Start by choosing your role
A creator or publisher earns a commission for qualifying customer actions attributed to their content. A brand funds commissions and gives partners products, information, and a reason to participate. A program manager helps the brand coordinate the work and reporting.
These are different businesses. A creator needs useful original content and access to the right audience. A brand needs a product that is ready to buy and economics that can support partner costs. A service provider needs a clear delivery process and a scope it can reliably fulfill.
I want to earn as an affiliate
Begin with one buyer question, evidence you can provide, and a suitable program. Confirm approval before publishing tracked recommendations.
Explore creator setup →I want affiliates to promote my products
Choose products, calculate an affordable commission, prepare a clear brief, and invite relevant creators.
Explore the brand pilot →What the platforms actually do
| Option | Useful role | Check before committing |
|---|---|---|
| Levanta | Connects brands and creators across marketplaces and direct-to-consumer stores; supports affiliate and paid-content arrangements. | Creator eligibility, brand pricing, channel permissions, and the exact offer. Levanta says its Amazon commission does not stack with the standard Amazon affiliate rate. |
| Archer | Connects affiliates with Amazon sellers and provides product tracking links. | Use the Archer-issued link. Ordinary Amazon Associates links alone do not earn Archer commissions. |
| Amazon Creator Connections | Lets eligible brands run creator campaigns with a budget, products, and a commission rate. | Brand Registry and account eligibility; creator program participation and Creator Stars requirements. Confirm access in the relevant account. |
| Managed service | Research, setup, outreach, sample coordination, and reporting using the chosen platform. | The work included, who approves spend, who owns accounts, and which costs sit outside the service fee. |
Platform information checked November 7, 2026. These are informational links, not tracked referral links. Check current terms before applying or spending. Independent guidance; no platform endorsement is implied.
A 30-day brand pilot that can teach you something
- Choose up to five products. Favor ready inventory, clear listings, supportable claims, and room in the margin. Record the baseline before changing the program.
- Define the creator’s opportunity. Explain audience fit, commissions, sample availability, content expectations, and any rights you want to license. Agree paid-content deliverables separately.
- Research for relevance. Review actual content, engagement quality, audience fit, and previous product coverage. A follower count alone is not enough.
- Invite and support. Personalize the message, use permitted contact channels, respect opt-outs, and keep sample approvals visible. Sending a product does not guarantee publication.
- Review the evidence. Record contacts, responses, accepted partnerships, content, clicks, attributed orders, commissions, and costs. Allow for the platform’s reporting delays and reversals.
Check the economics before choosing the commission
The following numbers are a fictional planning exercise, not platform pricing or a client result.
If fixed service, software, and sample costs total $2,000 in this example, it would take 160 such orders to cover them: $2,000 ÷ $12.50. Add any other variable fees before calculating. This is a cost scenario, not a sales target we predict you will reach.
Attributed sales are not automatically incremental sales. A platform report shows credited activity under its rules; understanding what would have happened without the program may require a separate experiment. Do not assume a referral credit offsets all commission costs.
A creator’s first experiment can be smaller
Choose one product you can explain honestly and one useful format: a demonstration, a comparison, or an answer to a buying question. Verify your approval, intended channel, disclosure, and tracking link. Then publish to an audience you can actually reach and record the outcome.
AI can organize your product notes, draft alternatives, and summarize reports. It cannot supply first-hand experience you do not have. Clearly distinguish your own testing from manufacturer information. Read current platform content rules before using synthetic imagery or AI presenters.
Make the commercial relationship clear beside the recommendation. The FTC’s guidance covers paid relationships and free or discounted products, and explains why a disclosure buried on an About page is insufficient. Read the FTC disclosure guide.
Use the first month to make a decision
Continue when relevant creators engage and the available economics support further testing. Adjust if the offer or audience fit needs work. Pause if the margin cannot fund the program, approvals are missing, or you cannot support the claims. Low-volume early data should be recorded without pretending it proves success or failure.
Put your own opportunity on one page.
The free pilot brief covers your audience or products, approvals, budget, baseline, and review decision. No email is required to download it.
Official references
- Levanta creator FAQ and commission rules
- Levanta creator approval criteria
- Levanta agency program
- Archer affiliate process and tracking
- Amazon Creator Connections eligibility and reporting
- FTC disclosure guidance
Related: compare offers using approved earnings · audit your affiliate links · review your results.