Yesterday I put out a video about the state of Creator Connections, the math behind it, and the trajectory I think we’re on. It was a hard video to publish. When you show a projection like that, people can take it and run in a lot of directions, and I knew it. So first, thank you. The conversation in the comments, in the Facebook groups, and on TikTok has been thoughtful, and a handful of points came up often enough that I want to address them directly. Some of these are hills I’m not willing to die on. One of them is.

In This Article

Lifting the 800 Cap Is Not the Long-Term Fix

The most common response I saw was some version of “Amazon just needs to lift the 800 campaign cap.” Let me be clear: I would love it if that happened tomorrow. If Amazon raised the cap this week, I think Q4 would be reasonably well protected from the exact situation I laid out in the last video. I’d be thrilled for me, for the community, for everybody.

But I don’t think it’s the ultimate fix. Structurally, there are other things that have to be handled for Creator Connections to work better and be sustainable going forward. A higher cap buys time. It doesn’t change the underlying dynamics of a marketplace where every creator is doing their product research in the same room. So if the cap gets lifted, I’ll celebrate with you, and then I’ll still be watching for what needs to come next.

Do Brands Actually Care About Incremental Sales?

I’ve had a few back-and-forths, all healthy, about the “halo sales” side of Creator Connections. My position has been that if a brand is selling the same volume they would have sold without Creator Connections, but now their budget is going up, they’re essentially paying for no real increase in sales. From a budget standpoint, if I’m paying for something, I want to see more from it than I was already getting.

Multiple people pushed back and said brands don’t care. They still see sales, they get exposure they weren’t getting before, and that’s enough. And honestly, they might be right. This is my theory, not a fact, and it’s not a hill I’m willing to die on. Brands may not care regardless because they’re getting volume and visibility. I just want you to understand where my thinking comes from.

The Theory That Amazon Wants It Full

This one came up in a conversation with a large Facebook group last night, and it’s an interesting take. The theory is that Amazon actually wants campaigns to fill up fast. A packed marketplace looks like a hot, popular place, and that’s exactly how you entice brands to get in, spend money, and participate.

I can see viable reasoning there. From the creator side right now, it’s not great. But Amazon might be looking at the same numbers and thinking this thing is awesome, people can’t get in fast enough. Where I’d push back is that there’s a difference between popular and unusable. If we’re getting this close to the wall, I think we’re past the point where “looks popular” makes sense as a strategy, and programmatically it starts to become a problem. And I’d bet some brands aren’t as thrilled as Amazon might assume. But again, not a hill I’m willing to die on.

The Hill I Am Willing to Die On

Here’s the one thing I will defend. The reason I was cautious with the timing of that video, and the reason I put it out now rather than later, was to give you a heads-up on where the trajectory has been heading before we hit the worst-case scenario. I did not want to wait until the wall was already hit and then say, “Okay guys, time to start thinking differently about your strategy.”

Amazon might wake up tomorrow and lift the cap. If they do, the conversation shifts entirely. But if they don’t, some of what I described will become reality, and I’d rather you have the seed planted now than be blindsided in November.

We Don’t Control the Fix, We Control Our Business

We could go back and forth forever about what would fix Creator Connections. The problem is we have zero control over the fix. I’ve seen people suggest talking to brands and putting pressure on them. Sure, go ahead. But your time is probably better spent accepting that you only control so much and making adjustments to your own business now.

A comment came in on TikTok a little while ago that captured it: “Okay, so what does this pivot look like? How do I get products that aren’t in Creator Connections?” That’s exactly the kind of question people should be asking. It’s hard for me to imagine Amazon eases up if the numbers keep getting worse, so the pivot conversation needs to happen now, not after the fact.

The Oversaturation Problem Nobody Talks About

Creator Connections has rightfully gotten a ton of attention because of its value. A 10% commission rate on top of your normal earnings is a real thing. But I think that attention has caused two things that, looking at it now, may have been a little detrimental.

The first is product selection. I don’t think people realize how full Creator Connections is from a research standpoint. It looks big, but when every creator is using it as their primary product-research tool, you are intentionally participating with oversaturated products almost all of the time. The value proposition is there because of the rate, but what are you losing by only ever making videos on products that hundreds of other creators are also making videos on? That’s why I built tools like the Storefront Cross Check and the Comparison Video Schedule into Oink: to help you find opportunities outside the crowded room and actually own a lane.

The second is reliance. Treating Creator Connections as the only pathway to earnings in the Amazon Influencer Program is a structural weakness, and it’s one we’ve built ourselves.

The Influencer Program Worked Before Creator Connections

People who joined recently may not realize this: Creator Connections didn’t become a thing for the on-site influencer community until the beginning of 2025, and it really didn’t kick in until May or June of last year. Before that, the Amazon Influencer Program was extremely popular with no Creator Connections involvement whatsoever.

Yes, the influencer-side commission rates were higher then on pretty much every category. But the program was viable, we learned how to make it work, and we were successful. That’s why it got so popular in the first place. So whatever Amazon decides to do here, this moment is a good time to ask whether we’ve been a little bamboozled by the flash of those Creator Connections rates while quietly losing ground to oversaturation.

Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

I see it all the time: “All my eggs are in the Creator Connections basket.” Creator Connections is just another platform. The general rule for anybody making money online is don’t put all your eggs in one basket, and Creator Connections is no different. It’s just such low-hanging fruit that we all reached for it at once.

We need to at least start shifting our focus. If and when Amazon steps in and adjusts the program, having already started thinking this way only makes your business stronger. I’ll be putting out more videos about non-Creator Connections products and what that strategy looks like, because I think it’s a conversation worth having regardless of what happens with the cap.

If you want a product research process that isn’t dependent on whatever’s left in the Creator Connections room, that’s what Oink for Influencers was built for. Use the Storefront Cross Check to find what you already own, the 5 Pillars system to grade opportunities before you shoot, and start building a storefront that earns whether or not the cap ever moves.

I'm an Amazon Influencer since 2023 and blogger since 2021. My goal is to help you succeed in the Amazon Influencer Program.

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