This blog was updated on March 7, 2024.
In 2023, Amazon launched an influencer marketing program for brands called Creator Connections. Still in closed beta and available to select brands in the U.S., Creator Connections makes it easy for brands to partner with popular social media influencers. The program is the latest step in Amazon’s focus on the growing popularity of influencer marketing. This article explores how the Creator Connections program works, its benefits to brand owners, and how to access the program in Seller Central.
What is the Amazon Creator Connections Program?
The Creator Connections Program matches brands with influencers for social media campaigns that drive traffic to Amazon product listings. To get started, brands fill out a form to specify the types of influencers they want to target. For example, if you promote running shoes, you can choose influencers that create content related to Sports & Fitness and Shoes. Once your campaign request is set up, Amazon will match your brand with relevant influencers who can either accept or deny your request. Influencers will receive a commission on every product sold via content they produce. The default commission for this program is 5%, although you can increase this threshold to motivate influencers to create more content promoting your products.
How to Access the Amazon Creator Connections Program in Seller Central
The Creator Connections Program is still in beta and invite-only. To see if your brand has access, open the Amazon Ads console in Seller Central and click the Brand Content icon on the left sidebar. If “Creator connections” appears in the dropdown menu, you can start your first campaign. You can also access the Creator Connections program from your Stores page.
After clicking on “Creator connections,” you will see a new dashboard that enables you to create a request for a new influencer campaign as well as view your current campaigns.
If you have an active influencer campaign request, your dashboard will show a snapshot of its details. These will include high-level data points like the number of influencers who have accepted your request, the number of content posts created, and the start/end dates for the campaign.
Clicking on the request will open new pages showing details of the entire campaign, including the custom message you provided to creators, a list of the creators that have accepted the request, all products associated with the campaign, and more.
How to Create a Request for a New Creator Connections Campaign
If your brand is eligible for the Creator Connections Program, creating a request for your first campaign is easy. After clicking “Create request” from your Creator Connections dashboard, you will see a new screen where you will provide basic information about your campaign. This will include your campaign goals, details about your brand and products involved, if you will be providing samples to influencers (recommended), how many influencers you want to work with, what influencer interests best align with your products and brand, and your commission budget.
Amazon’s Requirements for Creator Connections Influencers
Amazon’s top priority is to delight customers – including brands that sell on its marketplace. To help ensure the Creator Connections Program is valuable, Amazon provides influencers with the following best practices, guidelines, and requirements for creating content that is most likely to drive traffic to product listings:
- The more you promote your content, the greater your chances of commission. Post early and often.
- You know your audience best. Create content that you know will resonate with them, whether that be a try-on video, product tutorial, or an article comparing products.
- Only accept brand campaigns you can commit to, as each campaign has limited space. Once you’ve accepted a campaign, you must submit at least 1 content link for each campaign.
- If you request samples from brands, you’re required to use the sample in all content created for your campaign (such as a photo or video).
- Comply with the Associates Program Operating Agreement.
- Remove any social links and related references to limited-time promotions from your website as soon as that promotion ends. Keeping current on offers builds trust with your audience.
- You must transparently disclose your relationship with us to customers when using Amazon links.
Can the Creator Connections Program Actually Increase Sales?
Like any Amazon program, actual results will vary based on a number of factors. In 2023, Channel Key ran a Creator Connections campaign from May through June for a client in the footwear category, timing the campaign to run in the days leading up to Mother’s Day. We requested all creators to share a promotional code offering 15% off. This resulted in an immediate boost in sales that we can attribute to Creator Connections because the code was not offered or shared anywhere else.
In addition to increased sales, the Creator Connections program can also increase brand loyalty with very minimal cost. Some of the content for our client’s campaigns still appear on the relevant product detail pages, which adds another level of trust to new customers and helps show our client’s products in a more organic setting.
Channel Key Takeaway: Influencer Marketing Made Easy
Influencer marketing has become an increasingly powerful way for brands to reach their target audience. Collaborating with relevant social media influencers can help promote your brand message, build trust with customers, improve audience engagement, and increase conversions. According to eMarketer, U.S. brands will spend $6.16 billion on influencer marketing in 2023, a 23.4% increase from the previous year. With this growth in popularity, it’s no surprise that Amazon has been exploring opportunities to help brands capitalize on this emerging trend. While the Creator Connections Program is still in beta, Channel Key predicts this tool will soon become available to all 3rd party sellers in the U.S.
