Amazon affiliates are a great way of generating passive income online. But if you're not sure how it works or whether your business plan will work out, then this article is for you! We'll look at the different ways that people have used social platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook to generate revenue from their posts about Amazon products.
We’ll also explain exactly what an Amazon associate link is, why they’re useful, and which ones are best suited to each platform. There are some very specific rules regarding where you can put them, but don't worry – we've got all the information you need right here.
An Amazon Associates (or ‘affiliates') link looks something like this: [product URL]. This means that when someone clicks through to purchase a product via that link, Amazon takes a small percentage of the sale. It doesn’t matter who sells the product - any site selling a product with an Amazon affiliate link gets paid a portion of the profits made by anyone using those links.
So if you sell shoes on Amazon, and someone uses one of these links to buy a pair of boots, you get a cut of the proceeds. If you run a blog that reviews books, and people click through a link to buy a book, you too get a slice of the pie. And so on.
It could seem complicated, but once you understand the basics, it becomes easy enough to set up an affiliate account and start getting commissions.
Social media has been around since the early days of the internet, and now millions of people rely on sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Reddit, Tumblr and others to stay connected with friends and family. So why would anyone want to advertise their wares there instead of just posting regular content? Well, because social media gives you access to an audience of thousands of potential customers – and more than half of US adults are active users of one or more of the top five social networking sites.
That makes social channels ideal places to market your brand. You can reach people directly without having to spend money on traditional advertising methods like TV commercials, radio spots, billboards, etc., and you can avoid paying high fees to other companies to boost your visibility. That leaves you free to focus on creating valuable content that helps drive sales rather than spending time promoting yourself.
And it can make sense to target certain demographics within these communities, depending on the nature of your product. A fashion blogger might choose to go after women between 18-35 years old, for example. Or maybe you'd only want to appeal to men aged 25-45 years old. These age groups often represent the most lucrative demographic, so targeting them is smart.
But how can you actually benefit from sharing Amazon affiliate links across social media? Let's take a closer look...
There are several platforms available for you to share your Amazon affiliate links on. Here's everything you need to know about each one:
1. Where Should I Post My Amazon Links On Social Media?
The first thing to consider is where you should place your Amazon affiliate links. The majority of us probably won't recommend placing them everywhere, because that's going to dilute traffic and hurt conversions. Instead, try to find somewhere that fits into your niche, your target customer base, and where your readers are likely to see it.
For instance, if you own a cooking website, maybe you shouldn't be recommending Kindle ebooks unless your audience consists mainly of avid cookbook buyers. Similarly, if you're running a travel blog, perhaps you wouldn't want to suggest Amazon products unless you had a lot of readers interested in luxury hotels.
2. Which Social Network Is Best Suited To My Product Category?
Once you figure out where you should place your Amazon affiliate links, next step is to decide which network you should join. Each one offers its own unique advantages, so choosing the wrong one may result in fewer visitors and less engagement. Take a look below to determine which is best for your situation.
Facebook: With over 2 billion monthly active users worldwide, Facebook remains king of social media. Its vast userbase allows you to connect with hundreds of thousands of new fans every day. However, Facebook isn't perfect for everyone. Some businesses prefer to keep their posts on private pages and limit their interaction to their existing fan base. Others feel that Facebook isn't good for building relationships and trust with consumers.
Instagram: Instagram is another big player in the social space. While Facebook dominates the world of personal profiles, Instagram focuses on photos, videos, and stories. Most importantly, Instagram has a huge following among younger audiences, making it particularly well-suited for brands looking to build credibility with millennials.
Twitter: Although Twitter is much smaller than both Facebook and Instagram, it still boasts nearly 300 million registered accounts globally. Like Instagram, Twitter has become popular among young people, especially teens. Plus, unlike Facebook, Twitter lets you easily interact with your followers and engage with them in real-time conversations.
3. How Many Followers Do I Need Before Sharing Amazon Links?
When deciding how many followers you should have before starting to share affiliate links, think about the type of people you want to attract. Are they hobbyists or professionals? Business owners or students? What kind of audience does the page serve? Once you answer these questions, you can create an effective strategy based on the results.
4. Does Using Other Networks Get Me More Traffic?
If you already have a presence on multiple social networks, you might wonder if it's worth spreading your message across more platforms. In fact, studies show that combining various forms of social media increases the likelihood of success.
5. Will People Click Through My Amazon Links?
Last but certainly not least, let's talk about the conversion rate of Amazon links posted on social media. According to statistics compiled by HubSpot, the average clickthrough rates vary widely. When comparing clickthrough rates for Facebook versus Twitter, it was found that the former outperformed the latter, while Google+ performed better than either option.
However, these numbers were collected from data gathered during a limited period of time, which may not reflect the true performance of each format over long periods of time. Thus, it's hard to say definitively which network performs better overall. As always, experiment with your approach until you find what works best for you.
Conclusion
As you can see, there's plenty of room to grow with affiliate marketing on social media. By taking advantage of the opportunities presented by these platforms, you can quickly expand your reach to tens of thousands of new potential customers. Just remember to follow our tips above to ensure that your efforts are successful.
It's a great idea to promote your products through the massive online retailer by sharing their affiliate links with friends and family. You'll earn a small percentage of any sales made from those clicks if they go through your link.
But there are some important things to consider before getting started. In this article we're going to talk about whether or not you can use Amazon affiliate links on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn, Tumblr, YouTube, Vine, Instagram, and more. We've also got tips on how much money you have to spend per day to make it worth your while.
Yes! If you already have an account setup then you're good to go – just follow these steps below. There is no limit to which services you can share Amazon affiliate links on as long as you meet the criteria set out by Amazon themselves. The only thing that changes is the amount of people who see your message depending on the platform.
If you don't want to get into all the details here but would rather skip straight to the point, check out our guide on how to create an Amazon Associates Account. This will give you access to your own dashboard where you can manage your affiliates, view reports, track performance, etc. It's free so take advantage now because once you start making commissions you won't want to stop earning them.
How does this work exactly? Once you've signed up and created an Amazon Associate Account, you can share Amazon Affiliate Links (AALs) across different platforms using one of three methods:
Posting AALs in status updates on Facebook
Creating posts on other sites such as blog comments on websites
Sharing a personal referral URL
Here's an example:
Let's say you wanted to share an AAL on Facebook. To do this click "Share" at the top right of your screen and select "Linked Accounts." Then choose "Add Link". Next, copy the web address of the product page you'd like to advertise. For instance, if you were to share the link to a shirt, you could paste:
You might notice that there isn't anything special about the URL above. But when someone shares it on Facebook, they'll see something similar to this:
As you can see, the URL has been shortened and a short description of the item has been added. Also note that the number next to the word "referral" shows how many times the person clicked through to the original website.
This depends on whatever site you're trying to post on. Some allow posting links, others don't. So far, we know Facebook allows posting links, Twitter doesn't. We haven't found out yet if Pinterest lets you do it too. On the other hand, you can post links on Google+ but you must add "+1" after the link.
So why aren't they allowed? Well, most sites simply don't want people promoting products on their pages without paying them first. They want to keep control over every aspect of their business. And since they don't offer paid advertising options, they charge fees whenever anyone wants to place ads on their page.
In fact, even though you can post Amazon affiliate links on Facebook, you may find yourself banned if you try to do it too often. That's because Facebook is very strict when it comes to spamming.
The same goes for Twitter. When you tweet a lot of links to various products, you run the risk of being labeled a spambot. As a result, you may end up losing followers instead of attracting new ones.
We can't stress enough that you shouldn't tweet dozens upon dozens of links daily unless you really love doing it. Because each time you push a button, you lose potential customers.
On the other hand, you can still use Twitter for marketing purposes. Just remember to avoid tweeting links a few times a week. Tweeting once or twice per month is best.
There is nothing wrong with sharing Amazon affiliate links on Twitter or Facebook. However, it makes sense to focus on building relationships and connecting with people in real life than spending hours sending tweets or updating statuses.
Instagram is another popular photo-sharing app that offers users the option to embed images. Like Twitter, it requires approval from Instagram if you plan on putting affiliate links inside posts.
To do this just open a brand new image and type @ followed by the name of the product you want to recommend. After typing the hashtag, press Enter. Now, scroll down until you reach the field titled "Add caption," and input the text. Finally, hit Save Image.
When you save the picture, you'll receive a notification letting you know that your post was approved. Your image will show up on your profile feed along with everyone else's posts.
Once again, you cannot send links within comments either. Only posts qualify.
Snapchat is an incredibly fun way to communicate with friends and stay connected with loved ones. Unlike Instagram, however, its functionality doesn't include adding links. Instead, you can send stories that contain up to 10 photos and videos. These come with titles, descriptions, hashtags, emojis, and stickers.
However, unlike Instagram, you can only post content related to your niche. Stories are limited to 30 seconds. And yes, you can upload sponsored content. Still, it's probably not worth your time.
Vimeo is a video hosting service known for providing high quality content. Although you can't embed videos directly, you can share URLs for individual clips. And thanks to the popularity of Vimeo among filmmakers, you can expect plenty of traffic from viewers.
That said, you can only post two videos per day and they must feature at least 100MB of data. Even better news is that you can make up to $10 per 1000 views.
For years, Vine has been used by celebrities and companies alike to showcase exclusive footage. While you can't embed direct videos on Vine, you can share links to them.
Like Vimeo, the maximum length for a clip is 60 seconds. However, you can only publish five videos per day and you'll need to submit them manually to gain approval.
Once approved, you'll appear in the search results alongside official accounts.
Tumblr is a blogging platform designed specifically for creative individuals. With more than 300 million active users worldwide, it's become extremely popular among bloggers.
And because of that, it attracts tons of visitors looking for interesting topics. Since you can easily insert HTML code into your posts, you can add Amazon affiliate links anywhere you wish. All you have to do is head to Settings " Blogger Templates and enter the following snippet:
After entering the markup, you can preview the results in both desktop and mobile versions of your browser.
Pinterest is a visual bookmarking tool that features millions of pinboards dedicated to specific interests. Thanks to its unique format, pins are easy to read and understand. Plus, they're ideal for showcasing products and brands.
Because of this, Pinterest is considered one of the best places to drive organic traffic to your site and increase conversion rates.
While you can't add Amazon affiliate links on Pinterest itself, you can embed them in pinned articles. Simply click "Pin It!" at the bottom left corner of any board and add the necessary information.
Then, in order to display your link, you'll need to add a short line of code to your template file. Open Notepad and navigate to your root folder. Click View " Text Files " Edit Template Content File. From here, locate the section where the code appears and replace "#Amazon_Product_ID#" with your product ID.
Finally, save the file. Now you can pin your linked items to boards on your own terms.
Flickr is a community-based photo storage platform primarily used by photographers. Its tag system helps organize everything into groups, categories, and tags. Users can browse, edit, and delete pictures according to certain rules.
Although you can't add Amazon affiliate links directly, you can send people to their landing pages via email. Just visit the "About Me" tab on your user settings page and click "Send me emails based on my activity." Next, fill in the boxes with your desired info and click Send Email Alerts.
Now, whenever you log onto Flickr, you'll receive personalized messages regarding the latest photos uploaded by your contacts.
Soundcloud is a music streaming service that functions similarly to Spotify. Similar to YouTube, it lets artists upload their songs for people to listen to and download for free.
Since Soundcloud has a huge audience, it's perfect for driving traffic to your website and generating leads.
If you’ve ever wondered whether it's possible to earn money from posting articles about the latest tech products or sharing reviews of your favorite brands online without actually owning a store yourself, then this article is for you. It explains exactly how you can get started with an Amazon affiliate link promotion campaign using some popular social networking sites.
Amazon affiliates are people who set up shop at Amazon (or another third-party retailer) through their own websites but make all the sales themselves. They receive a cut of any transactions that occur as a result of their posts, which means they don't have to invest time and effort into promoting their business. Instead, marketers can focus on crafting engaging content while getting paid for doing so.
It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Well, you might not know that there are already thousands upon thousands of people making a living by selling items directly via Amazon. In fact, according to Statista, over $3 billion worth of goods were sold via Amazon last year alone! That represents nearly half of all ecommerce revenue across the entire world.
While there are no guarantees when it comes to earning money online, if you follow these steps correctly, you could potentially become one of them. As always, though, success depends entirely on your willingness to put in the work required to succeed.
Before you dive headfirst into trying out Amazon affiliate marketing, let us answer the most common questions asked by newbies: Can you use social media for Amazon affiliate? How do I promote my Amazon affiliate on Instagram? Can you use Instagram for affiliate marketing? Is affiliate marketing allowed on Instagram?
Yes, absolutely! You can market anything on Instagram, including products and services offered by other companies. However, because Instagram has such strict rules around spamming users, only businesses with a verified account are able to advertise on the platform. So keep reading below to find out more details on how to promote your Amazon affiliate links on Instagram.
In order to create an ad for your brand or service, click on Create Advertise on the top right corner of your screen and fill out the form. Fill in the title field with something catchy -- "I'm looking for" works well here. Then choose between Sponsored Posting or Promoted Posts. If you opt for sponsored ads, you will also have to select a budget amount. The minimum cost per day is $1.00 (USD). After choosing a price, scroll down until you see “Ad format” and select either Video or Image. For now, stick to images. For video campaigns, you'll need to wait until you reach 10k followers before starting. Once you've chosen an image or video ad, you're ready to create a custom thumbnail.
Next, upload an original photo or screenshot from your website or blog and add text describing your product/service in the caption box. Finally, you can customize your ad further by adding hashtags relevant to your niche and keywords related to your business. When done, just hit Save & Continue Editing Your Ad. Now pick a location for your ad and hit Publish.
Once published, you can start reaching potential customers by following the instructions provided by Instagram itself. To begin, go to your profile page and tap on Explore. Next, type #marketplace in the search bar and swipe left to view results. Scroll down to the bottom and look for Marketplace Ads. Click on the blue icon next to your ad and enter your password. From here, you'll be redirected back to your homepage. This way, your ad will appear among others posted by advertisers with similar interests.
When someone clicks on your ad, he will be taken to your site and prompted to complete his purchase. At this point, you may want to consider switching to Promote instead of simply offering free samples. While both options offer opportunities for earning commissions, Promoting gives you full control over each customer's experience and allows you to track conversions. You can even provide incentives for those who download your app.
Instagram isn't really known for being a place where you can easily sell things, especially compared to Pinterest and Snapchat. Still, there are ways to attract your audience's attention and turn it into a source of income. And since Instagram is a visual medium, the best thing to do would be to show off pictures of your products and explain why they're great. You can include videos, gifs, photos, quotes, and much more. Just remember to be consistent.
Here are 3 tips on how to promote your Amazon affiliate on Instagram:
Use high quality imagery – Photos and GIFs help drive traffic to your posts and increase engagement rates. Be sure to feature your merchandise prominently within the frame whenever applicable.
Keep your captions short and sweet – A concise description of your item coupled with a call to action encourages viewers to take action. Try to avoid long paragraphs and sentences that require scrolling. Keep in mind that you don't necessarily need to say everything about your product in order to generate interest.
Be helpful – Don't forget to give useful information to your readers. Include tips, tricks, and advice to improve their lives. Remember to stay away from controversial topics and discussions unless they relate to your target demographic.
There aren't enough statistics available regarding the percentage of Instagram users who engage with advertising, but we did find several studies indicating that around 70% of the population uses the platform regularly. Since Instagram is mostly used by teenagers and young adults, this number makes sense.
We also found numerous examples of entrepreneurs, artists, and fitness gurus creating accounts specifically for the purpose of generating income. One example is Misha Collins' InstaFitness account, which features workout routines based on martial arts movements. Another famous case was when fashion designer Ashley Graham decided to launch her own clothing line after seeing women wearing her designs. She later wrote a book titled How Not to Look Like Sh*t Online.
You bet. There's nothing stopping anyone from running Instagram ads. But keep in mind that Instagram prohibits publishers from sending promotional messages to its community under certain circumstances. Specifically, the company takes issue with advertisements directed towards non-users, those placed alongside inappropriate content, and those containing false claims. Also, ads cannot contain links to external URLs.
So if you plan on launching an Instagram ad campaign, you'd better read our guide on how to run a successful campaign on Instagram first. Otherwise, you risk receiving a warning message stating that your account violates Instagram's terms of service. Even worse, you may lose access altogether.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.