to become one.
- Once you have signed up and logged in, you will be asked for some basic details such as your social media accounts, a photograph, a short bio describing your platform and your niche, etc.
- You have to wait around 2-3 days. Once accepted, you will get an email informing you that you got accepted into the program.
- When you get accepted, you can now start building your own Amazon storefront. The storefront is where you will direct your customers and recommend your chosen products.
- Create content in your social media accounts and include your influencer storefront link. This way, your followers can check your recommendations and you’ll get paid a commission every time a sale was made from your efforts.
- You can access information about your income, traffic, and other metrics inside your account. Make sure to set up all your tax and payment information to get paid.
Conclusion
Getting paid while promoting a product that helps other people is a great feeling. Not only are you making money in the process, but you are also helping people solve their problems. You can do both things by becoming an Amazon Influencer. Although you may not become a successful influencer overnight, you can certainly help your followers make great purchases and even enjoy certain deals, while also earning passively in the process. Isn’t that great?
