The Author Ads Academy Podcast

Looking at spreadsheets of data from your Amazon Ads Account isn't everybody's cup of tea, but without taking the time to dive into your Amazon Ads Reports, you can be missing out on a lot of opportunity to really ramp up your Amazon Ads results. So, in today's episode, I'll be sharing the 5 key Amazon Ads Reports I use when managing Amazon Ads for authors and how you can use them to take your Amazon Ads to the next level. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN The 5 Amazon Ads Reports you should be using How often to download each of these reports The purpose of each report How each report can affect your overall decision making for your account And so much more... RESOURCES Amazon Ads Training Program: Amazon Ads Academy For Authors 15% off Coupon Code for One-Time Payment Option: AAA15OP (ends May 24th 2022) 15% off Coupon Code for Payment Plan Option: AAA15PP (ends May 24th 2022) Your FREE Amazon Ads Tool: Amazon Ads Targeting and Tracking Tool Amazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link) Work With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads Management Email Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 enjoy! And don't forget to download your free Amazon Ads Toolkit that will help you implement exactly what I'm talking about, at www.matthewjholmes.com/adstoolkitWHAT YOU'LL LEARNWhy tracking is so importantThe stats to track with your Amazon AdsThe importance of identifying trends and patternsThe dangers of target duplicationA free tool to help you track your Amazon AdsAnd so much more...RESOURCESYour FREE Amazon Ads Tool: Amazon Ads Targeting and Tracking ToolAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Work With Matt One-on-One: Amazon Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 Sponsored Brands Ads – Category Targeting.Yes, you can use Category Targeting with Sponsored Brands Ads, and although they don't always convert exceedingly well (although they sometimes do), I predominantly use them for Keyword Research.Let's dive into today's episode all about Sponsored Brands Category Targeting Campaigns...WHAT YOU'LL LEARNA summary of what Sponsored Brands areHow to use Sponsored Brands Category Targeting to discover new keywords to target in other CampaignsThe one major drawback to Sponsored Brands Category TargetingHow to structure your Sponsored Brands Category Targeting CampaignsThe costs associated with Sponsored Brands Category Targeting and how to control themAnd so much more...RESOURCESYour FREE Amazon Ads Tool: Amazon Ads Targeting and Tracking ToolAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Work With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 NameYour Book TitlesYour Series TitlesEven 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 Amazon to specifically look for your books.Yes, you should be protecting your Author Brand, without a doubt, but there is a downside to branded keywords, in that it can substantially restrict how many new readers Amazon Ads can bring into your world.On today's episode, I'm diving into how and when to use Branded Keywords with your Amazon Ads...WHAT YOU'LL LEARNWhat branded keywords actually areThe importance of protecting your Author brand on AmazonWhy branded keywords and ASINs can restrict your Automatic and Category Targeting CampaignsHow to run specific branded keyword and ASIN Campaigns – and why you shouldAnd so much more...RESOURCESYour FREE Amazon Ads Tool: Amazon Ads Targeting and Tracking ToolAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Work With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 LEARNWhat scaling really isAre you ready to scale?Where to find scaling opportunities in your Amazon Ads account?What do you do with these scaling opportunities?How do you scale your Amazon Ads?Why finding new scaling opportunities is so critical for Amazon AdsExpectations to keep in mind when scaling Amazon AdsAnd so much more...RESOURCESYour FREE Amazon Ads Tools: The Amazon Ads ToolkitAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Work With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 LEARNThe metrics you need to focus on to diagnose your Amazon AdsThe conversion rates of different placements and targetsWhy Amazon Ads are only part of the puzzleThe biggest driver of Amazon Ads successAnd so much moreRESOURCESAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Your FREE Resources For Running Ads: Author Ads ToolkitAdvertising Books: FREE Books Written by MattWork With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 LEARNHow the Amazon Ads Algorithm worksHow much you should be bidding on your Amazon AdsThe 2 different approaches you can take to Amazon Ads biddingA tip for generating high-profit sales through strategic bidding and keyword selectionHow to figure out what your starting bid should beAnd so much more...RESOURCESYour FREE Amazon Ads Tool: Amazon Ads Targeting and Tracking ToolAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Work With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 YOU'LL LEARNThe most important internal tool you need to run successful Amazon AdsActing on emotions rather than strategy – and which one wins. Always.The biggest lesson I've learned from running thousands of Amazon Ads CampaignsHow to accept that you are not in full control of your Amazon AdsHow long you should leave Amazon Ads to run untouched when first launchingAmazon Ads Attribution and Big-Picture-ThinkingAnd so much more...RESOURCESYour FREE Amazon Ads Tool: Amazon Ads Targeting and Tracking ToolAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Work With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 'trim the fat' and stop spending money on things that aren't working.You do this with negative targeting – and that's exactly what I'm diving into in today's episode...WHAT YOU'LL LEARNWhat negative targeting isA brief case study of what happens when you don't use negative targetingThe thresholds I use when negative targetingHow often to perform negative targeting in your accountA controversial way of using negative targetingMy (less-controversial) approach to negative targetingAnd so much more...RESOURCESYour FREE Amazon Ads Tool: Amazon Ads Targeting and Tracking ToolAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Work With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 LEARNThe 3 different Keyword Match TypesThe key differences between a Keyword and a Search TermThe 5 words that are ignored in all Amazon Ads KeywordsA deep-dive into each of the 3 Keyword Match TypesThe funnel structure I use for Amazon Ads KeywordsAnd so much more...RESOURCESYour FREE Amazon Ads Tool: Amazon Ads Targeting and Tracking ToolAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Work With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 LEARNWhat Sponsored Brands Ads areWhen and how to use Sponsored Brands AdsAre Sponsored Brands Ads right for you at this time?The type of targeting you can use with Sponsored Brands Ads?My Sponsored Brands Ads strategyLow-hanging fruit opportunities with Sponsored Brands AdsAnd so much more...RESOURCESYour FREE Amazon Ads Tool: Amazon Ads Targeting and Tracking ToolAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Work With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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, on the other hand, allow you to have very precise control over what you are targeting and the individual performance of those individual targets.WHAT YOU'LL LEARNThe 3 different types of manual targetingA simple yet effective campaign structureA simple funnel structure that harnesses the power of Auto and Manual Targeting CampaignsThe difference between long-tail and short-tail keywords – and when to use themHow to use Manual Targeting Campaigns to defend your books and your brandAnd so much more...RESOURCESYour FREE Amazon Ads Tool: Amazon Ads Targeting and Tracking ToolAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Work With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 LEARNWhat Automatic Targeting Campaigns areHow to use Auto Campaigns to scale your Amazon AdsThe 4 different Auto Match TypesHow much you should be bidding on Auto CampaignsThe best bidding strategy for Auto CampaignsAnd so much more...RESOURCESYour FREE Amazon Ads Tool: Amazon Ads Targeting and Tracking ToolAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Work With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 behind this change in direction as well as giving you a taste of what to expect over the next few weeks and months.WHAT YOU'LL LEARNThe new direction for the PodcastMy reasoning behind this new directionWhat to expect from the podcast over the coming weeks and monthsAnd more...RESOURCESYour FREE Amazon Ads Tool: Amazon Ads Targeting and Tracking ToolAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Work With Matt One-on-One: Author Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 LearnThe one Amazon Ads Report that is a goldmine of information for mining keywordsWhere to start keyword research if you haven't run Amazon Ads before or have very little data in your accountThe 1-2 minute strategy to let Amazon find keywords for youThe Campaign Structure I use for keyword campaignsHow long to let these new keyword campaigns runA quick way to force Amazon to show your Ads if you're finding that you're not getting many impressions, clicks and salesAnd much more besides...ResourcesAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Your FREE Resources For Running Ads: Author Ads ToolkitAdvertising Books: FREE Books Written by MattWork With Matt One-on-One: Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 of strategies in one Account, which is going to have a negative impact on your results. My 80/20 Amazon Ads strategy I'm going to share with you today may not be right for you and your books, but if you've reached your wits end with Amazon Ads, you feel like you've tried everything and nothing is working, or you're just looking for a fresh way to use Amazon Ads, then I encourage you to implement my 80/20 Amazon Ads Strategy that I walk you through in today's episode.What You'll LearnThe 2 phases I move through with Amazon AdsHow and why I focus on the 80/20 rule (Pareto's Principle)What to do with your old and current Amazon Ads CampaignsHow many Campaigns I am running at any one timeThe campaign types I use for the 2 phases of my Amazon Ads strategyThe importance of negative targeting with your Amazon AdsAnd much more besides...ResourcesAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Your FREE Resources For Running Ads: Author Ads ToolkitAdvertising Books: FREE Books Written by MattWork With Matt One-on-One: Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 LearnWhat timeframe to look at when analyzing your keywordsThe optimum account structure for your Amazon AdsHow many keywords to put in your CampaignsWhat do about Ad GroupsTroubleshooting low impression and low click keywordsWhat books to target if you are using Product TargetingHow to fix keywords with a low click through rateAnd much, much more...ResourcesAmazon Ads Keyword Research Tool: Publisher Rocket (Affiliate Link)Your FREE Resources For Running Ads: Author Ads ToolkitAdvertising Books: FREE Books Written by MattWork With Matt One-on-One: Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 if you had been all in on Facebook Ads? Did you have a backup plan? That's exactly what I'm discussing in today's episode...What You'll LearnThe importance of a backup planExample backup plans for advertising your booksWhat's more likely to happen with Facebook Ads than downtimeNext steps if you are too reliant on Facebook AdsAnd much, much more...ResourcesYour FREE Resources For Running Ads: Author Ads ToolkitAdvertising Books: FREE Books Written by MattWork With Matt One-on-One: Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 Creative is the perfect solution.What You'll LearnWhat Facebook Ads Dynamic Creative actually isBest practices for setting up Dynamic CreativeHow to analyze the data from your Dynamic CreativeNext steps after running Dynamic Creative AdsThe Pros and Cons of Dynamic Creative and whether it's right for youAnd much more besides...ResourcesJoin Author Ads Insider (Free 7 Day Trial)Your FREE Resources For Running Ads: Author Ads ToolkitAdvertising Books: FREE Books Written by MattWork With Matt One-on-One: Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com

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 LearnWhy negative targeting is critical to see success with Amazon AdsThe difference between Keywords and Search TermsWhy you should be negating Keywords and ASINs, not just KeywordsWhere to find Keywords and ASINs to negateWhat to do with relevant Keywords and ASINs that are costing you money with little to no returnThe always-on Campaigns that should be running in the background at all times for harvesting the top performersAnd much, much more...ResourcesJoin Author Ads Insider (Free 7 Day Trial)Your FREE Resources For Running Ads: Author Ads ToolkitAdvertising Books: FREE Books Written by MattWork With Matt One-on-One: Ads ManagementEmail Matt: matt@matthewjholmes.com