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How to Advertise an Amazon Influencer Shop
We are sharing all the ways to advertise an Amazon Influencer Shop. From emails and social, to funnels and menu options, you can earn with this program!
How to Set Up an Amazon Influencer Shop
Before we get started on marketing your influencer page, make sure it’s set up correctly. Read this article to make sure you have everything straight because now it’s time to make some money.
READ: Amazon Influencer Program and Shop
Things NOT To Do With an Amazon Influencer Shop
First, let’s talk about things you cannot do to promote your Amazon Influencer shop.
Amazon’s hard-and-fast rule of no transitional pages applies to the Influencer Program as well as the Amazon Associates program. This means you cannot gate content behind a popup advertising your shop or create a path which takes a user from a content page to a shop page before sending them onto another page on your website.
Don’t do this because if you DO happen to earn any money from this practice, you’re going to get your account shut down. They will not give you any leeway.
Additionally, do not compete on ads using anything with the Amazon name. Big no-no, friends.
How to Advertise an Amazon Influencer Shop
Let’s get to the good stuff and learn how we can promote our Amazon Influencer shops!
On-Site Amazon Influencer Marketing Ideas
In Posts
Obviously, this is key for any affiliate marketer. Create interest by detailing how an item solved a problem, made your life easier, etc. If you “sell” the idea of the product, you’re more likely to sell the product once you’ve secured the click.
On Your Navigation Bar (Menu)
You can create a nav bar option for your shop to automatically open to your Amazon Influencer page.
Additionally, you can create a nav bar drop down for all the different Idea Lists (shop sections) within your Influencer shop. This is especially useful if you are blogging about specific categories.
Check out what I did for this site. It was really easy and there is a tutorial at the end of this article.
Promotions
When there are special events, such as Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, be sure to have a note on your top performing affiliate posts.
To find your top performing affiliate posts, go into your affiliate dashboard and select, “Content Insights.” Run your report – note you will have to choose a time frame and your website.
Export the report and find your top-referring and earning posts (they could be different).
Sidebar and In-Post Ads
Oldie but goodie – the sidebar can be invaluable if you have a decent amount of desktop traffic. PRO TIP: To increase conversions be sure to implement custom sidebars (article link).
If you’d like to create in-post ads, remember you cannot use the Amazon logo or any of their images. You can, however, create your own 728 x 90 skinny horizontal or a larger ad (square or rectangle) to get clicks.
Note: if you are earning well with your RPM, this might not be the best practice for you. For those who do not have an ad network, try creating an ad to share in between paragraphs of your content.
Off-Site Ways to Advertise an Amazon Influencer Shop
On Social
Yes, you can. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube are all fair game.
As mentioned in How to Set Up Your Amazon Influencer Shop, you do not have to disclose on social. Be sure to read that article if you haven’t yet – it’s full of tasty tidbits like that.
In Weekly Emails You Send
First, you cannot link to an individual product – that is still against terms. You MUST link to the shop page or the individual list pages. Some great ideas are:
- at the end of an email (PS section works well).
- within the content to help with purchasing supplies for an activity or something which solved a problem for you.
- in your header image – if you use one. Use this as sort of as an announcement of your “shop” opening on Amazon. Note: you cannot use the Amazon logo.
Update Your On-Boarding or Funnel Sequence Emails
Some of the highest opened and clicked emails in any content creator’s funnels are the first couple of emails.
Be sure you mention your shop, especially if you create and share activities, DIY tutorials, how-to’s, or anything which requires a supply specific to your topic.
Every niche, every website, and every blogger will be able to create a list of products they use and love.
On Your Business Card
Yep, you can put the shop on your business card. Be sure NOT to cloak the link – Amazon hasn’t traditionally been a fan of that, so avoid it.
If you attend many conferences or meetups or you put on in-person events, this is a great way to advertise an Amazon Influencer Shop.
In Your Site’s Email Signature
Do you receive a lot of emails from readers or other influencers? Be sure to add a link to your Amazon Influencer Shop within your email signature.
Use a creative trigger text in order to promote clicks. A few ideas are:
- Check out our newest obsessions!
- Coffee chat recommendations.
- Stuff I can’t live without.
- Best Buys for ___ (topic or niche)
Over to You
I’ll be adding to this article as I discover new, effective ways of earning from the Amazon Influencer Shop program.
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This Is How to Make $1k Affiliate Income with a Small Email List
A small email list (or a non-existent one) can make money with affiliate marketing. I conducted an experiment and started a brand new email list solely to prove to you that you can earn affiliate income with a tiny list and free resources. Get the strategies and start earning.
My Motivation for This Experiment
As you can probably guess, I work a lot with bloggers on growing their income. From the right partners to testing techniques, affiliate marketing is at least 20% of my day, every day.
So I know your objections and you are exactly who I did this for… I ran this experiment for those who say:
- “I have no list,” “My list isn’t growing,” or “My list is just too small to earn with.”
- “I have no time! I have kids, a marriage, friends, the gym, work, dinner, self-care, after-school activities…”
- “I have no money for advertising. I don’t have the funds to invest in ConvertKit.” Spoiler alert: you don’t have to.
If you read through this and want to know what the emails look like and to get a feel for the affiliate strategy to focus on the free, you can sign up for the experiment’s Freebie Fri-Yay’s email list (it’s full of design resources for bloggers and entrepreneurs).
Sign up for income-earning blog tips in your email every week here.
Affiliate Strategy: How to Earn with a Small Email List
Below, I outline the parameters for my experiment. The results prove that even though we have so many demands on our time, a small list CAN earn you money.
If you want the exact articles and strategies I used, pick up the “Focus on the Free” Affiliate Strategy Guide (get it here). I hold nothing back.
And here’s the thing – when you buy it, we will hop on a call and chat about YOUR idea for 30-minutes. Wouldn’t it be nice to talk about a proven strategy and how exactly you could implement it to earn your own $1,000 in 90 days?
Yes, it would be nice. Get it (on sale for only $7 right now!) and let’s work on your earnings.
Target Audience
- bloggers
- small business owners
- crafters (general digital crafters), and
- amateur designers.
Goals for the Experiment
- Grow an email newsletter list from 0 to 300 subscribers in 3 months.
- Maintain an open rate minimum of 30% and a click-through rate of 25%.
- Earn at least $100 each month from a list fewer than 300 (this is lower than my usual goal).
- Spend NO money.
- Dedicate no more than 30-minutes to the creation of the email and management of it each week.
Time Investment
Initial Set Up: 90-Minutes
Before I entered in everything, I took 15-minutes to sketch out the funnel and the email content in it. Then, I took action:
- 20-minutes to set up the list, signup forms, and landing pages
- 25-minutes to set up the funnel and “Ways to Make Money with Your Font Addiction” email
- 30-minutes to create the three guides and their images
Weekly: 30- to 35-Minutes
Each week, I spend 30-minutes or less compiling finds and writing the email. I spend less than 5-minutes each week responding to newsletter replies.
Results of the Tiny Email List Experiment
Because I HATE to be kept waiting for the findings of an experiment, here are the results of my small email list affiliate marketing experiment.
- The small email list was just shy of 600 when I ended the experiment (1 week shy of 3 months because I was leaving the country on vacation).
- The performance and income of each article can be found in the detailed “Focus on the Free” Affiliate Strategy Guide (get it here).
- The email list overall has a significant open rate of 79% and a higher-than-expected click-through rate of 50%.
- I exceeded the goal of $100 the first month. I then doubled and tripled earnings in the 2nd and 3rd months.
- I spent no money on advertising and only used free resources (MailerLite) for emails, signup forms, and landing pages.
- There were a couple of weeks in which I worked 45-minutes to an hour because I got distracted and brainstormed ideas. #squirrelsyndrome #alltheprettythings
Why the Small Email List Worked and How I Targeted
Free resources are a big draw and it’s an affiliate marketing strategy which works for ALL bloggers and influencers. Additionally, the offering was something which would appeal to my target audience, even as broad as it was.
The site type or niches I used couldn’t be more different and the results were the same. In fact, two of the three articles had the same amount of social shares. Spooky.
Lessons Learned and Actions
The funnel was too long.
I waited 2 days between each of the emails but found that more people were interested in the weekly email. They loved the first guide and the “Ways to Make Money with Your Font Addiction” email.
Conversion improvement (signup forms).
The conversions are low on the signup forms (between 2 and 3%), so I might set up exit-intent popups on those articles. This is still a small email list, however, so I’m uncertain what they’ll do as it grows.
Hone it down and multi-use.
It’s a very engaged list and I am thinking of a survey and questions upon signup to hone down on what they’re after. Additionally, knowing their favorite editing and creation programs would have helped.
Once the experiment ended, I began using the work I did in other ways. I’m finding additional outlets to further earn from my time spent gathering resources.
Delivery of opt-ins.
Instead of the guides in the email delivery, I should have put them on password-protected pages on the sites I used. Duh, right? But hey, that’s what you get when you’re rushing.
Send more traffic to the landing pages.
I have a fairly decent conversion for the landing pages, however, the sample size is so small it needs to be tested on a larger scale. I don’t even think I pinned those pages…
Summary and Action for You
Are you excited? Have you started brainstorming ways to immediately add to your income?
You most certainly CAN earn with a small email list. The focus on the free strategy is just one way to earn with affiliate marketing. Get the Focus on the Free Affiliate Strategy Guide (on sale for only $7 right now) and let’s figure out what will work best to earn you income from your blog and newsletter.
Please pin this to share with your fellow bloggers and online marketers. Everyone can earn with affiliate marketing.
A Blogging Toolkit and Resources List from a Full-Time Blogger
I’m sharing my blogging toolkit and resources I can’t live without. Each week, I’m asked what I use on ND Consulting and other sites I own and now I’m dishing all!
Blogging Toolkit and Resources
Every blog, blogger, and audience is different and there are many amazing tools which support each. I’m sharing my blogging toolkit and resources I cannot live without.
There are affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy.
Hosting, Domain, and Blogging Platform
Pro Tip: it doesn’t matter if it’s WordPress or Square Space, just get a self-hosted if you have an income strategy. If not, write on Blogger (powered by Google) or WordPress.com (limitations).
What I use:
- WordPress.org (self-hosted)
- EasyDNS or All Niche PLR for domain registration (website name)
- Infinus Technologies – the support is amazing (I host 2 sites here, both with less than 100k monthly page views each)
- WP Engine – it’s premium hosting and it’s worry-free; I’ve never had a site down, ever.
- Servously – they have multiple packages based on size (and their support is VERY good)
Themes and Builders
Pro Tip: I love themes (they make everything so easy but don’t discount builders. I’ve been a fan from the early days of website builders because they allow for A LOT of customization.
- Genesis Framework (highly, highly recommend – it’s a base for themes)
- StudioPress and R316D themes (take the quiz to help choose the best theme for you)
- Visual Composer (an ah-may-zing builder to create awesome landing pages)
- Divi Builder (Elegant Themes) – My clients RAVE about it! Note, you would get it in place of Visual Composer and one caveat: Divi works on shortcodes which means when / if you decide to change, you’ll have quite a bit of work to do.
Blogging Tools (Writing, Editing, SEO, etc.)
Pro Tip: don’t ONLY write in WordPress or Blogger, even if you back up. You’ll find there to be a lot of distractions and it’s nice to have a backup off-site.
- Microsoft OneNote (I can always access, it automatically backs up, and I always have a copy in case of blog-mageddon). Before I found OneNote, I used Evernote, Trello, and Google Drive.
- Grammarly (commas – I just use too many or not enough in compound sentences)
- For keyword research, I use KW Finder, SERPStat, Keyword Tools.io, etc.
- Yuzo Related Posts plugin, Custom Sidebars, Easy Affiliate Links, CoSchedule, and a few more are installed on almost every site I own.
Social Media Management
Pro Tip: don’t try to do it all. Pick one, build a strategy, execute, and when you start to see growth, add another network.
- Social Warfare
- eCamm Live I go Live with this, allowing me to disclose right on the screen! It was so inexpensive and I’ve made so much affiliate income from it.
- Facebook (native scheduler)
- CoSchedule – The amount of love I have for this thing…
- Tailwind for Pinterest (and live-pinning)
- Tweetdeck – Do not attempt a Twitter party without it #youvebeenwarned
Newsletters
Pro Tip: THERE IS NO BEST EMAIL SERVICE PROVIDER (ESP) no matter what their sales copy (or another blogger) says. I have used so, so many ESPs, and I like them for different reasons. Additionally, the ESP you choose will greatly depend on where you are in your blogging and monetization journey.
- MailChimp – used for Tip Emails because it’s easy.
- MailerLite – used for challenges and the “Font Lovers Guides and Deals”
- ConvertKit – Ask me – seriously, email me – about whether it’s worth the price for you. I like it but it’s more robust than many people need.
- Ninja Popups / Optin Monster – exit-intent and highly customizable tools
Images, Videos, Graphics, Tools, and Editors
Pro Tip: Just use something enough that the learning curve is worth it. I now love Photoshop but still use the pro plan of PicMonkey DAILY (because I haven’t figured out how to do everything in Photoshop). #newb
- Nikon D3300 dSLR camera (mostly for other blogs, as I use stock or mockups for NDC)
- Lighting kit from Amazon (I get more use from the box lights than anything else). My next investment will be a ring light.
- Photoshop (I use the Creative Cloud Suite and I big, squishy heart love it)
- PicMonkey
- Zoom – I use this for all of my client calls (they have a free trial)
- Deposit Photos
- Creative Market (psst they have free goods here)
- Screencast-O-Matic – I use this at least twice weekly for clients and to record training for my free Facebook group (Elevate Everyone – Join)
- iMovie and Filmora – I use iMovie, I’ve purchased Filmora (and have yet to use it).
Fonts
Pro Tip: have a system to make sure you are clear (and will always be clear) on the licensing. After 10 years of this, I’ve stopped buying or downloading anything personal-use only. You can get my three, free font and graphics guides in the Resource Library or sign up to my Freebie Fri-Yay emails.
- The Hungry JPEG
- Font Bundles
- Dafont (careful with usage with this one, but it’s great if you search by 100% free); I found a great font and was able to buy a commercial license for $8 by emailing the author!!!!
Product Sales (Mine)
- Gumroad (Pitching Perfection, Identity, Find Your Sell, and Content for Growth are all on here); I used to use Easy Digital Downloads but users didn’t like the interface
- Amazon
- Merch (you can sell your own t-shirt designs on Amazon and it’s a nice supplemental income for me)
- RedBubble
- Etsy (check out my newest shop for amazing office printables and more)
Product Sales (Others)
Pro Tip: Don’t sign up and promote “ALL.THE.THINGS!” Get my ‘how to introduce an affiliate’ guide in the Resource Library to learn how to select and onboard your partners. That way, you’ll actually make money.
Get access to the library:
Get Free Access to Our Resource Library!
My primary affiliate partners in my blogging toolkit and resources vault for ND Consulting are:
- ShareASale (themes, hosting, and editing partners)
- Amazon (books)
- SEO: Dominate
- Affiliate Marketing: ethical training with Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers
- Genius Blogger’s Toolkit (new for me and I’ll evaluate each one on its merit before promoting – it’s A LOT of work for me to go through each resource)
- Font / Graphics through a few partners
- PLR (purchased content)
Browser and Tools
Pro Tip: Use whatever doesn’t make you all stabby. Safari makes me stabby and I honestly couldn’t live without some of my Chrome extensions.
- Chrome
- Extensions I love (yes, I wrote an article about why I love them and how they make me more productive)
Analytics Tools
Pro Tip: If you don’t have Google Analytics because you can’t figure out how to add it to your site, pay someone to do it. It’s the industry standard.
- Google Analytics + the Page Analytics Chrome Extension
- Pinterest (native) and Tailwind (MUCH better than Pinterest’s analytics)
- Facebook (native + ads manager detail)
- MailChimp, MailerLite, and ConvertKit native analytics
Backend, Security, Site Storage, and Speed
Kind of like your political preference, no one REALLY needs to know your backend. 🙂 I use all of the following (and I bet a few more), but because I pay people to do this for me, I really can’t tell you anything about them.
What I do know that’s currently in use (and protecting my sites) as part of my blogging toolkit and resources set up are:
- UpDraft
- WP Cerber (not Cerberus like the Hell Hound)
- WordFence
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)
- CloudFare
- Keeper (Password Manager) – I love this because it’s in my Chrome extensions.
Finances
I use a few to manage my businesses, some free and some are investments to help make accounting and tax time easier.
- PayPal to Invoice
- Wave Apps to do my bookkeeping (they have a free version)
- Quickbooks (not for NDC)
- Freshbooks (not for NDC)
Equipment / Hardware / Cloud Storage
Other than my camera, my biggest blogging tool is by far my laptop. I can take it anywhere, use my phone for Internet access, and bang out a few affiliate shares or even a post while I wait on my daughter.
- Apple, MacBook Pro (Retina Screen, SSD, crap load of memory)
- I have a Levalier microphone I use when I’m recording training videos.
- 2TB portable hard drive (I also back up via Dropbox)
Continuing Education
I am constantly learning and even build it into my weekly schedule. Some of my favorite resources:
- Blogger courses (I recommended a fave affiliate marketing course above, but take at least one a month)
- Udemy
- CreativeLive
- Conferences / Videos
- Still working my way through the 2018 Ultimate Blogger’s Toolkit
Legal
I strongly advise you not to work with brands or even other bloggers without contracts. Developing your own or hiring an attorney can be tricky. This is one of the most important parts of your blogging toolkit and resources. I use:
- LawTrades
- Businessese
Over to You
Which of these tools do you use? Can you suggest something in the comments you love? These are the blogging toolkit and resources I love, but I’d be grateful if you gave any insight into tools you use daily.
How to Use Amazon Affiliate Links on Pinterest, Social Media, and Blogs
New and experienced bloggers alike want to use Amazon affiliate links on Pinterest and social media, including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Here are the notes I’ve amassed and share with clients to stay legal and make money blogging with affiliates.
New: Get This in PDF Form!
I know this is a biggie, y’all and I want you to keep your Amazon Affiliate accounts open and earning. No email needed – just click here to get this in a PDF format you can save (and search) or print off.
Don’t forget: pin this to your favorite, “keeping it legal” blogging board. It’s a great reference piece (and a super-duper one to share in your blogging groups). Hint.
Use Amazon Affiliate Links on Pinterest and Social Media
Ultimately, this article is not written to rank. For this single post, I could care less about keywords which is THE cardinal sin of SEO. So don’t do it.
But I have to talk about a not-so-well-cloaked secret: most people don’t read the operating agreement or terms of service for their affiliate partners.
Le gasp.
Bloggers will go into Facebook groups and ask other bloggers about what they’re doing before sending a quick email to the FTC or the affiliate program’s help desk. I’m not going to make a judgment call on that because everyone runs their business differently, but…
This post on how to use Amazon affiliate links on Pinterest and other social media is for me. I want to be able to short-link this thing and use it when people tag me. It’s massive which is why there are so many headings and a handy, non-gated PDF version.
Psst: if you’re brand new to this aspect of making money with your blog, there are times when to use affiliate marketing and when not to use it.
Related Reading: How to Recover from an Amazon Earnings Decrease
UPDATE 2/2/2018: Amazon updated the operating agreement’s Influencer Program details to state explicitly that we may (if approved ONLY for the Influencer Program) share our shop URL in emails. Get the update here.
UPDATE 9/2017: It’s been a year since I and so many other bloggers received “confirmation” from Amazon we could use their links on Pinterest. However, Amazon has STILL NOT UPDATED their terms of service or operating agreement. Because of this, I do not advise you to direct-link Amazon Affiliate products or search results on Pinterest. Create a post and send traffic to it first.
My Disclaimers
I am not connected to Amazon Associates in any way other than as an affiliate. I’d love to help you out with your questions, however, if it’s not on this list, I would recommend contacting the Amazon Affiliates help desk directly (and keep a record of the conversation).
Additionally, the FTC Endorsements section has a working email ([email protected]) and you can contact them directly. Misinformation runs rampant in Facebook blogging groups.
I am not an attorney, nor an employee of the FTC, so do not use my article or advice as a guarantee of compliance.
Any hey, why not throw in another disclaimer? This is the information I have available at this time. I will update this article for using Amazon links on Pinterest and social media, but please check with Amazon Affiliates.
How to (Properly) Set Up YOUR Account Once Approved
- Create the Amazon-required (exact wording) disclosure immediately on your website (can be found in the operating agreement, item 5).
- Fill out the required website and mobile app list links for Amazon Associates (covers your publishing websites and all social media platforms you will use to promote) – instructions to set up the website and mobile app list.
- Make sure you understand the FTC’s disclosure rules for both your site and on social media (links below); write them out for easy ‘copy + paste’ to avoid violations.
- Use Amazon affiliate tracking IDs to help you with your strategy (additional reading on creating an Amazon ads strategy and using affiliate links on Pinterest) .
- UPDATE: OneLink has finally arrived! If you have an audience in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada, you can combine your logins and use a single link to share.
Where You CAN Use Amazon Affiliate Links
- Your own website
- Your own social media channels feeds (and some profiles)
- On your personal Facebook page and on your business Facebook page (assuming both are linked in your profile as directed above)
- In YouTube descriptions
- In live-streaming broadcasts
- I put this here (and below) ‘cuz I figured you’d read this… As of October 2016, Amazon REMOVED THE ABILITY for ‘incentivized reviews’ outside of their official ‘Vine’ program. Meaning, if you’re given free product or want to give free product (blogger authors), you cannot leave a review or ask people to do so. Additionally, you cannot be compensated to leave a review whether or not you plan to make affiliate income on it or not.
Where You CANNOT Use Amazon Affiliate Links
- You cannot use an Amazon affiliate link in any email (see section below for workarounds).
- the ones you send to your friends or family
- the ones you send to your blog’s subscribers
- promoting your OWN book (yep, you can’t even use affiliate links then)
- RSS feeds are considered as emails (and many of us learned this in Amy’s popular post about using affiliate links because she tells us how to avoid getting in trouble)
- Popups or transitional pages on your website (ads between page changes)
- Private (Closed or Secret) Facebook groups or private Facebook profiles (personal) – Anything which requires a login, signup, or friend request is off limits.
- PDFs (includes resource guides, checklists, and eBooks not distributed on Amazon)
- Books (applies to print or electronic, traditionally or self-published, and even to those created on Amazon companies like CreateSpace or using Kindle Direct Publishing).
Related Reading: 4 Ways (and a Warning) to Increase Amazon Affiliate Earnings
To Monetize Newsletters with Amazon Affiliate Links
I get asked all the time how to use Amazon affiliate links on Pinterest and social media, but I didn’t want to exclude all of you who have questions about email.
- Direct email subscribers to a post on your site with Amazon links embedded (or use native ads).
- UPDATE: aStores are being phased out in 2017. Keep your eyes on your dashboard for new options from Amazon.
Create an aStore or shop on your site and send subscribers directly to that instead of Amazon. - Build a “Resources” section on your site linked with Amazon products or services and send subscribers there.
Important Notes About Links – This is Important Stuff
- Disclosures must appear before the first link and cannot be masked in any way (disclosures cannot be a smaller font or in an image; see FTC links and Amazon policy links below).
- Do not link to a Wish List (it’s a violation of the Operating Policies (item 8 p). Additionally, it’s rumored that if someone buys from your Wish List Amazon considers them part of the “Friends and Family” exclusion. #sad
- You cannot include any Amazon pricing information if it isn’t part of the code provided to you by Amazon. This includes terms like “on sale,” “special rate,” or other pricing-related jargon.
- You cannot promote via advertisements (this includes Facebook ‘boosts’ or ads, Google Adwords, or any other paid avenue which sends users directly to Amazon); to clarify, you CAN boost Facebook posts which go to YOUR site/post which contain Amazon affiliate links, just not those which go directly to Amazon with the user’s click and your ad dollars.
- You cannot incentivize any click (you cannot “add a bonus,” “donate to charity,” or dangle any other incentive to promote your readers to click, either from social media or from your site).
- Not all brands and products participate in Amazon’s program even though they appear on Amazon, so adding your referral ID to a product (outside of the API portal or site stripe) might result in non-payment. Or worse.
- You cannot cloak links (Pretty Links, bit.ly links, or your own site’s shortened links are all prohibited). You shorten links with the site stripe or associates portal only.
- If you promote affiliate links in images (for example, “click on an image, it takes the reader to Amazon”) or within image captions, mention it within your disclosure statement to avoid any potential conflicts or deceptive practices.
Related Reading: Create Pins and Sales Images Easily with These Free Commercial-Use Fonts
Do I Have to Disclose If I Received Product For Free?
This is “the myth which won’t die…” Does a blogger have to disclose if they received product for free? Yes. The FTC requires it (no matter what Betty Blogger told ya). Go to the endorsement guide, search for the word ‘free,’ and Bob’s your uncle. You need to disclose.
Amazon has also addressed free content in their review guidelines. They’ve even added it to their review guidelines. Basically, if you receive free product (outside the Vine program) you cannot write a review.
How to Properly (and Legally) Use Amazon Images
- Use an approved image from Amazon’s API (logged into the associate portal + image-only tab)
- Do not grab any image from Amazon thinking you’re legally allowed to use them (not for your own site or social media). There are copyright rules because Amazon is given the ability to provide images for promotion but YOU are not. Only use images provided in the site stripe or within the API (approved images) or by contacting the manufacturer or seller (whoever owns the copyright).
- Do not make a collage, video, or slideshow on your site or social media of images pulled from the product page on Amazon. You do not have permission to alter images.
- If you want to create a collage, contact the manufacturer for images detailing their use in the collage (with other brands, for example). DO NOT pull them from the product page on Amazon.
- Do not upload Amazon images to your site unless you have express permission from the manufacturer and that is clearly stated (to allow for an appeal should Amazon penalize you).
- You can use images associated with the OFFICIAL Amazon plugin . Many use the EasyAzon 4 plugin (I am not recommending this nor am I recommending against this non-official plugin).
- Amazon (and the seller or manufacturer) allows you to use the image which comes up in the site stripe for promotion only – do not use it in other capacities (memes, logos, video introductions, etc.).
- Do not “freeboot” a video (download from YouTube and upload the original OR a derivative) to your site or social media. That’s just a clear-cut violation on all counts.
- Do not use videos available in the product pages unless you have express permission. This also applies to Amazon Video Shorts and manufacturer videos. Unless they are YOUR videos, sharing them on social media and monetizing them might be a copyright infringement which could result in non-payment and account termination by Amazon. Also, the image owners are well within their rights to report you to all social networks on which you used the image or video.
And that would stink.
Use of Amazon Affiliate Links on Social Media
- Myself and others have been told (from Amazon Associates help desk) that we cannot ‘boost’ posts on Facebook, buy promoted Pins on Pinterest, or buy promoted tweets on Twitter which lead our audience directly to Amazon. To clarify, Facebook doesn’t disallow it, Amazon does.
- You can use them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and most other social media sites which allow affiliate promotions (note you must fill in your website and mobile apps list within the affiliate portal mentioned above).
- Use your own image (wisest option), use an approved image from Amazon’s API, or contact the manufacturer or seller on Amazon directly to avoid infringing on rights. Read more in the images section above.
- You must disclose per the FTC’s guidelines even if you’re NOT a US-based marketer but are reaching US citizens.
- You must also disclose per any rules for the social network.
- Even if you’re not in the US, if you are marketing to US citizens, the FTC’s disclosure rules apply to you.
- Identification of relationship (disclosure) should be within the first three lines on Instagram so it is not ‘hidden’ in a list of hashtags or is missed when users don’t open the full text.
- I use the full explanation of the relationship of an affiliate link, as the FTC is slowly announcing things like “aff link,” “aff,” and “affiliate link” do not properly identify the relationship. Head on down to their press releases.
- My disclosure used on Facebook (before any link) is “This is an affiliate link which means I could receive a small commission if you purchase the product through this link.”
- My disclosure on Pinterest is sometimes the same as above or I use “Sponsored” to avoid confusion.
- My disclosure on Twitter is always “Advertisement” or “Sponsored” because I don’t trust “AD” will keep me out of trouble. Many compliant posters use #ad (though there is NO reason to use a hashtag unless it’s a requirement by a brand or influencer program).
- Use the full link (instead of the shortened site stripe link) on Pinterest because they do not like shortened links (or any form of cloaking).
- Disclose “Sponsored” within the first 3 lines of an Instagram share.
How to PROPERLY Link Amazon Links
Now listen, this is a guide on how to use Amazon affiliate links on Pinterest and social media. This is not a guide on how to be an Amazon affiliate. The affiliates program has put together a robust help section (linked below).
- Login to your Amazon Affiliate Account.
- Look up the product you wish to link
- Make sure the Site Stripe bar is turned on to select a tracking ID OR go into the product look up in affiliates portal.
- Copy the shortened or full link (exactly as-is).
- Paste the as-is link in your website or on social media.
- Use a description of the product to which you’re linking instead of “here” or “this” as it’s more helpful to the reader.
- For Pinterest, upload an image and edit it to include your disclosure and affiliate URL.
Important Amazon Links
- Operating Agreement
- Discussion Boards (these are VALUABLE)
- Get Links, Banners, Ads, and aStores
- General Help Section
- Contact Amazon Affiliates directly – seriously, use this if you have a question!
- Report Infringing Sites (if you want to spend time doing so)
FTC Links
- .com Disclosures
- What People Are Asking
- Email the Endorsements group at the FTC: [email protected]
- Advertising Guide for Small Business
- e-CFR (electronic code of federal regulations) – specifically, disclosure of material connections, Section 255.5
- Advertising Endorsements (and Press Releases with FTC spankings)
- Native Advertising – this applies to companies who want to provide you content for you to include Amazon (or other) affiliate links within
- Recent Instagram Update
Blogger Advice on Using Amazon Affiliate Links
If you’re still reading, kudos. If you’ve skimmed, you might have missed some important stuff but you’re a business owner and you know you can Pin this to your “Blogging Business” or “Legally Blog” board on Pinterest.
Hint, hint.
Because I’m NOT the Amazon affiliate police or your consultant, below are just some suggestions from myself and others on how to use Amazon affiliate links on Pinterest and social media.
- If you’re uncomfortable with the disclosure, don’t take part in the program.
- Be a resource by linking them to products you actually use instead of just think would be good to draw traffic.
- Never monetize other bloggers’ content unless you have explicit permission to do so.
- In a roundup, do not use someone else’s image and link your affiliate products to it (or below it)
- On social networks, do not share others’ original content and affiliate link it
- On social networks, do not share someone else’s previously affiliate linked share and replace it with your own
- Pay attention to your audience because different countries have different Amazon affiliate programs; not all programs accept international sign ups, but many do); note that you can use (semi-accurate) geo-targeting
- “When creating gift guides, make them non-holiday specific so that they can be used/circulated all year.” Kori, Kori at Home
- “Try to write one specific Amazon post with a specific person in mind. Think of someone who is READY to shop, they just need a bit more information/convenience/etc. and write to them. I make almost all of my Amazon money ($) off of 1 post.” Kaylene, This Outnumbered Mama
- “Make sure to pay attention to what is actually selling and adjust when needed. Meaning, if you are seeing a high-selling product AFTER your link is clicked, advertise that somewhere on your site or write up a dedicated post.” Herchel, Gym Craft Laundry
- “Promote the bounties!!! I make $ [every] month from baby registration! Write posts about them, write what comes with your registry, etc.” Katelyn, What’s Up Fagans?
Pin or Share This. Please.
I’m asking you to pin this or share it to Facebook, please. I hate hearing when someone loses their Amazon Associates account!
Just hit the Pin It button hovering around here (or use your browser extension).