Today in the blog world (really on the internets in general) I bet you are seeing posts galore about Amazon Prime Day.
Many of these posts will contain links to shop from people with disclaimers about being “Amazon Affiliates” or have Amazon ads linked in their posts, and I wanted to share with you what this means.
I feel like some bloggers get a bad rep for posting ads or affiliate links, when in reality it is a practice I think is just fine but people don’t know all the facts about. Since I am part of this ‘affiliate’ group, I decided to write a little Q&A to help people better understand what affiliates are all about, and why you don’t have to be annoyed by them.
So, here we go!
Q: Are you sponsored by any of the products you post links to?
A: No, I am not sponsored by anyone. All I do is write my blog post, and if there is something you can buy, I post a link to it. All I am doing is sharing a link to where you can purchase the item I already love, and if you decide to do so, I get a tiny little kickback from Amazon.
Q: Are the products more expensive if purchased through your links?
A: Nope! Cost is exactly the same.
Q: Why do you participate in the Amazon Affiliate Program?
A: Running a blog costs money. Not a ton, but enough that it is nice to have a way to offset the costs. Plus, there are things I want to purchase to make my blog better for my readers! This would be things like a better camera lens, lighting accessories to improve my food pictures, and other photo editing tools. With lots of saving I will get there, but it is really cents at a time.
Q. How does it work, really?
A: I log into my Affiliate account and search for any item I want under the (Amazon) sun. They make a special link with an embedded tracking ID that I place on my website. Thanks to the tracking ID, they know if my link was the one to bring them a customer. Once the item ships, I get a little bit of commission back from Amazon to thank me for bringing them business!
Q: I am a blogger, how do I sign up?
A: It is pretty easy actually! Go to Amazon.com and click “Join For Free”. You will have to enter your website and some basic information, and they will activate you on the spot! Once you sell your first item they will evaluate your account and give you an official “approval” (just make sure to read the fine print and follow the rules) and you are all set up!
So in summary, there is no disadvantage to shopping from affiliate links, and when us bloggers post them, there is no bias involved! You can pretty much buy anything off Amazon these days, so all we are doing is showing you the stuff we buy and giving you the ability to buy it too, while putting a buck or two back in our pockets here and there.
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Disclaimer: I am a member of the Amazon Affiliates program… I am not sponsored by any of these products, I just really like them! I do however get a little kick-back if you purchase anything through the links provided. Prices are no different than if you were just shopping on your own 🙂
That sounds great Abbey. I wish I could sign up too but the problem with being on wp is that they do not allow such affiliate links which is annoying. Even though I pay up for a premium membership with them. I guess the only way to do it is to go the self-hosted way.
Yes self hosted is always better and not really that more expensive. Unless you want a fast website and a green padlock.
What do you mean by green padlock? I am not familiar with that term.
On your computer, look at the top left corner and you will see this site has one. It lets everybody know this site is safer compared to sites that don’t have it. Google SSL certificates
Thanks for sharing. I’ve bee considering sharing some links when I reviews book and films but am a little shy when it comes to dipping my toes in the water so to speak. I am curious however, do you have to post a link to every website you plan on listing links on? The reason I ask is because I want to link on both my blog and youtube channel and am curious if I have to show both websites when I sign up. Thanks for help!
I don’t think there is anything wrong with sharing! And yes, on every page I post a specific affiliate link to the item I am referring to. So on your youtube channel you somewhere would have to post your affiliate link to bring people back to it.
Thanks for the help!
Thanks a bunch! Very Informative.
Thanks for the information! It just helps to have everything clarified from someone who is already involved in this!
I am glad you found it helpful!