Becoming an Amazon affiliate can be a great way to earn passive income through your website or social media following. As an affiliate, you earn commission for products sold through links you provide. But how many followers do you really need to make decent money as an Amazon affiliate?
What is an Amazon affiliate?
The Amazon Associates program allows you to earn commissions by linking to Amazon products on your website or social media. When someone clicks your link and buys a product, you earn a percentage of the sale price.
Affiliates can link to millions of Amazon products and earn up to 10% commission on each sale. Commissions typically range from 4-8% for general Amazon products. But you can earn higher commissions up to 10% for specialty products like Amazon Kindle, Prime, or Audible.
The great thing about being an Amazon affiliate is that you don’t need to carry any inventory or ship products yourself. You simply refer customers to Amazon through your affiliate links and earn commissions when they purchase.
How many followers do you need to make money?
The number of followers you need really depends on your niche and audience. But here are some general guidelines:
- 1,000 followers – At this level, you’re unlikely to see much income. Focus on growing your audience first.
- 10,000 followers – You can start seeing some commission at this point if you have an engaged audience.
- 50,000 followers – This is a good milestone for earning regular commission as an affiliate.
- 100,000+ followers – At this point you can earn sizable income through affiliate commissions.
Keep in mind these numbers assume you have an engaged audience that is interested in the products you promote. 100,000 disengaged followers won’t necessarily earn more than 10,000 highly engaged followers.
The type of content and products you promote also impact how many followers you need. Promoting big ticket items generally requires a larger audience to drive regular sales.
Other factors that impact affiliate income
While your number of followers is important, there are other factors that also affect how much you earn as an Amazon affiliate:
Website traffic
If you have a website, the amount of traffic it receives directly impacts your affiliate earnings. More website visitors means more potential to display affiliate links and make commissions.
Conversion rate
Your conversion rate is the percentage of visitors that take a desired action, like clicking your affiliate link. A higher conversion rate means more commissions earned.
Quality of traffic
Some traffic sources, like email subscribers or engaged social followers, tend to convert better than others. Focus on attracting high quality traffic aligned with your niche.
Niche & product selection
Certain niches like tech gadgets or beauty products tend to monetize better through affiliate links. And promoting big ticket items yields bigger individual commissions.
Email list
Building an email list allows you to promote affiliate offers directly to some of your most engaged followers. This can become a significant source of affiliate income.
How much can you make as an Amazon affiliate?
Income potential as an Amazon affiliate really varies based on your audience size and engagement. Here are some examples of potential earnings:
- 10,000 followers – $100-$200 per month
- 50,000 followers – $500-$1,000 per month
- 100,000 followers – $2,000-$5,000 per month
- 500,000+ followers – $10,000-$20,000+ per month
These numbers assume you have an engaged audience interested in products you promote. Your earnings could be significantly higher or lower depending on your specific niche, conversion rates, and other factors.
Tips to increase your affiliate income
Here are some tips to help maximize your earnings as an Amazon affiliate, regardless of how many followers you have:
Promote relevant products
Don’t randomly promote products. Make sure they are relevant to your audience and niche so conversion rates remain high.
Create affiliate links properly
Use your affiliate ID and create clean text links so Amazon can track your referrals accurately.
Include affiliate links prominently
Place affiliate links in easy-to-see locations like your bio or site navigation so visitors can find them.
Write reviews and recommendations
Write reviews of products you recommend so followers get valuable information, not just links.
Promote to email subscribers
Email is one of the best ways to promote to engaged followers who want your recommendations.
Take advantage of seasonal sales
Big sales events like Black Friday and Prime Day give you opportunities to promote hot deals.
Use affiliate link plugins
Plugins for WordPress or other platforms make it easy to create and integrate affiliate links.
Offer discounts and coupon codes
Providing exclusive discounts or coupon codes can help increase conversion rates.
Try different link placements
Test putting links in different locations on your site or social media to see what converts best.
Should you become an Amazon affiliate?
Becoming an Amazon affiliate can provide excellent passive income opportunities. But it does require consistently driving traffic and referrals to earn decent commissions.
Some pros of the program include:
- Easy to join – Anyone can sign up for a free account
- No cost – There is no fee or investment needed to participate
- Massive product selection – Link to millions of products on Amazon
- High commissions – Earn up to 10% on qualified sales
- Trusted brand – Amazon is a well known and trusted marketplace
Potential cons to consider include:
- Competitive – Amazon is the most popular affiliate program so lots of competition
- Traffic dependent – You need consistent traffic to earn ongoing commissions
- Amazon controls program – Terms and commissions can change at their discretion
Overall the Amazon Associates program is a great affiliate opportunity, especially if you already have an engaged audience or website. Just be prepared to put in consistent work driving traffic and referrals to see decent income from the program.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many followers do I need on each platform?
As a general rule, you’ll need at least 10,000 engaged followers on a given social platform before you can expect to earn regular commission as an affiliate. 50,000+ followers is ideal, but even 1,000 followers may generate income if you have a very targeted niche.
Does affiliate income depend on follower count?
Follower count is certainly an important metric for affiliate income potential. But high follower counts alone don’t guarantee earnings. You also need an audience that is actively interested in the products you promote.
What commission rates do most Amazon affiliates earn?
Average commission rates for Amazon affiliates tend to range from 4-8% for general Amazon products. You can earn up to 10% commission in specialty product categories like Amazon Kindle, Prime membership referrals, and Audible audiobooks.
How many clicks do you need to make money?
This varies widely based on commission percentage and product price. As a rough estimate, it may take anywhere from 100-500 clicks per month to start consistently earning $100 or more in monthly commissions. Focus on promoting high value products that pay at least 4-5% commission to maximize your income per click.
Does Amazon affiliate work for low traffic blogs or social media?
You can earn income through Amazon affiliate links even with lower traffic blogs or social media accounts. But your earnings likely won’t be significant until you reach at least 10,000-50,000 followers or website visitors. Use affiliate links to complement your income as you grow your audience.
Conclusion
Becoming a successful Amazon affiliate requires consistency driving targeted traffic in addition to building your audience size. Focus first on providing value and building relationships in a specific niche. This will allow you to promote relevant products that convert at a high rate.
There isn’t a magic follower number that guarantees affiliate income. But as a general guideline, 50,000+ engaged followers should allow you to earn respectable commissions if you put in the work promoting properly targeted products. Keep experimenting and optimizing your affiliate strategy and your income potential is unlimited.
