Amazon has been really kind to us bloggers.
The fact that an online powerhouse (such as Amazon) allows you, me and everybody else to take a cut of their $35 billion pie through the Amazon Associates program, is incredible!
I wanted to write this post to specifically talk about how to promote Amazon products on your blog or website.
Having the interest, desire or whatever you want to call it to make money through your blog is admirable but, you need to know the proper steps and the “right way” of doing things so you can have a chance to make it.
Monetizing a blog is not easy, I admit. Even though Amazon is probably one of the easiest affiliate programs to join, getting readers on your blog, writing the product reviews (which we’ll be talking about below) and convincing the would-be buyer to buy; needs some skills.
It’s not impossible, don’t get me wrong, but you’re much more bound to succeed bigger and quicker if you know what you are doing.
In this post, I am going to show you:
- How to find the products you want to promote
- How to pick the right products
- How to find your unique affiliate links and more importantly;
- How to promote (and sell) the products on your blog.
Let’s work our way down the list:
How To Find Products On Amazon
I’m not sure about it but my guess would be that Amazon has millions of products to promote and get this; you can promote every single one of them.
Yes, that is right; as an Amazon Associate, you are free to sell and promote all the products that they have on their website (including their own services such as Amazon Prime and even from independent sellers).
Now, even though there are possibly millions of products on there, it’s best to promote products that are related to your niche (i.e your blog topic).
It would not make sense to sell a $10,000 Hublot watch if your site is about 3D printers right?
That is why you should stick with products related to your niche. That’s also why “knowing” your niche is a must when picking one; you need to know what goes with it!
A good place to start is to use Amazon’s own Department pages, which you can see here:
Even though they have a lot of product categories, it’s a good place to start to narrow it down as much as possible.
How To Pick The Right Products To Promote
Now, this is also an important step if you want a fighting chance to make some decent money on Amazon.
One thing that puts people off using Amazon as a way to earn money online is the fact that it has very low commission rates.
While that is true (your starting point is 4% and the maximum is 8%), it hasn’t stopped many online marketers and bloggers to make a killing with Amazon.
Just look at how this guy is banking $10,000 a month with his Amazon niche website.
Now, the 4% start rate is not much I know, but that is why you have to make sure you do not promote products that are ridiculously cheap.
It’s good to have a mix of “expensive” and “inexpensive” products on your site, fair enough, but do not go for super low prices.
Making 4% off a $5 item is not so great, making 4% on a $100 item is a bit more attractive.
This was a lesson hard learned for me so I don’t want you to repeat this.
Whatever niche you pick, unless you’re into the “bespoke / luxury” type niche, then make sure you do not only include “cheap” items.
It still might work and you still might earn money, but you would need a whole lot of readers and customers to make a decent income and if you’re a beginner here, that is going to take some time.
Here’s Amazon’s commission structure before we continue so you get an idea of how the commission rates are depending on how much you sell:
How To Find Your Unique Affiliate Links
Once you join the network, which I am not going to discuss here but you can take a look at this guide on how to join, your will be given your own unique affiliate ID which will be automatically embedded into every link.
Please note: Your link doesn’t come from the browser, that’s not your affiliate ID!
Do not copy/ paste a link directly from the browser as that does not include your affiliate ID and you won’t make anything if a customer goes through from your site.
Instead, you need to find the link Amazon will generate for you and here is where you can find that:
Once you join the program, you will see this bar on every page you visit on Amazon (as long as you are logged in).
How To Properly Promote Any Amazon Product On Your Blog
Now we’ve reached the part that I know you’ve been waiting for so let’s get into it and get you started on becoming a successful Amazon Associate.
Now we’ve reached the part that I know you’ve been waiting for so let’s get into it and get you started on becoming a successful Amazon Associate.
Following are some tips that me, my blogging friends and frankly, every other successful Amazon affiliate are doing to promote the products they want to sell.
The following list is in no particular order and you can use one of them or you can use them all.
If there is anything I’ve learned from constantly frying my brain to understand how to make money online is that there is no correct, one-size-fits-all solution to doing things.
You have to find what works for you, then continue doing that.
One thing is clear, though; these are all proven to work so take your time to read and understand the following piece of this blog post and go ahead and start taking action.
I will also be offering you a chance to download my ebook, which talks about how to properly do affiliate marketing, along with a complimentary ‘Getting Started” course that I know will help you reach your “ah-ha” moment.
Let’s get into it.
Do Detailed Reviews Of The Products You Want To Promote
As I’ve said; you do not have to do everything on this list, but doing product reviews is something I would urge you to think twice before passing on, and here’s why:
As I’ve said; you do not have to do everything on this list, but doing product reviews is something I would urge you to think twice before passing on, and here’s why:
Product reviews:
Get you ranked quick,
Get you the right customer and
Make you money!
Let me explain those 3 theories as to help convince you that you need to do product reviews:
Get you the right customer and
Make you money!
Let me explain those 3 theories as to help convince you that you need to do product reviews:
Product Review Get You Ranked In Search Engines
Let’s say your niche is about “yoga” or “meditation”. Which blog post title / keyword do you think will rank better, faster and higher?
“How To Do Yoga In The Morning” or
“AVIVA 5mm Yoga Mat Review” ?
“AVIVA 5mm Yoga Mat Review” ?
One title (the first one) is a bit generic and while it would still be a good idea to publish it, it might not lead to sales.
On the other hand, a detailed product review will get you ranked quickly as it’s a super specific keyword and there is very minimal competition for that rank term; thus you get ranked faster (and higher).
Product Review Get You The Right Reader & Customer
If I type in the keyword for “morning yoga”, chances are I am not interested in buying anything, but if I look for a specific brand of yoga mats, chances are I’m looking to buy.
Sure you could assume that I just want to see how it looks, but typically; that interest is usually triggered by a need to buy it.
I am sure there aren’t many people looking up specific yoga mats just to look at them. And even if they were; your skills as a blogger and affiliate marketer should help convince them that this product is best for them with your review.
Product Reviews Make You Money
Yes, that reader that is looking for a specific brand, product or service and is looking for their reviews, is a few decisions away from buying.
Which means product reviews are a gold mine if you know how to do them correctly.
Most the earnings I make from this blog are from product reviews so I can tell you reviews do work (and not just for Amazon products).
I would suggest you at least try doing one or two and see how that goes. If you find the right product (which you can see how here), write a review for it and then wait a bit; you’re bound to see some sales sooner or later.
And remember, there is no limit to how many product reviews you can do; you can make a site simply dedicated to doing product reviews it a step further then and do a roundup post of what you think are the best / worst products that you’ve found.
The possibilities are endless here.
Do you need to buy them all?
Of course not. Although I do recommend that, I know that buying up products to review is not cheap, especially if you haven’t started making any money yet.
Here’s a quick guide on how you can review products without buying them.
Bonus tip: Once you get some solid readership numbers, you’ll also be surprised at how many product creators get in touch with you to send you their products for free just so you can review them. Which is amazing and it really shows you that you’ve finally become an “authoritative figure” in your chosen blog topic.
Ok, enough about product reviews. But wait; there’s one last thing I need to mention about this:
Link To Your Reviews In Posts
Whenever you mention a product you have reviewed, rather than linking directly to the product, it’s best if you could link to your review.
Whenever you mention a product you have reviewed, rather than linking directly to the product, it’s best if you could link to your review.
This will minimize your affiliate links (which search engines do not like) and also give the potential customer “a taste” of the product you are promoting.
You can also link to the products when you mention something relatable to it. For example, continuing with that “yoga mat example”, if I were to type in a blog post;
“…..and I use my favorite yoga mat, which is this….”
I might link that piece of text to my review of the product (whichever it is).
Have A Niche-Specific Amazon Affiliate Website
Now, this method is good to consider but I would recommend that if you are a beginner; start on a “normal” blog and promote your products on there.
Now, this method is good to consider but I would recommend that if you are a beginner; start on a “normal” blog and promote your products on there.
The thing I like about these types of services is that they give you that “store look” which is a great way to entice buyers to buy.
They come complete with a “Shopping Cart”, “Check Out” button and the sorts.
If you’re interested in having your own store set up but do not want to go through hassle or spend money, then check out the next option:
Get Your Own Free Store From Amazon
Yes, Amazon does offer a service that you can use to build a store which you can then promote on your existing blog or buy a domain for it.
Yes, Amazon does offer a service that you can use to build a store which you can then promote on your existing blog or buy a domain for it.
I have to warn you, though; while they do the job, they are not as “pretty on the eye” as much as you’d like.
If you want to take a look at how to build one (which is called an aStore by the way), I’ll leave it in the capable hands of Amazon itself to show you how to create your Amazon aStore.
Use Plugins To Insert Amazon Widgets
A popular method you will see on many blogs is to insert a widget (with the help of a plugin) in your sidebar which will display your chosen products constantly rotating in your sidebar.
A popular method you will see on many blogs is to insert a widget (with the help of a plugin) in your sidebar which will display your chosen products constantly rotating in your sidebar.
One thing to remember though is that sidebars are dying off.
Most of my readers across all of my “web properties” come from mobile (last time I checked mobile was 70% of my traffic).
This means your sidebar content will be buried under all your post and won’t be seen unless the reader scrolls way down to the bottom.
This is something you should consider as “an extra way” to promote Amazon products on your blog if you are planning on building this up to be a profitable venture.
Embed Your Products In Your Most Popular Blog Post (Or All Of Them)
My last and final tip would be to embed a grid of products under (or on top but that would look ugly) of your most popular blog post; inside the content.
My last and final tip would be to embed a grid of products under (or on top but that would look ugly) of your most popular blog post; inside the content.
This would make sure that you are getting to as much readers as possible and it will also minimize your affiliate links (unless you go crazy with it).
I recommend you only feature a maximum of 8 products so as not to clutter your content which would lead to a very bad user experience.
This might sell a few products and yes it works for me, even though I sometimes see it as a bit of a “hard sell”!
Also, remember that relevancy is key to everything so if you have a post about your favorite “yoga mats” and you embed your favorite yoga mats in the content, that would make sense.
I am currently also using this method and yes, I do make sales with it which is great. Just remember to keep it relevant and not to over do it.
A Quick Recap Of What We’ve Just Discussed:
Find good products to promote that are related to your niche.
Make sure you include a bit of ‘expensive stuff” to up your commissions.
Always make sure you get your proper affiliate ID (do not copy/paste from browser).
Do product reviews as the can help you rank better and sell more.
Do not overdo it with affiliate links and plugins.
Keep it relevant and
I forgot to mention; Enjoy the process!
Making money online is not an easy task but it doesn’t have to be something you hate doing.
Find good products to promote that are related to your niche.
Make sure you include a bit of ‘expensive stuff” to up your commissions.
Always make sure you get your proper affiliate ID (do not copy/paste from browser).
Do product reviews as the can help you rank better and sell more.
Do not overdo it with affiliate links and plugins.
Keep it relevant and
I forgot to mention; Enjoy the process!
Making money online is not an easy task but it doesn’t have to be something you hate doing.
Find what works for you, keep experimenting and do not be afraid to fail. Try, explore and have fun building a real business.
It takes “effort” to do that and you should be proud to have thought about trying to make money online.
Speaking of which;
Subscribe to my email newsletter in the sidebar so that you get updated about new posts every time a new post is published on Bloggeria.
Thank you very much for reading this post and I hope I’ve shown you how to promote Amazon products on your blog successfully without too many headaches.
If you have any questions, success stories or simply want to share your experiences with the Amazon Associates platform, you can do so below in the comments section.
I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks again for reading, till next time.
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