If you’ve ever bought anything on Amazon, you’ve probably scrolled through the reviews to see what other buyers had to say. Product reviews are a cornerstone of the Amazon shopping experience—they help build trust and give customers the confidence to make a purchase.
But what if I told you that reviewing products on Amazon could make you money? No, it’s not a hack on the system or a trick; it’s not even some program exclusive to influencers with millions of followers. It’s as simple and direct as it looks: you make a review for a product on Amazon and get paid for it.
Of course, there are certain things you need to know before you start making money reviewing products on Amazon, but those who already do it report earning up to $10,000 per month just by writing reviews. If this sounds interesting to you, you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading and find out how to make money by reviewing Amazon products.
Amazon Reviews: A Brief Look
Amazon reviews play a crucial role in the ecommerce ecosystem, not just for customers, but also for sellers and entrepreneurs on the platform. Reviews are one of the most influential factors that drive purchase decisions - shoppers rely on them to assess product quality, functionality, and trustworthiness, and sellers use reviews to improve their product rankings and boost credibility.
While there are many ways to make money reviewing products online, on the Amazon platform, the main ways are through the Amazon Associates and Amazon Influencer programs, among others (which we’ll discuss later). These programs allow users to review products and earn commissions on sales. And if you’ve ever seen a review on Amazon when choosing a product, then you have already contributed to a reviewer's commission.
Reviews help build social proof, which can significantly increase conversions for products. For this reason, many sellers are willing to offer free products (on specific terms approved by Amazon that we’ll explain later), discounts, or even compensation in exchange for honest, high-quality reviews.
One big advantage is that monetized reviews on Amazon can be about any product. The products don’t have to be new or even Amazon-owned products; they just have to be sold on Amazon. And you don’t have to be a professional videographer or a master presenter either. All you need is a camera, a product, honest opinions, the desire to make money, and knowledge of Amazon’s guidelines for paid reviews.
Things You Need to Know Before Reviewing Amazon Products
Amazon has strict rules for its reviewers outlined in its Community Guidelines pages. They're a set of rules designed to ensure that product reviews are genuine, trustworthy, and helpful to customers. If you plan to make money reviewing Amazon products, it's crucial to follow these rules, as failure to do so can lead to account suspension or being banned from the platform entirely.
Here are some of the key guidelines reviewers must follow:
Provide honest and unbiased reviews
Amazon emphasizes that reviews should reflect your actual experience with a product. You are prohibited from posting fake reviews or inflating a product’s rating for personal gain. This includes not posting reviews on behalf of others or encouraging fake positive reviews for compensation.
No incentivized reviews (with exceptions)
In the past, sellers often gave free products or discounts in exchange for reviews. However, Amazon banned this practice to maintain the integrity of the review system. The only exception is Amazon’s Vine Program, where Amazon selects trusted reviewers to receive products for free in exchange for honest feedback, but they don’t get paid.
Avoid reviewing products you are personally or financially connected to
You’re not allowed to review products from sellers with which you have a personal relationship or association, like family members, close friends, or personal businesses. Amazon considers this biased, and it can lead to account suspension.
Other types of reviews Amazon may consider biased and can delete are:
- Reviews by the product manufacturer, posing as unbiased shoppers.
- Multiple negative reviews for the same product from one customer.
- Reviews of games in exchange for bonus in-game credits.
- Negative reviews from a seller of a competitor's product.
- Positive reviews from an artist on a peer's album in exchange for receiving a positive review from them.
No self-promotion or advertising
You can’t include promotional content, links to websites, or ads in your reviews. The review should focus solely on the product and your experience with it.
Only do a single review per product
You’re only allowed to post one review per product, which means you can't submit multiple reviews of the same product from different accounts or in different formats (such as posting on Amazon and also leaving a comment).
How to Make Money Reviewing Amazon Products
Whether you’re just starting or you're already an Amazon enthusiast, becoming a paid reviewer can be both fun and lucrative. It may not be just leaving a few comments here and there, but if done right, it can become a steady stream of income online.
Here are the best ways to make money reviewing products on Amazon:
Make shoppable videos
Shoppable videos are probably the first place you’ll want to start, assuming you don’t have a blog. These videos are short, product-focused clips that can be posted on the storefront of Amazon Influencer members and usually appear directly on Amazon product pages. When customers watch your videos, you earn commissions.
These videos are particularly popular in categories like tech, beauty, fashion, and home goods, where seeing a product in action—whether it’s a makeup tutorial, a tech unboxing, or a straight-up review—can significantly impact a buying decision. The best part about making these types of videos is that they don’t even have to be Amazon-exclusive content. You can reuse videos you’ve already made for other platforms, as long as they’re short and meet Amazon’s guidelines.
Some benefits of reviewing products on Amazon by making shoppable videos are:
- Increased engagement: Millions of customers on Amazon use videos as the main source when looking for products. If you’re part of the Amazon Influencer or Associates program, this feature can add to your credibility as a reviewer.
- Higher conversion rates: By giving potential buyers a visual demonstration of the product’s features, functionality, and usage, you help build trust and improve conversion rates, consequently increasing your earnings.
- Monetization opportunity: Similar to how Amazon Associates and Influencer links work. When users make a purchase after watching your videos, you earn a commission.
To create shoppable videos, you need to be part of Amazon’s Influencer program. So when it comes to the challenges of producing reviews in this format, what you can encounter are:
- Competition for visibility: With a growing number of creators producing shoppable videos, it can be hard to stand out and get your content seen by Amazon shoppers.
- Strict review process: Despite accepting content posted on other platforms, videos must meet Amazon’s guidelines. They may reject or even delete content if it doesn’t comply with the rules.
- Slow monetization: While videos can lead to commission earnings, you might not see immediate results. If your video doesn’t perform well in terms of engagement or sales, it could take time before you start generating significant income from shoppable videos.
What is social selling the inbound way?
Join the Amazon Associates Program
One of the oldest and most popular ways to monetize your Amazon reviews is by joining the Amazon Associates Program. This is an affiliate marketing program where you earn a commission for every sale made through your unique affiliate link.
This program is best for bloggers, publishers, and content creators with a qualifying website or mobile app. The qualification requirements are relatively simple and you don’t even need to have a massive audience or be a hardcore reviewer—you just need to be someone who knows how to share helpful opinions on products and can create content around them.
Once you sign up for Amazon’s affiliate program, you’ll get a unique link for every product you want to promote. When someone clicks your link and buys that product (or even a different one) within a set time frame, you earn a percentage of the sale. You’ll need a place to share those links, whether that's a blog, YouTube channel, social media page, or even a well-organized email list. Commissions can range from 1% to 10% of the sale price, depending on the product category.
Affiliate marketing only works when people trust your opinion. If you’re just posting generic reviews that don’t really say much, customers may not be interested in your opinions. Your reviews need to add value, pointing out the pros, cons, and overall experience of the product.
For example, let’s say you’re reviewing a new coffee maker. Instead of saying, “This is the best coffee maker I’ve ever used,” you should dive deeper. Talk about how easy it was to set up, how the coffee tastes compared to other machines, and whether it fits nicely on a small countertop. Add in a few high-quality photos or even a quick video demonstration, and you’ll instantly increase the value of your review.
As a reviewer, you can technically create content around anything as long as it can be found on Amazon. But if you want to be strategic about being an Amazon affiliate reviewer, try to focus on products belonging to broader niches that are in greater demand and can give you higher commissions, like electronics or luxury items.
Some advantages of Amazon Associates are:
- Wide product selection: Since Amazon offers millions of products, affiliates can choose items that align with their audience's interests, making it easy to integrate affiliate marketing into various niches like tech, fashion, or home goods.
- Trust and credibility: Amazon’s global reputation and seamless shopping experience make it easier for affiliates to convert clicks into sales, as customers are already familiar with and trust the platform.
- Passive income potential: Once you’ve embedded affiliate links into your content, they continue to generate commissions as long as people click and purchase, offering passive income opportunities over time.
Despite the benefits, there are still some negatives to making money reviewing Amazon products with Amazon Associates, such as:
- Low commission rates: While Amazon offers a vast selection of products, its commission rates are lower than many other affiliate programs. Affiliates may need to drive significant traffic to earn substantial income.
- 24-hour cookie window: Unlike some affiliate programs that offer a 30-day cookie window, Amazon’s referral window is limited to 24 hours, meaning the customer must complete the purchase within that time for you to earn a commission.
Join the Amazon Influencer Program
The other best way to monetize reviews on Amazon, the Amazon Influencer Program, allows social media influencers to create a personalized storefront to showcase their favorite Amazon products. When your followers visit your storefront and purchase items, you earn commissions just like with the Amazon Associates Program.
This program differs from Amazon Associates because it’s built to leverage your influence on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok. Instead of just placing affiliate links in your content, you get a custom Amazon page—your storefront—that curates all the products you’re promoting. This not only makes it easier for your followers to shop but also gives you a more professional-looking platform to show off products.
Joining the Amazon Influencer Program is fairly simple, but does come with certain requirements. Unlike Amazon Associates where anyone can join, the Influencer program has a vetting process. To be accepted, Amazon evaluates your follower count, but more importantly, they’ll assess how engaged your audience is. Quality is more important than quantity here—there are numerous accounts of reviewers getting accepted with only a few hundred followers. Even if you’re not accepted on the first try, you can apply again with no problem.
Once you’re accepted, you'll set up your personalized storefront. You can add various categories and create lists that showcase the products you’re reviewing and recommending. The key to success with the Amazon Influencer Program is continuous reviews showcasing the products in action, whether it’s through Instagram Stories, TikTok videos, or vlogs.
Just like the Amazon Associates Program, you earn a commission whenever someone purchases a product through your affiliate link or storefront. Commissions are based on the product category and can vary.
Some advantages of reviewing products as an Amazon Influencer are:
- Custom storefront: With a custom storefront, influencers can curate their own product recommendations in one place, enhancing the shopping experience for their followers. It’s especially useful for influencers who promote a wide range of products and want a centralized hub.
- Trust factor: Since followers already trust the influencer's recommendations, they’re more likely to visit their storefront and make purchases, increasing the influencer's earning potential.
- Versatility in promotion: Influencers can promote their storefronts across multiple platforms, from YouTube reviews and Instagram Stories to TikTok videos and Facebook posts.
And despite the benefits, to make money reviewing Amazon products with the Amazon Influencer Program you will face some challenges, such as:
- Approval process: Not everyone is accepted into the Amazon Influencer Program. Amazon typically looks for a decent following and strong engagement, meaning smaller creators may find it difficult to get approved.
- Low commission rates: Like the Associates Program, the Amazon Influencer Program offers relatively low commission rates compared to other affiliate programs, so it may take a large amount of traffic and conversions to generate significant income.
- Time-limited cookie window: The 24-hour referral window still applies, meaning followers need to purchase within 24 hours of clicking your link for you to earn a commission.
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How to Make Money Reviewing Amazon Products FAQs
The frequently asked question about making money reviewing Amazon products.
Do I need to buy products to review them?
Not necessarily. In programs like Amazon Associates and Amazon Influencer, you can review any product, even those you have at home. You just need to make sure the review is engaging and provides relevant information about the product. However, you may need to buy new products if you want to leverage trends and reach niches like electronics and fashion.
Why Should You Trust Us
An expert in product reviews, content creation, and ecommerce, Joe Niehaus has a wealth of experience overseeing affiliate programs for numerous ecommerce brands. Currently contributing his skills at Whop, his work has also been highlighted in top-tier outlets such as Business Insider, Travel + Leisure, and GQ.
