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My Last Stand with Amazon Influencer: the Final Verdict. Breaking News in the Ad Publishers’ World

This is a newsletter I sent to my subscribers last week. I publish the newsletters on my website; however, I edit out some information from the public versions.

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Last time, I talked about how I got accepted into the Amazon Influencers program and failed two attempts to be qualified for video placements on product listings.

These coveted placements are where the real money is, and without them, the program would be worthless for generating income.

Just when I was ready to throw in the towel after two failed attempts, a glimmer of hope appeared on my horizon.

Buckle up for the finale of my Amazon Influencer saga—where hope, desperation, and a refund policy collide.

The Lifeline: A Course With a Safety Net

Jared Bauman (yes, from the Niche Pursuits podcast that I’ve been religiously watching for the last two years 🙈) had partnered with the AuthorityHacker guys to create a course aboutthe Amazon Influencer Program including how to get qualified and get the most money out of it.

By this point, my motivation tank was running on fumes. I was exhausted by trying to make good qualifying videos and was convinced the program would forever remain beyond my reach.

I did not want to waste money on some course when the source of the problem was clearly on the other side of the webcam (me).

But then I noticed something crucial about it — it came with AuthorityHacker’s 30-day refund policy 😁😁😁

This changed everything.

I could buy the course, apply one more time, and if rejected, simply get my money back. Zero risk for one last shot at Amazon glory!

So I bought it!

(Little did I know this would be the final course AuthorityHacker ever sold! 🤯)

Inside the Amazon Video Approval Matrix

The course was pretty helpful, packed with examples of videos that had successfully passed Amazon’s approval process and important info.

It turned out that there were layers upon layers of requirements beyond just “make good content”:

• No showing shipping information
• No exposed barcodes
• No logos
• No images with protected IP
• No personal information

The course even included a ChatGPT agent for generating video scripts with product descriptions (though, between us, the scripts were pretty terrible 😅).

Operation Final Attempt: The Weekend Sacrifice

Armed with new knowledge and new hope, I prepared my battle plan:

1. Selected the simplest products for straightforward reviews
2. Invested in an external microphone that dramatically improved audio quality
3. Negotiated with my husband to take our son away for two consecutive weekends so I could have a quiet place to film

Here’s one of the videos I’m actually somewhat proud of 🙈 (though I still cringe remembering the recording process):

***Edited out***

☝☝☝ I left out some details from my original newsletter. If you’d like to receive these updates in your Inbox in unedited form, sign up:

After two painful weekends of recording, re-recording, and obsessing, I submitted my three best videos to Amazon.

The Result

…dramatic drum roll 🥁…

REJECTED. Again. 🤷‍♀️

With a weird mix of disappointment and relief, I contacted AuthorityHacker for that promised refund. They promptly returned my money, asking only: “What could we have done better?”

Nothing, guys. Absolutely nothing. 🤷‍♀️

The Aftermath & Unexpected Plot Twist

And just like that, my Amazon Influencer journey ended. Three strikes and my account was permanently disqualified from product placement opportunities.

I briefly considered an alternative approach:

• Creating a new account under my husband’s name
• Enlisting my camera-comfortable husband as the on-screen talent (so jealous of him)
• Or potentially paying Jared himself to create the qualifying videos 🤯

But ultimately, I let it go. The video production process was simply too painful for me.

Here’s the ironic twist: About six weeks ago, I launched an Instagram account and have since published 20+ reels featuring myself on camera with voice-overs! 🤯
It’s completely different from doing face-to-camera product reviews, but still—who would have thought? 😅

Will I ever revisit the Amazon Influencer path?

Perhaps.

Though, Jared recently mentioned on the podcast that for him, the program isn’t nearly as profitable as it used to be (though this could be temporary). Plus, I’d need around 100 videos before seeing any significant income. Not sure it’s worth all that sweat and pain…
 

Breaking News: Mediavine’s Massive Purge

Now that we’ve closed this sad Amazon chapter, let’s talk about something that sent shockwaves through the content creator community this week! 🌊😩

Did you see the news that Mediavine just banned over 500 websites from Journey, their entry-level ad platform? 🤯

Were you among those affected?

I wasn’t hit, but I’ve been speaking with a few creators who suddenly lost their ad revenue…

The full scoop on what happened, why, and what it means for all of us will be in next week’s newsletter, which my subscribers have already received 😉

Stay tuned!

Oh, and a question for you!

Have you ever invested time in a project only to walk away from it?
I’d love to hear your stories if you’re willing to share!

Go to the comments, and let’s chat!

Otherwise, have a wonderful weekend ❤️