How to Make Money with the Amazon Influencer Program in 2024 (when you're not really an influencer!)
My Personal Experience with the Amazon Influencer Program
In January of 2023 I applied and was accepted into the Amazon Influencer program.
It took a little time for me to get going with it (my own mistake!), but by the end of the year, I had made $4,172 directly from commissions earned through my Amazon review videos, and another $3,275 from special incentive programs that the Amazon Influencer program ran for creating different types of videos throughout the year.
That puts my total earnings for the year of 2023 from the Amazon Influencer program at $7,447! And I finished out 2023 with about 275 review videos posted on Amazon.
UPDATE from May 2024: I’ve spent most of this year so far focused on other income streams, and even with barely posting any new videos to the program, I’ve brought in between $300-400 each month passively!
Personally, I do this as a fun side hustle, with a goal of being to eventually bring in about $1K per month creating these review videos. Each video takes me about 5 minutes to set up, shoot, create a screenshot image, link to the product, and post on Amazon.
Even on slow days (when I’m doing zero work on this program!), I’m typically bringing in $10-15 in passive income from my Amazon review videos that have already been posted to Amazon, which when you think about it, isn’t too shabby! Like I mentioned, that’s typically an extra $300-400 per month deposited straight to my bank account for doing no new work!
Quick Heads Up! (for 2024)
—> The course that I took to learn EVERYTHING that I’ve used to make passive income using the Amazon Influencer Program is currently OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT!
If you want to get started with an Amazon Influencer income stream, then I highly suggest joining this step-by-step program. You can join the Course HERE. They literally teach you EVERYTHING. No prior social media experience or followers needed.
Along the way, I’ve learned quite a bit of strategy about how to cut down my video shooting and production time to just a few minutes, as well as how to pick products that have the best chance of earning the most commission!
So if you’ve ever considered the Amazon Influencer Program as a promising side-hustle idea for 2024, this article is for you!
I’ll give you all the details based on my personal experience, along with my best tips on how to get accepted into the program and get started making money!
My Predictions for the Amazon Influencer Program in 2024
I honestly think we are only at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to brands doubling down on their brand promotion strategies utilizing micro-influencers. And 2024 is the perfect time for influencers (and those who don’t consider themselves influencers yet!) to learn how to leverage that need in the marketing world!
You can even dip your toe in UGC (User Generated Content) as another income stream once you learn how this is done. JoinBrands is a program I’m a part of and I’ve made over $500 + free product samples from creating simple video review content for brands! (The training program I suggest also teaches how to get started in UGC!)
In this blog article, I’ll give you an in-depth look at the Amazon Influencer program, the prerequisites for getting accepted into the program, how to set up your Amazon storefront, and the strategies you can use to select high-profit products to monetize Amazon’s audience.
This “peek behind the curtain” will show you how to maximize these opportunities and why the Amazon Influencer Program stands out as a really unique platform for anyone who desires to make an income online in 2024 (even if you don’t consider yourself an influencer!)
What Is the Amazon Influencer Program?
If you’re feeling lost about what exactly the Amazon Influencer Program entails, here is what you need to know…
The Amazon Influencer Program is a marketing initiative that allows micro-influencers (and even those without much “influence”!) to leverage their following by setting up custom Amazon storefronts and creating product review videos for ALL of Amazon’s audience (not just your followers… this is KEY!)
Through these personalized “storefront” pages, the influencer can showcase and promote a curated assortment of products aligned with their brand. When a person shopping on Amazon purchases an item from this storefront OR after watching a product review video that they create (shown direction on the Amazon product page!), the influencer earns a commission.
This is different from the Amazon Associates program, which is primarily designed for affiliate marketing via websites, while the Influencer Program targets those active on social media platforms. Amazon says they are specifically looking for individuals who have the ability to sway their audience's purchasing decisions through “genuine engagement and a strong presence” on networks like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or TikTok.
HOW DOES THIS WORK FOR THE “AVERAGE” PERSON (NOT REALLY an INFLUENCER!)?
This is SUPER important…. You do NOT have to focus on sharing products on social media to make money from the Amazon Influencer program if you do not want to! I don’t think I’ve EVER made any substantial commission from sharing on my personal social media account.
The KEY is on-page video placement. Once you are initially accepted into the program, you can apply for on-page placement, by submitting three sample product review videos that you create (the training program teaches you exactly how to do this!). If Amazon approves your videos, you can then create product review videos that appear directly on Amazon product pages! When someone watches your videos and then purchases a product, YOU receive the commission.
On-page video placement is MY FAVORITE way to make money with the Amazon Influencer Program because you leverage Amazon’s (HUGE) built-in audience rather than relying on your own. It also allows you to have success without actually being an “influencer” on social media
Who can be an Amazon Influencer?
Amazon has created a set of qualifications for those wanting to join their Influencer Program. Not just any content creator or anyone with a social media account can participate - Amazon does look at your follower numbers on the social media platform that you pick to apply with, and the level of interaction you have with your followers.
I've found that it’s not solely about having a massive follower count. Yes, those with large followings might have an easier time initially getting accepted, but even micro-influencers with at less than 1,000 followers, can make the cut.
**** And if you don’t have 1,000 followers on any social media account yet (maybe not even 100 followers!) don’t worry… The Amazon Influencer training program that I suggest teaches you how to quickly & easily grow an audience from scratch (like, in less than 7 days days QUICK!)
Amazon values quality over quantity, so they also weigh your content's engagement rate heavily. Engagement can be anything from likes and comments to shares on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, or Facebook.
According to Amazon, they are looking for creators who “build genuine connections with their audience, kindling trust and influencing their followers' purchasing decisions.”
So what does this mean for you? Basically, you need a social media platform (IG, YouTube, TikTok, or FB) with ideally 1,000 followers (that you didn’t buy from some country on the other side of the world) that actually engage with your content, or very high levels of engage with fewer followers.
If you’ve already got that, then congrats, I’d suggest you go ahead and apply and see what happens!
If you don’t, like I said, it’s NO PROBLEM!
The training program that I suggest for learning the ins and outs of the Amazon Influencer program teaches you exactly how to leverage a FB page “likes” campaign for very minimal ad-spend to quickly reach the minimal follower numbers and engagement to apply! And they’ll help you in the program FB' group if you ever struggle with getting approved.
This program is all designed for someone who has no background knowledge at all with FB ads or anything like that. They have TONS of success stories of “average, everyday” people who simply follow the steps and get approved by Amazon within a couple of weeks!
You can learn more about this program HERE.
Choosing the RIGHT Products to Promote
There is a lot of flexibility with the Amazon Influencer Program, particularly when it comes to product endorsement and which products you choose to review.
I make my choices of products to review in a few different ways:
1. Products I’ve already got lying around my house -
This is the BEST way to get started. Log into your personal Amazon account, go to your past orders, and start collecting all of the items that you’ve ordered from Amazon over the years. These will be your first (free!) items to review. You can also do the same thing if you order items from Target, Walmart, or any other store. As long as you can also find the product listed on Amazon, then you can review it!
2. Strategically purchasing items that I need with good sales numbers -
If you’re like me you’ve likely got some items that you’ve been needing to purchase, but just haven’t gotten around to it yet - a new bathmat, a reading lamp for beside your bed, a new toothbrush holder, etc. Now you’ve got a reason to purchase! Go to Amazon, search for your items, take a look at a few of the products that you like, and take note of how many of them have sold over the past month. Pick one that has high sales, and you’ve got a winner of an item to review that you needed to buy anyways!
3. Free products from brands!
I’ve had SO many brands reach out with free products for me to review over the past year. Most recently I got to pick 30 pairs of shoes for my entire family FOR FREE, with the only “payment” being to create a simple review video for each one.
Of course, there is a bunch of other strategies when it comes to picking ideal products that you can employ as you get more advanced and experienced with the program, but these are the best way to get started. The training program that I took to learn how to leverage the Amazon Influencer program covers these more advanced strategies in-depth as well.
Earning Potential with the Amazon Influencer Program
The Amazon Influencer Program offers a really unique opportunity to earn an income simply by filming simple review videos using your phone! Whenever a sale is made after a person watches your video, you earn a commission. The rate varies, depending largely on the product category, but this structure provides a scalable earning potential for those invested in making the program work.
I've heard numerous success stories of influencers who have seen substantial revenue growth with this program. Of course these earnings can fluctuate based on factors like seasonal trends and your marketing efforts to create additional review videos.
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: Anyone sharing screenshots of their specific Amazon Influencer earnings is breaking the terms & conditions of the program, and risks termination of their account with Amazon. I won’t be doing that! So while I can’t provide “receipts” of my exact income earnings, hopefully this provides you with the inspiration needed to take action yourself. (This is a picture of my account. I just can’t income monetary numbers!)
While you do need the initial social media follower and/or engagement to get started, your success in this program is NOT based on your ability to convert those followers into buyers.
You’re simply leveraging that “social proof” with Amazon to get accepted into their program, and then relying on Amazon to bring the audience and buyers to the product pages where your videos will be shown!
Amazon Influencer Program TipS
After being in the Amazon Influencer program for over a year, these would be my top tips for someone getting staretd:
Be Authentic in your Review: When creating review videos only endorse items you truly believe in, and point out any issues that you have with a product. It’s best to share the good with the bad. People can spot an overly positive review video, and may not trust you to tell the whole story.
Continue to Engage: Don’t forget about continuing to add content to the social media platform that you used to apply to the program. Amazon is known to be fickle, and who knows when they may go back through their current Influencers and check their social media accounts for engagement.
Create Quality Content: Produce high-quality video review content that showcases the products in a compelling way. This doesn’t have to be fancy or take a lot of time, however a non-shaky video, clear view of the product, good sound quality, and your honest thoughts so a long way.
Analyze Performance: Regularly review your affiliate reports to analyze which products and tactics are working. Then, refine your strategy based on these insights.
Think about your Video Titles: What can you learn from the video titles of your review videos that you are doing especially well? Are there any words and phrases that seem to convert?
Consistency is Key: Maintain a regular posting schedule for promoting products. I personally think Amazon rewards creators that are regularly posting videos, and naturally the more videos you have posted, the higher your earning potential.
Seasonal and Event Promotions: Take advantage of seasonal trends and events like holidays or prime shopping days by reviewing products that make sense for that time of year.
My Best Advice: How to Make the Most of the Amazon program & Influencer Marketing
If you’re looking for an easy side-hustle that doesn’t involve building an audience or selling on social media, the Amazon Influencer program is by far one of my favorites for 2024.
If you want to get started quickly and easily, no matter if you have a 1000+ social media following yet or none at all, then I’d highly suggest the PaidContentCreators “Simple Profit System” program.
By utilizing the knowledge from a low-cost training program like this, you’ll shortcut your way to quicker results and higher payouts much more quickly and easily than if you tried on your own. I’d definitely suggest leaning on the strategies learned from others who has gone before you with this program, to make sure the time you’re putting into it is providing you with max results!
The sooner you get started building your review video library with on-page placement on Amazon, the quicker you’ll reach those passive income numbers $300-400 per month that I’m currently experiencing, and beyond.
GOT QUESTIONS?
Thinking about getting started with Amazon Influencer, but still have some questions? I’ve got you! Feel free to DM me on Instagram @heyitskarico or send me an email through my Contact page. Good luck, and I hope you take the initiative to get started TODAY!
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE
Please note I am an affiliate for the PaidContentCreators “Simple Profit System” program. This means that if you decide to purchase the program through my links, I may be financially compensated. I take my responsibility as an affiliate seriously and only promote programs that: 1. I have taken myself, 2. That I believe are high-quality, and 3. Have actually gotten me results! This program checks all of those boxes for me, so I’m happy to promote it as an affiliate. If you have any questions, just ask!