As the world’s largest eCommerce platform, renowned for its wide product selection and fast shipping, Amazon attracts millions of active users across the globe per month. In recent years, Amazon has developed ways for social media content creators to benefit from its popularity with the Amazon Influencer and Affiliate Programs. Though the programs are often confused with one another, Amazon Affiliates receive commissions when followers purchase from their unique product links. Meanwhile, Amazon Influencers are granted their own customizable storefronts to promote numerous products at once and generate commissions accordingly.
With the modern rise of influencers on all platforms, more creators are eligible to join the Amazon Influencer Program than ever. Read on to learn how to become an Amazon Influencer and use effective tactics for growing and maintaining your unique storefront.
1. Apply to Become an Amazon Influencer
Understand the three primary factors that Amazon takes into consideration when evaluating prospective influencer applications:
- Social Media Presence: The baseline requirement for an Amazon Influencer application is a TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram account. Please note that when choosing a Facebook or Instagram account to apply with, the account must be authenticated as a business or creator account for eligibility.
- Follower Count: Though Amazon does not disclose a specific follower count that applicants must have for influencer approval; a higher follower count can only increase your chances.
- Engagement Rate: Like with follower count, no distinct engagement rate criteria that Amazon guarantees will earn you a spot as an influencer, but a high content engagement rate undoubtedly increases your chances of approval.
If you are not approved on your first try, focus on growing your follower count and engagement further on your social media account with the most potential. Months-long dedication to a specific platform should streamline the process, increasing your acceptance chances if you re-apply to the Amazon Influencer Program.
2. Modify and Market Your Storefront
Once approved for the program, you will gain access to your own storefront as an Amazon Influencer. Beyond establishing a visually appealing profile picture and banner image for your Amazon Storefront, there are three types of content that Amazon Influencers can publish:
- Photo & Video Posts: Like any social media platform, Amazon lets its influencers upload both videos and imagery. However, Amazon distinguishes itself from these platforms by allowing you to tag products to promote within your posts, allowing users to add any of the items to their carts with ease.
- Idea Lists: Perhaps the most used storefront feature among Amazon Influencers, idea lists are your curated groupings of related product recommendations. Comparable to Pinterest boards, Amazon Storefront idea lists allow creators to tastefully display different assets relating to a general theme on one page.
- Amazon Livestreams: Made specifically for those with Amazon Storefronts and professional sellers within the Amazon Brand Registry, Amazon Live is a cutting-edge service for promoting your affiliate products with real-time updates. As the name implies, Amazon Live allows you to livestream and discuss specific products that can be linked directly below the stream.
Though publishing any form of content to your Amazon Storefront is necessary for increased engagement, more focused actions you can take towards promoting yourself as an Amazon Influencer are:
- Link-in-Bio Tools: Popular tools like Linktree allow for multiple links to be shared in your bio at once. Consequently, link-in-bio tools are optimal for Amazon Influencers to promote their storefronts and whatever else is relevant to their brand. Additionally, link-in-bio tools often provide insights like the total views and click counts on your link(s) within specific date ranges, allowing you to measure the tool’s effectiveness.
- Multi-Platform Promotion: While Amazon only evaluates the analytics of one social media platform you submit as part of your application, nothing prohibits you from multi-platform promotion as an Amazon Influencer. Continue to build your social media presence across the board and promote your Amazon Storefront accordingly.
3. Expanding Your Storefront Audience
Perhaps the most intuitive way to expand your Amazon Storefront audience involves attracting more followers across your social media profiles. Continually promoting your Amazon Storefront upon amassing new followers will further propel your career as an Amazon Influencer. However, posting content on Amazon itself is particularly critical when looking to grow as an Amazon Influencer. There is a chance that your content resonates enough with audiences for Amazon to intervene and recommend it to various shoppers, earning you both followers and customers. In either case, ensuring the constant production of quality content is critical to success as an Amazon Influencer. When the care you put into your content is genuine, audiences can identify that and will be more compelled to follow you.
Another way to majorly grow as an Amazon Influencer is earning approval to partake in the Onsite Earnings program. You can acquire onsite earnings as an Amazon Influencer if Amazon approves a three-video application of different product reviews. If Amazon likes what they see, your shoppable content will be approved for sitewide use beyond your storefront. And if a prospective shopper buys the product your content promotes, you will earn a commission, attracting a larger following and more exposure. With your content displayed on a larger scale as a part of the Onsite Earning program, you will inevitably attract a larger following, more exposure, and greater commissions, boosting your status as an Amazon Influencer.
Unlock a New Stream of Revenue as an Amazon Influencer
While content creators often rely on earning money via sponsorships, brand deals, and collaborations, the Amazon Influencer Program offers an additional way to capitalize on social media success. Though the percentage of money you earn per item sale can seem minute, properly optimizing your storefront means all your commissions will add up to a sizable sum. In fact, Amazon lets you choose from three forms of commission payment: Checks, Direct Deposit, or Amazon credit.
Ready to unlock a new source of income as a successful Amazon Influencer? Contact Premiere Creative today at (973) 346-8100 to maximize your Amazon Storefront’s earning potential and thrive in your career as a multi-platform influencer.