Tracking may not be the most exciting topic to think about, but if you want to see success from Amazon Ads, keeping tabs on what is and isn't working is going to be a crucial task you need to be on top of. Tracking your Amazon Ads doesn't need to be a long, drawn out process; it can be something that adds just 5-10 minutes to your Amazon Ads Management time, but in the long run, it's going to pay you back in a big way. In today's episode, I'm diving into Amazon Ads Tracking, so listen in and enj...
Apr 27, 2022•7 min•Ep. 46
Sponsored Brands Ads are one of the highest converting Amazon Ad formats – and for good reason; they appear right at the top of the search results! So, a highly prominent placement where you can advertise 3 or more books and add a touch of creativity to your Ad by writing a short headline and a photograph of you, the author. The main targeting type used for Sponsored Brands Ads is Keyword Targeting, but today, I want to share with you a targeting type I rarely hear mentioned in relation to Spons...
Apr 20, 2022•8 min•Ep. 45
If you've ever looked at your Amazon Ads Search Term Reports, you'll undoubtedly have noticed that, after some time, you will be getting a lot of clicks on branded search terms , with many variations of: Your Author Name Your Book Titles Your Series Titles Even if you didn't do this intentionally, Automatic Targeting Campaigns often default to targeting these search terms because they offer relatively cheap clicks in most instances and often convert very well, because readers are coming to Amazo...
Apr 13, 2022•16 min•Ep. 44
Scaling your Amazon Ads can seem daunting, overwhelming and a long way off if you're brand new to advertising your books on Amazon; but it doesn't have to be. Scaling is actually very simple and we often make it more complicated than it needs to be. Once you know 'what' to scale, the 'how' becomes much easier to implement. And that's what I'm covering in today's episode...How to start scaling your Amazon Ads. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN What scaling really is Are you ready to scale? Where to find scaling ...
Apr 06, 2022•12 min•Ep. 43
Low or non-converting Amazon Ads are one of the biggest frustrations of advertisers; but why does it happen and how do you diagnose why it's happening? That's exactly what I am going to share with you in today's episode. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN The metrics you need to focus on to diagnose your Amazon Ads The conversion rates of different placements and targets Why Amazon Ads are only part of the puzzle The biggest driver of Amazon Ads success And so much more RESOURCES Amazon Ads Keyword Research Tool...
Mar 30, 2022•21 min•Ep. 42
Amazon Ads bidding is somewhat of a controversial topic with so many conflicting opinions, it can be difficult to know which way to turn and how to bid with your Amazon Ads. In today's episode of the Author Ads Academy Podcast, I hope to clear things a little for you, by diving into how the Amazon Ads Algorithm works and ultimately, based on the many Amazon Ads Accounts I manage, how I believe you should be bidding on your Amazon Ads. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN How the Amazon Ads Algorithm works How much...
Mar 23, 2022•15 min•Ep. 41
We are taking a little break from the tactical side of Amazon Ads this week and looking at one of, if not, 'the' most important tool in your Amazon Ads belt; mindset. Without this, your Amazon Ads are going to become a frustration that you'd just rather not deal with; you'll make poor decisions when working on your Ads and drive your results into the ground. With a good mindset, however, you will always see opportunity with your Amazon Ads and will make strategic decisions with confidence. WHAT ...
Mar 16, 2022•15 min•Ep. 40
Amazon Ads can waste a lot of money on irrelevant keywords and ASINs, that, if not dealt with, can stack up to a staggering amount of ad spend on targets that generate zero sales and zero page reads. Not a good situation to find yourself in. Naturally, there is going to be some wasted Ad Spend as you put the feelers out there and find out what will and won't work for your books, but within a few weeks, you should have collected some good data and you will be able to figure out where you can 'tri...
Mar 09, 2022•12 min•Ep. 39
Using the 3 different Keyword Match Types offered with Amazon Ads is critical for success. This week on the Author Ads Academy Podcast, I'll be walking you through what the 3 Keyword Match Types are, the intricacies between them, as well as how and when to use them. Each Keyword Match Type plays its own role within your Amazon Ads Account and when used strategically and holistically, this is when you will see your Amazon Ads start to perform on a whole other level. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN The 3 differ...
Mar 02, 2022•11 min•Ep. 38
Sponsored Products Ads should generally make up around 80% of your Amazon Ads budget because they are the Ads that generate the most traffic, sales and Page Reads. So, where do Sponsored Brands Ads fit into the mix? And what are Sponsored Brands Ads? Find out in today's episode of The Author Ads Academy Podcast... WHAT YOU'LL LEARN What Sponsored Brands Ads are When and how to use Sponsored Brands Ads Are Sponsored Brands Ads right for you at this time? The type of targeting you can use with Spo...
Feb 23, 2022•12 min•Ep. 37
If you want to target specific Keywords or specific books/ASINs with your Amazon Ads, 'Manual Targeting' Campaigns are what you need to use. This week on the Author Ads Academy Podcast, I'll walk you through the different types of targeting you can use with Manual Targeting Campaigns, as well as when and how you could be using them. Automatic Targeting Campaigns (that I covered on last week's episode) are great and very quick to set up, but they lack a lot of control. Manual Targeting Campaigns,...
Feb 16, 2022•25 min•Ep. 36
Automatic Targeting Campaigns...some authors love them, some authors really don't like them! Today, I'm going to be diving into what Auto Campaigns are, best practices for using and more importantly, why they should form a fundamental part of your Amazon Ads Strategy. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN What Automatic Targeting Campaigns are How to use Auto Campaigns to scale your Amazon Ads The 4 different Auto Match Types How much you should be bidding on Auto Campaigns The best bidding strategy for Auto Campai...
Feb 09, 2022•18 min•Ep. 35
Welcome back! It's been a while since I posted a podcast episode, so I apologise about that. The past couple of months have been extremely busy, but I am now making time to bring you a new podcast episode every single week. And today, I am introducing you to a new direction of the podcast, one that I am extremely excited about... Moving forwards, The Author Ads Academy Podcast will be focusing entirely on Amazon Ads for authors and in this week's short episode, I'll be covering my reasoning behi...
Feb 02, 2022•7 min•Ep. 34
If you've been running Amazon Ads for a while and you've generated sales from your Ads, you should have some good data to work with to find keywords for your Amazon Ads by digging into your Search Term Reports. If you haven't run Amazon Ads before, or you just don't have much data to work with, then where do you start? That's exactly what I'll be sharing with you in this weeks episode. What You'll Learn The one Amazon Ads Report that is a goldmine of information for mining keywords Where to star...
Nov 24, 2021•10 min•Ep. 33
There are countless strategies out there for running profitable Amazon Ads and none of them are wrong, as they clearly work for some authors, but those strategies may not work for your books. The important thing with Amazon Ads, however, and advertising in general, is that you pick a strategy and stick with it for at least 3-6 months. If you're picking parts of a strategy from here, a bit from over there, another piece from that place over there, etc. then you're going to have a real mish-mash o...
Nov 17, 2021•10 min•Ep. 32
If the keywords you're targeting with your Amazon Ads just aren't getting clicks, or they're getting a few but not enough to actually generate significant sales, then today's episode is for you. What You'll Learn What timeframe to look at when analyzing your keywords The optimum account structure for your Amazon Ads How many keywords to put in your Campaigns What do about Ad Groups Troubleshooting low impression and low click keywords What books to target if you are using Product Targeting How t...
Oct 27, 2021•10 min•Ep. 31
As I'm sure you are aware, Facebook had a big problem on their hands this week when its entire server system went down, resulting in users not unable to access Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other properties owned by Facebook, including Facebook Ads. This is all goes to show that relying on one Ads platform can be devastating to your author business. Fortunately, Facebook managed to get things back up and running within 6 hours. Had the downtime been longer, however, what would you have done ...
Oct 06, 2021•8 min•Ep. 30
Facebook Ads Dynamic Creative is a fantastic way to test lots of different variables with your Facebook Ads in an effective and time-efficient manner. Rather than setting up lots of different Ads testing one variable at a time (the traditional way of testing Facebook Ads), you provide Facebook with a number of different assets (e.g. images, videos, headlines, etc.) and let Facebook do the testing for you. If you’re brand new to Facebook Ads or just want to test some fresh ideas quickly, Dynamic ...
Sep 22, 2021•16 min•Ep. 29
Negative Targeting with your Amazon Ads is a task that a lot of authors don't perform, because it takes time and they would rather be writing! However, if you want to see results from your Amazon Ads and not waste a huge chunk of money on them without seeing the results, then negative targeting is going to become your new best friend. In today's episode, I'm making a case for why authors should be using negative targeting with their Amazon Ads... What You'll Learn Why negative targeting is criti...
Sep 15, 2021•9 min•Ep. 28
Tracking conversions from BookBub Ads is something we aren't able to do, unfortunately; so we have to use another metric, aside from conversions, to determine the success of our BookBub Ads. In today's episode, I'm sharing what that metric is... What You'll Learn The number one metric to focus on with BookBub Ads How to improve this metric The 2 levers you can pull to improve the success of your BookBub Ads Some top tips for creating top performing BookBub Ads images How to target your BookBub A...
Sep 08, 2021•12 min•Ep. 27
Understanding the data in your Amazon Ads is crucial to be able to make informed, confident decisions when optimizing and scaling your Amazon Ads Campaigns. But which metrics should you be paying attention to? In today's episode, I'm sharing the 6 metrics I focus on when managing Amazon Ads for clients. Enjoy... What You'll Learn Which metrics to pay attention to in your Amazon Ads dashboard What to do if you're Ads aren't generating any impressions How to combat high click, no sales keywords or...
Sep 01, 2021•18 min•Ep. 26
The Facebook Ads dashboard offers LOTS of different metrics you could look at, but the good news is, you don't need to look at all them! In fact, aside from the main metrics such as Amount Spent and Budget, there are just 5 main metrics that I pay attention to when managing Facebook Ads for clients; and I'm sharing all of them in today's episode. What You'll Learn What to do when your Cost Per Clicks are rising How to combat Ad Fatigue Making sure your Ads aren't being seen too often by the same...
Aug 25, 2021•14 min•Ep. 25
Cash Flow is so important to manage because if you don’t manage it sensibly, things can soon spiral out of control and have an impact not just on your business, but on your personal life as well. So in today's episode, I'm sharing my thoughts and top tips for managing your Cash Flow when you are advertising. With the delay between your Ad Spend going out and your Royalties coming in, you need some sort of a plan (and some cash in reserve) to sustain 2, sometimes 3 months of Cash Flow. And that's...
Aug 18, 2021•12 min•Ep. 24
Amazon Ads can be a tricky beast to tame; they take time to refine and dial in. And unfortunately, Amazon Ads aren't a profitable venture for a lot of authors. So today, I'm sharing my Top 3 Tips for what to do if your Amazon Ads aren't profitable. What You'll Learn The number 1 quality you need to possess to run Amazon Ads How long to leave Amazon Ads for before you start optimizing them A recent tactic I've discovered that goes against common practice with Amazon Ads What to do with your Amazo...
Aug 11, 2021•10 min•Ep. 23
Amazon Ads are definitely not a 'set it and forget it' Ad platform! To see results from your Amazon Ads, you need to be optimizing them on a weekly basis. And in today's episode of the Author Ads Academy podcast, I'm sharing my Top 3 Amazon Ads Optimization Tips . Enjoy... What You'll Learn How to figure out your Amazon Ads Conversion Rate The best way to stop spending money on targets that are losing you money Finding a goldmine of data in your Amazon Ads Account you may not have known even exi...
Aug 04, 2021•9 min•Ep. 22
Over time, you may see the CPCs (Cost Per Clicks) of your Facebook Ads start to increase; not something you want! This happens to every single Facebook Ads Advertiser, so in today's episode I want to share my Top 5 tips for lowering your Facebook Ads Cost Per Clicks. What You'll Learn The metrics to keep your eye on in your Facebook Ads Dashboard The importance of Relevancy How Ad Fatigue can impact your Cost Per Clicks Quick and simple tactics you can implement into your Facebook Ads today to l...
Jul 28, 2021•11 min•Ep. 21
Knowing when to turn off a Facebook Ads Campaigns, Ad Sets or Ads is a tricky skill to get to grips with, but it comes with time, believe me. And it all comes down to looking at (and understanding) the data, patience and mindset. If you've ever asked yourself, should I turn off this Ad or this Ad Set, or should I let it run a little longer, this weeks podcast episode is for you... What You'll Learn What the Facebook Learning Phase is all about How the Learning Phase affects the performance of yo...
Jul 21, 2021•14 min•Ep. 20
You could spend $0 on a book launch, $1000 on a book launch, or even $10,000 or more on a single book launch! But what if you have just $100 to spend on the launch of your first or next book? Can you really launch a brand new book with $100? In a word, yes! And in today’s episode, I’m going to share my blueprint for running a successful $100 book launch. What You'll Learn My recommendation and thoughts on Amazon exclusivity The optimum pre-order period for a new book Pricing your book for a laun...
Jul 14, 2021•15 min•Ep. 19
Ads are an integral part of any book launch I do, as they are for many authors. But Promo Sites can be very powerful too; particularly when you combine them with Ads. So in today's episode, I'm going to be sharing how I plan out book launches and use a combination of Ads and Promo Sites to work together, cohesively to maximize sales and page reads. If you have an upcoming book launch, this episode is definitely going to be for you! So take notes and most importantly, take action. What You'll Lea...
Jul 07, 2021•17 min•Ep. 18
Your Ads are working great one day; book sales are up, royalties are up, CPCs are great, CTRs are really strong. The next day, though, sales are down, royalties are down, the CPCs on your Ads have increased, the CTRs have dropped. What’s going on? Why are the results so volatile? Why are my sales, page reads and royalties fluctuating all over the place? Why is there no stability? All of this boils down to one factor: Ad Variance And in this episode, we’re going to be breaking down what Ad Varian...
Jun 30, 2021•15 min•Ep. 17
