Squirrel Playlists: Getting more from your Amazon links

Amazon’s affiliate associates programme has dominated the affiliate industry for the last couple of years. The ease of which you can monetise links to the retail giant means that many publishers have opted to use Amazon as the go to place for their affiliate programmes. It's a no-brainer for many.

But by relying on just Amazon you reduce the choice and available deals that you offer to your readers and proverbially "put all your eggs in one basket".

Change is normally easier said that done. Normally adding more retailers would mean going back through your copy and adding further links. That takes time and resources you probably don’t have. Even if you only opt to add more retailers going forward, your editorial team still face many of the same problems.

Introducing Squirrel Playlists

Squirrel Playlists aim to sovle these problems quickly, easily, and with minimal effort and fuss on your part.

With one piece of code on the page, the Squirrel Playlist is able to see all the Amazon links on the page and create a playlist of the products you've linked to on Amazon. 

Once on the page the Squirrel Playlist not only lists Amazon as a retailer, but all the other retailers you've opted to work with around the world even if you've only linked to a specific Amazon country store. 

It also automatically updates every couple of hours, in the same way a standard Squirrel widget does, and will always only feature products that are in stock.

It's really clever. 

To give you an idea of how Squirrel Playlists could work on your articles, here’s an example of how you could use a Squirrel Playlist to enhance a getting started article about the Xbox for example.

Xbox Series X|S: What you need to get started

The Xbox is an amazing console, but don't forget the console itself is just the starting point, you'll need to remember to buy a host of other accessories and games at the same time to go with the console to fully enjoy your new gaming life.

That could be a controller, a gaming headset, more storage, and of course some games. Don't worry, here's our quick guide on what you need to get you started.

Which console should you get?

You'll need to decide which console to get and that will depend on how much you like to play games. If you’re a casual gamer that is keen to please the kids but don't want to get too involved, you should probably opt for the Xbox Series S.

It's considerably cheaper than the big more capable Xbox Series X and perfect if you just want to play the latest games on Games Pass; Microsoft's subscription service that gives you access to hundreds of games in a similar way to Netflix does with movies and TV shows.

Those that take their console gaming more seriously however will want to opt for the Xbox Series X. It's more powerful, has more storage for games, comes with better graphics, and a Blu-ray player to play physical media.

Get a second controller 

Both the Xbox Series S and Series X come with a single controller in the box. That's okay if you want to fight your way out of trouble in the latest Call of Duty or drive the latest cars in Forza, but not ideal if you want to challenge your mates to a game of FIFA. Microsoft offers three types of controllers. Wired, Wireless, and for serious gamers, the top of the range elite model, and that's before you look at third party offerings. For most, the wireless controller is the way to go with the company offering a multitude of colours and designs to fit more gamers style choices.

Buy a gaming headset

If you're planning on some late-night gaming the last thing you want is other members of your household coming into the room to complain when you're in the middle of defeating the forces of evil. Add to that the need to bark orders or gibes at your fellow gamers and you'll quickly find that you need to invest in a gaming headset. Several companies make excellent headsets from Corsair to Logitech to Razer and even Microsoft itself. For our money you can't go wrong with Steelseries. It’s Arctis 9X headset is highly rated.

Expand your storage

While the Xbox Series X console comes with 1TB of storage, the Series S only packs only half of that; 512GB. That could mean you quickly run out of space. Seagate offers a 1TB external drive to solve that problem and could be worth getting if you want to have plenty of games ready to play on a whim.

Start playing some games

There are plenty of cracking games on the Xbox that are sure to suit whatever you are in to. Whether that's Halo Infinite, Forza Horizon 5, Microsoft Flight Simulator, or Elden Ring.

Good luck.

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