Can I have affiliate links in videos?

by nitesh
10 replies
Hello Everyone,

I just want to know more about the affiliate links in youtube videos. Can I have affiliate links in the video description to get the people sign up for affiliate offers? Sharing of affiliate links are not allowed in facebook so will I be able to share those youtube videos in facebook and other social networks that are having the affiliate links in description. Please suggest.

Thank You
#affiliate #links #videos
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    I found this:

    YouTube itself doesn't give an outright answer to this question. After doing a lot of digging, I found the answer, which isn't as simple as you might think.

    Overall the answer is; yes, you can use affiliate links on YouTube. Also, this happens a lot, with both on small and large YouTube channels. However, there are some restrictions and best pracitices to go over before you start doing this.
    http://imstartpage.com/can-use-affil...eo-description
    I suggest running all your traffic to a squeeze page with an exit redirect to the affiliate link. This way if they don't opt-in you still get to show them the affiliate offer without posting an affiliate link in your description.

    Brent
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  • Profile picture of the author USERX714
    Yes the are allowed. One thing to keep in mind is that if you are posting your affiliate link on FB like every other affiliate is doing, FB sees this as "spammy" and blocks these links.

    One thing that will help is buy a domain name and redirect it to your affiliate link. Also, these links generally are more trustworthy when people see them whether its on FB or YouTube.
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  • Profile picture of the author nicheblogger75
    I find it's much better to link to a blog review or blog article from my YT video description. This way you can be assured that YouTube will not take action against you for directly posting affiliate links.

    although they say that affiliate links are allowed, I know lots of marketers who have videos taken down and even whole channels deleted because they linked out to affiliate products and squeeze pages, especially in the MMO niche.

    I have hundreds of YT videos up and never once have had a problem with any of my videos by linking out to my blog.

    Besides, it's always better to provide value before asking for the sale. By linking out to your blog, you have the opportunity to really provide some good content and hopefully get people to become subscribers to your blog.

    I've found that people who subscribe to your list because they are impressed with your blog content are the most likely to become regular customers.

    Something about making a video and linking directly to a sales page gives me that "used car salesman" type feeling.
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  • Profile picture of the author TextBullet
    Youtube allows the use of affiliate links. Some of the most popular youtube channels out there include affiliate links in the description of their videos.
    However, I believe it is way better if you link to a detailed article/blog post/landing page, where the customer finds more information about the product you're promoting, and an affiliate link to buy it. This will add more value in the eyes of customers, give you more credibility, and won't cause any issues with Facebook, Youtube, or any other platform. Best of luck!
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  • Profile picture of the author agmccall
    youtube's policy is vague at best. But the one thing you need to be weary of is the affiliate network you are using. Amazon is a no, they want you to own the site you put the links on. So check with the affiliate networks and vendors you are promoting. If a vendor has an extensive video campaign then if might be against their TOS

    al
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  • Profile picture of the author Rory Singh
    I see people posting affiliate links but don't think that's a great idea. A link to your blog would be a better idea.

    It also will build your credibility and authority online this way.
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  • Profile picture of the author spearce000
    They might allow it now, but Google (which owns YT) has a habit of changing their terms and conditions frequently and with very little fanfare. What's perfectly OK now, could end up getting you banned in the future. The first you'll probably know about it is when your channel gets taken down.

    Like others have said, best to link to your website or blog and sell affiliate products from there. That way, you're future-proofing your business.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnVianny
    It's a NONSENSE.

    Yes, you can put some affiliate link in Youtube with shorten but it's USELESS.

    Instead, put the domain of your squeeze page and BUILD YOUR EMAIL LIST.

    Email Marketing will pay you better in the long run than spamming affiliate links here and there.

    Give something value in exchange of the mail and build a follow up sequence to suits your prospect's needs, so they can naturally buy your products and become repeated buyers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Silentkiller1
    You can but make sure the affiliate program allows YouTube promotion. It is better to get them to your email list then redirect them to the offer.
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  • Profile picture of the author Deeksha B
    Yes, it's allowed to put affiliate links in the youtube description.
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