YouTube now lets US creators tag Amazon products and earn commissions

YouTube announced on Thursday that eligible creators in the United States can now tag Amazon products within their shorts, long-form videos, and livestreams, earning a share of resulting sales. The move turns product mentions into a more direct income stream for creators, while giving Amazon a presence inside one of the world's most-used video platforms.

YouTube already operated a Shopping affiliate program with various retailers, but adding Amazon's extensive catalog lets creators recommend a much wider range of products through a built-in, native tool. Previously, creators had to paste Amazon Associates links into video descriptions and hope viewers would copy them to complete a purchase. Now, Amazon supplies YouTube with a curated selection of popular and trending items that creators can tag directly. If a desired product isn't available, creators can request it be added by contacting YouTube Support.

The rollout also includes an auto-tagging option: when enabled, YouTube's systems automatically scan a creator's recent uploads to identify and tag eligible Amazon products. Creators won't get a breakdown of earnings by individual product or video, but they can view their total daily earnings in YouTube Studio. If a viewer later returns a purchased item, the corresponding commission is deducted from the creator's balance.

While only eligible U.S.-based creators can currently apply Amazon tags, those tags remain visible to viewers worldwide. YouTube says it may automatically pair a tagged product with a trusted local merchant so creators can still earn commissions on international purchases. Where no local merchant option exists, viewers are directed to the Amazon U.S. site, and a completed purchase there still generates a commission.

To qualify, creators must be enrolled in both YouTube's Partner Program and its Shopping Affiliate Program, and must hold an active Amazon Influencer or Associates account linked to their YouTube channel.