It’s clear that Amazon has become a giant in the retail space, but what you may not know is that there are multiple opportunities for monetizing—similar to the monetization potential on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. Whether you’re interested in selling products, promoting affiliate links or leveraging Amazon’s publishing and advertising tools, there are numerous avenues to explore for making money on Amazon.
How To Earn Money On Amazon
Amazon offers creators a powerful platform to reach a vast, global audience while leveraging Amazon’s trusted brand. By joining programs like the Amazon Influencer Program, creators can diversify their income streams, benefit from Amazon’s extensive marketing tools and focus more on content creation rather than logistics.
With popular methods such as affiliate marketing, selling physical or digital products, and participating in the Amazon Associates Program, creators can maximize their earning potential and turn their passions into profitable ventures.
Amazon Influencer Program
The Amazon Influencer Program is a strategic extension of Amazon Associates. The affiliate program empowers influencers with significant social media followings to monetize their reach by recommending products and earning a commission on products sold.
This program enables influencers to create personalized storefronts on Amazon, where they can curate and showcase their favorite items through engaging shoppable content. Influencers earn affiliate commissions on qualifying purchases made through their storefronts, providing a seamless way to turn recommendations into revenue. Influencers can also individually recommend items by copying their affiliate link for a product and sharing it with potential customers.
Additionally, Amazon amplifies this potential by featuring influencer content to its vast consumer base, offering influencers increased visibility and an opportunity to grow their audience while maximizing their earning potential.
To join the Amazon Influencer Program, applicants must meet specific eligibility criteria, primarily focused on their social media presence and influence.
Amazon evaluates applicants based on their social media following and engagement across their submitted social media platforms. While there is no explicit follower count requirement, having a significant and engaged audience increases the chances of acceptance.
To become part of the Amazon Influencer Program, you must go through an application process. The applicant can join the program if the account meets Amazon’s criteria. The approval process can take a few days to a few weeks.
Amazon Live
Amazon Live is a platform that allows creators and influencers to host live streaming sessions directly on Amazon’s website. During these live streams, influencers can showcase products, engage with viewers in real time and provide demonstrations and reviews. It’s an interactive shopping experience designed to replicate the in-store shopping experience in a virtual format.
To start using Amazon Live, you must join the Amazon Influencer Program or the Amazon Associates Program.
During live streams, influencers highlight and demonstrate products available on Amazon. The live stream page includes a carousel of the featured products for easy viewer access. These influencers can then earn a commission on any sales generated from the products featured during the live stream.
While Amazon does promote live streams via the website, many influencers also opt to share the details of the live event with their social media audience to attract more potential customers.
Drop Shipping On Amazon
Drop shipping has become increasingly popular — especially in the age of TikTok where many creators with social media platforms are using this method to sell products to customers without having to keep the products physically in stock.
Instead, when a product is sold, the seller purchases the item from a third party and has it shipped directly to the customer. The seller never handles the product directly. This model is particularly beneficial because it requires minimal upfront investment, reduces inventory risk and allows for a broader product range without needing physical storage.
To drop ship on Amazon, you need to set up an Amazon Seller account. You can do this by visiting the Amazon Seller Central website and choosing the best plan for you.
Then, you must find reliable suppliers. Research and establish relationships with reliable drop shipping suppliers who provide quality products and timely shipping. Platforms like AliExpress, SaleHoo and Oberlo can help you find potential suppliers.
After finding trusted suppliers, you can create listings on Amazon and start marketing your products. When a customer orders, you purchase the product from your supplier and provide the customer’s shipping details. Ensure that the supplier handles fulfillment promptly.
Reviewing Amazon Products
Influencers can earn money by reviewing Amazon products through affiliate marketing and sponsored content. By creating detailed reviews, whether through videos, blog posts or social media, they can earn commissions on sales generated from their affiliate links. Additionally, brands may pay influencers for sponsored reviews to gain exposure to their audience.
Creators must establish a solid and engaging online presence to attract brands willing to pay for reviews. To do this, it’s recommended that they focus on creating high-quality content that showcases their expertise and ability to influence purchasing decisions.
Consistently post detailed reviews, tutorials and engaging content on your preferred platforms, such as YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. A well-maintained and professional online presence can significantly enhance your credibility and appeal to brands.
Amazon Affiliates Program
The Amazon Associates Program is an affiliate marketing program that allows individuals to earn commissions by promoting and linking to Amazon products. When a user clicks on an affiliate link and makes a purchase, the affiliate earns a commission. This program is open to anyone who owns a website, blog or social media account and wants to monetize their traffic by recommending products from Amazon.
While the Amazon Associates Program and the Amazon Influencer Program provide commissions to those selling Amazon products to their audiences, some differences exist. The Associates Program is open to anyone with a website, blog or social media account, regardless of their size, while the Influencer program takes follower count into consideration when approving creators.
The Associates Program offers tools like text links, banners and widgets to promote products, while the Amazon Influencer Program offers all these things and a custom storefront to curate their favorite products. Influencers can create shoppable videos and content directly on their storefront.
The Amazon Associates Program still technically requires application approval, but the process for approving affiliates is less picky than the Influencer Program.
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is Amazon’s self-publishing platform that allows authors to publish and sell their books directly to an audience on Amazon. KDP offers a straightforward process for writers to convert their manuscripts into eBooks and paperbacks, making them available on Amazon’s vast marketplace. Authors retain full control over their content, pricing and royalties, making KDP an attractive option for those looking to self-publish without the constraints of traditional publishing.
To get involved, visit the Kindle Direct Publishing website and sign into your Amazon account. After preparing your manuscript (Amazon even provides templates to help with this process), you can design a cover, upload your book and set your pricing.
KDP offers different royalty options, typically 35% or 70%, depending on the pricing and distribution choices. Once you’ve completed all the required fields and reviewed your book, click “Publish Your Kindle eBook” or “Publish Your Paperback.” Your book will go through a review process and, once approved, will be available for purchase on Amazon.
If you publish a paperback, you’ll need an ISBN, which KDP can provide for free, or you can use your own.
Bottom Line
Amazon provides many opportunities for individuals and businesses to generate income, whether through drop shipping, promoting items as an affiliate, publishing eBooks on KDP or engaging audiences through the Amazon Influencer Program. By leveraging these diverse monetization strategies, creators can tap into Amazon’s vast marketplace, reach a global audience and build sustainable revenue streams.
