How to Become an Amazon Affiliate: Step by Step for Bloggers
To become an Amazon affiliate, you build a site you own with at least 10 original, recent posts, sign up for Amazon Associates in the Amazon store your readers use, add tagged links and the required disclosure, then make three qualifying sales within 180 days so Amazon reviews and approves your application. That is how to become an Amazon affiliate in one sentence; the details below decide whether you get approved or rejected.
Every requirement on this page comes from Amazon's own Associates help pages and agreement. Rates, numbers and rules quoted on other blogs go out of date, so the links here point to the source.
How to become an Amazon affiliate: what you need first
Before you sign up, your site needs to meet Amazon's content and ownership bar, because Amazon reviews the site you list and will not reassess a rejected application.
Amazon's application review page lists what it checks for websites. Use this as a pre-flight checklist.
| Check before you apply | Amazon's requirement | Ready when |
|---|---|---|
| You own the site | "You must own your website" | The domain and site are in your name |
| Enough content | At least 10 posts as "a good rule of thumb" | 10 or more useful, complete articles are live |
| Recent content | Generally within the last 60 days | You have published in the last two months |
| Original content | Original content, even with advertising removed | Nothing is copied or spun from other sites |
| Publicly available | Not a closed group, not behind a paywall | Any visitor can read your articles |
| No trademark misuse | No unapproved use of Amazon trademarks or customer reviews | No Amazon logos or copied reviews on your pages |
| Some real traffic | Three qualifying sales within 180 days of applying | Your pages already get regular visits |
The last row is not in the content rules, but it decides everything. Amazon only reviews your application after three qualifying sales, so a site with no visitors cannot pass, however good its articles are.
If you have not built the site yet, start there. Choosing a platform you can maintain on your own is covered in choosing a no-code platform for a blog, and putting it on your own domain in connecting a custom domain.
Step by step: how to become an Amazon affiliate
Follow these steps in order; the timing of step 4 matters more than any other.
Pick a niche you know. Amazon wants a site that gives readers insight they cannot easily get elsewhere. That is far easier in a subject you already understand. The full approach is in starting a niche blog with a job.
Publish at least 10 useful posts. Answer specific questions your readers search for. Amazon's rule of thumb is 10 posts; more is safer. A free method for finding those questions is in keyword research without paid tools.
Add a disclosure line. Amazon's Operating Agreement requires the statement "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases" on your site. Add it before you place any links.
Wait for steady visits, then sign up. The 180-day window starts when you apply. Signing up once your posts already get visits gives you the whole window to reach three sales.
Sign up in the right Amazon store. Use the Associates programme for the Amazon store your readers buy from (more on this below). List the exact site URL you will use, and keep that site list up to date.
Complete the tax interview. Amazon's tax interview page says it must be completed and validated before you can receive commission payments. Non-US associates who do not provide a completed W-8BEN with a valid treaty claim can have up to 30% withheld from US commissions.
Add tagged links to pages that already get traffic. Create links with your Associates tag in Associates Central. Amazon has rejected accounts for not using tagged links on the declared site, so plain Amazon links do not help you.
Keep publishing until the review. Amazon looks for recent content, and new posts bring the visits that lead to your three qualifying sales.
What happens after you apply to Amazon Associates?
Nothing is reviewed until you have three qualifying sales; after that, Amazon says it decides within a day or two.
According to Amazon's account dormancy page, once you have referred three qualifying sales, Amazon evaluates your application within a day or two and replies with its decision. If there are not enough qualifying sales in the 180 days after you applied, the application can be withdrawn.
Two details matter here. Personal orders do not qualify, so buying through your own links does not move you closer. And Amazon is unable to reinstate an account or Associates ID once it has been rejected, though it says you are welcome to reapply once your site is established. If you reapply, update the Amazon links on your site to carry the tag from the new application.
Expect the wait for three sales to depend almost entirely on traffic. A site with only a few hundred visits a month can take a while to reach three qualifying sales, which is why applying once your pages already get regular visits matters. The timeline is covered in how long a niche site takes to make money.
Which Amazon store's programme should you join?
Join the programme for the Amazon store your readers actually shop in, because each store runs its own Associates programme.
Amazon's page on international affiliate programs lists separate sign-up addresses for stores across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia and Australia, including Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.ca and Amazon.com.au. A link to Amazon.com earns under the Amazon.com programme; a reader who buys on Amazon.co.uk needs a link from the UK programme.
For most English-language niche blogs, check where your visitors come from in your analytics before choosing. If most readers are in the US, start with Amazon.com. If your audience is split, start with the largest market and add others later, since each programme has its own application and rules.
Mistakes that get Amazon affiliate applications rejected
Rejections almost always trace back to applying too early or breaking a rule Amazon states plainly.
Applying with a thin site. Fewer than 10 posts, or pages that are mostly links, fails Amazon's content check. Amazon will not reassess a rejected application, so this is an expensive mistake.
Letting the site go stale. Amazon wants content that is generally within the last 60 days. A site that stopped publishing three months ago looks abandoned during review.
Using untagged links. Links without your Associates tag do not count and are a named reason for rejection.
Counting on personal orders. Your own purchases do not qualify for the three-sale requirement.
Copying product descriptions or reviews. Amazon's review looks for original content and flags unapproved use of Amazon customer reviews. Write your own assessment of each product.
Inventing experience to sound credible. On AI-assisted blogs this is a real risk. Amazon's policies forbid misleading product claims, and invented "I tested this" stories are exactly that.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I become an Amazon affiliate with no website?
Amazon Associates also accepts certain social media pages, apps and Alexa skills. For social networks, Amazon lists Facebook pages and open groups, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok and Twitch, and says the page must be established with a substantive number of organic followers, in most cases at least 500. For a niche blog, building the website first is usually the better path.
How long does it take to get approved as an Amazon affiliate?
Approval depends on sales, not a fixed waiting period. Amazon reviews your application only after you refer three qualifying sales, and says it then evaluates within a day or two. You have 180 days from applying to reach those three sales, or the application can be withdrawn. How long that takes depends on your traffic.
How many posts do I need to become an Amazon affiliate?
Amazon gives at least 10 posts as a good rule of thumb for websites. The posts should be original, publicly available, and recent, generally within the last 60 days. Ten is a minimum, not a target: more useful articles mean more chances of visits, which you need to reach three qualifying sales within 180 days.
Can I reapply to Amazon Associates after being rejected?
Amazon says it cannot reinstate an account or Associates ID once rejected, and cannot reassess a rejected application. It also says you are welcome to reapply once your site is established. If you reapply, replace the Amazon links on your site with tagged links from the new application, and fix whatever caused the first rejection before you do.
Do I need to pay to become an Amazon affiliate?
Amazon's sign-up and help pages do not list any joining fee for the Associates Program. Your real costs are running the site itself: domain, hosting and any tools you use. One fee does exist: if you choose payment by cheque in the US, Amazon deducts a $15 processing fee per cheque, so direct deposit is the better choice.
Do I need to pay tax on Amazon affiliate income?
Amazon requires a completed tax interview before it pays commissions, and validates the information against IRS records. Non-US associates can have up to 30% withheld from US commissions unless they provide a W-8BEN with a valid treaty claim. Whether you owe tax depends on where you live, so check with a tax adviser.
Get the site right, then the application
Knowing how to become an Amazon affiliate is mostly knowing the order: build a site you own, publish 10 or more original posts, add the disclosure, wait for regular visits, then apply in the right Amazon store, finish the tax interview and use tagged links. Do it in that order and the three-sales review becomes a formality rather than a race against the 180-day clock.
If publishing those first posts is what stalls you, Agent Solo researches, writes and publishes to your blog on a schedule, in your voice, and will not publish invented first-hand claims. Join the Agent Solo early access list.