Get Paid for Amazon Reviews: $2000+ Per Month?

Can you really get paid for Amazon reviews?

The short answer is yes. The longer answer is it depends on your writing skills, social media influence, and even what you consider as “getting paid.”

And that’s the topic of this post.

We all know how easy it is to spend money at Amazon, but let’s explore how you can actually make money with Amazon, too.

The Truth About Getting Paid for Amazon Reviews

Before we get into how to make money from Amazon reviews, you should know that Amazon actually has some pretty strict guidelines to help maintain the trust and integrity of their reviews.

Per the official rules:

“We don’t allow reviews that are created, edited, or removed in exchange for compensation.”

Compensation includes:

• cash
• discounts
• free products
• gift cards
• refunds

If someone or some company offers you money or other perks in exchange for a review, think twice before accepting. Doing so could get your reviews removed or even your account suspended.

But even with those rules in place, there are some perfectly legal ways to get paid for Amazon reviews that won’t threaten your account.

1. Amazon Vine 

Amazon Vine is Amazon’s own invite-only program to help sellers get unbiased reviews on their products.

Because this program is invitation only, unfortunately it’s not as simple as applying or joining whenever you want.

Per Amazon: “Customers who consistently write insightful reviews are most likely to be invited.”

The program doesn’t offer cash in exchange for reviews but it offers free products to reviewers. And Vine Voices can request which products they want to review, which is definitely a great perk to being part of this program.

If this sounds like something you’re interested in, writing high-quality reviews for everything you purchase on Amazon is a great place to start.

2. Amazon Influencer Program

The Amazon Influencer Program is probably the fastest, easiest, and most accessible way to get paid for Amazon reviews.

You create short product review videos, which Amazon then features on the product’s page.

When a potential customer watches your video and makes a purchase, you receive a small commission from Amazon, usually about 2-4% of the sales price.

Amazon Influencers like Tyler Christensen reported making $2,000 and more per month testing and reviewing Amazon products, and I even made over $1000 myself in my first year in the program.

To apply, you’ll need to list one or more of your social media accounts, including:

• YouTube
• Instagram
• Facebook
• TikTok

There aren’t any official requirements about how big a following you need to get accepted. But if you apply and get rejected, you can re-apply at a later date.

Amazon Storefront

If you’re approved to be an Amazon Influencer, you can set up an Amazon storefront to get even more commissions.

With your Storefront, you can set up different product recommendations and lists to recommend to your followers. Each purchase made through your storefront earns you a small commission.

For example, Jackie Mitchell created her Storefront after followers kept asking her about certain products in her videos. She added her favorite gift ideas and home essentials, and now earns hundreds of dollars a month passively.

Your storefront will be linked to your profile as well. If someone clicks on a review or video you created, they will be taken to your Amazon Storefront.

Having a storefront is an added bonus. You may get organic traffic from people just shopping on Amazon.

Amazon Shoppable Videos

As an Amazon Influencer, you also have access to their Live Creator App (iOS | Android).

This app allows you to create videos and live streams where customers can purchase directly from your videos, giving you commission.

This content can be product reviews, buying guides, unboxing videos, or other video content.

3. Become an Amazon Associate

If you don’t want to go the Amazon Influencer route, you’ve still got other options to make money reviewing Amazon products.

Amazon Associates is an affiliate program where you can make commissions on products that you recommend and sell through your specific link. Like the Amazon Influencer Program, you will need to apply.

To stay an active affiliate, you have to make at least 3 sales within 180 days (personal orders don’t count).

Amazon Associates has more specific criteria for applicants, depending on what format you want to use to promote your affiliate links.

Here are some potential strategies.

Create a Product Review Website

For creators wanting to make money with a product review website, here is the criteria you should aim for:

• Original content — Amazon recommends at least 10 posts.
• The website must be public.
• Content must be recent (updated within the last 60 days).
• Own your website

You could actually start a product review website with stuff you already own. Create a blog post reviewing each item and insert your affiliate link throughout the post.

You can use organic marketing like SEO and even post your blogs on Pinterest to drive traffic to your website. With every purchase, you’ll earn a small commission, and those commissions can really add up.

For example, Andrew Fiebert started a site curating creative gift ideas. When we spoke, it had earned $1.2M in its first 5 years.

Want to start a blog of your own? Check out my free 6-part video course on how to start your own site.

Review Amazon Products on YouTube

Amazon allows you to promote their products as an affiliate through social media platforms, as well.

Supported platforms are:

• Facebook (group pages and fan pages, not personal pages)
• Instagram
• Pinterest
• Twitter
• YouTube
• TikTok
• Twitch

Here are the requirements for using social networks as an Amazon Associate:

• Your social network page or group must be established
• Have a substantial number of organic followers/likes (Amazon recommends at least 500)
• It must be public

Every time subscribers or followers purchase using your link, you’ll receive a commission.

For example, Jon Shanahan reported earning $4-5k/mo in affiliate income from his men’s fashion YouTube channel.

YouTube has over 2.7 billion users, meaning 50% of all Internet users visit the site at least once a month. While it may take time to build up an audience, your income can increase as you do.

(You can also earn money from YouTube ads once your account hits certain milestones as well!)

Start a Daily Deals Service

People are always looking for a good deal right? Daily deal sites can be incredibly successful when they feature one niche.

For example, David Paxton turned his love for golf into DailyGolfSteals.com — a website to share the best golf deals every day. By tapping into an audience of golfers on Reddit, he made $2,000 his first month!

If you have a hobby that you’re already knowledgeable on, why not turn that into some cash?

Amazon already has a section on their website for “Today’s Deals”, which you could scour for the best buys in your niche and share affiliate links for them.

4. Amazon Product Videos

There are over 600 million products available for sale on Amazon, and new sellers are popping up every day.

Amazon product videos can be posted by the sellers to showcase their product and its features on the sales page. These aren’t necessarily review videos but more like product demo/explanation videos.

Many Amazon sellers turn to contract gig workers on sites like Fiverr, to help create these videos for them.

5. Sign Up with Product Testing Websites

Outside of Amazon, there are other platforms that offer free products in exchange for reviews.

Each site has its own requirements, but the premise for each is the same: you get sent free products in exchange for a review.

Some companies allow you to pick from a set of product options, while others send random boxes based on personalized questionnaires.

You won’t make big bucks from these websites, but you can score some free products. Some users even report being sent items from luxury brands like Gucci and Givenchy.

Here are just a handful of legit product testing websites:

• • PinchMe
  • Influenster
  • Sampler.io
  • Highlight
  • TopBox Circle

One important note here is you won’t necessarily be reviewing the products directly on Amazon. Instead, you may receive a survey after testing the products. On sites like Influenster, they publish your feedback publicly on their site.

And if you love getting paid for your opinion, here are some of Side Hustle Nation’s favorite survey sites:

6. Freelance Writing

Many websites like Cnet and Wirecutter pay professional product reviewers and writers. This works best as a side hustle when there’s a particular niche or industry you’re involved with.

Maybe it’s photography equipment, home theater products, or hunting gear. Look for the websites operating in that space and offer your services. Typical rates might be anywhere from $50-250+ per review, depending how much time and research is involved.

You can also find freelance writing jobs on sites like Upwork or FlexJobs. 

7. Create Your Own Product

One creative way to get paid for Amazon reviews is to “build a better mousetrap.”

Here’s how it works:

• Look for products that have a bunch of 1-3-star reviews.
• See what buyers are complaining about.
• Work with manufacturers to make a better version.

For Lou Rice, inspiration struck when she dropped her Kindle on her newborn’s head during a late-night breastfeeding session. Disappointed with the available Kindle straps on Amazon, she and her husband created the Strapsicle, a simple, silicone strap for Kindle devices.

When we spoke, it was generating $50k per month in sales!

Profitable ideas don’t have to be complicated, they just need to be useful.

Can You Get Paid to Review Books on Amazon?

This goes back to Amazon’s rules about receiving money or products in exchange for reviews. It’s against their terms of service and it’s possible that the reviews will get removed and/or your account could be banned.

However, if an author was to send you a book for free, and then you wrote a review, that would be permissible as long as the review was unsolicited by the author or publisher.

Getting Paid for Amazon Reviews: The Bottom Line

The idea of getting paid for writing product reviews is intriguing — but not all opportunities are created equal.

Whether you’re enjoying the free products and a little side money, or decide to go all in on becoming an Amazon Influencer, make sure you’re doing it within the confines of its terms of service.

Don’t skirt the rules just to make a quick buck.

Serious About Making Extra Money?

• Start Your Free $500 Challenge. My free 5-day email course shows you how to add $500 to your bottom line.
• Join the free Side Hustle Nation Community. The free Facebook group is the best place to connect with other side hustlers and get your questions answered.
• Download The Side Hustle Show. My free podcast shares how to make extra money with actionable weekly episodes.

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Big thanks to Holly Humbert for helping research and draft this post!