If you're looking to make some extra cash, there's no better place than through affiliate marketing - it's easy, it doesn't take up much time, and you don't need any special skills or qualifications! In this article we'll look at what exactly you need to know about becoming an Amazon Associate (Amazon Affiliate) so that you can get started right away. It's very simple to join the Amazon.com Associates Program and begin making money from your website.
You might think that being an affiliate means having thousands of products on sale every day but actually, this isn't true. You will still have to research each product before selling them on behalf of someone else. However, if you follow the steps below, you should easily find hundreds of opportunities to earn commissions by promoting other people's products.
The first thing you must decide is whether to promote physical goods like CDs or DVDs, digital downloads like eBooks or software, or even services such as web hosting. There are many different types of items which you could choose to sell as an Amazon affiliate, including clothing, electronics, kitchenware, health supplements, household articles, toys, games, beauty supplies, and more. As long as the item has been "verified" by Amazon, then it is eligible for promotion. Verification simply involves checking that the product exists and meets certain quality standards.
For example, if a book was written by an author who had previously done well in his field and had sold several copies himself, then he would probably qualify as an approved publisher. Likewise, if a movie star had won an Oscar or two and was known to watch movies regularly, then they would also likely meet the approval criteria. So basically, if the product is good enough, it will pass verification - though obviously not all products will be verified. Some categories may require higher levels of proof than others. For instance, there are currently only three levels of verification required for DVD/CD sales - basic, gold, and platinum. But for Kindle Books, authors must submit their own copy of the books they want to sell, rather than relying on third party publishers' verifications.
It is important to note that while all of these items are available for purchase directly from Amazon, you cannot set up your own shop using an Amazon storefront unless you pay $39 per year for a Shopify store - this allows you to create an online shopping cart where customers can buy your products. This fee includes listing fees for both the merchant account and credit card processing. To learn more about setting up your own Shopify store, please see our guide to building an online business.
As mentioned above, you need to check that the product you wish to recommend is suitable for sale via an Amazon storefront. Once you've made sure that everything looks okay, you then need to select which category you'd like to work within. Categories vary depending on the type of product you are trying to sell. In general terms, you will have to focus on either consumer-facing products (such as clothes, jewelry, etc.) or professional-focused products (like computer hardware).
When choosing between the two, it really comes down to personal preference. While consumer-oriented products are often easier to promote because of their wide appeal, professionals tend to offer greater income potential due to the fact that they cost more. Also remember that you need to consider how much effort you put into finding out information about individual products - after all, you wouldn't expect to spend hours trawling through reviews just to ensure that the product is worth recommending!
Once you've decided which kind of product you want to promote, you'll notice that Amazon offers various tiers of associate membership based upon the level of commission you receive. These ranges are listed below:
Basic: Earn 10% commission on qualifying products
Standard: Earn 20% commission on qualifying products
Profit Sharing: Earn 40% commission on qualified purchases
CJ Affiliate: Earn 50% commission on qualified purchases
Rakuten Advertising: Earn 55% commission on qualified purchases
eBay Partner Network Inc.: Earn 60% commission on qualified purchases
ShareASale: Earn 65% commission on qualified purchases
Shopify: Earn 70% commission on qualified purchases
Barnes & Noble: Earn 75% commission on qualified purchases
Amazon Influencer: Earn 80% commission on qualified purchases
To help you understand how much profit you stand to gain from promoting particular products, here is a table showing the payout percentages for different affiliate programs. Note however that the figures are subject to change without warning, so always refer to the current rates when planning promotions.
While you certainly can't go around advertising absolutely everything you come across, you can definitely promote almost anything. Just keep in mind that the larger companies will usually generate far more revenue than smaller ones, so try to stick with brands that you personally feel comfortable with. Of course, you can also opt to advertise products which fall outside your area of expertise, provided that you have researched them thoroughly beforehand.
Yes, Barnes & Noble does indeed allow affiliates to use its platform to run paid advertisements for other websites. However, you will need to apply separately for each service provider you intend to engage. Each company requires separate applications and approvals, so it is best to contact them individually in order to avoid disappointment.
Some examples include Paypal, Clickbank, Commission Junction, Google AdSense, Mediavine, Yahoo Publisher Network, and others. You can read more about applying for specific affiliate programs below.
Not quite... Although all associates are technically free to promote whatever they like, you will have to apply separately to each affiliate network you wish to join. Only once you have successfully completed your application will you gain access to the full range of promotional tools offered by those networks. Therefore, it makes sense to choose carefully which affiliate links you share with visitors to your site.
There are numerous ways to sign up for Amazon's affiliate program, depending on which method appeals to you. We have outlined five methods below. Please bear in mind that you will generally have to complete all five stages in order to be accepted.
1. Signing Up Directly with Amazon
2. Registering With One of the Big Four Networks
3. Using a Free Service Such as Shareasale
4. Creating Your Own Website or Blogging Site
5. Applying Through Email Subscriptions
Method 1: Signing Up Directly with Amazon
This option is ideal if you already have a blog or website, since you can begin earning payments immediately. All you have to do is visit the Amazon Affiliate Center page and click 'Register Now'. After completing this step, you will be able to claim your earnings at the end of each month.
Note that this process is slightly different for individuals compared to businesses. Individuals can register with Amazon using their PayPal email address, whereas merchants will need to provide their bank details.
Method 2: Registering With One of the Big Four Networks
These four companies represent the majority of the affiliate marketshare, offering a total of more than 7 billion dollars in annual revenues. They also cover virtually every conceivable niche imaginable, meaning that there are plenty of opportunities for everyone. Here are the four major options:
Commission Junction
Google Adsense
Media Vine
Pay Per Sale
Of course, you could also choose to use specialized sites such as Shareasale, although these typically charge a monthly subscription fee.
Method 3: Using a Free Service Such as ShareaSale
One of the fastest growing areas in affiliate marketing is social media, specifically Twitter and Facebook. By signing up for a free account with Shareasale, you can instantly promote dozens of products, ranging from popular TV shows to obscure video games. You can also add videos, photos, music tracks, YouTube clips, and RSS feeds to boost exposure further.
Method 4: Create Your Own Website or Blogging Site
Creating your own website or blogging site enables you to use your own domain name and control your content completely. Not only is this great for increasing traffic to your site, but it also gives you complete freedom to promote whichever products you choose. Plus, you can build up your own brand identity instead of merely being associated with another person's reputation.
Method 5: Applying Through Email Subscription Programs
Finally, you can also sign up for regular newsletter subscriptions. Many of the big names offer affordable plans designed for small firms, bloggers, and hobbyists alike. Check out the following providers:
Constant Contact
Mailchimp
AWeber
Sendy
SignUpGenius
All of these services offer similar features, allowing you to send customized emails containing relevant ads straight to subscribers' inboxes.
Although it is tempting to rush ahead and sign up for an affiliate program straightaway, doing so can prove counter-productive.
Amazon has been around since 1994 but it wasn't until 1997 that they started selling e-books on their website. Since then the company has grown into being the world's biggest retailer of digital content. In fact, Amazon was recently named as the best place to buy a Kindle by Consumer Reports magazine. They have also been voted as America's favorite brand among teens (according to Forbes).
If you want to make some extra cash from your own personal blog or even sell products through Amazon, you will need to join the Amazon Associate's Program. This allows you to put your name next to any product sold on Amazon so that people who click on your link can purchase them at a discounted price. However, there is more than just this - you could earn up to 10% commission per sale if you have enough sales volume. To take advantage of this opportunity you must register yourself as an "affiliate" through Amazon.
In order to become an affiliate you'll need a unique URL code which you can apply to your web page or blog. Once registered you can promote different products using the same code and receive commissions when customers decide to buy those items from Amazon.
This article explains how to set up an account with Amazon and begin promoting your own products through them. We hope you find these simple steps useful and informative!
Before we go further down the rabbit hole let us explain what exactly an Amazon affiliate link means. When someone clicks on your affiliate link they will either be redirected to another website where they can shop directly from Amazon or they may arrive on Amazon themselves. For example, say you have written a book about programming. You would like to share this information with others and encourage them to learn new skills. Instead of writing out long URLs you may instead wish to include small images containing your affiliate link within articles and other resources.
Once you've got hold of an Amazon affiliate link for your book/product you can simply paste it anywhere on your blog or website. It should look something similar to this:
However, don't forget to replace YOUR_AFFILIATE_ID with the actual ID number that you were assigned after registering.
To ensure that visitors to your web pages click through to Amazon and not somewhere else first you will need to add an HTML anchor tag linking back to Amazon. An anchor tag looks like this:
You can insert this into your posts by copying & pasting the following line of code wherever you'd normally write text on your webpage: [amazon_link]
The [amazon_link] part tells your browser to search for a particular word ("amazon") and once found display all results that match. This is called a "meta description". Some examples might read:
We recommend that you check out our eBook entitled Programming 101 available on Amazon here: http://www.mybookstore.com/programming101
It contains everything you need to know about learning to program including step-by-step instructions and exercises to help you understand what each command does. There are also full source codes included so you can try things out before buying.
For additional details about the topic see our FAQs section below.
Yes you can! Although you won't be able to include physical links such as buttons or banners you can still provide readers with hyperlinks to Amazon. These will allow them to browse and buy without leaving your website. Simply copy the above mentioned meta description and embed it between two sets of double quotes:
Then change the href attribute value to point to the desired item.
Finally, enclose the whole thing inside a paragraph element:
Do remember to remove the closing ]> tags from the end of each line.
With millions of titles already listed on Amazon it wouldn't surprise anyone if you had trouble finding a suitable subject matter for your first book. Luckily, you can choose whatever niche you feel comfortable with. As long as it interests you and isn't too technical it should work fine. Don't worry though, many authors have successfully launched their careers thanks to their first efforts.
Here are some ideas for topics:
Programming languages
Web design
Software development
Digital photography
Internet Marketing
Marketing techniques
Ecommerce
Selling electronics
And much more...
Although Amazon doesn't offer specific guidelines for publishers they do state that:
"Authors generally agree that you should avoid self-promotion. That includes advertising your own books."
So why not advertise your own work? Well, there are several reasons why this approach shouldn't be taken lightly. Firstly, you're competing against thousands of other writers trying to achieve the same goal. Secondly, Amazon offers plenty of advice on how to market your book effectively. Thirdly, there is no guarantee that you'll succeed. What if nobody buys your book?! Finally, if you plan to publish multiple books then you may consider signing up to Amazon's KDP Select programme to increase your chances of success.
There are lots of ways to drive traffic to your book and generate interest in its contents. One strategy involves creating an email list. Here is how:
Write a short introduction explaining what your book is about and give away a free chapter. Include a call to action asking interested parties to sign up to your mailing list. Then send out regular updates detailing interesting facts, tips, reviews etc.
These emails will keep your subscribers coming back for more. By providing valuable content and keeping your audience informed you increase the likelihood that they will eventually pick up your book. And if they do decide to invest in it, there is every chance that they will enjoy reading it.
As well as driving traffic to your book you can also benefit financially. A good way to do this is to include your Amazon affiliate link in your emails. Every time somebody signs up for your list they will automatically receive a discount voucher for purchasing your book. Of course, the amount of profit generated depends upon the size of your initial subscriber base. But, if you manage to attract 100 subscribers you could expect to earn $100.
Hopefully now you have learned how to sign up to Amazon's affiliate program and how to submit your book to them. Remember to always follow the rules outlined in their T&C document.
Want more information on publishing with Amazon? Check out our guide to publishing on Amazon.
Amazon has been around since 1994, but it wasn't until 1997 that they opened their affiliate program to everyone. Since then, there have been more than 400 million users who have signed up to make some extra cash from selling products on Amazon.
In this article we'll take a look at what exactly an Amazon affiliate is, how much commission does each sale earn, and whether you need any special permission to sign up. We will also show you where to find all your favorite book sellers, including Barnes & Noble, Apple Books, Kobo, Smashwords, Scribd, Google Play, and many others. To help you get started, here's everything you need to know about becoming an Amazon associate.
Yes! You don't even need to own anything other than a computer and internet access to begin making money through Amazon affiliates. All you need is to join the Amazon associates program and create an account under your name. Thereafter, just click "Create New Account" in the top right corner of the page and follow the instructions. Once registered, you're ready to start promoting products - either from Amazon, another vendor, or both.
You must register before you can promote items from outside vendors, so if you haven't yet done this go ahead and check out our guide on registering for the Amazon Affiliates Program. In addition, you should review these important items when signing up.
Once you've joined, you'll see a list of categories under which you may choose to promote products. These include electronics, clothing, kitchenware, health-related items, beauty and personal care, home improvement, sports equipment, toys and games, pet supplies, jewelry, automotive parts, tools, garden supplies, software, office supplies, and several others. The only limitation is that you cannot use your own product as an item to sell. Instead, you must purchase something else first and then market it as part of your promotion campaign.
The amount of commission earned depends upon the size of the sales volume generated by your Amazon advertising efforts. For example, if you sold $500 worth of goods in a month, you would receive 50% of the total value. However, once again, the limit is set by law. Because Amazon is based in the United States, you won't be able to offer commissions above 30%. This means that if you were to generate 100 units of revenue per month, you'd only be allowed to claim 70 cents (30%) of those revenues.
However, despite the fact that the maximum percentage of earnings is capped at 30%, the actual percentage you earn can still vary widely depending on the type of merchandise offered via your links. As such, you might not always end up with the same percentage every time you participate in a promotional campaign. But regardless of the exact figure, you'll still make enough to cover the costs associated with generating those sales.
While you're free to promote almost any kind of digital content on Amazon, you can't really be considered an affiliate unless you specialize in writing. While you could potentially write nonfiction articles and submit them to various publishers who accept submissions from freelance writers, the majority of authors choose to utilize Amazon as their primary platform for publishing and distributing their work. So while you're welcome to join the Amazon Associates Program and advertise books on Amazon, you'll want to focus primarily on promoting eBooks rather than physical copies.
If you opt to target Kindle owners specifically, you can actually make quite a bit of money doing so. According to statistics published by ClickBank, approximately 60 percent of eBook purchases come directly from Amazon, meaning that you stand to reap considerable benefits if you can successfully attract buyers away from the giant store.
There are hundreds of thousands of different types of products available for purchase on Amazon, ranging from household essentials like toilet paper, dishwasher detergent, deodorant, shampoo, and toothpaste to luxury gadgets like cameras, televisions, video game systems, and laptops. And because Amazon allows its customers to buy nearly anything, you can easily turn your website into a virtual storefront filled with whatever makes sense to you.
For instance, you could sell music CDs, DVDs, Blu Ray discs, audiobooks, ebooks, videos, magazines, sports gear, electronics, fashion accessories, furniture, cookware, housewares, foodstuffs, collectibles, automotive parts, and numerous other things. And while you certainly aren't restricted to using Amazon exclusively, there are two major advantages to choosing this particular marketplace. First, Amazon offers an incredibly robust selection of products. Second, thanks to its popularity among readers, you'll benefit from significant exposure simply by participating in Amazon affiliate promotions.
Barnes & Noble was founded in 1985 and quickly became known as the premier outlet for used books. Although the company currently owns subsidiaries in Canada, Europe, Australia, Asia, South America, and elsewhere, they operate principally within the U.S., and continue to expand rapidly across the globe. Today, B&N operates stores throughout North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa, China, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, and several other countries.
As such, it stands to reason that millions of people visit Barnes & Noble regularly to browse the extensive collection of new titles, used classics, textbooks, children's materials, and educational resources. It follows naturally that these individuals also wish to read the latest releases. Indeed, according to Statista, approximately 40 percent of Americans spend between five and 10 hours reading a week, while 13 percent devote 11 or more hours.
So why shouldn't you consider setting up shop at Barnes & Noble to capitalize on this trend? After all, the vast majority of customers browse for books during daylight hours, so you'll likely enjoy prime traffic during peak times. In addition, unlike Amazon, Barnes & Noble doesn't restrict itself to offering electronic versions of printed works. Rather, the company sells a wide variety of print books as well, including bestsellers, hardcovers, trade paperbacks, and audiobooks.
To apply for membership, you'll have to complete a short application form along with providing a few basic details regarding yourself and your business. Your application will then be reviewed by Barnes & Noble personnel before being approved or rejected. If accepted, you'll immediately gain entry into the system and can begin creating ads for your selected category(s).
When setting up your ad, remember to select the appropriate category (in terms of subject matter) and ensure that you provide a clear call-to-action. Also keep in mind that although the majority of shoppers prefer buying books electronically, there are plenty of folks who prefer browsing in person. Thus, you'll want to make sure that your ad highlights the availability of products both digitally and physically.
Finally, you'll want to optimize your listings for search engines like Bing, Yahoo!, and DuckDuckGo. Doing so helps increase visibility among potential customers. When you upload files to your listing sites, you should also attach keywords related to your chosen niche. Remember, however, that Barnes & Noble prohibits the use of copyrighted material, so avoid posting content protected by copyright laws. Finally, don't forget to monitor your results closely.
Ultimately, Barnes & Noble has grown steadily since opening its doors in 1985. By 2015, annual sales had reached $6 billion, representing a substantial growth rate of 20 percent annually. Of course, the company continues to grow faster than ever now, having recently announced plans to open 1,200 locations in 2017.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Barnes & Noble, and the company hopes to celebrate by welcoming 200,000 guests to its flagship event later this summer. With such high expectations, it seems fair to assume that the company will soon overtake Walmart as the world's largest bookstore chain. At present, Barnes & Noble employs more than 55,000 workers globally and boasts a catalog containing over 3 million titles.
Although Barnes & Noble isn't strictly limited to books, the company focuses heavily on selling print editions. Still, it remains possible to find a number of popular titles available for download as PDF files. Meanwhile, Barnes & Noble also accepts pre-orders for upcoming titles, allowing consumers to reserve specific books long before they reach retail shelves.
But wait...there are dozens of other retailers out there, too. How can you tell which ones are legit? Here are four tips to help you identify quality merchants.
1. Look for companies that allow you to place orders remotely.
2. Be wary of websites that require payment upfront.
3. Avoid businesses that charge excessive fees for shipping or fulfillment services.
4. Don't fall victim to scams.
And finally, after you've made it past all of these hurdles, you'll probably think twice before purchasing a book off of someone else's website. Ultimately, though, you should feel confident knowing that you can profit handsomely by selling your wares through third party outlets without spending a dime.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.