How to Make Money with the Amazon Affiliate Program (Even If You’re Not an Influencer)

This is part of a series I’m writing in conjunction with my $20k Challenge were I try to make an extra $20k between April 1 and August 31, and record the whole process on Tiktok and Instagram.

Making money online can feel like a mystery if you’re just getting started, but affiliate marketing is one of the most accessible ways to dip your toes in the water—and Amazon’s programs offer an easy entry point, even if you don’t have a massive audience.

I’ll break down how affiliate marketing works, how you can qualify for Amazon’s programs, and why it might be worth trying—especially if you’re already recommending products to friends and family.

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing is a way to earn a commission by promoting someone else’s products. When someone clicks on your unique referral link and makes a purchase, you earn a small percentage of that sale. You don’t have to handle inventory, customer service, or shipping—just share products you genuinely use and love.

Amazon’s affiliate program is called Amazon Associates, and it’s one of the easiest to start with because everyone shops on Amazon and they sell just about everything.

Getting Started with Amazon Associates

Even if you’re not an influencer with a huge following, you can still join the Amazon Associates program—as long as you have a public-facing profile (like a blog, YouTube channel, or public social media account – Instagram, Facebook page or group, or Tiktok) with some consistent content and followers.

You’ll need to:

• Apply and get approved (they’ll ask for your website or social media page).
• Make three qualifying sales within the first 180 days.
• Once approved, you can start sharing affiliate links for anything Amazon sells.

Affiliate commissions range from about 1%–10% depending on the product category, so promoting higher-priced items or frequently-purchased basics can help you earn more.

You can use your affiliate links to share your favorite products on your blog (you’ll see affiliate links throughout my posts here), or on any of your social channels.

Full disclosure: Right now I make about $30/month from Amazon, but when my blogs had more traffic, I was making around $1,000/month. Like all online income streams, it takes time, consistency, and traffic to build up—but the potential is real.

The Amazon Influencer Program + Shoppable Videos

Once you’re approved for Amazon Associates, you can also apply to the Amazon Influencer Program. This program gives you your own storefront on Amazon where you can recommend your favorite products and earn a commission on any sales that come through.

But here’s where it gets exciting: once accepted, you can start uploading shoppable videos—short product review videos that appear on actual product pages. These are different than normal reviews/review videos you can make through your personal Amazon account.

If someone watches your video on a product listing and makes a purchase, you earn a commission. And you don’t need to be an “influencer” to do this—just someone willing to record short, helpful reviews.

Here’s my storefront:

What Can You Review?

Literally anything in your home that’s also sold on Amazon:

• Your shampoo and conditioner
• Toothbrush
• Coffee maker and other appliances
• Books
• Clothes
• Your TV, couch, or desk
• Favorite pens or cleaning products

As long as you’re reviewing the exact product sold on Amazon, you can make a video for it. You can likely find hundreds of things around your home right now without purchasing anything new.

More Videos = More Opportunities

Once you’ve uploaded 50–100 quality shoppable videos, something pretty cool starts to happen: sellers may start reaching out to you directly to ask if you’ll review their products.

Many of them will offer to send you products for free, and some may even pay for your review. And if you don’t need the item after your review? You can sell it locally on Facebook Marketplace (just be sure your review is authentic and not misleading).

Amazon Bonuses and Incentive Campaigns

Amazon occasionally runs quarterly bonus campaigns and video incentive challenges, where you can earn extra money for uploading a certain number of videos or hitting a specific performance goal.

These bonuses vary, but they can be a nice way to boost your income if you’re already creating content consistently.

I was invited to one last fall where they offered $75/video for up to 70 videos about specific products under $10. I uploaded 68 videos and around 35 of them qualified I think. Honestly, it was a ton of work, and it was frustrating that not all of my videos qualified, but I did make quite a bit of extra cash from that incentive.

It was also after posting all those videos that sellers started reaching out to me.

I will add that my affiliate income did not dramatically increase after those videos like I’d hoped it would. Granted, all products were under $10 – the commissions were small. That’s why I think reselling your free products locally may be a great method for profiting off shoppable videos.

Start a Facebook Shopping Group to Share Affiliate Links

Another creative way people earn with the Amazon Affiliate Program is by starting Facebook shopping groups. These groups are typically niche-focused (think: home deals, fashion finds, baby gear, or tech gadgets) and allow you to post affiliate links throughout the day.

Here’s how it works:

• You create a public Facebook group (important for staying within Amazon’s Terms of Service).
• Post deals, product roundups, or just your favorite Amazon finds with your affiliate links.
• When people in the group click and buy, you earn a commission.

Some people post multiple times per day, especially during high-traffic shopping times like Black Friday, Prime Day, or back-to-school season. Others mix in personal recommendations, photos of themselves using the product, or quick reviews to build trust and engagement.

You can grow the group by inviting friends, encouraging members to invite others, and even occasionally posting on your personal Facebook or in related groups (just be sure to follow other group rules!).

My friend Julie runs a group called The Everyday Jules Shops, so check that out for inspiration if you’re interested in going this route!

Tip: Tools like Canva make it easy to create eye-catching graphics for your posts, and browser extensions like SiteStripe help you quickly grab your affiliate links.

If you enjoy curating great finds or have a specific niche you love, a Facebook group can be a fun and profitable way to grow your Amazon affiliate income.

The Amazon Affiliate and Influencer programs are low-barrier ways to start earning money online—even if you don’t have a huge following. The key is consistency: keep creating content, reviewing products you actually use, and sharing your links.

And remember, it’s okay to start small. I’m currently making around $30/month, but I’ve seen firsthand how that can scale with traffic and time. If you’re already recommending things to friends, why not earn a little commission for it?