Affiliate links: a monetization path that does not depend on ads
An affiliate link is a normal product link with your tag on it. When a viewer buys after clicking, the store pays you a commission; the viewer pays the same price. This guide walks through Amazon Associates, the largest program, then shows how to count clicks with reachlag and how to stay within the rules. We never promise income: how much you earn depends on your topic and your viewers.
Does it fit your channel?
- It works best when your videos already show products: tools, gear, kitchen, beauty, tech, home, hobbies, books.
- Reviews, comparisons, tutorials and “what I use” videos convert; vlogs and commentary usually do not.
- Amazon Associates is available to channels of any size, but you need three qualifying sales in the first 180 days or the account is closed. Apply once you have a video that sends real traffic.
Set up Amazon Associates
- Apply at affiliate-program.amazon.com with your YouTube channel as the “website or mobile app”. Amazon looks at the channel, so it needs public videos and a description that says what it is about.
- After approval you get a tracking id (a “tag”) like yourname-20. Every link you make must carry it; that is what credits the sale to you.
- Make links from the Associates dashboard (Product Linking → Product Links) or with SiteStripe, the bar that appears at the top of Amazon pages when you are signed in: open the product, click “Get link”, copy the short link. Adding ?tag=yourname-20 to a product URL also works.
- Put the links in the first lines of the description, where they show before “more”, and in a pinned comment. Name the product next to each link; a bare link gets fewer clicks.
- Add the disclosure Amazon requires, close to the links: “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.” Consumer-protection rules in most countries also require that viewers can tell a link is an affiliate link before they click. Say it in the video too when a product is the point of the video.
- Amazon stores are separate by country. A .com link pays only for .com purchases; if many viewers are elsewhere, join the local store’s program too or use Amazon’s OneLink to route by country.
Rules that get accounts closed
- No prices in titles, thumbnails or descriptions. Prices change; Amazon only allows prices its own tools insert.
- No affiliate links in emails, PDFs, private messages or offline. They belong on public pages and videos only.
- Do not hide that a link goes to Amazon. Short links are allowed, but the viewer must be able to tell where it leads. A reachlag public page shows the destination store next to every link for this reason.
- Do not ask friends to buy through your links, and never buy through them yourself.
- Keep the disclosure. A missing disclosure is the most common reason for both Amazon closures and regulator complaints.
Count clicks with reachlag
- Open a channel in your dashboard, go to Page & links, and create a tracked link with your Amazon URL (tag included) as the destination.
- Use the short reachlag.com/r/… address in your descriptions. Clicks are counted, then the viewer is sent to your Amazon link unchanged: your tag, your commission.
- Compare clicks per video with the views in your report. A product link that gets clicks from a low-view video tells you what to make next.
- Turn on your public page to show your latest videos and all your links in one place; the page shows where each link goes.
Other programs
- Korea: Coupang Partners. Japan: Amazon.co.jp Associates and Rakuten Affiliate. Brazil: Mercado Livre’s affiliate program. Vietnam and the Philippines: Shopee and Lazada affiliate programs. Poland, Germany, France: the local Amazon stores.
- Brands often run their own programs through networks such as Impact, ShareASale, Awin or CJ, with higher rates than Amazon for the products you already show.
- The rules above are the same everywhere: carry your tag, disclose, do not hide the destination, no prices.
Commission rates are set by each store and change; Amazon’s are mostly between 1% and 10% of the sale by category. Check the current table before deciding what to feature. Nothing here is legal or tax advice.