How to Live Stream on the Amazon Influencer Program | New 2023 Guide

After I got accepted into the Amazon Influencer program, I decided to try the Live Streaming feature to grow my audience and get additional sales. Amazon really puts a lot of emphasis behind the live streaming program and I seen some pretty rapid growth from my Live Streams.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find a complete guide to get setup through the Amazon Live app, so I decided to put together this post to help you out! I do recommend a few products in this post – which if you decide to buy I’ll receive a small commission from. I use these products myself and I’ve found they make the whole streaming process much easier.

Ready to crush it with Amazon Live Streaming? Let’s jump to it!

What you’ll need

To get started with Amazon Live streaming, you’ll need a few basic things:

• An iOS device (iPhone or iPad) to install the Amazon Live App on. Even an older iOS device will do the job (iPhone 7, iPhone X, or older iPad mini).
• A Computer to install OBS live streaming software on (I personally use the MBA m1 from 2020)
• OBS (free to download)
• A mirrorless camera or a smartphone to use as your main camera. I blogged about the gear I use on this page.
• Amazon List of products to promote
• A Tripod if you plan to use a DLSR or Mirrorless camera (optional)

Once you’ve got everything on the list you’re ready to get rocking and rolling!

Why live streaming is So powerful

Live streaming is a really fun way to grow your audience on Amazon and make extra cash at the same time. If you love chatting about products you’ve been using or that you love, you can do this in real time with an active audience.

Being Live on the platform also lets potential buyers engage with you so they can ask you questions about the product – which makes for a great buying experience! The more streaming you do the higher the tier you’ll achieve – and eventually the more money you’ll make from each stream.

Creating an Idea List For Your Live Stream

1. Select Idea List

3.Search for each product you’d like to feature

2. Give your idea list a name

Creating a product list is the first step before you go Live on your stream. Here’s the best process to do you stream:

1. Log into your Amazon Influencer Dashboard
2. Go to the ‘Create Content‘ then select ‘Idea List’
3. Next, you’ll need to give your list a name and provide a brief description about what the list is
4. Click ‘Post’ and then you’ll need to find the products to feature
5. From here you’ll need to search for each product, and then click the + symbol to add it to your list. You can add as many products as you like, but keep in mind you’ll need to speak about each one on your live stream.
6. That’s it! Now you’re ready to jump over to the iOS app and schedule your live stream.
7. Inside the iOS app, click the Plus + symbol at the bottom of the screen.
8. Create a thumbnail for your live stream (I use Canva.com)
9. Give your Live Stream a Title ‘Best Streaming Gear 2023’
10. Set a start date (if you plan to go live instantly, you won’t need to do this).
11. Select your video source (note, if you plan to use a mirrorless or DLSR camera, you’ll need to select external camera)
12. Select a Promo Code (if you’ve been given one)
13. Upload a brand logo of a sponsor if you have for your stream

And that’s basically it! Once you’ve completed each of these steps, it’s really about configuring OBS to use your external camera/computer to kick off. Instructions for OBS are here.

Where your live streams appear on Amazon

Amazon Live is Amazon’s answer to streaming technology, and it can be found on Amazon’s main page and some category pages. It has a range of options that feature Amazon influencers and allow customers to learn more about the products they are interested in.

Amazon Live also appears in the Amazon Video section, where customers can find exclusive content ranging from homemade videos to interviews with Amazon’s top-level influencers.

Amazon is regularly adding new placements and is currently testing a new platform called inspire where short form vertical videos are shown. I’ll update this page if new placements become available in the near future!

Making money from the Live Streams

Making money from your live streams is dead simple! If someone watches your live stream, clicks the product and then purchases you’ll receive a commission from that sale. \

With the right strategies in place, you can start monetizing your live streams in no time. Remember to always adhere to Amazon’s best practices and make engaging with your audience a priority.

Why Live Streaming Might Be Better Than Product Reviews

One thing that I love about Live Streams over normal product reviews is that a Live Stream will often stay on a product page for a few weeks (I haven’t found an exact time frame yet).

Which means you’ll get more exposure of your content and gain more followers at the same time. Product reviews will only currently show on the individual product pages, whereas a Live Stream can get more placements on category or home pages. More exposure = more eyeballs.

Following this guide will help you get setup for Amazon Live streaming using OBS software.

Using OBS

OBS is a seriously awesome piece of software for Live Streaming, and whats even better is it’s completely free and open source!

Here’s a quick crash course on how to get OBS setup for Live Streaming on Amazon. Personally, I use a Mac but the steps are the same for Mac and PC.

1. Download and Install OBS on your PC or Mac
2. Open OBS, and head to settings
3. In order for your stream to meet Amazon’s requirements, you’ll need to update the following settings. (note: you do need a modern PC to run OBS/Live Stream, so check out my recommendations below)
4. After you’ve entered all your streaming settings, you’ll more than likely want to add graphics to make your stream look nice.
5. Head to Canva.com and create a new document that’s 1080×1980. This will be your background on your stream (this is optional, but I think it looks really professional)
6. Download the file and click the + symbol
7. Select the Image option and upload your background file. Again, this is optional – you can skip this if you want.

Correct OBS Settings

To get started with Live streaming on the Amazon Influencer program, I suggest you follow these instructions:

• Install the Amazon Live Creator app from the Apple App Store. (Sorry, no android version at this stage).
• Follow the onscreen instructions to plan a future live stream. There’s also a handy preview mode to test out your camera/phone quality. If it’s your first time streaming, I’d suggest you use this.
• Run OBS Studio. On the main screen, click Settings (bottom right).
• In the Settings window, click Stream on the left.
• In the Service box, select Custom… Then, enter the Server and Stream Key (your URL and Stream key is taken from the Live creator app – see image above).

Now it’s time to update the video streaming settings (note: these change every now and then, so check this page for current requirements from Amazon)

5. In the Settings window, click Video on the left.

6. Configure the Output (Scaled) Resolution and Common FPS Values (frame rate). The recommendation is 852×480 and 30 (480p30).

7. In the Settings window, click Output on the left. In the Output Mode field, select Advanced, then click the Streaming tab. Use the settings below.

8. Amazon also specifies the following values:

9. Click OK to close the Settings window.

10. In the OBS main window, go to the Sources area, right-click, select Add, and add the following sources:

• Video Capture Device, which is your webcam or DSLR/Mirrorless camera.
• If you have a custom USB mic or audio interface, you can also select that from the list. I personally use the Audio Technica AT2040 or the Rode NT-USB Mic for my streams.
• You can also select a custom background for your stream, I personally think this looks far more professional.

11. Click Start Streaming at the bottom right to start the live stream.
12. Check the Amazon Live creator app to see if you’re live. You might need to click the ‘Go Live’ button if you don’t see the ‘Live’ button in the app.

Upgrading to the next tier

As you continue to stream, Amazon will let you apply for the next tier inside the Live Creator app.

Each tier gives you additional placements, and other rewards. See this link for a more detailed breakdown on how the tiering system works:

One thing I recommend when you stream is to engage with your audience through the chat and through the Live video feed. If someone asks a question, do your best to answer it and provide useful suggestions. By doing this I was able to see a rapid increase in new Amazon profile followers.

Engaging with your audience

As noted above, Amazon has a tier system for Live Streaming. To advance from the first tier, you’ll need to do a few things:

1. Show the physical products you’re talking about on your stream
2. Engage with your audience on the stream
3. Stream regularly

Engaging with your audience is really simple and makes the whole experience really fun. Once your stream is Live you’ll start to see a Chat box and viewer count on your iOS device (sorry, no android app yet).

Anytime someone asks a question on your stream, you can either reply in the App or reply to them on your stream. I’ve found people ask questions about the product, where I’m from, if I’d buy this product or that, and how I have my coffee lol.

The Amazon Live App

The Amazon Live app is really where you need to get started. To get started with your first Live stream, you’ll need to schedule a time for your first Live Stream. (You can go Live straight away, but scheduling one in the future lets you test all your settings/camera).

1. Download the Free App to your iOS device (iPhone or iPad).
2. Open the App, and sign in with your Amazon Influencer account
3. If you’re logging in for the first time you’ll need to get an SMS auth code
4. After you log in follow the on screen instructions to go live immediately or plan a live stream at a future date.
5. Once the stream is setup, you can also share a URL for people to tune in a watch which is super handy.
6. Remember to use a List to add products to your feed.

Summary

So there you have it guys – everything you’ll need to get up and running with Amazon Live streaming. I’d highly recommend you do a simple live stream to begin with just to get your bearings. And remember, the Live Creator app has a ‘preview’ mode for you to test out all your OBS settings and creator list. Live streaming is heaps of fun and once you get all the fundamentals down, you’ll love engaging with a live audience on Amazon.

Any questions? Drop me line!