YouTube Affiliate Marketing: How It Works and How to Start in 2026
YouTube affiliate marketing means recommending a product in a video, putting a tracked link in the description, and earning a commission when a viewer buys through that link. You don't need to be in the YouTube Partner Program to do it, so it's one of the few ways to earn from a channel with a few hundred subscribers. The catch is that commissions are small on most physical products, and you have to disclose the relationship in the video itself, not only in the description.
How YouTube affiliate marketing works
The basic loop is simple:
- You join an affiliate program and get a personal link for a product.
- You make a video where that product is useful to the viewer: a review, a tutorial, a comparison, or a "what I use" video.
- You put the link near the top of the description (and in a pinned comment if you like).
- The seller tracks clicks on your link. If a viewer buys within the program's tracking window, you earn a commission.
Each program sets its own rate and tracking window (how long after the click a purchase still counts as yours).
YouTube allows this. Its external links policy says affiliate content doesn't break its Terms of Use, but posting affiliate content excessively from accounts set up only for that can count as spam. A channel that exists only to push links is the thing to avoid. A channel that helps people and links the tools it talks about is fine.
Which affiliate programs to use
Amazon Associates
This is where most people start, because almost anything you mention is sold on Amazon. The rates are low. Amazon's standard commission rates (US, as listed today) include:
| Category | Commission |
|---|---|
| Luxury Beauty | 10% |
| Physical books, Kitchen, Automotive | 4.5% |
| Apparel, Shoes, Jewelry, Watches | 4% |
| Toys, Furniture, Home, Beauty, Tools, Sports | 3% |
| PC and PC components | 2.5% |
| Televisions, digital video games | 2% |
| Grocery, Health & Personal Care, video game consoles | 1% |
| All other categories | 4% |
So a $50 kitchen gadget earns you about $2.25. You need a lot of buyers for that to add up.
There is also a deadline for new accounts. Amazon's account dormancy rules say you have 180 days after applying to refer a sale, and Amazon reviews your application once you've referred three qualifying sales. If you don't get enough sales in 180 days, the application can be withdrawn. Don't sign up on day one of a brand-new channel. Wait until your videos get steady views.
Amazon also requires a set line on your site or other approved location: "As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases" (from section 5 of the Associates Operating Agreement).
YouTube Shopping affiliate program
YouTube runs its own program where you tag products from participating brands in your videos, and viewers buy on the retailer's site. Per YouTube's Shopping affiliate program page, you need to:
- be in the YouTube Partner Program and meet its subscriber threshold,
- be based in one of the listed countries (the US is one of them),
- not be a music channel or Official Artist Channel,
- not have your channel set as Made for Kids, or have a large number of videos set that way.
Brands set their own commission rates and attribution windows for each product. YouTube pays commissions through AdSense for YouTube 60 to 120 days after the purchase, and returns reverse the commission. Since full Partner Program entry needs 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days (YouTube Partner Program overview), this is a later-stage option. We cover that path in how to get monetized on YouTube.
Software and digital product programs
Many software companies, course creators, and online tools run their own affiliate programs, often with recurring commissions on subscriptions. Rates vary a lot and change often, so check each program's own terms page before you build videos around it.
If you'd rather sell your own thing instead of someone else's, see how to sell digital products.
The disclosure rules
This is the part people get wrong. In the US, the FTC treats an affiliate commission as a "material connection" that you must disclose.
From the FTC's Endorsement Guides FAQ:
- For a video, disclose in the video itself and also in the description near the links. A description-only disclosure isn't enough, because viewers can miss it.
- The words "affiliate link" on their own may not be clear, because people might not understand you get paid. A plain sentence works better, such as "I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post." A "paid link" label right next to the link is also acceptable.
- Responsibility sits with you and the brand, not the platform. Add your own disclosure even when a platform offers a built-in label.
The FTC's guide for influencers adds that disclosures in both audio and on screen are more likely to be noticed, and warns against vague tags like "sp" or "collab".
If you'd rather make videos than read about it, VidPuff turns a title into a faceless video. No waitlist, cancel anytime.
A simple setup that covers it: say "I earn a commission if you buy through the links below" out loud when you first mention the product, show the same line on screen for a few seconds, and repeat it in the description above the links.
YouTube has its own setting too. If a video includes branded content, sponsorships, or endorsements, YouTube's paid product placement page asks you to tick the paid promotion option in the video details, which adds a label at the start of the video. That page notes it isn't legal advice, so the FTC rules still apply.
Video types that work for affiliate links
Affiliate links only earn when the viewer is already thinking about buying something. That favors:
- Reviews and comparisons. "X vs Y for beginners" puts two linkable products in one video.
- Tutorials. Showing how to do something with a specific tool makes the link the obvious next step.
- "Best X for Y" roundups. These are search-driven, so they can keep earning for months.
- Setup and "what I use" videos. Gear, software, or books behind a hobby.
Entertainment and story videos rarely work, because nobody watching is in a buying mood.
Affiliate marketing on a faceless channel
You don't have to be on camera to do this. Screen recordings work for software, and narrated videos with visuals work for book roundups, history topics with recommended reading, or budgeting and finance tools. Faceless channels have one handicap, though: viewers trust a recommendation more when they can see the person using the product. Make up for it by being specific. Say who the product is not for, mention the downsides, and show the actual thing working.
Pick the niche with buying intent in mind. Finance, tech, and education topics have products people pay for, and they also tend to earn more from ads once you're monetized (see our niche RPM data).
If making the videos themselves is the bottleneck, a tool like VidPuff can help with the production side: you type a title, it writes a script, generates narration and a visual for each scene, adds music and captions, and renders a long-form 16:9 video that you review and edit at each stage. The affiliate part (choosing products and writing an accurate recommendation) is still your job.
How much can you earn?
There is no reliable average for YouTube affiliate income, and anyone quoting one without a source is guessing. The math is easy to run yourself, though: views × the share who click × the share of clickers who buy × average order value × commission rate. With a 4% Amazon rate, even a few hundred sales a month earns modest money, which is why many creators mix Amazon with higher-paying software programs.
Affiliate income counts as self-employment income in the US. The IRS self-employment tax page covers when you have to file. For the bigger picture of every income stream on the platform, see how to make money on YouTube.
FAQ
Can you do affiliate marketing on YouTube without being monetized?
Yes. Links in your description from programs like Amazon Associates don't require the YouTube Partner Program. YouTube's own Shopping affiliate program does require YPP, per its eligibility page.
How many subscribers do you need for YouTube affiliate marketing?
None for description links. What matters more is views, especially for Amazon, where you need three qualifying sales to have your application reviewed and 180 days to make a sale (Amazon Associates).
Where should I put affiliate links on YouTube?
In the first few lines of the description, so they show before "more", and optionally in a pinned comment. Put the disclosure right next to them and say it in the video too, as the FTC asks.
Is YouTube affiliate marketing allowed?
Yes. YouTube's external links policy says affiliate content doesn't break its Terms of Use, but excessive affiliate posting from accounts made only for that can be treated as spam.
See how it works →