You’re looking for a way to make a little, or maybe a lot of, money with your blog. There are multiple ways to do that, but there is one that seems to be pretty popular in the blogging community. That is affiliate marketing.
There are several bloggers I follow who swear by affiliate marketing and tend to make quite a bit of money from it. I know because I would read about it in their monthly income reports. Reading those reports made me realize I had I could have started making money sooner and could be potentially making more now.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t go back in time; I could only move forward and do the best I could to make up for as much lost time as I could. That’s what I’ve been doing over the last year, and I’ve started to make money every month through affiliate links on my site.
I started doing affiliate marketing a few years after starting my blog, but it took a few years before I started making consistent money. It’s not hundreds of dollars each month, or even a hundred yet, but I’m steadily making my way up to those types of amounts.
Before we jump into tips for earning with Amazon Affiliate links, let’s level-set and talk a bit about what affiliate marketing is and how it works because that’s an important part of implementing any of the tips I’m going to share.
You can do affiliate marketing whether you have a blog or not. There are many who make decent money by using affiliate links in their social feeds or Pinterest pins.
It’s a great way to earn a little extra money because there is minimal work you have to do to maintain it. When I say minimal work, that doesn’t mean that you don’t try to increase your social following, blog traffic, or trust among your readers/followers. It just means that when it comes to the links, once you’ve added them, you don’t have to continually update them.
Plus, because of the large mix of products available, Amazon is where so many people shop. So it only makes sense that it’s a great program to start with.
Getting started with the program is pretty easy. Just go to the affiliate program page, click the Join For Free button, and then fill out the form. Once you’re approved and have followed the setup instructions, you’re good to start adding links to your blog or sharing on social media.
There are a few things that Amazon points out they look for when approving applicants for the program
To start making money, someone visiting your blog or social profile will need to click on the link you've placed there and make a qualifying purchase within 24 hrs. Now commissions vary by the type of product. You can see a breakdown of that in your associate's account.
The best thing to do is to find products that fit the types of products you typically talk about and make sense within the overall topics of your blog.
To stay a part of the Amazon Associates program, Amazon requires you to make at least three sales within the first 180 days. Otherwise, you’ll be removed from the program and will need to reapply.
There are many things you can’t do as an Amazon Associate and will get you kicked out of the program if you do. You can read about all of them here, but one key thing you can’t do is buy products using your links. This applies not just to you but to other people in your household as well. It’s essentially cheating. So don’t do it.
Related read: How To Make Your First $100 With Google Adsense
I started doing affiliate marketing a few years after starting my blog, but it took a few years before I started making consistent money. It’s not hundreds of dollars each month, or even a hundred yet, but I’m steadily making my way up to those types of amounts.
Before we jump into tips for earning with Amazon Affiliate links, let’s level-set and talk a bit about what affiliate marketing is and how it works because that’s an important part of implementing any of the tips I’m going to share.
What is affiliate marketing?
Simply put, it’s selling products from other people or brands and getting a commission from each sale. These people or brands supply you with links to their site or products that are unique to you and track how many clicks, sales, or signups happen from those who click on the links.You can do affiliate marketing whether you have a blog or not. There are many who make decent money by using affiliate links in their social feeds or Pinterest pins.
It’s a great way to earn a little extra money because there is minimal work you have to do to maintain it. When I say minimal work, that doesn’t mean that you don’t try to increase your social following, blog traffic, or trust among your readers/followers. It just means that when it comes to the links, once you’ve added them, you don’t have to continually update them.
Related read: 6 Of The Best Affiliate Programs For Beauty Bloggers
How Amazon's affiliate program works
The name of the program is Amazon Associates. Personally, I think the Amazon Associates program is probably the best place to start with affiliate marketing. The reason is that you can buy just about anything on Amazon, so whether you’re a beauty blogger or in another niche, you should be able to find products you can promote.Plus, because of the large mix of products available, Amazon is where so many people shop. So it only makes sense that it’s a great program to start with.
Getting started with the program is pretty easy. Just go to the affiliate program page, click the Join For Free button, and then fill out the form. Once you’re approved and have followed the setup instructions, you’re good to start adding links to your blog or sharing on social media.
There are a few things that Amazon points out they look for when approving applicants for the program
- Robust original content: A good rule of thumb is at least 10 blog posts or consistent posting, engagement, and organic followers (in most cases, at least 500) on your social page
- All content must be publicly available: For example, you can't share links in a closed group, behind a paywall, or on a non-public social profile
- Good content: Your site can’t fall within Amazon’s categorization of an unsuitable site
Related read: Start Making Money With The Amazon Influencer Program
How to maximize your earnings with Amazon Associates
The goal of being in the Amazon Associates program or any affiliate program is to make as much as you can. So here are some tips I've seen some top earners share that worked for them. While these tips are focused on the Amazon affiliate program, some of the tips can apply to other affiliate programs as well.
1. Focus on promoting products that fit your content niche
This is key. If you focus on beauty content and have never talked about gardening before, and all of a sudden you’re sharing links for gardening tools, it will cause confusion and ultimately distrust among your followers.The best thing to do is to find products that fit the types of products you typically talk about and make sense within the overall topics of your blog.
2. Place affiliate links in places with high traffic
The more traffic your links get, the more likely you are to earn more. Evaluate which of your social channels are most popular and allow for easy click-through to another site.If you're a blogger and have been blogging for a while, start placing links in your most popular posts. These are the posts that consistently get a lot of page views.
After that has been accomplished, you can then move on to putting affiliate links in your less popular channels. All the while, you should be including links in any new and relevant content you’re creating. The key, though, is to not overdo it. You don't want all of your content to be full of affiliate links.
After that has been accomplished, you can then move on to putting affiliate links in your less popular channels. All the while, you should be including links in any new and relevant content you’re creating. The key, though, is to not overdo it. You don't want all of your content to be full of affiliate links.
When you do share your links, just make sure you follow all, and I mean all, of the platform and FTC rules and guidelines for disclosures.
These types of content could be product tutorials, product comparisons, product roundups, and just a good old-fashioned in-depth product review. These types of content, as long as they are for products that fit your blog niche, can feel seamlessly integrated for your followers without feeling like you’re just trying to get them to buy something.
4. Create content for affiliate links
Now I’m not saying that you need to stuff your content full of affiliate links. But sprinkling them in here and there is a good idea.These types of content could be product tutorials, product comparisons, product roundups, and just a good old-fashioned in-depth product review. These types of content, as long as they are for products that fit your blog niche, can feel seamlessly integrated for your followers without feeling like you’re just trying to get them to buy something.
5. Use more than links
I know I’ve been talking about using product links for most of this post, but Amazon offers some other ways to promote products. Such as a storefront where you can create collections of products. You can share links directly to your storefront or those product collections.
Related read: 7 Of The Best Places To Promote A Beauty Blog
Some things to keep in mind
You need to disclose your affiliate links. This isn’t a suggestion; it’s required by the FTC, and you can get in a lot of trouble if you don’t. You can check out the FTC guidelines here.To stay a part of the Amazon Associates program, Amazon requires you to make at least three sales within the first 180 days. Otherwise, you’ll be removed from the program and will need to reapply.
There are many things you can’t do as an Amazon Associate and will get you kicked out of the program if you do. You can read about all of them here, but one key thing you can’t do is buy products using your links. This applies not just to you but to other people in your household as well. It’s essentially cheating. So don’t do it.
