How To Make Money Through The Amazon Influencer Program with Fate Winczuk

Andy Splichal:
Welcome to the Make Each Click Count podcast. This is your host, Andy Spikel, and we are happy to welcome this week's guest to discuss today's topic, which is how to make money through Amazon's influencer program. Today's guest is a digital creator influencer, a United States marine veteran, a full time mother, and make each click count's newest instructor. A big welcome to Fate Winczuk. Hi, Fate.

Fate Winczuk:
Hi. Hi, Andy. Thank you so much for having me.

Andy Splichal:
Hey, thanks for coming on. So, I mean, let's get right into it. Your new course, it shows people how to make money becoming an Amazon influencer. Now, how did you first discover the program and how long have you been an Amazon influencer?

Fate Winczuk:
Oh my goodness. I first discovered it when I wanted to find a way to make money online, like most people are doing right now. And I am on social media, so I kept seeing these ads pop up. Of course, when you talk about something, it just pops up on your social media. Right, right. I've seen these ads pop up about Amazon influenza program and I've been an affiliate for a very long time with different companies, so I automatically assumed it was part of the affiliate program. So that night after I put the kids down, I like jumped on the computer and I did some research. And as soon as I put what is the Amazon influencer program in Google, I thought affiliate information would come up.

Fate Winczuk:
But associate Hub came up and all these details and I was like, oh my God. I looked at my husband and I was like, babe, I think I hit the jackpot. And I just dove deep and started doing some research and applied and that's how it all began.

Andy Splichal:
And how much does it cost to get started and how long does it take?

Fate Winczuk:
So it's actually free. There is no cost to start the Amazon influencer program whatsoever. It takes as long as you want it to. Honestly, if you already have a social media presence, it should be instant. Literally, the application process and you will get an approval or denial, but the course comes into play with that. And that's where the course comes in to really prepare you so that you don't get that denial. You get the approval right away before you even attempt it. So it's really as long as you wanted to.

Andy Splichal:
Yeah. I mean, for you. Did you, how, I mean, how did you go about it? Did you just, you did all the research yourself or, I mean, where, how did you end up getting into the program?

Fate Winczuk:
So, yes, I did do a lot of research. I'm big on YouTube and I already had a presence on social media. So it was easier for me to just go through the application process, press that, apply, connect my social media to Amazon. You have to give Amazon permission and they run their analytics and bam, I was approved. But for some people, you know, if they don't have a social media presence, it's going to take a little bit longer. And, and again, that's where the course comes in.

Andy Splichal:
Now is it just a presence or do you need to have a certain amount of following as well?

Fate Winczuk:
So there is no big answer for that. And I say that, or there's no answer for that because Amazon is not very transparent as to what their qualifications is. When you look at the website and it, you know, for some jobs you would go for like a resume, it'll tell you you need A, B and C. Amazon's not doing that. They just say you need a presence on social media. You need an influencer status. And if you want to define that, influencer status usually means you have to have a large following. But I've known people to get approved with 200 followers and get denied with 10,000 followers.

Fate Winczuk:
So nobody really knows what Amazon's looking for in that sense.

Andy Splichal:
All right, well, now the serious question, how much money can you make being an Amazon influencer? And are there other perks?

Fate Winczuk:
So, absolutely. First and foremost, you can. You make as much money as you want, honestly. And I say that because there is no cap to your earning potential. You, if you submit a thousand video reviews to Amazon, Amazon will take those and put those video reviews on the product sites. And the more people watch your reviews and make a purchase, you make a commission. But there are perks that Amazon comes out with these different programs. Like last September, they had a this or that incentive and all the influencers that were invited to participate in it because it was just per invitation, which I did not get invited, which was a bummer because regardless of whether or not people will watch your videos, Amazon paid you $50 a video.

Fate Winczuk:
So literally people, and they maxed it at $12,000. So there were moms making $4,800 and some made $12,000 on maxing out their video potential. I mean, dollar 50 a video, I'll submit as many videos as you want me to, to just make twelve grand just like that on top of your commissions.

Andy Splichal:
Wow. Yeah, that's great. Now, does this have anything to do with the vine program or is that separate?

Fate Winczuk:
It's separate. It's separate. Amazon has several ways to make money, so this is just one of them.

Andy Splichal:
Now, you know, I mean, once you're in, I mean, there are other ways, but once you're an Amazon influencer, I mean, what's, what's next? Is there something, I mean, can you take your influencing status beyond Amazon? I mean, what's, what's the natural progression?

Fate Winczuk:
Oh, absolutely. So you start with the Amazon influencer program and this online world and making money, it's really what you put into it. So I say that because just like this course right here, nobody told me to make this course. This was just the next step for me that's produced another stream of income because I do sell this course on my stance store and I sell my coaching with it. So it's all what you make, you know, once you get your feet wet and you're like, oh my God, I do. I like making money online. Passive, making passive income is really nice. Now you can take that knowledge that you learn and expand, make a course, you know, show people how to do it, teach people.

Fate Winczuk:
Some people literally want to sit on FaceTime or on Zoom meeting with you and then want you to go through the course with them or whatever. And you can literally make money just expanding your non sharing and teaching people how to do the influencer program, the affiliate program, Amazon, KDP, just, there's so many ways now.

Andy Splichal:
I mean, you're, you're a full time mother and you're busy, busy with that. I mean, why did you decide, I mean, what was even behind? When did you decide, I need to make some money online or, and I guess, what kind of advice would you give to somebody out there who, who's looking to make some, some extra money on the side, but don't, doesn't have a lot of time?

Fate Winczuk:
Well, I'm like you said, I am a mom and my husband and I are both military. We were in the military and I did the whole nine to five thing and I did the whole giving my time to somebody else to earn a paycheck and it's just not me. I come from a family of entrepreneurs, and, like, I've seen the freedom that my sister has and my brother has with their business, and I'm like, okay, this is what I need to do. And with my husband still active duty, he's retiring here in June. So it gives me freedom to kind of branch out and try different things and not have to worry about getting a nine to five. And we are both, like, big enthusiasts in digital marketing, and this is just a component of digital marketing, and it's just, it's the way to go for us. And once he started seeing all the money coming in, because at first he thought it was, oh, this is silly. Like, what are you doing? And then he started seeing the money coming in.

Fate Winczuk:
He jumped on and. Right.

Andy Splichal:
Really? All right, yeah.

Fate Winczuk:
Most of the, most of the product reviews that I get for free, most of the products that I get for free from Amazon sellers, they request for him to do their reviews, believe it or not, so.

Andy Splichal:
Oh, interesting.

Fate Winczuk:
Yeah, it's just, it's really exciting in that sense. And that's how I really got into it. I just wanted to be able to, you know, most people will tell you, most moms will tell you they wanted to do it because they want to keep their kids home so that they can stay home with their kids. I did it so I can afford to send my kids to school because I just need, I just need that mental break. So that's what I did it for.

Andy Splichal:
You know, you had mentioned that some Amazon sellers send you products. I don't think we touched on that before. What? I mean, what products are they sending, and how did that come about? Just by being a certain level of influencer or.

Fate Winczuk:
Oh, my God. So I teach this in my course, by the way. So if you guys are watching, go do the course. It's really, really exciting. This is the best part of the program, in my opinion. You can get anything sent to you. I've received. The biggest item I received was a 16.

Fate Winczuk:
$50. Yeah, $1,650 Smith machine. It's a gym equipment. Like, because we have a whole. We have a fully equipped gym, home gym, and, I mean, we're marines, of course we have a fully equipped gym. And this thing was epic. I thought it was a scam. My husband's like, oh, this is totally not happening.

Fate Winczuk:
And I'm like, they said, pick it. Pick an equipment. They said, pick one. So we picked it. And, like, literally two weeks later, we had a 400 pound of free delivery at our house. And I received everything I received, kids toys. I actually have products on my desk. I have products here that, oh, you can't see it, that I still have to review.

Fate Winczuk:
And I do that by posting all of my Amazon videos. You don't have to do this. This is not required for the influencer program because Amazon will push out. You literally create the product review, submit it to Amazon, Amazon will post it on the product page and that's it. But I also go a step further and share all of my videos on my YouTube page. And I have an entire playlist for my YouTube page, which is all Amazon reviews. And most of the emails I get and most of the messages I get on my social media that's linked to my influencer page is, hey, we saw your videos on YouTube. We want to do a collaboration with you.

Fate Winczuk:
Are you interested in a collaboration? And that's really what it's all about. User generated content is what companies are going for. And, you know, most Amazon sellers will also ask you if you charge a fee and if they like you a lot, they'll even pay you a fee on top of the product to review their products for them.

Andy Splichal:
Nice. And are you, are you charging a fee currently or so?

Fate Winczuk:
I'm only charging a fee on products that are like the $1,600 Smith machine. Yes. It was a beautiful machine to get for free, but it also took my husband two full days to put it together because we had three kids under the age of four. So he had to, like, he had to, like, lock himself into the garage just to put that together. So for products like that, I am charging. I am doing a collaboration right now with a, with a hair company, Mohair. And I'm so excited about that, but I'm not charging for that. So it all depends on the product.

Andy Splichal:
Now, you mentioned about putting it up on YouTube. Do you get people, companies reaching out to you that aren't on Amazon that just would like you to influencer for their own websites?

Fate Winczuk:
Yes. So the company that I just mentioned, I have not been able to find their product on Amazon. They found me on YouTube. So this would be, I'm hoping this will be like a long term collaboration and a relationship, professional relationship with them so that I can build that brand trust with them. And the start charging, I mean, user generated content UCG creators are making, oh, my goodness. Anywhere from $10 to $100 to $200 of video just for a three minute video. If you take that $1600 machine and divide it into the three minute video that, like, we almost made like $550 per minute just to get that machine for free.

Andy Splichal:
So I mentioned in the intro that you're the newest contributor to make each click count. University. Welcome, by the way. We're excited to have you. And your new masterclass is now live. It's introduction to Amazon influencer program. Can you walk us through that masterclass a bit and what someone who would take it can expect to learn from it?

Fate Winczuk:
Absolutely. So it is a two volume part, volume one and volume two. Volume one is pretty much for anybody that wants to do the influencer program that already has a social media platform. And it just quickly takes you through the application process and the eligibility, like if you're eligible and if you meet like a, b and c criteria. Volume two is where, like the meat and potatoes of my courses, where I get really excited about it because I take you through the application process. Now, the application process is a two step process. You get approved for the program, then you have to unlock your onsite commissions to be able to earn commissions on your videos. So I take you through the application process, I take you through the on site commissions and getting that unlocked because you have to submit three videos.

Fate Winczuk:
I tell you what to say. I tell you how to record it. I tell you what products to review so that you can get the best chance to get approved for it. Then we go into that. We go into blogging. I teach you how to blog about your pins. I teach you how to create idea lists instead of your storefront, I mean the whole nine yards. And I teach you how to get Amazon sellers to send you products for free.

Fate Winczuk:
So it's a whole a through z course that will teach you how to start, earn and maximize your profits. As an Amazon influencer.

Andy Splichal:
Yeah, you know, I mean, the class is great. I went through it and it really shows someone how to get started with the program. But I'm curious, is there anything that you did different kind of a learning curve with what you did becoming an Amazon influencer, that, that maybe this course is going to save time for somebody who would take it?

Fate Winczuk:
Yeah, absolutely. So I did all the research for you. I put all the research that from my last six months, I've been an influencer since last August. I took all of that and I put it in the course and pretty much gave you a blueprint. In reality, this information can be found all over YouTube, all over Amazon page and everything. But people don't want to do the legwork. People don't want to do all that. So I did all that legwork and I put it into this course for you to be able to have easy access to it.

Fate Winczuk:
And the one, one, I guess, advice I would give is if you don't understand something in the course, then still do your research. Like I'm still, you know, I've made, I've been an influencer for six months and I'm doing really well, but I still research every day just to learn more and how I can maximize my learning potential.

Andy Splichal:
Yeah, you know, it's really a great program. And I come from it, from the other side where my clients, a lot of them, want to see how they can drive more business. And I suggest, you know, check out the influencer program because Amazon actually splits the, how much you pay the influencer, their commission with you. So, I mean, I mean, it's a fantastic program for businesses looking to grow. I mean, it's something, even if you don't want to be an influencer for a business wanting to grow, it's a program, you should look into it. Now, for somebody who wants to become an influencer, I guess, who is that ideal person? Who are you envisioning? Take this class that if they're listening, you'd be like, this be something you should spend hour and a half to go through the master class.

Fate Winczuk:
Anybody that's looking to make money online, I actually just, I have a student that purchased a course that's 17 years old and their parents allowed them to have access to an Amazon account and their social media. I mean, the younger generation right now is all over social media anyways, and they have a large following. So really, anybody, the mom, the dad that, you know, the teenager that wants to make extra money, this is for them.

Andy Splichal:
Yeah. You know, that's funny. I know one of my kids who 14, somebody asked, what do you want to be when he grew up? And he said an influencer. And so for this younger grade, I mean, this is a great way to break into that space and to really become that. Now, are there limitations on age for, for this program?

Fate Winczuk:
No, not that I know of right now. But Amazon is constantly changing their rules and regulations. They constantly, like, take things off of the platform, add things to it. So, you know, it could come up as an age restriction. One thing that I would say, just to be safe is if you have an Amazon account as the mom or the dad and you want your kids to be able to do this program, they would just link their social media account to, you know, the mom and dad's page, like main family Amazon page, and that, that would be it.

Andy Splichal:
Got it. And Amazon, just to clarify. I mean, they send you cash, they're not giving you Amazon credit or anything. Right, right.

Fate Winczuk:
So you have the option. Actually, you can choose.

Andy Splichal:
I was just joking. Really?

Fate Winczuk:
Yeah. You have the option of how to get paid. You can do this via Amazon gift cards and you can. Yeah. And by the way, this is a worldwide program, so people in I'm an Amazon influencer for Canada and I'm an Amazon influencer for the UK. The UK does not have commissions available yet. Canada just opened up commissions not too long ago. So this is literally, if you guys are listening and this, you're in Canada, this is for you also.

Andy Splichal:
Nice. Now, do you have to do those with a little bit of an accent if you do it for Canada and UK?

Fate Winczuk:
No, but there are limited products that are on there, so I am not able to post all of the reviews I do to the Amazon Canada page. It's a total different login because some of the sellers don't ship to Canada, so it has to be sold in Canada in order for you to make a commission.

Andy Splichal:
Well, this has been a lot of fun having you on and really informative about the course and about the program. Is there anything else you'd like to add before we wrap it up for today?

Fate Winczuk:
No, I'm just really excited. This course does have master resale rights attached to it. So if people are in digital marketing and are looking to resell the course, they can take it on make it click calendar. I'm sorry? Pick every click count University. They can take it on this platform and they can come back and purchase it from my store and be able to resell it for 100% profit. Or they can refer people to the platform. And this is also in addition to the Amazon affiliate course that I'm putting out. So come on by and check everything out.

Andy Splichal:
This is great. Well, thanks for joining us today, Faith.

Fate Winczuk:
Thank you so much for having me, Andy.

Andy Splichal:
Have a great day for listeners. Remember, if you like this episode, please go to Apple Podcast and leave us an honest review. And if you're looking for more information regarding fate or her course, you'll find links in the show notes below. And if you're interested in her masterclass, you can take it inside. Make each click Count University. We'll have access to this masterclass and all other premium masterclasses. Just $19 a month. Well, that's it for today. Remember to stay safe, keep healthy and happy marketing, and I'll talk to you in the next episode.