The Amazon Influencer Program is a powerful tool for sellers. Word-of-mouth advertising (or in today’s world, word-of-keypad recommendations) are necessary to drive sales and push more traffic to Amazon. In this real-time digital age, working with influencers is an increasingly popular way to market your brand. Without the people that are famous on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, you’re missing a critical component of your marketing strategy.

What is the Amazon Influencer Program for Sellers?

Started in 2017, the Amazon Influencer Program is a different way for industry influencers to promote Amazon products they love. 

For starters, it’s important to note that the Amazon Influencer Program is different from the Amazon Associates Program. 

Those who have been approved as “Amazon Influencers” get a unique URL for promoting products they love. It’s like they get to create their own storefront for their followers. 

Products can be grouped by categories like on the What’s Up Moms or by individual social media influencers, like Mark Cuban’s page. This is advantageous for influencers on platforms like Instagram since you only have one spot for a URL in your profile. 

Who Qualifies as an “Amazon Influencer”?

While the details and specifics for acceptance into the program are not readily available, there are a few common themes for influencers and Amazon affiliates, including:

• Ample high-quality content. 
• Responsive community engagement and dialog. 
• Substantial social media presence.
• Mutual relevance. 

And yes, Amazon is indeed the king of data, so the approval process does involve algorithmic approval. If you and your selected social media power make it past the undisclosed number, you move forward into the more-qualitative parameters. 

What Advantage Does the Influencer Program Give to Amazon Sellers?

The main advantage of the Amazon Influencer Program is that you may not even have to have contact with your influencer to get them to list your product. If you’ve created a high-quality product that people love, it’s possible that influencers will include your product in their storefront without request. Just read what this YouTuber has to say:

I don’t work with brands directly, and instead hunt down the items that appeal to me, or ones that have resonated with subscribers on my Deal Guy YouTube channel in the past.

Consider this: In 2016, Oprah named My Audio Pet Bluetooth Speakers as one of her famous “Favorite Things.” There was no “Oprah, will you test my product?” She and her team had discovered these adorable little speakers all on their own. This is influencer marketing gold.

A huge advantage is that links to Amazon influencer storefronts are able to be shared in places other than the influencer’s website, unlike Amazon Associates. They can share links on social networks, in email, and more. The Influencer’s Page already has the FTC disclosure as well. It increases your visibility (and their commissions).

How Do I Find Amazon Influencers?

A lot of the biggest Twitter or Facebook accounts are likely already Amazon Influencers. If you’re like My Audio Pet, your brand will be found by the influencers organically. If you’re looking for opportunities to connect, there are some programs that allow you to search for or connect with Amazon Influencers, like Influence.co. 

Without fail, you’ll need to integrate influencers into your marketing strategy to earn money and grow your brand. For those selling on Amazon, the Amazon Influencer Program creates a ripple effect across thousands of potential buyers. A

Hey, they may even pick you and your brand and your product up organically. But if not, consider reaching out for an influencer match.