YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program

YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program Overview

This video provides an overview of the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program, including how it works, eligibility requirements, how to tag products, and how to track earnings progress.

How the Program Works

• Tagging products in videos, Shorts or live streams will show a shopping button on your content.

• Viewers can browse featured products without leaving the watch page.

• If a viewer makes a purchase from your link you'll earn commission on their entire purchase.

Eligibility Requirements

• Your channel must meet the subscriber threshold and be approved for monetization.

• You cannot have a channel made for kids or a Music/Official Artist Channel.

• You cannot have Community Guidelines strikes in certain sensitive policy areas.

How to Tag Products

• During upload flow go to "Tag products" and select stores available from different sellers or search for the brand/product you want to tag.

• Next to each product is the total price and commission rate that you would receive which is always a percentage of the total price.

• Commission rates vary by product and merchant. You can tag up to 30 products.

Tracking Earnings Progress

• Payment is received through your AdSense account typically 60 to 120 days after purchase to account for returns and timing of AdSense payment.

• If a viewer returns an item they purchased, commissions earned will be reversed.

Tagging Products in Live Streams

This section covers how to tag products during live streams and feature tagged products by pinning them to the stream.

Mobile Live Stream Setup

• Tap the Shopping button then pin the product you want to feature.

Desktop Live Stream Setup

• Go to Live Control Room, select "Stream" or "Manage" in the left menu.

• Below the live stream preview, click the Shopping tab.

• Click the plus icon to search and select products. You can tag up to 30 products.

• To remove a product, click Trash next to the product.

Pinning Products

• You can pin one item during your live stream to feature it prominently.

• For desktop streams, from Live Control Room click the Shopping tab, select one item to promote click or drag it to the Preview panel, then click "Pin product." Your pinned product will be prominently featured during your stream.

Commission Information

This section covers important information about commissions earned through the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program.

Earning Commissions

• You'll earn commission on the entire basket size.

• If a viewer clicks on your product tag and ends up buying other items you'll receive commissions for everything they purchased during that transaction.

Payment and Returns

• Payment is received through your AdSense account typically 60 to 120 days after purchase to account for returns and timing of AdSense payment.

• If a viewer returns an item they purchased, commissions earned will be reversed.

Tagging Products in YouTube Videos

In this section, we will learn about the best practices for tagging products in YouTube videos and how to track earnings.

Best Practices for Tagging Products

• Only tag products that are easily identifiable and featured prominently or meaningfully related to your content.

• Tag products only if they are used as intended or you're using the product in a safe way that aligns with the manufacturer's intent.

• Direct viewers to view your tagged products when making new videos.

• Consider tagging products in both new and existing videos, especially your most popular ones.

• You may still be able to go through the flow of tagging products even if they won't show to viewers in cases where your content is made for kids contains claimed content or other restrictions. Be sure to familiarize yourself with these restrictions ahead of time.

Tracking Earnings

• To track earnings, go to YouTube Studio Analytics then Revenue, then the Affiliate chip. Here you'll see channel-level data including estimated revenue, product clicks, number of orders, and total sales.

• You can also find info by going to the Studio Earned page then the Shopping tab.

Conclusion

The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program is a great way to earn more money by recommending the products you love and helps create a seamless shopping experience for your viewers. For more information check out the links in the description below.