This post is all about how to make money blogging with the Amazon affiliate program.
If you’re just starting out in the blogging world, you might have heard the idea of “Affiliate Marketing”, or “Amazon Affiliate Program” a lot in FB blogger groups or forums. And if you have no idea what it is or how it works, you’re in the right place!
Tons of bloggers are making a significant amount of money (I’m talking thousands of dollars) from simply being an Amazon affiliate and sharing their favorite products with their readers.
It’s super straight-forward, and I’m sure you’ll succeed at it too!
Why Become An Amazon Affiliate?
Okay, as we all know, Amazon is basically the modern version of a genie. Everything that we could ever want, Amazon’s got it! And so as a beginner blogger, if you would like to earn a commission for recommending a product or service to your readers (regardless of your niche), the easiest way to do this is by becoming an Amazon affiliate.
Also! almost EVERYBODY has heard of Amazon and has bought stuff from it. (I personally have contributed thousands of dollars to Jeff Bezos’ bank account and I’m honestly kind of upset about it, haha!)
One thing that holds a lot of readers from purchasing stuff directly from vendors online is that they simply don’t trust it. Will the products arrive on time? What is the return policy like? How are the reviews?
And Amazon has done a fantastic job of making its platform and service super trust-worthy and reliable. With the advent of two-day-shipping and even same-day deliveries, people are even more likely to buy Amazon products directly through your link! Which means higher conversions and more money for you.
By the way. Even if your reader doesn’t buy the exact product that you linked to. As long as they end up placing an order through your link, you get a commission for EVERYTHING in their shopping cart!
Okay, so next, we’ll dive right into how this whole Amazon affiliate program works. And best ways to incorporate affiliate links into your blog! (If you haven’t started your blog yet, check out my in-depth Step-By-Step Guide On How To Start A Blog)
How Does The Amazon Affiliate Program Work?
First things first, here is the definition of affiliate marketing: “Affiliate marketing is the process by which an affiliate earns a commission for marketing another person’s or company’s products” – Big Commerce
Essentially, when you join the Amazon affiliate program, you become an “affiliate” for Amazon. And earn commission for marketing their products.
Start by signing up for the Amazon affiliate program here. And make sure to sign up to the Amazon associates that are in your target audience’s geographical region. So if your readers are mostly based in the United States, sign up for the US version.
Once Amazon approves you for the program (usually within 24-48 hours). You’ll be able to generate special links for the products you want to promote on your blog. Amazon allows you to do this by providing you access to Sitestripe, which is a toolbar that will appear at the top of every Amazon page. So that you can quickly access and copy affiliate links for any product that you search for.
Keep in mind that Amazon requires that you make three sales within the first 180 days of your sign-up. Or else you will need to re-apply and basically replace all links on your website.
Amazon’s Cookie Period
Amazon has a 24-hour cookie placed on a user’s browser. As long as your reader clicks on a link on your blog and doesn’t clear cache or visit another affiliate. You will be credited with the sale if they purchase the item/items within 24 hours.
But let’s say your reader adds the product to their shopping cart but doesn’t click purchase right away. What happens? Well, if they finish the purchase within 90 days, you actually still get a full commission for it!
Amazon’s Bounty Referral Program
I don’t feel like Amazon’s Bounty Referral Program is mentioned enough! This is actually another awesome way to generate substantial affiliate income for your blog.
Basically, it is a reward program for when people use your link to sign up for Amazon services such as a Prime account, Kindle, Audible free trials, etc.
The great thing about it is that your readers don’t have to spend a dime and you still get rewards! For example, I was rewarded with $5 dollars when someone signed up for an Audible free trial through my link. And $3 for a Kindle unlimited free trial!
Make Money Blogging With Amazon Affiliate Program
So now you have a better idea of how Amazon affiliates works. I want to show you how you can maximize your affiliate income by implementing these tips and tricks!
By the way, if you’re serious about mastering the art of affiliate marketing. I highly recommend checking out Michelle Schroeder-Gardner’s course. She makes a whopping $50,000+ USD a MONTH blogging from just affiliate income alone! Insane. In her course, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. She goes over the exact strategy that helps her generate this crazy amount of money each month.
1. Be Strategic About What Products To Promote
Know your target audience! Don’t just promote the most expensive product on Amazon in hopes that someone will click on it and earn you a lot of money.
Promote products that will actually be helpful to them! Put yourself in the shoes of your readers, and understand their NEEDS. Because the more value you provide to your readers, the more trust you’ll establish with them.
For example, if your readers are mainly stay-at-home moms who pride themselves on saving a ton of money each month. Would you recommend them a $500 USD Gucci bag? Maybe not!
2. Create Round-Up Posts
There are tons of websites online that generate an insane amount of affiliate income just by doing round-up posts. If you’re in the travel niche, you can create a post titled “The Top 30 Budget-Friendly Travel Essentials”. And explain why you think these products would be helpful for your readers. Don’t just throw random products on your post without adding personalized descriptions.
3. Product Reviews & Target Keywords Low In The Sales Funnel
Again, I’ll use the travel niche as an example. I came across this blog a few months ago that I thought was genius! This travel blogger mainly provides in-depth reviews of luggage and travel bags. And he maybe only has less than 10 actual posts about him traveling.
Also, by targeting keywords low in the sales funnel like “xxx luggage review”, and “best travel backpack for xxx”, he’s able to attract a substantial amount of visitors to his blog each month from Google that has high buyer intent.
Start Making Money With Your Blog
Once you’re able to start generating traffic to your blog (I recommend focusing on SEO & Pinterest for new bloggers). You can start monetizing your blog and generate income from affiliate marketing!
If you still feel like you might need more help with mastering affiliate marketing, check out Michelle’s course, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. She is without a doubt an affiliate marketing genius!
This is the only affiliate marketing course I’ve taken, and probably will ever need. I got this course for $198, and honestly, even though it’s a bit pricey, I definitely think it’s worth every penny. I mean, I’d actually be willing to pay even more to learn from someone who’s making 1.5 million USD from her blog each year (Can you imagine? Michelle’s amazing)
Are you still on the fence about starting a blog? What’s the worst thing that could happen? It fails and you waste several hours creating blog posts… But hey! Imagine, a few years from now, you being able to make a full-time salary (and even more!) by doing what you love.
Dream big! If you can visualize yourself achieving this goal, that means it’s totally possible! Okay, let me not get into the law of attraction and vibrations, because I can go on and on, haha!
If I’ve persuaded you! Head on over to my Step-By-Step Guide On How To Start A Blog.
You got this, and I believe in you!
xoxo
