You’ve just turned the last page and you’re dying to write your blog post. Well, before you start, make sure you’re not missing out on a quick way to make money from your latest book review.
I’ve been an Amazon Associate UK since 2014. I’ve used their marketing affiliate scheme within hundreds of posts and pages on history and politics. Here, I share with you the top five ways to use affiliate links within a single book review.
In full disclosure, some of the links are Amazon affiliate links, which means at no cost to you I receive a small commission to put back into the site. I only ever recommend products I believe will be helpful to you and here they’re mostly illustrative (although I loved these books! : )
Firstly, what is the Amazon Associates Affiliate Scheme?
The free scheme lets you put links, thumbnails, widgets and site stripes into your posts and pages. After you’ve registered (which is a simple process) you will be given a site ID and tagged link. This will be embedded into the code of every link you use, so when someone clicks on your link Amazon knows they came from your blog. There’s no hard coding your end either. It’s copy and paste time!
How much can I make?
The commissions have been reducing over the years. Let’s face it Amazon doesn’t need the referrals it once did. But, it’s still well worth doing for very little hassle. You can earn up to 12% commission on referrals but I’ll be upfront and tell you books tend to be closer to 5%.
But, hang on. Don’t dismiss it yet. The added woo-hoo factor with Amazon is that you get a commission from sales even if they don’t buy what your link was about. Here are two ways it can work:
- Someone clicks on your book link > they suddenly remember they’ve run out of ink cartridges> they order them, not the book> you get a commission. Ta-da!
- Someone clicks on your book link> they suddenly remember they’ve run out of ink cartridges but they’re late for the train> they get home and buy them (less than 24hrs later) > you get a commission. Yeah!
Top five ways to use Amazon affiliate links in a single Book Review (and make money)
- Weave a text link with the name of the book in the first paragraph. For example. I’ve just finished Six Tudor Queens: Anne Boleyn, A King’s Obsession and I’m going to tell you why it’s the best of the six wives series.
- Add a thumbnail of the book, like the one below, within the body of the post and use a setting where it shows a price. Often these will show a tempting discount. If someone is enticed to click on the link you may get a sale or an indirect fee if they buy another product or service. (paid link)
- Remind people in your last paragraph again which book you were reviewing and use a text link. And then;
- Weave a text link into your last paragraph, which points people to what you’re reading next. For example, I can’t wait to get started on Alison Weir’s next instalment Six Tudor Queens: Jane Seymour, The Haunted Queen (paid link)
- Add a widget within your post, at the bottom or in your sidebar from ‘Your Picks.’ I use the one called ‘My Favourites.’ I select four related books and write a little genuine message underneath each one. Thing like. “This was a game-changer for me” or “The best trilogy I’ve ever read”
And…
Five Bonus Tips
- Make sure your blog is super-active when you apply and know in a few lines what your site is about and who it is for – you will be asked!
- If you’re on WordPress upload the Linkbuilder WordPress Plugin with geo-targeting. It will create a quick easy search bar of Amazon’s entire site at the top of each page or post.
- Create lots of tracking IDs to monitor how different subjects are working for you. For example, you could have one for ‘Blog-nonfiction’ and another for ‘Blog-historicalfiction’
- Be careful if you’re only just starting out with a handful of hits. Your account will be approved for 180 days (at time of writing – please check this!) during which time you need to have made one sale or your account will be closed.
- Always check how your links and widgets look on your phone – are they too big? Is there a line break or spacing issues? They should be seamless and responsive.
I believe linking through to Amazon during a book review can be a natural, authentic process. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to affiliate marketing but I think it’s an easy place to get your feet wet.
Let me know how you get on.
Good luck and catch-up soon
Elizabeth
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