YouTube announced on August 27, 2026, that eligible U.S. creators can now tag Amazon products directly in their content and earn a commission on resulting purchases. The feature works across YouTube Shorts, long-form videos, and livestreams.
The integration brings Amazon into YouTube’s existing Shopping Affiliate Program. Previously, creators who wanted to recommend Amazon products had to paste Associates links in video descriptions and rely on viewers to use them. Under the new system, Amazon supplies YouTube with a curated catalog of highly requested and trending products that creators can tag natively within their videos. Creators who cannot find a specific product can request its addition through YouTube Support.
YouTube has also introduced an auto-tagging option. When enabled, YouTube’s systems automatically review a creator’s recent uploads to identify and tag eligible Amazon products without manual input from the creator.
On the earnings side, creators will not receive breakdowns by individual product or video. Instead, overall daily earnings will appear in YouTube Studio. If a viewer returns a purchased item, the corresponding commission is deducted from the creator’s balance.
Although tagging is currently limited to eligible U.S. creators, the tags are visible to a global audience. YouTube says it may automatically match a tagged product with a trusted local merchant to allow creators to earn commissions on eligible international purchases. Where no local merchant is available, viewers are routed to the Amazon U.S. website, and a commission is earned if a purchase is completed there.
To access the feature, creators must be enrolled in both YouTube’s Partner Program and Shopping Affiliate Program, and must hold an active Amazon Influencer or Associates account linked to their YouTube channel.
For Amazon, the arrangement places its marketplace inside one of the most widely used video platforms. For creators, it turns product recommendations into a more direct revenue stream without relying on external link placement.
Source: TechCrunch