We Broke Up with Amazon Affiliate (It Wasn’t Us, It Was the Revenue)
TL;DR: We tested Amazon affiliate links inside YouTube summaries. The clicks were shy, the commissions were microscopic, and infrastructure bills kept doing burpees. We’re removing the links and focusing on better ways to fund the service without turning summaries into a coupon aisle.
Why We Tried Amazon Affiliate
Summaries naturally surface product names-books, mics, cameras-so adding contextual links felt like a harmless way to keep the servers caffeinated. We kept the integration tame, skipped link stuffing, and stayed close to the transcript. On paper it was the perfect harmony of usefulness and sustainability; in reality it behaved like tumbleweeds and $0.00 days. We hoped the Amazon Associates program would pair relevance with a steady drip of revenue, especially for product reviews and tutorials, but that drip never arrived.
What Actually Happened
Click-throughs were low enough to make a shy goldfish look bold. Earnings, if plotted as a YouTube timeline, would be the flat part before you hit play. The support load of explaining why a book link existed took more time than the commissions were worth. Most sessions were mobile, and the extra redirect felt like sand in the gears. The conclusion was simple: the Amazon affiliate path was friction for users without meaningful funding for the infrastructure that powers YouTube summaries.
The Decision
The math was simple: affiliate revenue < coffee budget. We would rather spend that time improving transcript quality, boosting summary accuracy, and expanding categories than babysitting links that do not pay for their keep. So the Amazon links are gone. reviews and tutorials, but that drip never arrived.
What Changes for You
You get cleaner summaries with zero affiliate links. The product story is now simpler: we summarize YouTube, full stop. It also means fewer distractions, faster load times, and a clearer trust contract between the reader and the page.
How We’ll Pay the Bills (Without Turning Into a Mall)
Google Ads are still around for now, but even those may leave if they keep cluttering the experience. We are leaning toward collaborative funding through a “buy us a coffee” button for anyone who likes their summaries caffeine-fueled. A lightweight pro tier may appear later if it delivers obvious value, like faster queues or saved summaries. And yes, if you have a non-spammy suggestion, message us; we actually read mail.
SEO Corner for Fellow Humans
If you found this while searching “YouTube Summary Amazon affiliate,” know that we tried it and bailed. We’re prioritizing sustainability routes that keep the product fast, clean, and reader-first. The focus stays on monetization that keeps YouTube Summary reliable without stuffing pages with ads or irrelevant offers.
The Vibe Going Forward
We’ll keep experimenting until we find monetization that feels invisible, fair, and boringly reliable. The summaries stay sharp and the servers stay up. Transparent updates like this one will continue so readers know exactly how YouTube Summary funds itself and why certain levers move.
