YouTube Affiliate Marketing: How to Start
You can earn commission on YouTube in two ways: tag products in videos and Shorts through the YouTube Shopping affiliate program, open to qualifying Partner Program channels, or add links from an outside programme such as Amazon Associates to your descriptions. Both count as YouTube affiliate marketing, and both need a clear disclosure. Checked against YouTube Help: YouTube Shopping affiliate program overview & eligibility
Which route you can use depends on where your channel is based and whether it’s in the YouTube Partner Program. For context, see our influencer marketing strategy guide and what monetization means on each platform.
Table of Contents
- How does YouTube affiliate marketing work?
- Who can join the YouTube Shopping affiliate program?
- How do you tag products in YouTube videos and Shorts?
- Where do YouTube affiliate links work?
- Do you need to disclose affiliate links on YouTube?
- Can Outfeed tag products or declare paid promotion?
- YouTube affiliate marketing FAQ
How does YouTube affiliate marketing work?
Commission on sales made through your product tags or links. The two routes differ in who can join and where viewers can click:
| YouTube Shopping affiliate program | Outside programmes, such as Amazon Associates | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can join | Partner Program channels in 14 listed countries, except music and made-for-kids channels | Set by each programme |
| How viewers buy | Products you tag in a video or Short | Links in long-form descriptions, comments and your channel’s profile links |
| On Shorts | The first tagged product shows as a Shopping product sticker | URLs in Shorts descriptions and comments aren’t clickable |
| Source | Checked against YouTube Help: Tag products in your content | Checked against YouTube Help: Sharing links with your audiences |
Commission depends on the programme and the product (Amazon’s rates, for example, differ by product category), Checked against Amazon Associates Central: home page so this guide quotes no figures.
Who can join the YouTube Shopping affiliate program?
A channel in the YouTube Partner Program that meets YPP’s subscriber threshold and is based in Argentina, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States or Vietnam. It can’t be a music channel, an Official Artist Channel or a channel associated with music partners, and it can’t be set as made for kids or consist largely of made-for-kids content. Checked against YouTube Help: YouTube Shopping affiliate program overview & eligibility
YouTube’s page names no subscriber number, only “the subscriber threshold for YPP”; the current Partner Program thresholds are in our guide to how much YouTube pays. And Canada, the UK, the EU and Australia aren’t on the list, though YouTube says eligibility “might be different for pilot programs”.
Qualifying channels join in YouTube Studio. A channel managed by a content owner needs that owner to accept the agreement, and leaving the program later means contacting Creator Support.
On a computer:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- From the left menu, select Earn.
- Under Programs, click Join Now.
- Review and accept the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program Terms of Service.
- You're in! You can start tagging products in your content.
Checked against YouTube Help: YouTube Shopping affiliate program overview & eligibility.
How do you tag products in YouTube videos and Shorts?
While you upload: click Products on the Details page in YouTube Studio, or tap Tag products in the YouTube app. You can tag up to 60 products per video or Short. Each product has to be featured prominently and mentioned, meaningfully related to the content, something a viewer may want to buy, and used as intended. Repeated non-compliant tagging can cost you access to the program.
Tags aren’t possible on made-for-kids content, content with a copyright claim, or content that’s limited or ineligible for monetization, and viewers outside eligible countries or watching on mobile browsers, smart TVs or consoles won’t see them. YouTube’s steps on a computer and on Android:
On a computer: YouTube Studio while uploading:
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- Upload a video or Short.
- On the "Details" page, go to the video description, click Products.
- Enter the name of the product that you want to tag in the search box.
- Select the product and drag it to the indicated area in the tool. You can tag up to 60 products.
On Android: YouTube Android app while uploading:
- Use the YouTube app to upload your video or Short.
- While uploading, tap Tag products, then Add.
- Enter the name of the product that you want to tag in the search box.
- Select the product that you want to tag. You can tag up to 60 products.
Checked against YouTube Help: Tag products in your content.
On iPhone and iPad the upload steps match, and existing content is tagged from Library; YouTube notes the Shorts product sticker works on iPhone only, not iPad:
On iPhone: YouTube iPhone and iPad app, while uploading:
- Use the YouTube app to upload your video or Short.
- While uploading, tap Tag products > Add.
- Enter the name of the product that you want to tag in the search box.
- Select the product that you want to tag. You can tag up to 60 products.
On iPhone: YouTube iPhone and iPad app, existing content:
- Open the YouTube app.
- Tap Library > Your Videos.
- Next to the content that you'd like to edit, tap More > Edit.
- Tap Tagged Products to open the 'Tag products' section.
- Enter the name of the product that you want to tag in the search box.
- Select the products that you want to tag. You can tag up to 60 products.
Checked against YouTube Help: Tag products in your content (iPhone & iPad).
Your YouTube affiliate links are for YouTube only. Routing traffic from other sources to merchants through them is against YouTube’s Terms of Service and can suspend your affiliate features; YouTube’s examples include syndicating the links on external websites, automated redirects, click injection and cookie stuffing. Checked against YouTube Help: YouTube Shopping affiliate program overview & eligibility
Where do YouTube affiliate links work?
In a long-form video’s description and comments, and in your channel’s profile links. Description and comment URLs are clickable once your channel has advanced features access; URLs in Shorts descriptions and Shorts comments aren’t clickable at all. Checked against YouTube Help: Sharing links with your audiences
Advanced features come automatically with enough channel history, or by verifying your identity with a valid ID or a video, which isn’t available to every creator. Check yours in YouTube Studio under Settings, then Channel, then Feature eligibility. Checked against YouTube Help: Learn about feature access for YouTube Creators For adding the links themselves, see how to add links to a YouTube description.
YouTube’s External links policy says affiliate content doesn’t violate its Terms of Use, though excessively posting affiliate content in dedicated accounts may violate its spam policies, and YouTube may remove a link it can’t verify as safe. Checked against YouTube Help: External links policy Programmes add rules of their own: Amazon’s Associates agreement requires the statement “As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases” wherever you use its program content. Checked against Amazon Associates Program Operating Agreement (updated October 15, 2025)
Comparing programmes beyond YouTube? See affiliate marketing tools and the Instagram affiliate program.
Do you need to disclose affiliate links on YouTube?
Yes. In the US, FTC staff’s June 2023 FAQ says affiliate commissions must be disclosed clearly and close to the recommendation, and that a YouTube reviewer should disclose affiliate links both in the video and next to the links in the description. “Affiliate link” on its own or a “buy now” button isn’t adequate, they say, while “paid link” right next to the link should be. Their sample wording: “I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.” Checked against FTC: FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking Checked against FTC: FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking
UK and Canadian regulators also want more than the link. The UK influencer guide from CAP and the CMA treats affiliate links as advertising and says a general disclaimer that “some” links “might” earn commission is not sufficient, Checked against CAP and CMA: Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads (3rd edition, 2023), p. 5 and Canada’s Competition Bureau says linking to an affiliate webpage is unlikely to be enough. Checked against Competition Bureau Canada: Influencer marketing and the Competition Act This is a summary of regulator guidance, not legal advice.
YouTube adds its own declaration. If a video contains branded content, sponsorships, endorsements or other paid promotion, you tick the paid promotion box in its details, and YouTube shows viewers a disclosure at the start of the video. Checked against YouTube Help: YouTube Branded Content Policies Its tagging rules add that paid placements still need it. Checked against YouTube Help: Tag products in your content To tick the box on a video that’s already uploaded:
On a computer: Existing video (YouTube Studio on a computer):
- Sign in to YouTube Studio.
- In the left menu, click Content, then click the video you want to edit.
- At the bottom of the page, click Show More.
- Check the box next to “My video contains paid promotion like a product placement, sponsorship, or endorsement.”
- You can set minimum age by geographic locale.
- Click SAVE.
Checked against YouTube Help: YouTube Branded Content Policies.
The FTC adds that it’s always best to add your own disclosure even when a platform offers its own tool. Checked against FTC: FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking If you schedule YouTube videos ahead of time, write the disclosure and the links into the description before the publish time, not after.
Can Outfeed tag products or declare paid promotion?
YouTube affiliate marketing FAQ
How do I start affiliate marketing on YouTube?
Check whether your channel qualifies for the YouTube Shopping affiliate program: it must be in the YouTube Partner Program, meet YPP’s subscriber threshold, be based in one of 14 listed countries and not be a music or made-for-kids channel. Otherwise, use an outside programme such as Amazon Associates, with links in your long-form descriptions. Either way, disclose it.
How many subscribers do you need for YouTube Shopping affiliate?
YouTube’s affiliate page gives no separate number. It asks for a channel that is in the YouTube Partner Program and meets “the subscriber threshold for YPP”, is based in a listed country, and isn’t a music or made-for-kids channel. YouTube adds that eligibility might be different for pilot programs.
Where should I put affiliate links on YouTube?
In a long-form video’s description or comments, or in your channel’s profile links. Description and comment URLs are clickable once your channel has advanced features access. URLs in Shorts descriptions and Shorts comments aren’t clickable, while YouTube Shopping affiliate links are.
Do I need to disclose affiliate links on YouTube?
In the US, yes: FTC staff say a YouTube reviewer should disclose affiliate links both in the video and next to the links in the description, and that “affiliate link” on its own isn’t adequate. YouTube also requires its paid promotion declaration when a video contains paid promotion. This is regulator guidance, not legal advice.