Ask Jesse Lakes - (The Great Lakes Library of Amazon Associates Strategy)

Amazon Associates rules are not the same as the FTC guidelines. Miss them and you could lose your affiliate revenue. Here’s what creators need to know.

If your Amazon links open in a browser instead of the app, you’re losing conversions. Geniuslink Mobile Deep Linking fixes it.

Amazon has 24 storefronts, but one Geniuslink makes your affiliate links work worldwide. No more lost revenue.

“Link rot” hurts creators. Amazon products go out of stock, leading to 404 error pages and lost revenue. Smart links notify you so you can fix problems quickly and keep your audience happy.

Jesse explains that early-stage creators should prioritize building a community over creating multiple affiliate accounts. Engage, answer questions, and nurture your audience first. Once trust is established, affiliate earnings follow.

No affiliate tag means no commission. Share, check clicks, and wait 24 hours for Amazon’s reporting to update. Here’s the fastest way to know if your affiliate link is actually working.

Don’t miss this detail: 24 hours to cart, 89 days to ship. That’s the Amazon affiliate cookie window, and the key to increasing sales and commissions.

Books remain one of the best affiliate marketing tools. They are highly consumed, easy to recommend, and even free books can trigger Amazon’s cookie, leading to halo commissions from other purchases. Books open the door to long-term affiliate earnings.

Jesse Lakes shares how to organize YouTube links into active vs passive recommendations to maximize clicks without clutter.

Jesse breaks down why Amazon Associates is still the world’s largest and most valuable affiliate program for creators starting out.

Has your Amazon account ever been flagged? Jesse explains why skipping FTC disclosures is the fastest way to lose your Amazon Associates account and your income.

Long links waste characters. When your short links are geni.us links they give you power and flexibility. Which one are you using?

Stop quoting exact Amazon prices. Outdated prices violate trust and can get your account closed. Jesse shares the safer way: list product categories or general ranges.

You don’t need to own every single product you recommend. Borrow it, test it, or research it, just be authentic and honest with your audience. Authenticity builds trust, and trust drives conversions. Without it, results drop fast.

If clicks aren’t translating into commissions, check your conversion rate, avoid self-purchases or sales by friends/family, and account for Amazon’s reporting lag, which updates daily after products ship. Understanding these factors helps optimize affiliate earnings.

Amazon forbids buying through your own affiliate links. You won’t earn commissions on your own purchases or those of friends and colleagues. Amazon only rewards new sales, so don’t risk your account trying to game the system.

Conversion rates vary widely. One or two percent is okay, eight to ten percent is average, and 15 to 20 percent is a strong performance. Track your results, benchmark against past performance, and optimize where you can.

Using Amazon product images in your content? Do not screenshot from the Amazon site because it's not allowed.Grab images from the Amazon API and creating your own images can give you an SEO boost.

Prime Day isn’t over. Amazon’s Prime Big Deals Day is coming up this October, and it’s your chance to skyrocket your affiliate revenue ahead of the holiday season. In this video, we cover everything you need to know to make the most out of this event, from content strategy and preparation to best practices that convert your audience into buyers.

Description links hit desktop. Pinned comment links hit mobile. Do both and watch your revenue climb.

Don't stress about affiliate links if you haven’t built the community yet. Amazon’s affiliate program gives you 180 days to prove you can drive sales or you’re out and without a community, you won't see conversions. Start showing up. Start serving. Build trust first. Relationships before revenue.

How well do you know the difference between the different programs for earning with Amazon.  Jesse Lakes explains the landscape, breaking down the difference between Associates, Influencers, and Attribution.

Jesse breaks down what the Amazon PAAPI actually is and where to find it.Thinking of sharing your PAAPI key? You might be violating Amazon’s terms

Prime Day isn’t just a sale. It’s a season now. Four days. Worldwide traffic. Amazon just doubled your opportunity—Prime Day is July 8–11 Creators: check your links, prep your bestsellers, and block out your calendar Tag a creator who needs a reminder to start prepping now.

Wondering where to drop your Geniuslink? Pretty much anywhere you share a link online or off. Seriously. Email, Social, Website, Even QR codes in books or physical media If people can see it, Geniuslink can work there.

Wondering if you're ready for Geniuslink? Check your metrics: 🌍 International clicks? 📱 Mostly mobile users? 🔗 Few hundred link clicks/month?

Customer Choice = Customer Conversion Giving your audience choices doesn’t confuse them—it converts them. We found that when we offered multiple retailers on a single page, conversions went up across the board. And Amazon conversions didn't go down, they also got more love. Consumers like to choose.

Geniuslink isn't for everyone — and that's okay. If you're not getting 1,000+ clicks a month or you're more of a writer than a marketer, Booklinker might be the better move. Here’s when to use Geniuslink... and when not to.

If you’re generating more than 1,000 clicks for your Amazon Affiliate links every month then it's time to stop leaving money on the table. That level of clicks and beyond demonstrates that you have the kind of tight-knit audience who want to support you.

If you're not linking to the actual product description page, you're leaving money on the table. Amazon has already done the hard work for you, they've done the research into what works and the product description page (PDP) is optimized to convert. Leverage their expertise.

YouTube views from TVs are up and we're seeing more and more clients like @everydayhomerepairs adding QR codes into their videos using @geniuslink It helps viewers take action without typing and searching and it protects creator income because we our QR codes track affiliate IDs just like our geni.us links.