YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program

Summary

The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program lets creators tag products in their videos, Shorts, or live streams, offering viewers a seamless shopping experience. Creators earn a commission on sales made through their product links, with rates varying by product. To participate, channels must meet eligibility requirements, including a subscriber threshold and monetization approval. The program allows creators to tag up to 30 products per video and offers tools to track earnings in YouTube Studio Analytics. Best practices include tagging relevant products and directing viewers to them. Creators are paid through AdSense, typically within 60-120 days.

Takeaways

• 😀 The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program allows you to tag products in your videos, Shorts, and live streams, giving viewers a seamless shopping experience.
• 😀 When viewers click on a tagged product, they are redirected to the merchant's site, and you earn a commission on the entire purchase if they buy something.
• 😀 To be eligible for the program, your channel must meet certain subscriber thresholds, be approved for monetization, and comply with YouTube's community guidelines.
• 😀 You can tag up to 30 products per video or live stream and remove any product by clicking the trash icon.
• 😀 Product commission rates vary by product and merchant, and you'll earn a percentage of the total price of the items sold.
• 😀 Commissions are paid through your AdSense account, typically 60-120 days after the purchase, and may be reversed if a viewer returns the item.
• 😀 You can tag products in both new and existing videos, as well as in live streams by using the Shopping tab in the Live Control Room.
• 😀 For live streams, you can feature a tagged product by pinning it to the stream, making it more visible to viewers.
• 😀 The program allows you to earn commissions not just for the tagged product, but also for other items the viewer purchases during the same session.
• 😀 You can track your earnings, product clicks, orders, and sales through YouTube Studio Analytics, which also highlights top-earning products and content.
• 😀 Be sure to follow best practices when tagging products, such as only tagging items that are clearly visible and meaningfully related to your content.

Q & A

What is the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program?

The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program allows creators to tag products from various brands and retailers in their content. Viewers can shop seamlessly without leaving the video, and creators earn a commission when a purchase is made through the tagged product link.

How does the shopping experience work for viewers?

Viewers can see a Shopping button on videos, Shorts, or live streams, allowing them to browse the featured products. When a product is clicked, the viewer is redirected to the merchant's website, and if a purchase is made, the creator earns a commission.

What are the eligibility requirements for the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program?

To be eligible, your channel must meet the subscriber threshold, be approved for monetization, and not be a channel made for kids or an Official Artist or Music Channel. Channels with Community Guidelines strikes or certain policy violations are also ineligible.

Can you tag products in existing videos or only during uploads?

You can tag products both during the upload process and in existing videos and Shorts. In existing content, go to the Content tab in YouTube Studio, select the video, and tag products in the 'Products' section.

How many products can you tag in a single piece of content?

You can tag up to 30 products in a single video, Short, or live stream.

What happens if a viewer buys more than the tagged product?

You will earn commission on the entire basket of items that the viewer purchases, not just the tagged product. This means you earn commission for all items in the transaction.

How do you track your earnings from the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program?

Earnings can be tracked through YouTube Studio Analytics, under the Revenue section, then by selecting the Affiliate chip. This provides data on estimated revenue, product clicks, orders, and sales, as well as top-earning products and content.

What is the payment process for the commissions earned?

Commissions are paid through your AdSense account, typically 60 to 120 days after a purchase to account for returns and the AdSense payment schedule. If an item is returned, the commission will be reversed.

Can creators tag products during a live stream?

Yes, creators can tag products in live streams. On mobile, they can tag during the setup process. On desktop, they can use the Live Control Room to tag and pin products, which can then be featured during the stream.

What restrictions should creators be aware of when tagging products?

Creators should only tag products that are clearly identifiable, used safely, and meaningfully related to their content. They should also avoid tagging products if the content is made for kids, contains claimed content, or violates any other YouTube policies.