An affiliate link is a normal product link with your ID added, so the store knows a sale came from you. To get one, you join an affiliate program. Joining is usually free. Each program has its own application, rules and commission rates, and they change, so read the current terms on the program's own website before you apply.
Amazon Associates: the US and Canada are separate
Amazon's affiliate program is called Amazon Associates. The US program covers Amazon.com and the Canadian program covers Amazon.ca. They are separate programs, with separate sign-ups, separate tracking IDs and separate rules: an Amazon.com link doesn't count an Amazon.ca order, and the other way around. If most of your viewers are in Canada, the Canadian program is usually the one to start with; many creators join both.
- United States: Amazon Associates
- Canada: Amazon.ca Associates
Amazon reviews new accounts, and a new account has to make qualifying sales within a set period to stay open. Read the Operating Agreement and the program policies before you post: they say where you may put links, how to disclose them and what isn't allowed (for example, offering viewers a reward for using your link).
TikTok Shop (United States)
In the US, TikTok Shop lets eligible creators add products sold on TikTok to their videos and earn a commission on sales. You apply inside the TikTok app. TikTok sets the eligibility rules, such as age, country and a minimum number of followers, and changes them from time to time, so check TikTok's current requirements in the app. Availability depends on where you live.
Affiliate networks: Impact, Awin and others
Many retailers and brands run their programs through affiliate networks. You create one account on the network, then apply to each brand's program inside it, and each brand approves you separately.
- Impact: retailers and brands in the US and Canada.
- Awin: retailers and brands in many countries, including the US and Canada.
- Other networks, such as CJ and Rakuten Advertising, work the same way.
Networks usually ask where you will promote (your social profiles), what kind of content you make and how you disclose. A short, honest description of your channel works better than big claims.
Brand programs
Some brands run their own affiliate program, often listed as "Affiliates" or "Partners" at the bottom of their website. Smaller brands may offer free samples or a discount code for your audience instead. A free product is a connection to the brand too: you disclose it the same way as a commission (lesson 3).
Before you apply
- Set up the social account you will use, with a clear name, a profile photo and a few posts, so reviewers can see what you make.
- Read the program's rules on where links can go, what you may say and how commission is counted.
- Write down the date you joined and your tracking ID for each program.
- Check how and when the program pays, and its minimum payout. Programs usually ask for tax information before they pay.
- If you're turned down, fix what you can, then apply again later or try another program.
Keep your affiliate links exactly as the program gives them. Shortening, redirecting or hiding them in ways the program doesn't allow can get your account closed.