Amazon Influencers EVERYTHING Amazon Sellers Need To Know
Amazon Influencers: Everything You Need To Know [GUIDE & INFOGRAPHIC]
Amazon Influencers are not a new concept. Not only have Amazon Influencers been around since 1996, but Amazon Influencers are responsible for over 37% of Amazons traffic and growing.
Amazon Influencers promote products across every Social Media channel, Blogs, YouTube and even major media publications.
This is your complete guide to find & grow sales with Amazon Influencers, Amazon Influencer Storefronts, Amazon Live Influencers, TikTok, Editorial Reviews & more.
In over 10 years as a Fractional CMO, Amazon Consultant, and eCommerce Consultant, not to mention CEO, I’ve seen just about every mistake and the lessons from them. That means you get all the learnings without the scars.
A shocking fact that most Amazon sellers may not know is:
Most Amazon Sales for many brands at the top of search results don’t originate on Amazon.
In other words:
- Customer visits Amazon’s website and types in a keyword.
- Customer clicks on an ad or organic search result.
- Customer buys the product.
That’s NOT how most of the sales for a product happen.
If you run most best-selling products on Amazon through a tool like Traffic Insights For Amazon by SEMRush, you will see most of their sales originate off of Amazon as referrals from blogs, YouTube & more.
Take a look…
See the difference in impressions between Referral Traffic and Amazon?
That’s a difference of about 357 million impressions.
In other words, this K Cup brand is generating 363.2 million impressions each month just from their Amazon Influencer Marketing vs. only 6 million on Amazon.
Stop me if you’ve ever done this.
You look up one of your competitor products…
Then, you run their estimated sales through a tool like Helium 10.
Then you say, okay great, now I just need to…
- Download their keywords and add them to my listing.
- Upgrade my listing content like A+ Content and Gallery Images
- Run ads on the top keywords
- Increase my reviews
… then I can get a good portion of their sales and hopefully one day overtake them.
Then you do everything you said you were going to do in your punch list, but you don’t see a fraction of the results that they are getting.
Why?
So then you run them through a tool like Traffic Analyzer at SEMRush to see where they’re getting their sales from.
Then you find the answer.
They’re getting the majority of their sales from external traffic referrals.
Amazon Influencers.
That said, whether you’re a Seller Central Seller, Vendor Central Seller, or Amazon B2B, you know that building an email list, traffic to your website and a following on social media is not only time-consuming but incredibly difficult.
Plus, as a consultant for Amazon I can tell you that selling on Amazon isn’t nearly as simple as it used to be.
Picking the right keywords, having great images and a ton of positive reviews just isn’t enough on Amazon anymore.
Just ask the Amazon a10 algorithm.
Amazon prioritizes brands that are able to send External Amazon traffic.
As a top-rated Amazon Seller Consultant, I can personally speak to the fact that those are the reasons why Amazon Influencers are by far the most important strategy I focus on with my Amazon Consulting clients at my eCommerce Consultancy.
Here’s why…
It’s a time-tested tactic that has worked since at least 1760 since Robert Wedgewood of Wedgewood China started using endorsements from the Royal Family to boost their pottery sales AND Amazon rewards you for doing it.
Plus, they already have traffic to their websites, YouTube channels, social media followers, email lists and much more that you can take benefit from right now, without building it yourself.
If you’re just hearing about Amazon Influencers and Amazon Influencer Marketing now, you’re late to the party. Very late, over 20 years late actually. They’ve been around since 1996.
But that’s okay because you’re about to know: what Are Amazon Influencers, what is a good Amazon Influencer for my brand, how to find Amazon Influencers, what Amazon Influencers cost and much more in order to increase sales on Amazon, Reduce ACoS on Amazon and show up ahead of competitors with Amazon SEO.
By the way, this is directly applicable to you whether you are selling via Amazon FBA, Amazon FBA Small and Light, Seller Fulfilled Prime, Amazon Vendor or Merchant Fulfillment.
Here’s Why:
For every dollar you spend on Influencer Marketing, statistics show that you’ll average a $23 ROI. Most ROI shoots for a 5:1 ratio, so you can see just how wild these statistics really are. – Neil Patel
What Are Amazon Influencers?
Brands of all shapes and sizes that thrive on Amazon have one thing in common.
They are able to send customers from off of Amazon onto Amazon for their products specifically.
They do this by getting their products in the hands of Amazon Influencers who promote them to their target audiences.
Amazon Influencers are Bloggers, YouTubers & Social Media Influencers who refer sales to Amazon and earn a commission as an Amazon Affiliate by being part of the Amazon Associates Program.
Amazon Influencers earn income by recommending products to buy on Amazon to their audience on various platforms.
Amazon Influencer Platforms include:
- Blogs
- YouTube
- Twitch
- Amazon Live
- Podcasts
Simply put, an Amazon Influencer is anyone who is part of the Amazon Affiliate Program with an audience.
Amazon Influencer Marketing drives sales ON Amazon by enabling you to drive external traffic to Amazon product listings.
What Do Amazon Influencers Do For My Brand?
Amazon Influencers Add Value To Brands In 2 Ways:
- Drive Sales
- Build Awareness
You need to build awareness otherwise you’re going to find it very difficult to show up before competitors in Amazon Searches and you’re going to pay a heckuva lot more for Amazon advertising until you can get a potential customer to Know, Like & Trust you enough to purchase from you.
So what does an Amazon Influencer do for you?
- They write blog posts about & recommend your product
- They include & recommend you in blog posts they’ve already written
- They make YouTube videos about your product
- They recommend you to their email lists
- They recommend you to their Social Media followings
- They write Medium posts about your product
- They recommend you on Twitch (Amazons #3 referral source)
- They demonstrate, discuss & recommend your products via live stream on Amazon Live
- & much more
Why Is Building My Brand OFF of Amazon So Important To Get Sales ON Amazon?:
Because Amazons’ watching you and have been for a very long time and because building a brand is a general best practice businesses can’t live without.
The smart speaker Alexa that you talk to every day is powered by a service that Amazon has owned since 1999 called Alexa Web that has since been rolled into their entire suite of Amazon products; it is now just called Alexa.
They use this to learn about everything.
Then, they use it to sell you items on Amazon, find web results for you, answer your questions and even sell your marketing insights to make your brand more effective OFF of Amazon.
More importantly for brands, just like Google, Amazon prioritizes brands that build a buzz OFF of Amazon.
Amazon tracks and measures everything going on OFF of Amazon so it can forecast what will sell ON Amazon.
How Your OFF Amazon Presence Impacts Your ON Amazon Presence:
- How visible you are or aren’t in Amazon product search results
- How visible you are or aren’t in Amazon Ads
- How much you pay in Amazon Ads (your Amazon ACoS or for you brick and mortar folks, your ROAS)
- Your Amazon Sales Rank
Has this ever happened to you?
You’ve done a bunch of keyword research and found the best Amazon Keywords and then tried running Amazon PPC ads only to find out you aren’t getting impressions and no one is even seeing your ads that you’re trying to pay for!
Odds are if you’re selling on Amazon nowadays, this is happening to you right now.
Just because you run Amazon PPC ads, doesn’t mean Amazon will show your ads.
Amazon won’t show your ads if they do not think you’re relevant and will result in a sale for the keywords you are trying to target.
Even if you had hours to deal with Amazon seller support, impressions are not guaranteed. It’s not just about Price, Keywords and Reviews.
Just like Google & Facebook, Amazon cares about relevancy because it wants to show the best ads that will offer the best value, aka: result in a sale.
You’ve likely heard that 50% of your ON Amazon success comes from your OFF Amazon efforts.
Well, you hear that a lot because it’s true.
Let’s make it even simpler.
You’re likely promoting your brand OFF of Amazon on your blog, email list, social media, YouTube, getting PR, etc.
You’re doing this so to significantly increase the chances that when customers are on Amazon because inevitably that’s where they go when they want to buy things, they will see your brand, click on it and buy.
This is playing to Amazon’s algorithm which heavily favors CTS (Click To Sale) — which means, are you converting a high number of people that click on your ads or listings in Amazon search results or are they hitting the back button or even worse, exiting Amazon altogether, which in and of itself, Amazon Exit Rate is a metric which harms you severely.
People trust products on Amazon more than they do on 3rd party websites and they already have their credit card information ready to go.
The idea is since they’ve seen you before and are familiar with you, they will take fewer clicks on your ads, etc. to convert into a customer. You also know that by being familiar with you and liking your brand, that can easily overcome having fewer reviews or a slightly higher price than your competitors and other areas your competitors may be stronger.
Amazon Influencers put this into overdrive because you’re not limited by people in YOUR AUDIENCE, you gain access to THEIR MASSIVE AUDIENCES where tons of your target customers can discover how powerful and amazing your products are.
This significantly speeds up this process.
How Do Amazon Influencers Build Awareness and Drive Sales?
Amazon Influencer Marketing tackles the most critical part of the sales process for you.
Amazon Influencers get customers to Know, Like & Trust you.
Why is that important?
Because those are the ingredients in the recipe of a delicious sale.
Without those, you’ve got a lot of inventory sitting in FBA warehouses racking up FBA fees. (If it’s during October – January that’s especially painful!)
I will get into more detail for the different types of Amazon Influencers as we get into this, but here it is in a nutshell.
Amazon Influencers Build Awareness and Drive Sales Through Amazon Influencer Marketing Like This:
- A potential customer sees you mentioned by someone they Know, Like & Trust (this could be a: Blog Post, YouTube video, Medium Post, Twitch Stream, Social Media Post, Pinterest Pin, etc.)
- A potential customer may check you out on Amazon or may not and they will likely NOT BUY. But that’s okay, they are now AWARE of you. You have just checked off the Know box.
- Next time the customer sees one of your ads on Amazon, you show organically in Amazon search results or someone else they Know, Like & Trust talking about you OFF of Amazon they will likely check you out in detail, allowing you to get them to Like you and Trust you. Maybe they will check out your reviews ON Amazon (Make sure you get Amazon reviews and use the Amazon Request A Review Button for when this happens!) or even more likely, go onto Google and type in YOUR PRODUCT NAME reviews and see what passionate enthusiast bloggers, media outlets, and media publications think about you.
- After this, it’s time for them to BUY because they Trust you and trust that you will solve their problem, make their life easier, whatever it is that you offer. They will do this by clicking on one of your Amazon ads, clicking on your listing in Amazon product search results, or clicking on the link of one of those bloggers, YouTubers, etc.
What Is The Process For Amazon Influencers?
- An Amazon Influencer has already signed up for the Amazon Affiliate Program.
- The Amazon Influencer will go on Amazon, go to your product and grab their special link.
- That special link tells Amazon that Amazon Influencer in particular should get credit and earn a commission for any sales they send Amazons way.
- The commission paid to the Amazon Influencer comes FROM AMAZON and NOT FROM YOUR BRAND.
- In other words, Amazon doesn’t deduct this commission from your Seller Central or Vendor Central account, they pay it.
- You likely already have affiliates linking to your products right now and you don’t even know it.
Does My Brand Need To Sign Up For Anything?
- Nope. By being an Amazon Seller Central Seller or Amazon Vendor Central Seller you are good to go. You don’t have to do anything at all.
Does My Brand Need To Sign The Amazon Influencer Up For Anything?
- No, you don’t need to give the Amazon Influencer any links, any forms, any anything. They grab the link themselves.
What Does An Amazon Influencer Look Like?
- Ever scroll through Flipboard, Apple News, Google News, your Facebook News Feed, or even Google Search Results and see a Blog, Publication or Media Outlet Site like this?
Thought so, that’s an example of a Publication Amazon Influencer.
They come in all shapes and sizes though.
Example Publication Amazon Influencers:
- Today
- People
- Good Morning America
- Good Housekeeping
- & More
Are all Amazon Influencers and are part of the Amazon Affiliate Program, referring sales every day.
Popular Types of Amazon Influencers:
- Bloggers
- YouTubers
- Twitch Streamers
- Amazon Live Influencers
- Medium Publishers
- Social Media Personality
- & More!
Yep, the passionate enthusiasts that cover every niche imaginable are Amazon Influencers.
Media Outlet Amazon Influencer Examples:
- Buzzfeed
- Bustle
- Refinery29
- Heavy
- Business Insider
- Washingtonian
All Amazon Influencers!
There are Amazon Influencers with audience sizes to fit the resources of brands big and small.
From nano-influencers, to micro-influencers, to influencers, all the way up to powerhouses like Oprah and the Today Show.
They all have platforms referring to Amazon through Amazon Influencer Marketing.
That said, it all starts with the Amazon Influencer Marketing program from Amazon.
What is The Amazon Influencer Program?
Amazon Influencer Marketing and “Amazon Influencers” have been around since 1996 as Amazon Affiliates, but in 2017, Amazon created a sub-section of the Amazon Associates Program specifically for Social Media Influencers.
So what is the Amazon Influencer Program?
The Amazon Influencer Program gives Social Media Influencers with qualifying YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook accounts a unique storefront on Amazon to recommend products for a commission.
It looks like this:
What is the Amazon Influencer Program Process?
- Upon signing up to the Amazon Influencer Program, the Amazon Influencers are enrolled into the world’s largest affiliate program, the Amazon Associates Program
- The Amazon Influencer posts about products they like on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.
- Their audience is then directed to their Amazon Store where the potential customer can then make a purchase.
What Are The Requirements For The Amazon Influencer Program?
What are the Amazon Influencer requirements?
Amazon has not released specifics for the Amazon Influencer Program such as follower counts, engagement levels, etc. nor likely will they, however, there are some straightforward requirements:
Amazon Influencer Program Requirements:
- A large following. Amazon is looking for large followings across a broad array of niches.
- How much the Amazon Influencer engages with their followers. Social media isn’t about broadcasting, it’s about being social on social media.
- High standard of content that isn’t riddled with promoted posts, low-quality imagery, copy and video.
- Relevance to Amazon. There needs to be an apparent and obvious throughline between the type of content you offer, your audience and products that are sold on Amazon.
How Is The Amazon Influencer Program Different From The Amazon Associates Program?
- It isn’t.
- The Amazon Influencer Program is an extension of the Amazon Associates Program
- The Amazon Influencer Program is just a new name and a new feature of what Amazon Affiliates have been since 1996 which allows Amazon Influencers in the program to have a storefront to direct their audience to before making a purchase.
- Traditional Amazon Influencers, or Amazon Affiliates as they are more commonly referred to, generally already have a means of effecting a sale, such as a blog, their website which acts as an Amazon store, links directly to products in their YouTube video description, links directly to products in their Twitch videos, links directly to products in their social media posts, etc.
- Amazon Affiliates are generally more effective at selling products on Amazon specifically as they are seasoned in writing compelling copy and creating appealing imagery that converts customers.
Is Amazons’ Own Amazon Influencer Program A Good Fit For My Brand?
- This form of Amazon Influencer Marketing will help awareness.
- This does not alleviate the quick sales challenge though.
- The solution to this comes in the next section and it has to do with the TYPE of influencer.
- You’re also sacrificing the OFF Amazon traffic coming onto Amazon SPECIFICALLY for you and not a shop filled with MANY other products.
How Do You Sign Up For The Amazon Influencer Program?
- If you have a large YouTube, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook following, click on this link: Amazon Influencer Program
That’s only half of it though, you will often see people linking directly to Amazon products and some linking to Amazon Shops. What’s the difference?
What’s The Difference Between Amazon Influencers and Amazon Affiliates?
What is the difference between Amazon Influencers and Amazon Affiliates?
Nothing. An Amazon Influencer is anyone who has influence over an audience.
Amazon Affiliates ARE Amazon Influencers. They have a platform and an audience and influence over their audience that exists on:
- Blogs
- YouTube
- Twitch
- Medium
- Social Media
- & more.
Since 1996 Amazon has been partnering with people that sign up for their Amazon Associates Program and can share a link, somewhere on the internet, that people will see, click on and buy products based on the recommendations made by that Amazon Influencer / Affiliate.
If the term Amazon Influencer was in the pop culture lexicon as it is now back in 1996, they likely would have named their affiliate program (The Amazon Associates Program) the Amazon Influencer Program.
Here is where Amazon makes things official with their own program.
Amazon Influencers who are a part of the official Amazon Influencer Program are those with a qualifying YouTube, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook account.
Once accepted, they can then build an Amazon Shop where they can post links to their Amazon Shop where their audience can buy products that they recommend.
That Amazon Influencer then gets a commission from Amazon for referring the sale.
What does an Amazon Influencer Shop and an example Amazon Influencer look like?
Amazon Influencer Example
Here is an example Amazon Influencer shop page:
This example Amazon Influencer Shop Page is from What’s Up Moms.
As you can see, there are lots of products recommended revolving around that particular Amazon Influencers niche.
The Amazon Influencer Shop process looks like this:
Amazon Influencer Shop Example Process:
- The Amazon Influencer first builds an audience on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook
- The Amazon Influencer then applies to the Amazon Influencer Program
- The Amazon Influencer logs into their Amazon Influencer section of the Amazon Associates Program
- The Amazon Influencer then builds an Amazon Store and fills it up with products they recommend or from brands they’re working with
- The Amazon Influencer shares a link on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook recommending products.
- The audience clicks through to the shop.
- The audience member becomes a customer by buying the product recommended to them.
- The Amazon Influencer then gets a commission from Amazon, not the brand, for what the customer just bought AND anything else they buy within the next 24 hours.
Here is an example Amazon Influencer on YouTube linking to their shop:
This is an Amazon Influencer example from Moriah Robinson on YouTube.
In this video, she’s talking about how to shop successfully on Amazon.
If you’re looking on the world’s 2nd most popular search engine for how to get the best deals on Amazon, this is a great video to watch.
If you take a peek at YouTube video’s description, you will see a link to her Amazon Influencer Shop among other links to her social media and various affiliate links.
But, what does an Amazon Affiliate look like?
Amazon Affiliate Example
Here is an example Amazon Affiliate:
This is an example from Outside and their beginner’s guide to fishing.
In this article, they do a great job helping someone get into the hobby & sport of fishing while recommending some products along the way that will make their fishing experience better.
If you click on the links in this article, you will head on over to Amazon. This process has been thriving since 1996.
Articles like these do a phenomenal job for brands because they are coming from a place of trust and guidance. If you are a brand, you want to be on articles like these.
Here is an example Amazon Affiliate on YouTube linking to products they recommend:
This is a great video from TBone’s Tech helping you decide between two cameras from someone who knows what they’re talking about in this department.
If you head into the video description on this one, you will see Amazon links to the product pages themselves and not a shop.
Notice they look the same though? They’re both YouTube videos helping people solve problems, make things easier, answering questions etc.
The process is slightly different though for the Amazon Affiliate here.
The Amazon Affiliate process looks like this:
Amazon Affiliate Process:
- The Amazon Affiliate first builds or already has an audience on their Blog, Medium, Pinterest, Twitch, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter or Facebook
- The Amazon Affiliate signs up for the Amazon Associates Program.
- They need to drive 3 qualified sales in 90 days.
- The Amazon Affiliate then builds a piece of content on their topic that makes someone’s life easier, answers a question, recommends ideas, etc.
- Or, they live stream on YouTube, Twitch and more, where passionate enthusiasts are that are interested in their subject matter.
- Or, they jump into an existing conversation on Facebook Groups, popular Forums etc.
- The Amazon Affiliate uses their Chrome Extension and heads over to Amazon or logs into their Amazon Associates Program and selects products that they want to recommend.
- The Amazon Affiliate shares a link to a product or products they recommend on their platform of choice.
- One thing to keep in mind about Amazon Affiliates and Amazon Influencers, the reason they have large audience is because they have influence over many platforms.
- For example, they build email lists and social media followings that help them earn significant revenue from their YouTube channel or Blog, etc.
- So, they are sharing their affiliate links from Amazon across many channels. Not just one.
- One thing to keep in mind about Amazon Affiliates and Amazon Influencers, the reason they have large audience is because they have influence over many platforms.
- The audience clicks through to the product.
- The audience member becomes a customer by buying the product recommended to them.
- The Amazon Affiliate then gets a commission from Amazon, not the brand, for what the customer just bought AND anything else they buy within the next 24 hours.
You can see the power in that, plus it gets even better.
Amazon Influencers / Affiliates (same thing) are recommending products anyways because affiliate links are one of the ways they make a living and earn revenue including:
- Promotional opportunities
- Endorsements
- Running Ads
- etc.
Most often, brands never even know someone is referring to their product because the Amazon Affiliate / Amazon Influencer goes straight to Amazon to get the link.
They are referring products anyways, smarts brands are stepping in and saying: “If you’re doing this anyway, may as well be mine!”
That’s why you see everyone from nano-influencers with small blogs of passionate enthusiasts all the way up to mega influencers like CNN, Good Housekeeping to even Oprah using affiliate links to Amazon.
Because it’s super easy and it works!
The other reason is that as print media and old media have become more challenging to earn revenue from, they turn to a process proven for over 20 years, being Amazon Affiliates.
Brands all over the world are using tools like Referazon to find Amazon Influencers / Affiliates who recommend products like theirs to partner with to build awareness and drive sales, but it gets even better.
They’re also using the same tool to find Amazon Influencers recommending their competitors so they can partner with that same Amazon Influencer / Affiliate and get them to recommend their brand instead or on another piece of content.
Looking for more examples of Amazon Influencers?
Look no further…
Types of Amazon Influencers
Customers can discover you and purchase your products 2 ways:
- Interrupt: When they’re not looking for you and not actively looking to solve their problem.
- Think of opening up Instagram, scrolling through your feed to see what your friends or favorite Instagram personalities have going on and coming across an ingenious way to charge your phone from the sun while you camp.
- You were not on Instagram to look for things to buy, but since you like Survival Gear or Camping, this is pretty cool so next time you’re in the market for one of these, this is the one you’ll look at first.
- Think of opening up Instagram, scrolling through your feed to see what your friends or favorite Instagram personalities have going on and coming across an ingenious way to charge your phone from the sun while you camp.
- Intent: The customer is ready to solve their problem and actively looking for you or someone to solve their problem.
- Think of going on Google and typing in: “How to charge my phone while camping” or “Best solar USB charger”.
- You want to buy something and you want to know which one to get, after you’ve done your research, you WILL get one.
- Or you went right to Amazon and now you are ready for your camping trip and need a charger. So you see an ad from that solar USB charger or maybe they show up in an Amazon product search and because someone you Know, Like & Trust, has made you aware of them, you click on that particular ad or that particular listing in organic Amazon search results.
- Think of going on Google and typing in: “How to charge my phone while camping” or “Best solar USB charger”.
Therefore, there are 2 types of Amazon Influencers you’ll want to consider for Amazon Influencer Marketing.
Think about where people go to solve problems, answer questions, fulfill desires or get educated on a topic:
- YouTube
- Medium
- Blogs
- Publications
- Media
Now, think about where people go to get distracted:
- Twitch
Let’s take a closer look.
Interrupt Amazon Influencers Examples:
These Amazon Influencers create content to make you aware of things that you view when you aren’t necessarily looking to make a purchase.
- Social Media Influencers who make promotional posts about products
- YouTube creators who mention a brand during a video that was made generally about that topic, but not specifically about that brand
- Twitch streamers who mention a product during a stream
Intent Amazon Influencer Examples:
These Amazon Influencers create content to attract people who are ready to purchase something and looking to solve a problem but want to know which one is the best fit.
- Bloggers
- YouTubers
- Media Outlets
- Media Publications
Intent Amazon Influencers create content that:
- Gets clicked on in Google Searches
- Gets clicked on in Flipboard, Apple News, Google News
- Gets clicked on in YouTube Searches
- Gets clicked on in Facebook News Feeds
They even have entire storefronts where customers can easily purchase the products they recommend on platforms off of Amazon.
Amazon Influencer Storefronts.
Amazon Influencer Storefronts
Amazon Influencer Storefronts or Amazon Influencer Stores, or Influencer Amazon Stores are Amazon Influencer landing pages for all the products they promote on Amazon.
Amazon Influencer Storefronts make it simple for Amazon Influencers to collect and categorize all of the products they recommend to make it easy for their audience to purchase.
Amazon Influencers earn commission from Amazon, not the brand of the product they sell, for each sale they earn through their Influencer Amazon Stores.
Amazon Influencer Storefronts are particularly useful for Amazon Influencers and Amazon Live Influencers who do not have blogs or YouTube channels, platforms where it is much simpler to share links directly to products on Amazon on evergreen content.
In many cases, with Instagram and TikTok for instance, the Amazon Influencer gets one link, in their bio, which they typically choose to use a service like Link In Bio or Link Tree, where they can aggregate all of the links to things they want to promote or care about.
From there, the Amazon Influencers typically add their Amazon Influencer Storefront link as one of the links they promote.
Products that make their way onto Amazon Influencer Storefronts are not arbitrary.
I talked in How Amazon Influencers Evaluate Brands that Amazon Influencers have algorithms on their platforms the same way Amazon Sellers focus on placing the right keywords on their listings.
They focus only on products that they believe in that will also resonate with their audience.
That means, that when they post about the products on Instagram, TikTok or other social media networks, they will get views, likes, shares and comments. In other words, engagement.
This makes Amazon Influencers selective about the products they include in their Influencer Amazon Stores.
They even host live streams where they demonstrate, discuss and recommend products to customers on Amazon in real-time.
Enter, Amazon Live Influencers.
Amazon Live Influencers
Have you ever wished that Amazon had live sales reps that explain the value and show off products to customers live “in the store”?
Amazon Live is just that and Amazon Live Influencers are the sales reps.
Amazon Live is Amazons’ live streaming platform for Amazon Live Influencers to host live streams to recommend products.
eCommerce Live Streaming is a $61 billion industry and growing year after year.
If you’re not familiar with Amazon Live, here’s how it works.
How Amazon Live Works:
- Shoppers hear about upcoming or ongoing live streams that their favorite social media influencers are hosting via their social media network of choice, say by an Instagram post, Tweet or YouTube Community post.
- The shopper then heads over to Amazon Live to watch their influencers live stream about that days topic.
- Shoppers can also discover live streams to watch by heading to Amazon Live and selecting a category that interests them to see the Amazon Live Influencers creating live streams.
- On the live stream, the Amazon Influencer talks about their favorite products and communicates their value by showing them off in hand or by browsing the Amazon product pages.
- Shoppers learn about the best products to buy and can quickly & easily purchase by clicking the links to the products right under the live stream.
- Shoppers can also chat with one another right on the platform in a convenient chat room that appears right next to the live stream.
This is very powerful because Amazon Live Influencers audiences are customers who are in the buyers’ mindset.
Customers are on Amazon Live because they want to find products to buy to solve a problem or satisfy a desire.
Here is what Amazon Live looks like:
Example Amazon Live Stream: (My Level 10 Life)
Example Amazon Live Stream Categories:
What Are Amazon Live Influencers?
Amazon Live Influencers are members of the Amazon Influencer Program, a subsidiary of the Amazon Associates Program.
Amazon Live Influencers have an audience on one or many platforms such as:
- Blogs
- YouTube
- Twitch
- YouTube
The Amazon Live Influencer will let their audience know on social media that they are hosting a live stream on Amazon Live.
Customers will also discover the live streams from the categories section mentioned earlier.
Here is what an Amazon Live Influencer looks like…
Amazon Live Influencer Example: (Trisha Hershberger)
How Do Amazon Live Influencers Promote Products?
Amazon Live Influencers promote products like this:
- Demonstrating the products live on camera
- Viewing Amazon Product Listings and discussing the products
So you may be asking at this point, what are the benefits of Amazon Influencer Marketing?
What Are The Benefits of Amazon Influencers?
The benefits of Amazon Influencers are very straightforward.
Amazon Influencer Benefits:
- Increase visibility in Amazon Product Search Results by helping your Amazon SEO
- Decrease ACoS (Average Cost of Sale)
- Increased Visibility in Amazon Ads (More Impressions)
- Improve Amazon BSR (Best Seller Rank)
- Increase Amazon Reviews
- This one is important as Amazon Influencers have audiences of passionate enthusiasts, who leave more Amazon reviews vs. a general customer because of their passion.
- Improved visibility in Google
- Ever run your brand name through Google Trends? It can be a very eye-opening experience for brands.
- It’s Google’s tool that shows you how visible your brand is online and how much of a pulse you have.
- By building a buzz around the web and social media, this will help your brand immensely in Google
- Both Amazon AND Google focus on Brand Building
- Ever run your brand name through Google Trends? It can be a very eye-opening experience for brands.
Building up a buzz about your brand is marketing 101.
If you think about even your own customer journey and how you make purchases, it doesn’t take place all on Amazon.
So why should your marketing efforts?
Plus, you don’t want to be limited by only YOUR audience.
You’ve spent valuable time on Amazon SEO, Amazon A+ Content & more on Amazon.
You desperately need access to large audiences of your target customers.
Amazon Influencers give that to you.
Did I mention Amazon keeps track of this and uses it to forecast what will sell ON Amazon?
How Much Commission Do Amazon Influencers Earn Per Sale?
This is the commission rate that Amazon Affiliates / Amazon Influencers earn:
On-Site Amazon Influencer Commission Rates:
| Commission | |
|---|---|
| Amazon Games | 20.00% |
| Luxury Beauty, Luxury Stores Beauty, Amazon Explore | 10.00% |
| Digital Music, Physical Music, Handmade, Digital Videos | 5.00% |
| Physical Books, Kitchen, Automotive | 4.50% |
| Amazon Fire Tablet Devices, Amazon Kindle Devices, Amazon Fashion Women's, Men's & Kids Private Label, Luxury Stores Fashion, Apparel, Amazon Cloud Cam Devices, Fire TV Edition Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV Devices, Amazon Echo Devices, Ring Devices, Watches, Jewelry, Luggage, Shoes, and Handbags & Accessories | 4.00% |
| Toys, Furniture, Home, Home Improvement, Lawn & Garden, Pets Products, Headphones, Beauty, Musical Instruments, Business & Industrial Supplies, Outdoors, Tools, Sports, Baby Products, Amazon Coins | 3.00% |
| PC, PC Components, DVD & Blu-Ray | 2.50% |
| Televisions, Digital Video Games | 2.00% |
| Amazon Fresh, Physical Video Games & Video Game Consoles, Grocery, Health & Personal Care | 1.00% |
| Gift Cards; Wireless Service Plans; Alcoholic Beverages; Digital Kindle Products purchased as a subscription; Food prepared and delivered from a restaurant; Amazon Appstore, Prime Now, or Amazon Pay Places | 0.00% |
| All Other Categories | 4.00% |
Amazon Affiliate Commission Rates:
| Product Category | Commission |
|---|---|
| Video games and game consoles | 1% |
| Televisions & digital download games: | 2% |
| Computers, computer accessories, DVD & Blu-Ray: | 2.5% |
| Toys: | 3% |
| Amazon Tablets & Kindle devices: | 4% |
| Paper Books, Health & Personal Care, Sports, Kitchen, Auto & Baby: | 4.5% |
| Digital Music, Video Downloads, Grocery, Handmade, Musical Instruments: | 5% |
| Business & Industrial Supplies: | 6% |
| Clothes & Accessories, Amazon TV’s, Echo’s & Jewelry: | 7% |
| Furniture, Lawn & Garden, Home Improvement, Prime Pantry & Pet Products: | 8% |
| Amazon Fashion Items & Amazon Coins: | 10% |
How Much Do Amazon Influencers Cost?
It can be difficult to know how much to pay an Amazon Influencer and how much an Amazon Influencer is worth to you even though Amazon Influencers have been around since 1996.
That said, the folks at Influencer Marketing Hub, extensive research has revealed industry average rates for Influencers.
You can use these with your Amazon Influencers to calibrate your negotiations.
| Influencer Size | Rate |
|---|---|
| Nano-Influencers | $10-$100 per post |
| Micro-Influencers | $100–$500 per post |
| Mid-Tier | $500–$5,000 per post |
| Macro-Influencers | $5,000–$10,000 per post |
| Mega-Influencers | $10,000+ per post |
YouTube
| Influencer Size | Rate |
|---|---|
| Nano-Influencers | $20–$200 per video |
| Micro-Influencers | $200–$1,000 per video |
| Mid-Tier | $1,000–$10,000 per video |
| Macro-Influencers | $10,000–$20,000 per post |
| Mega-Influencers | $20,000+ per post |
TikTok
| Influencer Size | Rate |
|---|---|
| Nano-Influencers | $5–$25 per post |
| Micro-Influencers | $25–$125 per post |
| Mid-Tier | $125–$1,250 per post |
| Macro-Influencers | $1,250–$2,500 per post |
| Mega-Influencers | $2,500+ per post |
X
| Influencer Size | Rate |
|---|---|
| Nano-Influencers | $2–$20 per post |
| Micro-Influencers | $20–$100 per post |
| Mid-Tier | $100–$1,000 per post |
| Macro-Influencers | $1,000–$2,000 per post |
| Mega-Influencers | $2,000+ per post |
| Influencer Size | Rate |
|---|---|
| Nano-Influencers | $25–$250 per post |
| Micro-Influencers | $250–$1,250 per post |
| Mid-Tier | $1,250–$12,500 per post |
| Macro-Influencers | $12,500–$25,000 per post |
| Mega-Influencers | $25,000+ per post |
Blog
| Influencer Size | Rate |
|---|---|
| Nano - Mega | $60 per 1,000 Monthly Page Views |
That said, Amazon Influencers are independent businesses with their own rate cards/media kits and even negotiations that impact what one brand pays vs another.
This is because every Amazon Influencer has invested various amounts in content research, content creation, understanding the algorithms to earn their followings, and more.
This even includes opportunity costs.
In many cases, they’re busier than most CEO’s.
So, to recoup those costs, as any business would, they all charge various fees that they deem fair and reasonable.
Now, an important thing to focus on here is that ultimately, they are businesses just like you are.
So, that means everything is negotiable.
You can and should see if Amazon Influencers are flexible on their pricing structure, open to other compensation opportunities, bartering, etc.
The other item of note is that referral fees have been around since at least 1760 when Robert Wedgewood of Wedgewood China started using endorsements from the Royal Family to boost their pottery sales.
The tactic has existed this long because it WORKS.
That being said, many nano Amazon Influencers are comfortable with a free product for them and one to give away because they are getting a commission from Amazon for each sale.
Others may charge a small fee or even a larger fee in addition to the free product. It depends on the Amazon Influencer.
Paying someone fair market value for the value that they bring back into your business is simply that, fair.
Gaining access to an audience and a recommendation from someone that your target customers already know, like and trust is invaluable. That’s why Amazon Influencer Marketing is so powerful.
Again, Amazon Influencers earn a commission from AMAZON that doesn’t come out of the brand’s pocket.
For brands who don’t own and maintain their own affiliate programs off of Amazon on their own websites, this is a no-brainer.
Amazon does all of the work for you, all you need to do is build relationships with the folks with large followings of your target customer.
You will need something in place before you start though.
How To Get Started With Amazon Influencer Marketing
You want to make sure your Amazon Influencer has everything they need to promote you easily and effectively.
You accomplish this with a Brand Influencer Kit.
What is a Brand Influencer Kit?
- You will provide a Dropbox or Google Drive folder with Talking Points, Logos, Certifications, Awards, Badges, Videos, Lifestyle Photos & Product Photos. Everything your Amazon Influencer will need to sell your product.
- People buy with emotion and justify those purchases with logic, so make sure your benefits are emotion-driven and demonstrate what the customer can expect to have or feel after using your product.
- You want a mix of product photography (images with white backgrounds) and lifestyle photography (people using your product or showing it used in the real world). Before & after images work great.
You know your product and you know your customer.
You want to make sure you dictate the narrative and that any partner you work with where you rely on referrals knows exactly what to show and say to sell the product effectively.
Not only that, but you as the brand have the responsibility to provide them what they need to do so.
This is a win-win.
Think about it from the Amazon Influencers’ point of view.
If you are given everything you need and don’t need to hunt anything down or download crummy low-resolution logos from a company website, then you are more likely to create stellar content that sells rather than something you throw together quickly.
As a brand, you’re removing the friction points to something amazing.
From there, it’s about creating clear direction of what your deliverable will be.
You need to achieve a balance of your subject matter expertise, knowing your customer and what will sell them with the creativity of the Amazon Influencer that helped them grow an audience that knows, likes and trusts them.
Enter, the Creative Brief.
The Creative Brief
After you and the Amazon Influencer have agreed to work together, you will provide them with a clear and concise document of what you expect out of the relationship.
While your goals, objectives and deliverables are going to be slightly different depending on what you’re asking for, your creative brief will have the same components.
Example Creative Brief:
Creative Brief
─
About The Brand:
Brand Story:
- A short, roughly 450 character brand story that follows this formula:
- Start with the Problem
- Position as an Under Dog
- Redefine an Experience
- Foster Communities of Rabid Fans
- Know Who The Brand Is & What It Stands For
- Do Good
Mission Statement:
- A formal summary of the aims and values of the brand,
Brand Identity Kit:
- Hyperlink To Brand Identity Kit Containing: (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.)
- Brand Style Guide
- Logos
- Product Photography
- Talking Points
- & More
Campaign:
Overview:
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Objectives:
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut venenatis tellus in metus vulputate. Nisl suscipit adipiscing bibendum est ultricies integer quis. Orci a scelerisque purus semper eget duis at.
Messaging:
Talking Points:
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- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore
- Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore
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Channels:
Amazon:
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Blog:
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YouTube:
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TikTok:
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Instagram:
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Deliverables:
Creatives:
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Usage:
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Dates:
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Content Do’s & Don’ts:
Do’s:
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Dont’s:
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Content Review Process:
Review & Acceptance Criteria:
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Payment:
Payment Method & Issuance:
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But you also need to find Amazon Influencers to get them.
How To Find Amazon Influencers
Depending on what type of Amazon Influencer you’re trying to find, there are different ways to find Amazon Influencers.
If you want to know how to find Amazon Influencers with Amazon Influencer Storefronts and stream via Amazon Live, here’s what you’ll want to do.
The Amazon Influencer Marketing Facebook Group
First up is the Amazon Influencer Marketing Facebook Group
Here you will find thousands of brands and Amazon Influencers posting opportunities to collaborate with one another.
As a brand, here’s what you’ll want to do:
- Join the group.
- Post a picture and a link to your product asking what you need and what you’re willing to compensate.
- Respond to the Amazon Influencers in the comments and DM’s who reply to your offer.
How to Find Amazon Influencer Storefronts on Amazon
- Visit Amazon on a computer.
- Click the main navigation and scroll down to Programs and Features
- Select Shop By Interest (#FoundItOnAmazon)
From here, you will be able to browse by interest and see the Amazon Influencer Storefronts that cover those listed interests.
You can view their Amazon Influencer Storefronts and determine if they are a good fit for your brand.
You will not be able to view their social media channels, following, or engagement stats, so you will need to use 3rd party software like Referazon to see this.
This is how to find Amazon Live Influencers.
How to Find Amazon Live Influencers on Amazon
- Visit Amazon on a computer.
- Click the main navigation and scroll down to Programs and Features
- Select Amazon Live
From here, you will be able to browse by interest and see the Amazon Live Influencers that cover those listed interests.
You can also view their Amazon Influencer Storefronts and determine if they are a good fit for your brand.
You will not be able to view their social media channels, following, or engagement stats, so you will need to use 3rd party software like Referazon to see this as well.
If you are interested in finding Amazon Influencers like blogs, media outlets, or notable online publications, experienced in driving sales on Amazon:
How To Find Amazon Influencers on Google & YouTube:
- Head to Google and enter in things like “best USB solar charger” or “COMPETITOR’S NAME review” or “best learning toys for toddlers”
- Head over to the blogs/sites that produce that type of content and check out the links to the products. Are they sending you to Amazon? If so, that’s where you want to be.
- Follow them on Social Media.
- Engage with them for about a week.
- This piece is IMPORTANT, it gets them familiar with you and they start to Know, Like & Trust you.
- DM them or send them an email asking them to partner, offer them a free product and one for a giveaway.
- Repeat this on YouTube.
What you’re looking for is Amazon Influencers who are talking about competitors, similar products and even similar topics so that you can:
a) Get featured on that piece of content instead of or along with your competitors
b) Have them create new content featuring you
Now, undoubtedly you will find other brands, shopping ads, retailers, blogs that are not Amazon affiliates and more in your search results.
So it takes effort for the gold, but that’s the good news. That barrier means some other brands on Amazon will not put in the effort that you will, that’s where you win.
Luckily, there is an easier way though.
The Easy Way To Find Amazon Influencers:
Referazon helps brands, retailers & agencies drive sales & save time by quickly finding popular content from experienced amazon influencers to get referrals from & easily manage campaigns.
Referazon does this by finding the content already referring sales to Amazon for your competitors, right now, from bloggers, media outlets and media publications with large social media followings and weeding out folks who are not already part of the Amazon Affiliate Program.
Here’s how it works:
How To Use Referazon To Easily Find Amazon Influencers, Track & Manage Campaigns:
- You type in a keyword like “best survival gear”
- It returns all of the Amazon Influencers with the most visibility that are ALREADY Amazon Affiliates, experienced at driving sales on Amazon, instantly.
- Right away you everything you need to know if you’d want to work with that Amazon Influencer or not:
- Estimated monthly traffic
- Social Media following sizes
- Referazon Rank (how powerful they are at referring Amazon sales including Amazons own Alexa rank)
- It also gives you their contact info!
- Email addresses
- Links to their Social Media
- You can then start adding great Amazon Influencers to your Outreach Tracker.
- Easily keep track of who you’re working with by keeping Notes on each Amazon Influencer and even Tag them any way you want, such as the niche they’re in, the type of Amazon Influencer they are, etc. Also, effortlessly keep track of how far along you are building a relationship with them.
- Then, managing what each Amazon Influencer is doing for you is as easy as one click.
- Article Inclusion
- YouTube Video
- Product Review
- Discount Code
- Giveaway
- & more
Referazon helps you:
- Find Amazon Influencers
- Tells you what to search for to find even more great Amazon Influencers
- Tells you what to say to recruit them
- Tells you what to ask for from them to bring the most value into your brand and get the most sales
- Easily keep track of it all
If you want to find Amazon Influencers, Referazon has a fully functional free trial, money-back guarantee and they take no commission.
I am one of the founders and it’s been 10+ years in the making focusing on exactly what brands need to thrive on Amazon.
If you’re looking for social media Amazon influencers that promote products on Amazon from their Instagram, Twitter, Twitch, Facebook, etc.:
How To Get Social Media Amazon Influencers:
- Search relevant hashtags and followers of your direct competitors as well as people who have mentioned your direct competitors on Amazon
- View their content, make sure it is on-brand for you and that they link to Amazon
- Follow them and engage with their content for a week or so
- This piece is IMPORTANT, it gets them familiar with you and they start to Know, Like & Trust you.
- Direct Message them
- Verify if they are part of the Amazon Associates Program or Amazon Influencer Program
- If not and you still want to work with them, encourage them to sign up
Once you’ve found some great Amazon Influencers, you’re going to want to make sure you know what to ask for to drive sales and bring value into your brand.
What To Ask For From Amazon Influencers
The easiest way to think about what you want from Amazon Influencers is this:
- Inclusion on the types of content that people read or watch right before they’re about to make a purchase.
Here are some examples and why they work:
Get Featured on Amazon Influencer Blog Posts
Get featured on upcoming or existing Blog Posts like:
- Top Lists
- Best Lists
- Favorite Lists
- Idea Lists
- Must-Have Lists
- Gift Idea Lists
- Guides
- Checklists
- How-To Articles
- Tips & Tricks Articles
WHY YOU WANT THIS: First, these articles get found & read online. They show up on Flipboard, Apple News, Google News & other popular blog aggregators. Even better? This type of content is generally the last stop before a purchasing decision. This content does a remarkable job of driving external traffic to Amazon, which you need for Amazon SEO.
Get Featured On Evergreen Amazon Influencer YouTube Videos
Get featured on upcoming videos like:
- Top Lists
- Best Lists
- Favorite Lists
- Idea Lists
- Must-Have Lists
- Gift Idea Lists
- Guides
- Checklists
- How-To Videos
- Tips & Tricks Videos
- Hauls
- Unboxings
WHY YOU WANT THIS: First, these types of videos get found and get watched. They dominate both search results and YouTube suggested videos. These types of list videos are generally the last stop before a purchasing decision. This content also does a remarkable job of driving external traffic to Amazon, which you need for Amazon SEO.
Advertorial Style Reviews With Click-Worthy Titles Using Your Keywords (Video and/or Blog Article):
When asking for product reviews, request an Advertorial style where you can help dictate the narrative.
Some example headlines include:
- The $30 Kitchen Gadget That Changed My Life
- This $25 Amazon Find Transformed How I Garden
- Suffer From Insomnia? You NEED This Supplement
- The Internet Is Obsessing Over This Coffee, Here’s Why
WHY YOU WANT THIS: What sounds better? “Your Brand – Garden Tool Review” or “This Ingenious $20 Garden Tool On Amazon Saved Me Immeasurable HOURS”? Boring article & video titles never see the light of day. Plus, they don’t sell. You want your review to sound like the influencer just found the best solution to the problem ever. This is called pre-staging. If you are introduced as the best solution to the problem, that’s what your customer will believe.
Get Featured on Amazon Live Stream Videos
Some of the most effective Live Streams at driving sales are topical, top, or favorite products based streams.
For example, if you sell an avocado pitting tool, you would love to be included in an upcoming live stream titled: “Kitchen Gadget Time Savers” or “My Must Have Kitchen Gadgets”.
WHY YOU WANT THIS: Not only will this drive sales and boost SEO, but it immediately increases the perceived value of your products. Amazon Live Streams are growing with no signs of slowing down and with a proven technique akin to QVC or HSN, it’s no surprise why this sales mechanism works. Amazon Live Influencers do a great job of bringing people onto Amazon to learn about new products to try, then closing the deal once they’re there. Although this isn’t driving external traffic to your listing, it still drives conversions and boosts SEO in other ways.
Get Featured on Amazon Shoppable Videos
You probably already knew that any customer who has purchased your product can upload video reviews and user-generated content to your Amazon Product Listing.
But, did you know that Amazon Influencers who have uploaded at least 3 product video reviews to their Amazon Influencer Storefront, can make product video reviews for you that will appear on their Amazon Influencer Storefront and YOUR Product Detail Page?
If you don’t upload videos to your Amazon Product Listing related videos from other brands will show up on your product detail page to potentially take sales away from you.
Enter Amazon Influencer video reviews to the rescue.
You’ll want to ask Amazon Influencers to review your product and upload the video to their storefront so it can be eligible to appear on your product detail page.
You’ll also want this video uploaded to other platforms they may use such as YouTube & more.
Here are all the places that Amazon states your Influencers’ content will show up for customers to see on the Amazon Platform according to the Amazon Influencer Video Placements Guidelines:
From Amazon:
“We are continuing to launch exciting new places where shoppers can discover your videos. We select the videos that best adhere to our best practices for these placements. To be eligible for each of these placements, please ensure that your videos are both descriptive about the product and demonstrate the product to the shopper- hold it, open it, interact with it, style it in your home!
Product Detail Pages- Influencer videos may show up in two places on a product detail page- in the set of images at the top of the page and below the product information in a stand alone carousel of videos.
Top of page: This placement is for very targeted videos about a specific product, only videos with fewer than 3 products tagged are eligible for this placement.
Below product details widget:
Search Results
Influencer videos may show up in search results- when shoppers search in key product categories, this video widget will appear when there are relevant videos.
Homepage
Influencer videos may show up in a video widget on the homepage, categorized in an editorial playlist and discoverable by customers who are interested in those topics. Every Amazon customer has a unique homepage experience so you will not always see this widget in the same place, like some of the above widgets, but keep an eye out for videos that are relevant to you.
Storefront
Your videos will always show up on your storefront. They show up in this widget based on recency so you should see your most recent videos approved by moderation first.
Higher quality videos result in more placements across Amazon. Refer to our best practices and content guidelines below to make sure your videos have their best chance at high value placements.”
IMPORTANT NOTE: Make sure the Amazon Influencer puts “REVIEW” or “UNBOXING” in the video title so they are more likely to be included on product detail pages.
WHY YOU WANT THIS: You already know how powerful product reviews are in influencing sales, but videos on Amazon Product Listings boost time on page, reduce bounce rates, lower Amazon exit rate, and provide more sales-related user-generated content for your product detail pages, all ranking factors in Amazon SEO. So not only will this help drive more sales, but also help boost your Amazon SEO rankings.
Get Featured on Amazon Influencer Storefronts
Each Amazon Influencer with a Storefront divides their product recommendations into “Idea Lists”. These idea lists are topical.
You will want to check out the idealists of the Amazon Influencers that you are partnering with and recommend which one you’d like to be included on.
For example, let’s say you sell jewelry. You’d want to be included on idealists with titles such as: “My Favorite Earrings”, “Must Have Jewelry Accessories”, “My Wardrobe Staples”.
WHY YOU WANT THIS: Amazon Influencer Storefronts have been a powerhouse for driving sales and awareness for some time now. What’s more, they boost SEO and are an evergreen way to get your products recommended to your Amazon Influencers’ highly engaged audience base. Simply stated, they are an easy way for the audience of your Amazon Influencer to buy their favorite things they see from that Amazon Influencer. Again, although this isn’t driving external traffic to your listing, it still drives conversions and boosts SEO in other ways.
Promoting Monthly Coupon Code Promotions To Their Social, Email, Blog & Video Audiences
WHY YOU WANT THIS: These types of promotional code blasts to blog posts, emails & social drive sales because they are value & benefit-driven from a source the customer knows, likes & trusts. After you’ve built the relationship with the influencer, don’t let it die on the vine, keep things going by rewarding their audience with regular coupon codes. This will keep your sales velocity going on Amazon which significantly improves your Amazon SEO, decreases your PPC costs and even better? Customers who use discount codes tend to leave more reviews.
Regular Giveaways To Their Audience
WHY YOU WANT THIS: Not only these drive demand and drive brand awareness, but they also can grow your following, expanding your reach of potential customers. There are lots of creative ways influencers can have people enter their giveaways that involve massive opportunity for you to grow your followings, fill up your Facebook Pixel & Google Analytics data & much more.
With what to ask for in mind, the trick is, the Amazon Influencer needs to want to work with you as well.
Here’s what I mean…
How Amazon Influencers Choose To Work With Brands
One of the most important things for Brands to know when approaching Amazon Influencers is, you are not doing them a favor by giving them a free product.
Many Amazon influencers earn well into six-figure incomes annually.
What’s more? They are evaluating you just as you are evaluating them.
So, what are they looking at when deciding to choose if you are a good fit to work with?
Will Their Audience Enjoy Your Product and Subject Matter?
Think about the time and effort you spend getting the right keywords and optimizing your Amazon Listing.
They are no different.
They need to produce content that their audience likes and engages with. Or else, they will slip in their visibility and lose out on opportunities.
They have algorithms just as we do.
Asking them to promote a product that they don’t think is a good fit for their audience is the same thing as you putting the wrong keywords on your Amazon product listing.
It just wouldn’t work.
Will Your Product Actually Sell if They Drive Traffic?
Even though Amazon Influencers may ask for a promotional fee, ultimately they want to make a commission from the sales they drive to Amazon.
They can do the best job in the world promoting you, but if your product listing isn’t able to close the deal, then they will lose out.
This means they are evaluating your product listing and Amazon storefront to decide if they think it will do a good job converting customers.
You will want to take into consideration things like:
- 7 Product Images
- Effective sales copy in your bullet points
- A+ Content
- Good Reviews
- Good Price
- In Stock
Is Your Offer Fair and Reasonable?
Amazon Influencers are businesses just like you.
They put in sweat equity, capital and opportunity cost the same as you.
Therefore, they deserve to make a return on their investments just as you do in your business.
This is not to say they are not up for negotiation, because they are, however, do not enter into the arrangement expecting that just because they earn a commission from Amazon, that should suffice.
At the end of the day, this is an Influencer relationship and not an Affiliate relationship.
The line of distinction?
Amazon Influencers are part of the Amazon Associates Program, which means they are Amazon’s Affiliates and not your Affiliates, as you may have for your website.
So, what do Amazon Influencers have to say about creating a great partnership?
Advice From Amazon Influencers
To make landing the perfect Amazon Influencer easy for you, I’ve collected tips directly from Amazon Influencers we’ve built great relationships with at our Amazon Influencer Marketing Agency, Referazon Express.
Here’s critical advice from top Amazon Influencers on what they look for in partnering with brands on Amazon and more.
Partnership Advice From Amazon Influencers:
“What immediately turns me off is when a company rushes me to post content but takes their time to send over my payment knowing that I have other content to post. Also, when a company doesn’t take the time to spell my name correctly.”
- Symphony Taylor
- https://instagram.com/symphonytaylor/
- https://youtube.com/c/SymphonyTaylor
“Personally, whenever I receive emails from various brands, I tend to prioritize the brands who have better offers like those who offer paid partnerships more. In addition, before I respond to any emails, I like to do a lil research of the company/brand and see if there are previous influencers that have worked with them and what kind of brand they are. Do they have a good reputation? How do they treat their customers as well as their promoters or influencers? What are the pros and cons in terms of shipping, customer service and so on and so forth? Those are mostly the questions I ask myself before collaborating with anyone.”
- Kate Chavez
- https://instagram.com/kayceeting/
- https://youtube.com/c/KateChavezSite
“The biggest/quickest turnoff for me personally is when agencies or brands aren’t interested in a paid partnership or a long lasting relationship and are more focused on immediate ROI or getting free press without understanding my work or social algorithms, or respecting my own job. I’ve been doing this full time for 6+ years now and have the best insight on my own audience and channels, and when brands/agencies ignore that or just disregard the amount of time and work it’s a.) taken to build platforms in the first place and/or b.) takes to create quality content and an engaged community, that’s an automatic no go for me for any sort of collaboration. It gets to be exhausting and so frustrating explaining why I can’t pay my bills in free products or spend hours upon hours working for a free bottle of shampoo or a sweater, just like they can’t!”
- Erica Ligenza
- https://instagram.com/ericaligenza/
- https://cominguprosestheblog.com/
“I think a tip for a brand or agency looking to partner with an influencer is to be transparent and create a partnership that is beneficial to both parties!”
- Alexandra Martinez
- https://instagram.com/aleeeeeexx_/
- https://youtube.com/c/0oallyo01
“I do believe influencers should be offered payment when creating a video. The level of payment should depend on each channel but it does take a lot of time to create and edit each video. It’s nice to feel appreciated. Free items are fine but they are items we wouldn’t have purchased to begin with. My channel is not about making money but rather creating so again, it’s not about the amount but more to show this is a job. It’s a job influencers love doing but it’s still work.”
- Debbie NY Curl
- https://instagram.com/nycurl401/
- https://youtube.com/c/NYCurl401
“My best advice for partnerships is making sure that brands have deliverables on the front end. It helps to know exactly what they want and the direction they’re going with as well as the vibe they’d like. For instance, if their directive is to show ways to use their makeup sponges, or how to clean brushes. This helps to know what kind of video to provide for them.
I would encourage the brands to have a short list of exact deliverables i.e. 2 photos and 1 video and also a few suggestions for the content that you’re interested in.( upbeat, tutorial, GRWM).”
“I think the biggest turn off for most content creators is when brands immediately offer just a product in exchange for content, especially exclusive content or videos etc without the option to discuss other possibilities. They already show that there is little value placed on the creator’s time and effort to produce.
I appreciate when brands have a reference of my content that they liked to refer to, for the project, which shows a little more real interest than some of the pitches I receive. :-)”
- Sheri Approved
- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzPPNV-hu7MJT516hPBssNA
- https://www.instagram.com/sheriapproved/
How To Negotiate With Amazon Influencers
Usually but not always, Amazon Influencers will be able to present some sort of a rate card or media kit that shows their suggested rates and content packages.
Some Amazon Influencers may stick to those rates.
But not all.
At the end of the day, both sides are conducting business and many will be open for negotiation.
That said, there are a few key details you should have worked out prior to a negotiation with an Amazon Influencer.
Key Details To Work Out Before Negotiating
- Know exactly what type of content and how much of it you want from the influencer.
- Know how long you intend to partner with the Amazon Influencer.
- Know your campaign structure. Would you like to get included on a top 10 article, then have them do an op-ed review for you, then do regular giveaways and coupon codes for their audience throughout the year?
- Make sure you have a Brand Identity Kit with your logo, talking points, product images, awards, certifications, videos & more ready to send to the Amazon Influencer so they can make the best content possible.
Here are the most effective negotiation tactics and strategies to use when negotiating with Amazon Influencers.
1) Free Product For Content
This is the most simple negotiation tactic with Amazon Influencers.
Many Nano-Influencers and Micro-Influencers may be interested in trading content for products.
One item of note, it may not be a large piece of content such as a dedicated YouTube video or a long-form Op-Ed style blog post, but something within reason is certainly on the table.
If you attempt to work with someone on YouTube or Amazon Live but their rates are a little higher than you’re interested in paying, perhaps they also have an audience on TikTok or Instagram where you can get a meaningful piece of content in exchange for a free product.
What’s more, you can sweeten the deal by offering more free products on a regular basis to be used as a giveaway to their audience.
2) Pay For Performance
Offer the Amazon Influencer a fair and reasonable percentage of what they are asking for the content you are looking for.
Then, ask the Amazon Influencer to share their Amazon Associates Dashboard with you at the end of the month to see how many sales they contributed.
Or, you can provide the Amazon Influencer your own Attribution link so you can see the sales attributed to this Influencer.
This would make you eligible for the Brand Referral Bonus Program.
Going this route would prevent the Amazon Influencer from earning commission from Amazon, so you would need to replace this.
Set a fair goal and if they meet the said goal, offer to kick in an extra percentage above what they were asking for.
You could also mix negotiation tactics here.
For example, if they meet the goal, you could match their commission.
If they earn 5% commission for their product category, you can contribute another 5% on top of each sale they made.
That would double their commission.
3) Pay Half Upfront and Half After Delivery
If you’re concerned about an ethical transaction or if the quality of the content would meet your expectations, offer to pay 50% to start the project and then 50% once the deliverable has been completed.
This is a great tactic for one-off pieces of content in an ad-hoc campaign.
This wouldn’t be ideal for an ongoing campaign.
4) Negotiate Rights Usage (Only Purchase Content For One or a Few Platforms)
One way of getting a more economical price when negotiating with Amazon Influencers is to only request the rights for one or a few platforms.
For example, let’s say that you partner with the Amazon Influencer on getting included in an op-ed style product review blog post.
Typically, the content they would create, such as the images would also be able to be used on your own social media, email list and elsewhere.
In this case, you could negotiate with the Amazon Influencer to let them keep all of the content with no other usage rights other than being included in the review.
5) Commission Match
A very popular negotiation tactic with Amazon Influencers is commission matching.
Amazon will likely never release API’s that let software like Referazon know how many sales came from a particular Amazon Influencer, but Amazon Influencers can let brands know this.
Brands can ask the Amazon Influencer to share a screenshot of their Amazon Associates Dashboard reflecting the sales they contributed of your product.
From there, you can offer to match the commission they receive.
For example, if they make 4% for each sale of a product in your product category, you will offer to add 4% on top of their 4%.
Instead of asking them to share a screenshot of their earnings, you could offer them your own Amazon Attribution link and then let them know you’d give them their commission and then in essence double it by adding on top of it if they’re willing to use your Attribution link instead of their own Affiliate link.
6) Package Deals For Content
After looking at The Best Amazon Influencer Marketing Campaign Examples Amazon Influencer Marketing The Complete Guide and also Amazon Influencer Examples, you’ll likely have an idea of the different types of content you’d like to have to promote your brand.
What’s more, you will also know that working with Amazon Influencers in a one-off capacity typically doesn’t bring in a steady flow of external traffic to Amazon, which helps you rank in Amazon SEO.
So, with that said, offer to buy in bulk and inquire about a bulk discount.
You can spread the content you receive from them out over a year-long campaign or more.
For example, you could ask to be included in a top 10 YouTube Video, then a haul video, a product review and an unboxing and even to be included in a blast out to their email list.
7) Commit To A Long Term Relationship
You are likely seeking a long-term mutually beneficial relationship with your Amazon Influencer partnerships, so let them know that upfront.
The comfort level you get on both sides is extremely valuable.
That said, when negotiating with an Amazon Influencer, let them know upfront that you’re looking for a long-term relationship spread over possibly years that could grow and see if they’d be willing to adjust the upfront payment required to partner with them on content.
8) Pay What They Ask This Time Then Get A Deal Next Time
In keeping with the previous Amazon Influencer negotiation strategy, this could set the stage for more to come.
Let the Amazon Influencer know that you’d be comfortable paying what they’re asking for the first piece of content, but see if there was anything they can do on future pieces of content if you agree to partner with them for more.
9) Exchange Professional Services for Content
For this one, it is also known as bartering.
Your brand may be particularly suited to offering something that your Amazon Influencer would need.
Perhaps it could be, that the Influencer is getting married soon and you offer free products as gifts for the bridesmaids and groomsmen.
Or, you could offer the services of your team to help them with a project they’re working on.
The key here is to think creatively.
10) Offer Them Their Own Line of Your Product For Promotion
As a brand, you know how to source, manufacture and produce products.
You also know how to list and launch products on marketplaces like Amazon.
This is not an area of expertise for Amazon Influencers.
Offer to give them their own line of your products that features their name, slogan, or their branding in exchange for them promoting the line.
11) Trade Content for Ad Spend (Advertise the content they made for you, driving traffic to them)
The shoe company All Birds made this ultra-popular several years ago.
Here’s how it works.
You get included in an Op-Ed style review.
Then, instead of simply relying on whatever traffic that Amazon Influencer has on a monthly basis, or people finding the content via searches, you amplify the content.
You would run Native Advertising style ads to the piece of content.
You would ask the Amazon Influencer to be included in the content for free or a very low cost, perhaps free product, then you would pay for the ad traffic to the piece of content which lives on their website.
Then, customers would see your glowing review and click over to your Amazon Product Listings to buy.
This tactic is called Content Amplification.
You can see it in action here from All Birds.
All Birds partnered with the popular product review website Reviewed.com on this piece of content.
NOTE: See the title? “The Internet Is Obsessed With AllBirds Sneakers – Are They Worth It?” — This could have been titled “AllBirds Sneakers Review” but instead, they partnered on a click-worthy Op-Ed style review that increases the perceived value of the brand instead.
As you can imagine, this is a very glowing review.
So, instead of running ads directly to their website or Amazon Product Listings, All Birds amplified this Op-Ed style review by running Native ads to it like this:
This is an ad inside the popular topic and news aggregation app called Flipboard.
See the Sponsored tag at the bottom? It’s sponsored by All Birds, not Reviewed.com.
This is a very smart tactic.
All Birds is making sure before the customer is sent to their product page, they are pre-sold and pre-staged first, then by the time they visit the product page, they are ready to buy thus increasing their conversion rates.
It’s ingenious.
That said, if you need help reaching out to Amazon Influencers, proven templates lay ahead…
Amazon Influencer Outreach Templates
When thinking about how to reach out to Amazon Influencers, it all comes down to having their contact information.
One great way to find email addresses is through email finder tools like ContactOut which make finding Amazon Influencer email addresses quick and easy.
Once you have the Amazon Influencers’ contact information, you have 3 goals.
- Get your Email or DM opened.
- Get your Email or DM read.
- Get responded to.
To achieve these goals you need to:
- Make sure you let the Influencer know what is in it for them right away.
- Keep messages short and to the point.
- Make sure the Influencer sees your brand name a few times before messaging them by following and engaging them on social media first.
- Use Email subject lines known to get opened.
- When possible, prioritize Email instead of DM.
Amazon Influencer Outreach Subject Lines:
- [Influencer Name], We Want You As Our Brand Partner
- We’d Love To Sponsor A [Blog / Video / Live Stream / Post]
- We’d Like To Pay You For A [Blog / Video / Live Stream / Post]
- Room For A Brand Sponsorship?
- Quick Question
- [Influencer Name], Quick Question
This is what you say to your Amazon Influencer via Email or DM to get them to promote you.
Amazon Influencer Outreach Template 1 – Initial Outreach
Hey [Influencer Name],
We’d love to sponsor a [Blog, Video, Amazon Live, or Post].
We recently checked out [Name and Reference of the influencers Blogs, YouTube Videos, Live Streams or Social Media Posts] and we love it.
We sell [What You Sell] and it’s doing really well on Amazon right now, but with an Influencer like you, we believe it would really take things to the next level.
I’d love to get your rate card / media kit and learn how we can work together.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
PS: If you don’t have a rate card, that’s okay, we can chat about it.
Here is a link to our Amazon store:
[Link to Product or Amazon Store]
Best,
[Your Details]
Amazon Influencer Outreach Template 2 – Initial Outreach
Hey [Influencer Name],
We’d love to work with you on a [Blog, Video, Amazon Live, or Post].
Your [Reference a Recent Blog, YouTube Video, Amazon Live Stream or Social Post] had us super excited about you and we’ve been following ever since.
You probably saw us commenting on your posts.
We sell [What You Sell] and it’s doing really well on Amazon right now, but with an Influencer like you, we believe it would really take things to the next level.
I’d love to get your rate card / media kit and learn how we can work together.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
PS: If you don’t have a rate card, that’s okay, we can chat about it.
Here is a link to our Amazon store:
[Link to Product or Amazon Store]
Best,
[Your Details]
Amazon Influencer Outreach Template 3 – Initial Outreach
Hey [Influencer Name],
I’d love to get your rate card / media kit because to be honest, I recently checked out [Reference a Recent Blog, YouTube Video, Amazon Live Stream or Social Post] and got super excited about working with you.
We followed you on social media right away and you probably saw us commenting on your posts.
We sell [What You Sell] and it’s doing really well on Amazon right now, but with an Influencer like you, we believe it would really take things to the next level.
I would love to know how we can work together.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
PS: If you don’t have a rate card, that’s okay, we can chat about it.
Here is a link to our Amazon store:
[Link to Product or Amazon Store]
Best,
[Your Details]
Amazon Influencer Outreach Template 4 – Follow Up
Hey [Influencer Name],
I was hoping to get your rate card / media kit because we wanted to sponsor a [Blog, Video, Amazon Live, or Post].
I was checking in on my previous note to you because I recently checked out [Reference a Recent Blog, YouTube Video, Amazon Live Stream or Social Post] and got super excited about working with you.
Would love to know if you have room for another sponsorship and how we could work together.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
PS: If you don’t have a rate card, that’s okay, we can chat about it.
Here is a link to our Amazon store:
[Link to Product or Amazon Store]
Best,
[Your Details]
Amazon Influencer Outreach Template 5 – Follow Up
Hey [Influencer Name],
We’d love to pay you to work with us on some sponsored content and hopefully a long-term relationship with our brand.
I was hoping to get your rate card / media kit because after I checked out [Reference a Recent Blog, YouTube Video, Amazon Live Stream or Social Post], I got super excited about sponsoring a [Blog, Video, Amazon Live, or Post].
I was checking in on my previous note to you because I would love to know if you have room for another sponsorship and how we could work together.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
PS: If you don’t have a rate card, that’s okay, we can chat about it.
Here is a link to our Amazon store:
[Link to Product or Amazon Store]
Best,
[Your Details]
Frequently Asked Questions
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