This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Jill Koch. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
When my son was born in 2018, I was spending a lot of quality time with him at home. But during his naps, I’d unwind by scrolling. I had a background in television journalism and I liked being on camera so one day I decided to try creating content on social media. I shared videos about fashion, home products, cleaning, and more.
Since I’ve always loved organizing and cleaning, I decided to share my best tips and tricks on Instagram. I shared new content almost every single day. During that time, I became a part of the Amazon Influencer program so that I could earn affiliate revenue when people bought my recommended products.
In the past 5 years, I’ve amassed almost a million followers on social media and a big chunk of my income comes from being an Amazon influencer. I’ve tried to post one reel per day. I do this because showing up with new content regularly gives my audience something valuable to look forward to daily. I attribute my growth to that level of consistency.
I have a small team but do the majority of my content creation myself. While every week in my life looks a little different, most of my process is the same. From preparing and doing Amazon Lives to filming content for Instagram reels, I work at least 40 hours a week.
Here’s what a typical week in Jill Koch’s life looks like:
Monday through Friday:
8:00 am: When I wake up in the morning, I plan my videos for the day and decide what I’m going to film. I like to work on one thing at a time.
9:00 am I scan Amazon for the best daily deals and then share them on my Instagram stories. After that, I’ll film my reels for the day, edit them, add in voice-over and music, and write the caption.
10:00 am: Once those videos are made, I’ll head to my blog and work on creating a new post with the products that I’m linking to on social media that day. That way, my audience can head to one spot to find any of the recommendations that I share.
11:00 am: After that, I’ll head back to my social media channels (Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube) and engage with the new posts. I’ll respond to comments and comment on other people’s posts who I follow on the various platforms.
12:00 pm: By lunchtime, I like to take a break from content creation. I’ll start answering emails from brands who want to partner with me or from followers who have questions or who want links to product recommendations.
1:00 pm: I’ll head to Amazon and look for products that I love or new products that have amazing reviews. I’ll add them to my Amazon storefront so that my followers have new products to shop every day.
In the afternoon, I follow less of a strict work schedule and I’m flexible with what I do. I’ll use the time to catch up on brand partnership work, review my analytics, plan for the next day, or hop on Instagram stories and share what I’m doing in real time.
Saturday
8:00 am: Saturday is the day that I’ll do an Amazon live. I find that it’s a popular day for people to shop on the platform and if people watch my live streams, it might inspire them to pick up some of the products that I demonstrate and recommend. I also like to livestream on Saturdays because I know I can block off enough time to plan and record. I usually go live for an hour so it’s a big part of the day.
During the week, it’s hard to have enough time for preparation and the livestream. I’ll get up and begin my organization process of deciding what I want to share, the order in which I want to share the products, and what I’ll say about each of them.
9:00 am: I look through Amazon to find products that are on sale. I like to find 15-20 items to showcase on my live streams. I will talk about each product for under five minutes and spend time writing down notes so I know what I will highlight about each product.
10:00 am: I’ll film some additional videos of myself using the product to embed in my live streams, social media, and to use on my Amazon storefront. I’ll also go on Instagram stories and share when I’m going live, what the theme of this week’s Amazon livestream will be about, and even hint at some of the products that I’ll show.
11:00 am: I’ll start my Amazon livestream and stay on for an hour. Because of the preparation I do beforehand, I go live and go through my process of doing a welcome introduction to share an overview of the products I’ll highlight before diving into each one for a few minutes. Every week, the amount of people who watch live varies. But the live streams remain on my Amazon storefront so people can watch them at any time.
Sunday
5:00 pm: I’m a very organized person but I don’t batch content or plan in advance for what I’m going to post. I come up with ideas daily and shoot videos almost every day. But even so, I like to start the week off with a loose plan. I spend Sunday figuring out what my Amazon live of the week will be focused on, pulling links for Amazon products that I want to share on my blog or social media, updating my Amazon store with new products that I find, and writing out ideas for potential videos or blog posts.
6:00 pm: I also look at what brand partnerships or collaborations I have going on so I can get an overall picture of what needs to be done in the week ahead.
Takeaways for aspiring Amazon influencers: Share products you love, be consistent, and plan ahead
I encourage anyone who wants to be an Amazon influencer to give it a try. Start by sharing the things you’ve already bought and use often. Find a schedule that works well for you, whether it’s batching content or planning every day, like I do. Consistency is key. There might be times when you wonder if your hard work is paying off, but if you keep giving your audience value, they will return to see what you’re sharing next.
More from content creators who became their own bosses:
- Danielle Bayard Jackson: Meet an Influencer Who Turned Being a Good Friend Into a 6-Figure-a-Year Job
- Amy Chan: This Influencer Turned Heartbreak Into a 6-Figure Career as a Content Creator
- Mom Influencers: Alyce Chan on Raising a Brand and Kids At Once
- How Justin Choquette Spends $1,000 Every Month Building His Following
