The Amazon Influencer Program lets creators post shoppable videos on product pages and earn a commission when someone buys. I got in during my first month as a creator, applying with an Instagram account that had zero followers, and was approved right away. A week of filming gave me 50+ videos on my storefront, and they earn about $3 a month. For a new UGC creator it's a free portfolio exercise and a line on the media kit, not an income channel. No brand has asked me for Amazon-listing videos so far.
The Amazon Influencer Program comes up in almost every “UGC side income” thread, usually with a screenshot of someone’s $2,000 month. Here’s mine, which is less exciting: I got in during my first month as a creator with zero followers, I filmed 50-something videos in about a week, and they make roughly three dollars a month. I still think it was worth doing, for reasons that have nothing to do with the three dollars.
What the Amazon Influencer Program actually is
Amazon lets approved creators have a storefront page and post short shoppable videos on product listings (the “videos” shelf under a product). When a shopper watches your video and buys, you get a commission. That’s the whole model: no brand, no brief, no fee per video. You pick products you own, film them, upload, and wait.
It’s often lumped in with UGC because the videos look like UGC: 30 seconds, product in hand, phone camera. The difference is who pays. In UGC, a brand pays you for the video. On Amazon, nobody pays you unless the video sells.
Amazon Influencer Program requirements: how I got approved with zero followers
I applied in my first month of UGC, before my first paid video, using my Instagram account, which at that point had essentially no followers. I was approved right away.
I’m not sure why. Amazon doesn’t publish its criteria, and I know creators with real audiences who got rejected. My guess is that a new, active account with product-style content on it looked like exactly the kind of creator they want posting videos. If you’re going to apply, do it after you’ve posted a few spec videos, not before. What those first videos were.
What a week of filming produced
I treated it like a sprint: a week of filming products I already owned, in the same formats I use for brands (unboxing, quick demo, texture, “how I use it”). The result is 50+ videos on my storefront.
What that earns, honestly: about $3 a month. Some months a bit more, some months a bit less. Over a year that’s less than one paid UGC video, for a week’s work.
Why so little? Three reasons, as far as I can tell:
- The products I own are not the products people buy a hundred times a day. The creators making real money here film high-volume, low-consideration items, many of them, constantly.
- The video is one of several on each listing, and Amazon decides which one shows first.
- No audience. A storefront only gets traffic from product pages unless you send people to it, and sending my Instagram to an Amazon page is not what my account is for.
Why I’d still do it (as a new UGC creator)
- It’s the best filming practice I found in month one. Fifty products, fifty 30-second videos, with a real “will this make someone buy?” constraint. My script template got shorter and better that week.
- It’s a credential. “Amazon Influencer” sits fine on a media kit and in a platform profile. Brands know what it means.
- It’s free portfolio material. A few of those videos went into my early spec reel.
- It’s passive, eventually. Three dollars isn’t money, but it’s three dollars I’m not doing anything for.
Why I wouldn’t lead with it
If you have one free week, spend it on six spec videos, a portfolio page and your first twenty pitches (the 30-day plan). That week turned into my first paid deals. The Amazon week turned into three dollars a month. Do Amazon on a quiet weekend after the pitching machine is running, not instead of it.
Do brands pay for Amazon videos?
Yes, as a category: some brands hire creators to film videos specifically for their Amazon listings, usually at ordinary UGC rates with organic usage. In four months no brand has asked me for one, so I can’t give you my own price. If one asks you, quote it like any other UGC video (the formula) and make sure the usage line says where it runs.
Amazon vs the platforms that actually paid me
| Amazon Influencer Program | Creator platforms (Insense, Cohley, Aspire) | |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays | Commission on sales | The brand, per job |
| My first four months | 50+ videos, ~$3 a month | Seven paid jobs, $150–$600 each |
| Time to money | Weeks to months, tiny | 2–4 weeks from profile to first payout |
| Needs | Your own products, approval | A portfolio, applications, replying fast |
| Good for | Practice, a credential | Actual income |
What each platform paid me and how I get picked.
How to apply: the Amazon Influencer application, step by step
- Post six product-style videos on your Instagram first, so the account looks like a creator’s.
- Apply through the Amazon Influencer page with that account.
- If approved, film what you already own, in batches, same light, same spot. Thirty seconds each, product in the first three.
- Put the storefront link on your media kit, not in your pitches.
- Check the earnings once a month and don’t let them change what you spend your week on.
My storefront is public, if you want to see what fifty of those videos look like. And if you’re at the “what do I film first” stage, the six-video plan and my 25 hooks are in the free starter pack at the bottom of this page.
Frequently asked
Can a UGC creator join the Amazon Influencer Program with no followers?
I did. I applied with an Instagram account that had zero followers at the time and was approved immediately. Amazon's criteria aren't published, and other creators report rejections, so treat it as 'apply and see', not a guarantee.
How much do Amazon Influencer videos make?
Mine make about $3 a month from 50+ videos, posted after roughly a week of filming. Creators with hundreds of videos on high-volume products report much more, but for a new UGC creator it's pocket change, not income.
Is the Amazon Influencer Program worth it for UGC creators?
As practice and as a credential, yes: it forces you to film 30-second product videos quickly, and 'Amazon Influencer' on a media kit reads well. As a way to pay rent, no. I'd spend the week on spec videos and pitching first, then do Amazon on a quiet weekend.
Do brands pay UGC creators for Amazon product videos?
Some brands hire creators to make videos for their Amazon listings, usually at normal UGC rates. In my four months no brand has asked me for one, so I can't give you my own number; price it like any other UGC video with organic usage.
What are the Amazon Influencer Program requirements?
An Amazon account plus an active Instagram, TikTok, Facebook or YouTube account. Amazon does not publish a follower minimum; I applied with an Instagram account that had zero followers and was approved right away, so the type of content seems to matter more than the size of the audience.
How much does the Amazon Influencer Program pay?
A commission on what people buy after watching your videos, a few percent of each sale. My 50-plus storefront videos earn about $3 a month, so treat it as a side experiment, not as income.
I post the actual collabs, behind-the-scenes and what brands reply on Instagram.
Anastasiia, NYC beauty UGC creator since spring 2026, with a stylist background. I make product videos for beauty, wellness, fashion, home and tech brands, and I write about how the business side actually works.
More about me →