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Amazon's influencer program is the e-commerce giant's initiative in which members can earn commission from items they sell.
Amazon has been reaching out to some creators, and the program is also open to the general public.
Commission rates range from 10% for Amazon's private-label fashion line to 1% for video games and consoles.
Amazon wants to help people make money.
For two years, Amazon has run an affiliate program that lets social media influencers earn a cut of sales generated from Amazon links within YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook.
The program has largely flown under the radar, but there was recently an uptick in social chatter as new people have signed up for the program and marketing firms like Influence.co have reported that Amazon is increasingly expanding it. One product that's gone viral is a paneled puffer coat that sells for $130 and is so popular that it has its own Instagram account.
Creators say that revenue from the Amazon influencer program can vary from a few dollars to $1,500 a month. Commission rates range from 10% for Amazon's private-label fashion line to 1% for video games and consoles.
The program is open to qualifying consumers who have a YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook account.
"While we look at the number of followers and other engagement metrics of your social media presence, we also look at the type of content you post and the relevancy it has for Amazon customers," Amazon says on its website about the qualifications needed to be part of the program.
Here's a step-by-step guide to making money through Amazon's influencer program:
To qualify for an Amazon Influencer account, you need to have an Amazon account as well as a Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or Twitter account.
To sign up, members need to link their social account with Amazon, though that process varies based on the platform. Twitter and YouTube accounts are vetted instantly, while Facebook and Instagram can take up to five days to be vetted, according to Amazon's website.
Setting up a store
After your account is verified, fill out your contact information and name your store. Each influencer gets their own virtual storefront, which is where creators promote the items that they like and want to sell as well as create lists of recommended products.
Setting up payment
Before receiving any money, influencers need to enter their payment and tax information, which is paid out as either a direct deposit, an Amazon gift card, or a check. Influencers need to make $10 before they can access their funds.
Customizing a store
Similar to profiles on social platforms, a store can be customized with photos and a bio. Amazon encourages influencers to share content on Spark, Amazon's social app, and include a link to the store in their Facebook, Twitter and YouTube posts.
Making a list
Stores are organized as lists of featured products. Influencers can type in a keyword and see a list of items to link to on their store.
Commission rates vary from 1% to 10% for items that influencers sell. Amazon's private-label fashion line earns influencers a 10% commission; furniture is worth 8%; headphones and beauty products are worth 6%; and physical video consoles and video games are worth 1% commission rates.
Earn money from bounties
Bounties are Amazon programs and services that influencers can promote within their store, and each service earns influencers a different amount.
For every person that an influencer gets to sign up for an Amazon Business account, influencers earn $15. Generating trial sign-ups for Twitch Prime and Amazon are worth $3 each.
Tracking sales
When someone buys something that an influencer linked to in a social media post, influencers get a cut of sales.
A reporting tab within Amazon stores keep track of how much influencers make from both sales of products and bounties. The reporting section also includes payment histories, fee schedules, and reports.
