Amazon Associates Program VS Amazon Influencer: Which One Is for You?

As a member of both programs, here’s a quick breakdown of the key differences between Amazon Associates and Amazon Influencers:

• As an Associate, my role primarily involves promoting Amazon products externally—this could be through a blog, YouTube content, or even a newsletter. The key is leveraging various platforms outside of Amazon to drive sales through affiliate links, which earns me a commission on successful purchases.

• The Amazon Influencer Program empowers me to engage with the platform’s internal audience. This means I can create reviews and share my insights on products not just outside but within Amazon’s ecosystem. The content I produce is placed alongside the products, allowing potential buyers on Amazon to view it directly, potentially earning me commissions from within the Amazon platform. This dual capability is highly beneficial, as it taps into ready-made traffic without necessitating a large personal follower base on other social media platforms.

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Key Takeaways

• Associates promote products externally, while Influencers also engage with customers on Amazon.
• Influencers benefit from Amazon’s existing audience to earn commissions.
• The Influencer Program allows for content creation directly on the Amazon platform. (If interested, you can enroll in an Amazon Influencer course and community called Side Hustle Insider, where you can learn the entire process of how to be a successful Amazon Influencer.)

Overview of Amazon Associates and Amazon Influencers

Amazon Associates

I use the Amazon platform to promote products externally.

This can be through various channels, such as:

• Websites
• YouTube videos
• Social media posts
• Facebook groups
• Email newsletters

The process is straightforward: I grab a link for a product on Amazon, share it with my audience, and if they click on the link and make a purchase, I earn a commission.

Amazon Influencer Program

This program allows me to promote Amazon products both off and on the Amazon platform.

While I can still use external channels to promote these products, I can also engage with the built-in Amazon audience.

Here’s how it works:

• Select a product sold on Amazon.
• Create a review or share my thoughts about the product.
• Post the video on Amazon alongside the product listing.

If a shopper on Amazon watches my video and makes a qualifying purchase, I receive a commission.

This is advantageous because I don’t need a large social media following to reach an audience; there’s already one on Amazon that can potentially generate income for me.

Key Differences Between Associates and Influencers

Promotion Platform

As an Amazon Associate, I focus on promoting products off the Amazon platform. This can range from my website, YouTube videos, social media posts, Facebook groups, or an email letter.

In contrast, my role as an Amazon Influencer allows me to promote products on Amazon as well. I get to create content that is placed directly beside the product on the Amazon site.

Target Audience

As an Associate, the audience comes from my own efforts to drive traffic from various online sources to Amazon through affiliate links.

As an Influencer, I leverage not only my audience but also the built-in customer base on Amazon, making it possible to engage with shoppers directly on the platform.

Content Creation

Amazon Influencers, like myself, are encouraged to review products and share our thoughts through videos that appear on the Amazon product pages.

Commission Opportunities

Both roles earn commissions when consumers make a purchase through the provided links, but the Influencer program capitalizes on the existing traffic on Amazon, which can be an advantage.

To engage further with my experiences as an Amazon Influencer or to learn more about leveraging this platform, consider joining my community Side Hustle Insider.

Promotion Platforms for Amazon Associates

When discussing my role as an Amazon Associate, my key activities involve promoting Amazon products on various platforms outside of Amazon.

These platforms include:

• Websites: Creating content on our own websites to showcase Amazon products.
• YouTube Videos: Producing informative videos that feature Amazon products and including affiliate links in the description.
• Social Media Posts: Sharing product links on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
• Facebook Groups: Engaging with groups by recommending products that could be beneficial to the community members.
• Email Newsletters: Sending out curated lists of products to subscribers that might interest them.

By sharing a product link with my audience, if they click through and make a purchase, I earn a commission.

This approach allows me to leverage my digital presence across a variety of channels to promote Amazon’s diverse catalog of products.

Promotion Platforms for Amazon Influencers

In contrast, the Amazon Influencer Program enables me to engage with Amazon’s built-in audience.

Here, I not only promote products outside of Amazon but also:

• Review Products: I provide my personal thoughts and assessments on products sold on Amazon.
• Create Videos: I make videos reviewing products, which are then displayed alongside the product listing on Amazon.

If a shopper on the Amazon platform watches my video and makes a qualifying purchase, I receive a commission.

This is a significant advantage for me because it doesn’t require an extensive social media following; the audience is already there on Amazon, ready to engage with the content I create.

To learn more about how to succeed as an Amazon influencer join Side Hustle Insider.

Benefits of Promoting Within Amazon

In contrasting the roles of Amazon Associates and Amazon Influencers, my insights draw from the distinct approaches to promotion and audience engagement that each path offers.

As an Amazon Influencer, the strategy encompasses not only the external promotion but also leverages Amazon’s built-in customer base by creating content that resides on the Amazon platform itself.

This key distinction opens up an additional stream of revenue generation, where:

• Shoppers already browsing Amazon encounter my product reviews and insights.
• My content, including video reviews, is displayed adjacent to the product listing, augmenting visibility.
• I provide valuable context through my reviews, which facilitates informed purchasing decisions and builds trust.
• The preexisting audience on Amazon mitigates the need for a large personal following, as the platform itself aggregates potential customers.

This dual emphasis enables me to maximize the reach of promotions and capitalize on the existing customer traffic on Amazon, without the imperative of cultivating a large external audience of my own.

Interested in mastering the art of becoming a successful Amazon Influencer?

Join the Side Hustle Insider community and unlock the secrets to:

• Generating recurring commissions by crafting engaging reviews of Amazon products through simple, short-form videos.
• Say goodbye to the hassle of SEO, paid ads, website building, cold calling, brand creation, product development, shipping, or customer interactions.
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