Overview

Amazon provides guidance for content creators participating in the Merch Collab program on how to effectively leverage their YouTube channels to promote and sell branded merchandise. This reference page outlines practical strategies for launching, marketing, and sustaining merch sales through video content, audience engagement, and YouTube's built-in tools.

Key Points / What Sellers Need to Know

• Video launches drive initial momentum - Creating a dedicated launch video that showcases your best merch products helps generate immediate interest and gives your audience a clear call to action.
• Store discoverability is essential - Since direct linking to Amazon.com within YouTube videos is limited, creators should use vanity URLs, verbal callouts, and video description links to direct viewers to their store pages.
• Audience engagement fuels ongoing sales - Actively involving your audience through shout-outs, contests, giveaways, and polls keeps merch top-of-mind and encourages repeat purchases.
• Collaborations expand your reach - Partnering with other YouTubers exposes your merchandise to entirely new audiences who might not have discovered your products otherwise.
• YouTube analytics inform your strategy - Tracking video performance, viewer interaction, and card engagement helps you understand what content resonates and refine your promotional approach.

Launching Your Merch on YouTube

When you first release merchandise through the Merch Collab program, creating a dedicated announcement video is one of the most effective ways to generate excitement. Feature your products prominently by wearing or displaying them throughout the video, and make sure to clearly direct viewers to your Amazon store page multiple times. Since YouTube does not currently support direct linking to Amazon.com within the video player itself, you should include a static end screen that displays your vanity URL alongside images of your merch. Additionally, place your store link in the video description field and repeat the URL verbally so viewers can easily remember where to shop.

Building and Engaging Your Audience