If you’re new to the Amazon Influencer Program, you’ve probably heard people talk about the “upper carousel” and wondered what the heck that even means. What is it? How can you tell if a product has one? And most importantly, how do you know if it accepts influencer videos? Not all upper carousels are created equal in the eyes of Amazon, and understanding the difference is critical to making smart product choices. Here’s your complete 101 guide to the upper carousel and exactly what to look for.

Table of Contents

When you go to any Amazon product page, you’ll see a section at the top with product images. That row of clickable thumbnails, where you can flip through different product photos and sometimes videos, is the carousel. The “upper” carousel refers to this top section of the product page as opposed to the lower carousel, which is a separate video section that appears much further down the page after you scroll past the product description, bullet points, and other content.

Why the Upper Carousel Matters So Much

Think about it from a customer’s perspective. When you’re shopping on Amazon and considering a product, what do you do? You click through the images at the top of the page. You look at the product from different angles, check out the features, and watch any videos that are there. That’s the upper carousel, and it gets an enormous amount of customer engagement simply because of where it sits on the page. The lower carousel, by contrast, requires customers to scroll way down the page to find it. Most shoppers never get that far. That’s why having your influencer video in the upper carousel rather than the lower one is such a massive difference in terms of visibility and commissions.

How to Identify an Upper Carousel That Accepts Influencer Videos

This is the most important skill you’ll develop as a new Amazon influencer. Not every product has an upper carousel, and not every upper carousel accepts influencer videos. Learning to quickly identify which products have the right kind of upper carousel will save you hours of wasted effort and dramatically improve your hit rate when making videos.

The Play Icon Plus Text Rule

Here’s the golden rule for identifying an influencer-friendly upper carousel. Look at the thumbnail strip in the upper carousel area. If you see a thumbnail with a play icon (the little triangle that indicates a video) AND text underneath it that says something like “video,” “2 videos,” or “3 videos,” that product accepts influencer videos. The text underneath the play icon is the key indicator. When you click on that thumbnail, you’ll see the influencer videos that have been placed there. This is exactly the type of product you want to target.

Brand-Only Video Carousels: The Play Icon Without Text

Here’s where it gets tricky and where a lot of new influencers get confused. Some products have a video icon in the upper carousel but no text underneath it. When you see a play icon with no text, that means the video carousel is for brand use only. It does not accept influencer videos. This is typically a category-specific restriction. The entire clothing category, for example, doesn’t allow influencer videos in the upper carousel. If you make a video for one of these products, you’ll be stuck in the lower carousel where visibility is significantly lower.

Many products don’t have any video carousel in the upper section at all. You’ll just see a row of product images with no play icon anywhere. Sometimes a product will have so many images that they get bundled together, but there’s still no video option. For these products, any influencer video you make will only appear in the lower carousel at the bottom of the page. While you can still earn commissions from lower carousel placements, the conversion rate is much lower because far fewer customers scroll down far enough to see those videos.

Why a Brand Video Must Exist First

This is a detail that trips up a lot of newcomers. In order for an upper carousel video section to exist on a product, the brand must have uploaded their own video first. If the brand hasn’t created a video for their product, there is no upper carousel for influencer videos, period. You might look at a product and think, “There are no videos at all, I’ll be the first one!” But that’s not how it works. Without a brand video, you’ll only be placed in the lower carousel regardless of how great your content is. The brand video is the anchor that opens the door for influencer placements in the upper carousel.

Different Layout Variations

Amazon uses different page layouts depending on the product and category. Sometimes the product images and carousel are displayed side by side, and other times they use a top-to-bottom layout. Don’t let the different layouts confuse you. The rule is the same regardless of layout: look for the play icon with text underneath it. Whether the thumbnails run horizontally across the page or vertically down the side, if you see the play icon plus text combination, that product accepts influencer videos in the upper carousel.

Exceptions: Apple, Beats by Dre, and Amazon Basics

There are a handful of brands that have special arrangements with Amazon that prevent influencer videos from being placed in their upper carousels, even when it looks like they should accept them. The main ones to watch out for are Apple products and Beats by Dre, which is owned by Apple. These products will show the play icon with text, making them look like they accept influencer videos. But when you make a video for them, it either won’t get placed or will be removed. Amazon Basics is another brand that generally doesn’t allow influencer videos. Beyond these few exceptions, the play icon plus text rule is reliable across virtually every product category on Amazon.

Building Your Strategy Around Upper Carousels

Once you understand how to identify the right upper carousels, make it the foundation of your product research strategy. Only target products that have an influencer-friendly upper carousel with minimal competition. Do you sometimes make exceptions and create a video for a product without an upper carousel? Sure, maybe if it has a strong Creator Connections campaign or you already own the product. But those should be outliers, not your main strategy. The influencers who consistently focus on upper carousel products are the ones who build sustainable, growing income streams in this program.

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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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