Amazon Affiliate Links in Email: What's Allowed Now, What Still Isn't
For years the answer to "can I put Amazon links in my newsletter" was a flat no, and most of what you'll find online still says so. The rule has changed. Amazon now allows Special Links in email, SMS and direct messages, with a condition that matters, and it still bans them in ebooks, PDFs and anything printed.
This post covers the exact wording, what "solicited" means in practice, what still isn't allowed, the disclosure you need, and how to set up a newsletter so the links earn and the account stays open.
The short answer
Affiliate links in email are allowed when the recipient opted in. They're not allowed in ebooks, PDFs, printed material, mailings or any unsolicited message. Every email with a link needs a disclosure. Use a separate Tracking ID for email so you can see what it earns.
What the rule says
The relevant section of the Participation Requirements starts with the prohibition that's been there for years: you will not use any Special Link "in connection with any printed material, ebook, mailing, or any oral solicitation".
Then it adds the exception: "You may include Special Links in emails, SMS and direct messaging from your social media Sites; provided, that such communications are solicited (i.e., opted into by the receiving customer) and are otherwise in compliance with the Agreement".
Two things to notice. The exception is about digital messages only; "mailing" in the prohibition still means physical post. And the condition is opt-in, not just "they gave me their address once".
What "solicited" means in practice
| Your list | Allowed? |
|---|---|
| Subscribers who signed up on your site for your emails | Yes |
| Customers who ticked a marketing box at checkout | Yes |
| A lead magnet list, if the signup said they'd get emails from you | Yes |
| Addresses collected for one purpose and emailed for another | No |
| A purchased, rented or scraped list | No |
| Cold outreach to people who never signed up | No |
| Social DMs to followers who messaged you first or opted in | Yes |
| Mass DMs to people who didn't ask | No |
If your email platform asks for proof of consent, you're already on the right side. If you couldn't say when or where someone subscribed, don't send them affiliate links.
What still isn't allowed
- Ebooks and PDFs. Named explicitly. A downloadable guide with Amazon links in it is a violation however the reader got it.
- Printed material. Flyers, magazines, business cards with a link or a QR code to a tagged URL.
- Physical mail. The "mailing" in the rule.
- Spoken promotion. Reading out a link or a short code on a podcast or at an event.
- Unsolicited anything. The email exception only applies to people who asked.
The workaround for all of these is the same and it's always been allowed: link to a page on your site, and put the Amazon link on that page. An ebook that says "see the current picks at yoursite.com/best-tents" is fine. The click on your site sets the cookie.
Disclosure in email
The Associates disclosure applies wherever your links appear, and the FTC's expectation for commercial email is a clear, conspicuous disclosure near the affiliate content, not buried under the unsubscribe link. One line at the top ("This email contains Amazon affiliate links; we earn from qualifying purchases") covers it. The disclosure post has wording for other formats.
Setting a newsletter up to earn
- Create a Tracking ID for email. In Associates Central, add a Tracking ID like
yoursite-email-20. Use it on every link in emails and nowhere else, so the report separates email earnings from the site's. - Link to the product directly, or to your guide? Both work. Direct links convert faster for a single product; links to your guide set the cookie on your site and give the reader the comparison. Many newsletters do one featured product direct and link the rest to the guide.
- Keep the link recognisable as Amazon. The cloaking rule applies in email too. "View on Amazon" as the link text, no bare shorteners.
- Don't put prices in the email. Same rule as on the site: a typed price has to carry a timestamp and disclaimer. "Check the current price" avoids it.
- Disclose at the top. Before the first link.
- Keep the opt-in records. If Amazon ever asks how someone got on the list, your email platform's signup log is the answer.
What the change doesn't mean
It doesn't mean email is a way around the website requirement. You still need an approved site or app to be in the program, and the three-sales rule still applies.
It doesn't mean you can email Amazon's product images or copy; the image and content rules are unchanged. And it doesn't mean DMs to strangers are fine because they're "from your social media Site"; the word that governs is "solicited".
Doing it with AffSERP
The simplest email setup is one where every link points at a guide on your site, because the guide already has the comparison, the picks and compliant Amazon links on it. AffSERP's X Best Review tool publishes those guides with your Associates ID on every link, so a newsletter can link to the guide and let the page do the selling.
If you'd rather link products directly in email, the links from a published guide already carry your tag and the right format; copy them with an email Tracking ID swapped in.
FAQ
Can I put Amazon affiliate links in my email newsletter?
Yes, as long as every recipient opted in. Amazon's Participation Requirements allow Special Links in emails, SMS and social direct messages provided the communications are solicited. A list people subscribed to qualifies; a purchased or scraped list doesn't.
Can I put Amazon affiliate links in a PDF or ebook?
No. Ebooks, printed material and mailings are named in the offline prohibition, and that part didn't change. Link the ebook to a page on your site, and put the Amazon link on that page.
Do I need a disclosure in affiliate emails?
Yes. The Associates disclosure requirement applies wherever your Special Links appear, and the FTC expects a clear disclosure near the links in any commercial message. Put it at the top of the email or directly above the first link, not only in the footer.
Does the 24-hour cookie work the same from an email click?
Yes. A click from an email sets the same 24-hour window as a click from a web page, and the same rules about what's paid apply. The report shows the click under the Tracking ID in the link, so use a dedicated Tracking ID for email to see what it earns.
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