Blogging 301 ~ Lesson #2: Monetizing a Blog with Amazon Affiliate Program

I live in a state where I cannot use the Amazon affiliate program so I have asked FrugalMom, my blogging buddy, to guest teach and share her knowledge with students here at Simply Blogging University.

Amazon.com is one of my favorite online websites to shop at, so when I realized that there was a way for me
to incorporate Amazon.com into my blog earnings I was all for it. If you have a blogger blog, becoming an Amazon.com associate is extremely easy, and Amazon Associates - the amazon affiliate program is one of the most user friendly programs available to bloggers.

How To Become An Amazon Associate - The Amazon Affiliate Program

• Go to your monetize tab in blogger
• Click on the Amazon Associates tab
• Follow the steps to set up an Amazon Associates account 

Voila, there you have it you are now an Amazon Associate, and  you can start earning money from Amazon.com. Whenever you are writing about a product, which is available at Amazon, you can search for it in your Amazon Associates product finder (on the right-hand side of the area in which  you type up your blog post).

How To Use The Amazon Product Finder

1) highlight the product name in the text and click link, once you have found the product in the Amazon Associates product finder.
2) Click on the LINK tab, and it will paste a link with name into your blog post.
3) Add the image of the product by clicking the image tab in your Amazon Associates prodcut finder. or
4) Go through to Amazon.com while you are signed into your Amazon Associates account, and you will find the below link bar.

At the Amazon Associates link bar you can:

1) Create link to any page that you feel your readers would like to know about.
2) You can tailor the link to say anything you want it to.
3) Send a tweet about a product
4) Create a widget for your sidebar
5) Find Amazon banner ads

How to earn money as an Amazon Associate:

• When writing product or book reviews, link to the Amazon page, and use images from Amazon.com (use your Amazon Associates product finder)
• Share great bargains and sales with your readers, and create a link (on your Amazon Associates Bar) that will take your readers to the Amazon page.

Writing a blog post, and linking to Amazon.com (Product Finder to the right)

To show you an example of how I have integrated links to Amazon.com, in a post that was relevant to my personal blog Frugality Is Free, check out my Free Diapers at Amazon post.

Important: You are not allowed to make a purchase through your own Amazon account.

Amazon's policy: "You may not purchase products during sessions initiated through your own Associates links and will not receive referral fees for such orders. This includes orders for customers, orders on behalf of customers, and orders for products to be used by you, your friends, your relatives, or your associates in any manner."

How Do I Get Paid As An Amazon Associate

(You cannot get paid unless Amazon has your tax information on file)

1. You can get paid via gift certificates (you will receive an email with an Amazon gift code) (Minimum payment $10 - no processing fee)
2. You can request direct deposit (Minimum payment $10 - no processing fee)
3. You can request a check (Minimum payment $100, and a $15 processing fee will be charged)

Now, if you are anything like me, you both like to earn and spend money at Amazon.com. I have not spent any out-of-pocket money on amazon.com for years, although I have purchased the majority of my online purchases at the website.

I participate in several programs, where I can choose to be paid in amazon gift cards. These include:

• Swagbucks
• Gather.com
• Epoll
• MyPoints

FrugalMom has several blogs where she shares information about her frugal lifestyle, saving money while shopping at Aldi, printable grocery coupons and children's book reviews.