Amazon announced a new way to share affiliate links in within social media, in comments and in direct messaging, in addition to sharing in content. It’s called Mobile GetLink, a way to share affiliate links on the go.
Amazon Affiliate Program
An affiliate program is a way to monetize content with a link called an affiliate link. The affiliate link is specially encoded with an “affiliate ID” that identifies that a visitor to Amazon was referred by a specific affiliate publisher (formally called an Amazon Associate) and that any subsequent sales are properly credited to the Amazon Associate publisher.
Traditionally a web publisher (known as an affiliate publisher) would create content and insert affiliate links to Amazon product pages. When a visitor to the publisher clicks an affiliate link and makes a purchase on Amazon, the Amazon Associate will earn a commission.
The new Mobile GetLink program is completely different and represents a new direction in how Amazon affiliates can monetize with affiliate links.
Mobile GetLink is a Different Affiliate Link
Amazon’s new affiliate solution is different from the traditional affiliate program because it is designed to help Amazon affiliates generate an affiliate link on the go.
Under the normal process an affiliate logs into their Amazon Affiliate dashboard and generates affiliate links or downloads banners that contain their affiliate ID then places into their content.
Under the new GetLink solution an affiliate, while logged into the Amazon shopping app with their affiliate login, visits the product page, clicks Share to obtain the link.
Here’s how Amazon explains it:
- “Go to the product page and click Share
- Then click Copy Associates Link
- Get a short URL with your Associates tags built
- The copied link can then be pasted into content, comment, or direct message”
Share Affiliate Links in Comments or Direct Message
That last line says that an affiliate link can be shared in a social media comment or in a direct message, which is a significantly different context to the traditional method where affiliate links are embedded in content (or beneath a YouTube video).
A screenshot of the Mobile GetLink affiliate sharing in action shows a mobile device with Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, Twitch, Gmail and FaceTime.
Screenshot of Showing Where Mobile GetLink Can Be Shared
That’s a lot of different contexts for sharing an Amazon affiliate link.
Mobile GetLink Availability
Amazon.com Mobile GetLink is currently only available in the United States Amazon store. However it will be rolling out to more countries soon.
Mobile GetLink share functionality is only available on iOS mobile devices. It’s not available for Android mobile devices however Amazon plans on rolling out Mobile GetLink to other mobile device platforms within months.
Mobile GetLink is automatically activated within the Amazon.com Shopping app when the affiliate is logged in with their Amazon Affiliate ID credentials.
Some affiliates have multiple Amazon affiliate IDs that are tied to specific websites for the purpose of tracking where sales came from.
Affiliates with multiple affiliate sharing IDs are able to pick and choose which ID to use when sharing.
Amazon.com Keeps Up With the Times
Amazon.com’s change could be said to be reflection of how people today share content.
Social media and messaging apps have become a popular way to share content like videos, news and other information, eclipsing sharing links in blog posts.
This update to the Amazon affiliate program allows affiliates to share affiliate links and earn money within the most popular contexts of how users communicate online.
Citations
Official Announcement
Create and Share Associate Links on the Go
