Amazon Influencer: How to get started?

Amazon is one of the biggest players in the e-commerce industry, and there are many ways you can earn from the platform. Apart from creating a store and selling a product, the next most popular way of earning on Amazon is to join their affiliate program. Under the program, you direct traffic to Amazon using a special affiliate link and earn commissions when they buy from you. If you are an influencer with a large social media following, Amazon has an influencer program that allows you to use your online influence to generate income for yourself.

What is the Amazon Influencer Program?

The Amazon influencer program is essentially an extension of the Amazon Associates program. It brings content from influencers that are product-related and serves them to customers to help them research and discover products that they might be interested in.

It's not so different from the Amazon Associates program in the sense that it still involves associates, and creating a special link, and sharing them with their audience. However, the major difference is that the Amazon influencer program is aimed at influencers.

This article takes a deep dive into the Amazon Influencer program and how you can earn from it. We’ll also look at how you can save money when receiving your commissions from the Amazon Influencer program using Wise.

What is an Influencer?

What then, is an influencer? An influencer is anybody that has a significant following on social media and can influence how their following acts or engages with products and services. Influencers can cut across any category to participate in the influencer program, however, Amazon currently only allows influencers with a YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook account to qualify.

How can I monetize it?

The Amazon influencer program provides influencers with a great way to monetize their social media following. Influencers can earn up to 10% in commissions depending on the product type that their followers purchase.

To earn with the Amazon influencer program, you will have to curate products that you recommend and receive a unique URL from Amazon that will direct your followers to a storefront where they’ll see all the products that you recommended.

The advantage of this is that your audience will get distracted by competing products as they would if they were directed to Amazon's product page itself.

To monetize the Amazon influencer program, you have to:

1. Apply as an influencer and qualify for the program

2. Create high-quality content

3. Research deep into products that would help your audience

4. Select the products you want to promote and insert them into your influencer storefront.

The Amazon influencer program has been around for quite a while but was not as popular as the affiliate program. However, it has received increasing attention in recent years as more people signed up for the program and reports showing that Amazon is increasingly expanding the program.

How to become an Amazon Influencer?

To become an Amazon influencer, you have to apply using the social media accounts that you have the most influence over your followers in. Unlike the Amazon Associates program, however, the selection process is strict and you might not qualify. Amazon does encourage influencers to apply in the future as the eligibility requirements might change over time.¹

Some of the criteria that you have to meet to be accepted as an Amazon influencer include:

● Have a large following. While there is no specific number benchmark, studies of existing influences show that those with larger followings are more likely to get accepted.

● Have Good engagement. As an influencer, Amazon wants to see that your fans and followers engage with your content regularly. The type of content you post and the type of reactions you generate will determine if you qualify for the program.

● Have high-quality content: Amazon is interested in influencers that post quality material, not just controversial comments to incite reactions.

When you get into the Amazon influencer program, Amazon gives you a unique URL that you placed somewhere on your social media platform. When they click it, it will take them to a page containing products selected by the influencer based on their recommendation.

Here is a step-by-step guide to getting started as an Amazon influencer²

1. Once your account has been verified, you'll be directed to a page where you fill in your contact information and name your store. Every influencer gets a virtual stop front where they promote the items that they like and create lists of recommended products.

2. The next step is to enter your tax and payment information. Just like the Amazon Associates program, you can only be paid via direct deposit or Amazon gift card. Cheques are not available for UK residents. If there are commissions in another currency, consider using Wise to receive them and convert using the real exchange rate to save money on transaction fee.

3. The next step is to customize your store. The process is similar to creating a social media profile. You can add photos and a bio.

4. The next step is to create lists. Stores are organized as a list of featured products. You can type in a keyword and see a list of items that you can easily link to your storefront.

How do I get paid from Amazon Associates

As an Amazon associate or influencer in the UK, you have two options to get paid, Amazon gift certificates, and direct bank deposits. The payment option that you choose will often play a role in how often you receive your payment. This is because it has a minimum payment account amount for each withdrawal-type.

When using the direct debit option, Amazon will regularly disburse funds from your influencer account into your bank account. However, there are usually hidden charges when sending or receiving money from Amazon. These fees can be significant and may impact your profit negatively. If you choose the direct deposit option, Wise can save you money on transfer fee.

Wise is an upcoming player in the international transfer industry, disrupting the status quo in a good way. With over 4 million customers and some of the best customer service out there, many people are starting to turn to Wise. Wise’s goal is simple, to reduce the transfer cost by converting your money using the fair exchange rate without any mark-up and charge a fair and transparent fee.

You can also take advantage of the following benefits:

1. Enjoy instant or next-day delivery for a majority of currencies
2. Integration with Xero and Quickbooks to ease tax reconciliation
3. Multi-currency debit card for faster and convenient payments
4. Modern app
5. Bank level security

Start saving today with Wise