Amazon just announced they’re removing related product sales from the Amazon Influencer Program — and everyone is losing their minds. But what if this is actually a good thing? In this post, I’m going to break down what’s really happening with related sales, why you’re actually bleeding commissions right now and don’t even realize it, and why the new system could help you make more money once the dust settles. I’ve been in the Amazon Influencer Program for three years and the affiliate program for six, and I’m looking at this from a data-driven perspective, not an emotional one.
Amazon Is Removing Related Product Sales — Don’t Panic
The moment this news hit, my inbox and my Facebook feed exploded. Everyone was saying this was the end of the Amazon Influencer Program. “Amazon just killed our income.” “It’s over.” I understand the reaction, because related sales have been a significant chunk of commissions for a lot of creators, but I want to offer a different perspective on this. Take a deep breath. The data actually tells a more nuanced story.
Who I Am and Why I Think About This Differently
I’ve been doing this for six years on the affiliate side and three years in the Influencer Program specifically. I’ve built and studied thousands of data points on how videos convert, which products earn, and where the money actually comes from. My company, Oink for Influencers, analyzes this data for tens of thousands of creators, so I get to see the big picture across the program — not just my own storefront.
When I look at the related sales data, I don’t see a healthy ecosystem. I see a warning sign. And that’s why I’m not convinced removing related sales is the end of the world — I think it might actually force us to build a stronger program.
Why Related Sales Are Actually Masking a Bigger Problem
Here’s the problem with related sales: when a shopper watches your video about Product A and then buys Product B instead, that “related sale” commission you earned is often a fraction of what you would have made if the shopper had actually bought Product A. Related sales pay you, yes, but they’re usually lower-value purchases — impulse buys, cheaper alternatives, or completely unrelated products the shopper was already looking at.
The bigger issue is what related sales are hiding. When you see related sale commissions rolling in, you assume your videos are working. But they’re actually telling you the opposite: the shopper was interested enough to click, but not interested enough to buy the product you made the video about. That’s a conversion problem. And because you’re still getting paid something, you never realize there’s a problem.
How You’re Bleeding Commissions Without Knowing It
Think about what a direct sale is actually worth compared to a related sale. A direct sale on a high-commission product could be $10-$20 in your pocket. A related sale might be 50 cents on a bottle of shampoo the shopper was already planning to buy. You make the video, you generate 100 clicks, and you convert 50 of those into related sales at 50 cents each. That’s $25. But if you’d made a better video that converted 10 of those clicks into direct purchases at $10 each, you’d have $100.
Related sales have been training us to accept mediocre video performance because the commission still trickles in. When that safety net goes away, the creators who have built strong, converting video content are going to shine. The creators who have been coasting on related sales are going to realize they’ve been leaving huge amounts of money on the table.
What the New System Means for Quality Content Creators
If you’ve been focusing on quality — good video production, genuine reviews, the right products for the right audiences — this change is going to reward you. When Amazon removes the related sales cushion, your direct conversion rate becomes the number that matters. Creators who can actually convert viewers into buyers of the product being reviewed are going to see their income stabilize or even increase.
That’s the shift Amazon is engineering. They don’t want a program full of creators churning out low-effort videos that earn pennies on related sales. They want a program where creators drive real product sales, which in turn drives brand participation and creator connections campaigns.
Why Volume-Only Influencers Will Struggle
If your strategy has been to upload as many videos as possible and let the related sales fund your income, I want to be honest with you — that strategy is about to stop working. Volume without conversion is going to become nearly worthless. You can have 2,000 videos on your storefront, but if none of them convert directly, you’re going to see your income dry up.
This isn’t bad news, it’s good news. It means you don’t need to make 500 videos a year to succeed. You need to make really good videos for really good products. Quality over quantity is finally going to pay off.
Comparison Videos: The Strategy That Fixes This
Here’s the strategy that’s going to become crucial: comparison videos. When a shopper is deciding between two similar products, a “Product A vs Product B” video captures both possible purchases. Whether they buy A or B, your video gets credit. This is the direct-sales version of what related sales used to provide — you capture the buy regardless of which specific product the shopper picks, because your video is the one that helped them decide.
Oink for Influencers actually has a Comparison Video Schedule feature that looks at your existing storefront and tells you which comparison videos you should make using products you already own. That’s going to become one of the most important tools in your arsenal now that related sales are going away.
My Final Take — This Could Be a Net Positive
I know this perspective isn’t what a lot of people want to hear, but I think the removal of related sales could be a net positive for serious Amazon influencers. It forces us to focus on what actually matters — making videos that convert. It rewards quality. It levels the playing field between volume creators and creators who put real effort into their content. And it pushes the program toward a more sustainable model where brands, Amazon, and creators all benefit.
The creators who adapt quickly — who focus on direct conversions, build comparison videos, and prioritize Creator Connections campaigns — are going to come out of this stronger than before. If you want help finding your best direct-conversion opportunities and building a library of comparison videos, Oink for Influencers was built for exactly this moment.
