Anyone operating in the eCommerce space knows the value of influencers. These social media-savvy personalities do exactly what the name implies: influence the public, generally to make purchasing decisions. They have carefully curated presences on sites like Instagram and TikTok, building fan bases and selling themselves essentially as the extension of a brand.
Influencers, when used strategically, can be very beneficial to drive sales—including sales on marketplaces like Amazon. If you’ve ever considered partnering with these valuable personalities, this is how to find influencers on Amazon.
What is an Amazon Influencer?
Amazon influencers are influencers who are especially skilled in driving sales to Amazon. While influencers all have different areas of focus—some may be beauty-forward, while others might be fitness-oriented, for example—they all specialize in motivating their audiences to make purchases. Some work in small niches, while others have millions of followers and are selective about the kinds of products and brands they’re willing to work with.
How influencers approach marketing products and inspiring their base of followers can vary greatly. As such, it’s important to understand the kinds of influencers available, the differences from one personal brand to another, and the ways in which influencers may be best able to put forward your products.
How Does Amazon’s Influencer Program Work?
In general, influencers need incentives to promote products. This can mean payment, opportunities for access to premier experiences, or free products. Luckily, Amazon has an influencer program designed to benefit those who choose to work with Amazon sellers.
Amazon has two different types of programs for creators looking to promote their products:
- Amazon Associates Program: This is the more traditional type of referral program. Interested creators can sign up and get tracking links for which they’ll receive a kickback for converted sales. There is less barrier to entry for promoters to sign up.
- Amazon Influencer Program: Influencers specifically have larger audiences on social media platforms. These creators have the ability to create their own custom Storefront full of favorite products for which they receive commissions on sales generated.
Amazon influencers must first apply to join the program in order to put forward products with affiliate links or links that result in kickbacks when sales are made. Interested influencers can apply on Amazon’s website by providing basic information about followers and engagement on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok accounts. Not all influencers will be approved; Amazon only accepts applications from content creators they feel will best serve the platform and Amazon marketplace sellers.
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How to Find Amazon Influencers
Partnering with an Amazon influencer obviously has big benefits. Not only are you receiving marketing support from sales pros, but you’re also able to expand your base of prospective buyers in a way that’s almost impossible to do organically. Since influencers’ followers tend to already trust taste and product quality, many will buy without significant due diligence or considering the competition.
However, due to their value, Amazon influencers don’t grow on trees. Some influencers may find, use, and like your products without any intervention from you, but most of the time, you’ll need to reach out to influencers and compel them to partner with your brand. These are two avenues to explore when considering how to find creators on Amazon.
1. Amazon
A good place to start your search for Amazon influencers is, of course, on Amazon. This can take some legwork, particularly for more niche products that might not appeal to a wide base of shoppers, but because influencer storefronts are all contained within Amazon, it can be a decent starting spot.
- To look for influencers, click on the navigation drop-down on the top left corner of the Amazon homepage, select See All, and then click on Shop by Interest. This will bring you to a list of #FoundItOnAmazon influencer pages.
- You can then use the Explore option to filter by specific product categories.
- Look for close matches to the kinds of products you have for sale and browse the sorts of influencers who might be good fits for your brand.
- Clicking on a name can bring you to an influencer’s full storefront so you can see what else they’re marketing to their users.
By evaluating a storefront, you can easily see if there are good fits for you and your products.
2. Social Media
If you’re not succeeding in browsing Amazon storefronts, leveraging a social media platform like Instagram or TikTok can also be a good way to look for influencer fits.
Amazon influencers use all kinds of site-specific tags, like #AmazonFinds and #AmazonMustHaves, to advertise their presence as members of the Amazon influencer program. As you scroll through more profiles, you will likely encounter other hashtags that may be common for social media users or more specific to your kinds of products.
This method can be a little less straightforward, especially since there may not be uniformity in how influencers utilize hashtags or put forward content, but it can broaden the pool beyond what Amazon alone can easily showcase.
3. Levanta
Levanta is an affiliate marketing platform for Amazon sellers, featuring a rapidly growing Creator Marketplace. This platform goes beyond just influencers, encompassing a diverse range of highly-vetted publishers and affiliates, allowing brands to implement multiple affiliate strategies and influencer marketing.
One of the key advantages of using Levanta is the ability for sellers to invite and approve the creators they wish to collaborate with. With over 5,000 creators on the platform and a fast-growing user base, sellers can work with various creators, including mommy bloggers, traditional influencers, major publishers like CNN or Wirecutter, and specialized content like listicles.
Like Amazon Associates, Levanta’s model allows sellers to only pay for sales, not clicks, enabling them to negotiate commission rates directly with creators, making it a low-risk, high-reward opportunity. Additionally, because Amazon views traffic driven by Levanta as external, sellers can benefit from improved Organic Search Rank and Best Sellers Rank. Furthermore, sales driven through affiliates on Levanta can qualify for an average 10% kickback from Amazon’s Brand Referral Bonus.
How to Reach Out to Amazon Influencers
Reaching out to Amazon influencers is something best handled carefully and intentionally. Influencers, especially the big names, are used to getting tons of requests, and most of them aren’t worth considering. Therefore, if you want to avoid being ignored in a sea of other offers, you need the right approach. Keep these steps in mind when preparing to contact influencers.
Support on Social
Start by following the influencers you’re considering on social media. This will show interest and support—something not all sellers bother to do. Following alone isn’t usually enough. You need to show an influencer that you’re engaging with them and their brand, not trying to take advantage of their hard work. Like posts, comment on pictures or videos that seem most relevant, and share posts from time to time with your own base of followers.
Think about it this way: would you be more likely to respond to a cold call from a literal stranger or a name you’ve seen or heard before? You want to be a name influencers will recognize, and the only way to do that is to consistently engage.
Reach Out
Once you feel comfortable with the interactions you’ve had with prospective influencers, you can proceed with reaching out. Depending on the person, this can be done via email, website contact form, or DMs. DMs are often the easiest way, particularly since, if successful, your relationship will be centered around socials, but be sure to confirm what each potential influencer prefers before initiating a conversation.
When making contact, follow this formula:
- Start out with a question, comment, or conversation topic that will showcase your knowledge of the influencer and their brand. This might mean commenting on a recent viral post, mentioning a specific product you both love, or even complimenting their style.
- Introduce yourself and your brand by leveraging common ground.
- Explain why you’re reaching out and what you’re trying to accomplish in a succinct, polite way.
Initial contact isn’t the time to hype up your brand or brag about your products. This message is meant to be the start of a conversation, not a pitch. If you’re DMing on social platforms, consider including a voice note to connect your brand with a real person.
Follow Up
Influencers are often busy people. They’re constantly working on creating content and marketing it to their audience—and this can be a lot harder than it sounds. As such, if an influencer doesn’t respond to your message in a timely manner, it might be time to follow up.
Be cognizant of the differences between nudging and getting aggressive. Checking in after a day or two can come on too strong and make you seem demanding. Keep any follow-ups friendly and polite. If your messages are still ignored, don’t feel discouraged. Just because one influencer decided not to partner with you doesn’t mean you’ll never find a fit.
Best Practices
When contacting influencers, keep these tips in mind.
- Be polite and professional with every interaction.
- Pay attention to the details; there’s no worse way to start off than misspelling someone’s name or calling them the wrong name because you copy/paste too quickly.
- Emphasize your interest in a long-term relationship rather than a quick ROI.
- Be as transparent as possible.
- Respect influencers and the time and work it can take to build a platform; don’t treat them like their time is disposable.
- Have content available to make your case, like video tutorials or professional photos, that an influencer can leverage in making posts.
- Be prepared to answer questions about why you reached out to a particular influencer specifically; for example, maybe you love their GRWM videos or find their sense of humor in line with your brand.
- No means no; if an influencer turns down your offer, accept their answer.
- If they say yes, have proposed strategies in mind, including how to get products in their hands, contract terms, and any off-platform compensation.
Be Intentional with Target Influencers
As with many things in life, quality beats quantity. The right influencer, or a small pool of influencers, is far better than as many influencers as you can find.
First, identify all of your top choices, and go one, or no more than a handful, at a time. It’s okay to start interacting with multiple influencers, following them on social media and interacting with posts, but DMing 20 influencers at once will likely result in a sloppy approach, inaccurate targeting, or too many options to consider all at once.
Start with the top of your list and work your way down, utilizing the best practices outlined above. Don’t pad your list out with the wrong influencers simply to up your odds; if no one you’re excited about working with responds, take the time to build out your social media pages, continue to engage, and try again in the future.
How to Identify the Best Influencers on Amazon
There’s no such thing as a universal best influencer fit; what works best will truly depend on your brand. However, the best influencers should be able to:
- Match your values as a brand
- Have overlap with your existing audience
- Showcase your products in a must-have way
- Share your products with an ideal number of followers
- Offer strong opportunities in your desired types of content
- Have significant followings on the platforms that you prefer
- Aren’t also showcasing your competitors’ products
- Have enough time to do right by your brand
- Work with you to find mutually beneficial arrangements
Is it Worth Partnering with Amazon Influencers?
For most Amazon brands, partnering with influencers can be a great way to expand reach and tap into new audiences. The ROI in a long-lasting partnership can be immense, and in a mutually beneficial way.
However, it’s important to target the right influencers. The wrong names could result in a failed partnership that wastes your time and theirs. An influencer relationship is what you make of it, so commit to doing things right from the start. A little trial and error may be necessary, but don’t strike up a deal with someone who can’t meet your needs or help you grow sales.
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Grow with Amazon Influencers
Partnering with an Amazon influencer is a great way to grow, but unless you have a strong footprint on Amazon as a trusted brand, many influencers may not give you a second glance.Prior to attempting to leverage the strengths of influencers, ensure you’re making the most of your Amazon growth strategy. By leveraging a cutting-edge third-party platform, like the powerful AI-driven dashboard from Trellis, you can perfect your Amazon sales strategy and improve your appeal to influencers of all types. Book a demo with us to learn more.
