PostEaseThe short answer
The YouTube Shopping affiliate program lets creators tag products from participating brands and retailers in their videos, Shorts and live streams. Viewers can open the product while the video keeps playing and buy on the retailer’s site, and the creator earns a commission on the sale.
YouTube’s Help Center describes it as “a way to earn money on YouTube while helping your audience find products they love,” with tagging, insights and earnings all in YouTube Studio. It is open to Partner Program channels in a list of countries that YouTube publishes and updates, including the United States, Korea, Japan, India and Brazil.
Who can join
YouTube’s minimum requirements for an invitation:
| Requirement | What YouTube says |
|---|---|
| Partner Program | The channel is in the YouTube Partner Program and meets its subscriber threshold |
| Location | Based in one of the countries YouTube lists |
| Not music | Not a music channel, an Official Artist Channel, or associated with music partners such as labels or distributors |
| Not for kids | The channel is not set as made for kids, and few of its videos are |
How joining and earning work
Once eligible, sign up in YouTube Studio under Earn, then Programs, then Join Now, and accept the terms. From there you tag products in your content, browse affiliate offers and commission rates under Earn, then Shopping, and see custom rates when a merchant offers you a higher one.
On the brand side, Google’s Merchant Center Help says YouTube takes care of creator onboarding, affiliate link management, conversion tracking and billing, and that merchants pay only when a creator drives a purchase. Checkout happens on the merchant’s own site.
| What | How it works |
|---|---|
| Rates | Each brand or retailer sets its commission rate and attribution window per product |
| Earning | A viewer clicks your tagged product and buys on the retailer’s site |
| Payment | Through AdSense for YouTube, 60 to 120 days after the purchase |
| Returns | A returned product reverses the commission |
| Amazon | In some countries, Partner Program creators can tag Amazon products by linking an Amazon Influencer or Associates account |
The rule about links outside YouTube
The program pays for viewing on YouTube, and only there. YouTube’s Help Center says it is against its Terms of Service “to route traffic from other non-YouTube sources to merchants using your YouTube affiliate links,” including syndicating them on external websites, automated redirects, click injection or cookie stuffing, and that sharing these links outside YouTube may lead to action. Keep YouTube Shopping links on YouTube; use each retailer’s own affiliate programme for links elsewhere.
Making tagged videos work
Practical habits for tagged content:
- Tag only what you use and show in the video; viewers are already looking at it.
- Mention the tagged product out loud when it appears, so viewers know to look.
- Disclose brand relationships as YouTube’s branded content policies require.
- Check commission rates and custom offers before planning a product video.
YouTube Shopping and PostEase
PostEase uploads YouTube videos on schedule with their title, description and cover; product tags are added in YouTube Studio. On your PostEase link-in-bio page, link to the YouTube video itself rather than to a YouTube Shopping affiliate link. YouTube, X, LinkedIn (personal profile), Pinterest, Bluesky, and WordPress publishing are live today; Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and Threads are pending each platform's own API approval.
Questions
Who can join the YouTube Shopping affiliate program?
Partner Program channels that meet the subscriber threshold, are based in an eligible country, are not music channels, and are not set as made for kids.
When do YouTube Shopping commissions get paid?
Through AdSense for YouTube, 60 to 120 days after the purchase, to allow for returns.
Can I share my YouTube Shopping affiliate links outside YouTube?
No. YouTube says routing traffic from non-YouTube sources to merchants through your YouTube affiliate links is against its Terms of Service.
Who sets the commission rate?
Each brand or retailer sets its own rate and attribution window per product; merchants can also offer you a custom, higher rate.
Sources
- YouTube, YouTube Shopping affiliate program overview & eligibility, checked October 2026.
- YouTube, Tag Amazon products with YouTube Shopping, checked October 2026.
- Google, About the YouTube Shopping affiliate program (Merchant Center Help), checked October 2026.