Amazon Headline Search Ads in Amazon Sponsored Brands, are the large banner ads sitting at the top of Amazon's search results.
You can showcase your logo, write a custom headline, and feature 3 of your top products in one prime location. This placement is important because it lets you make a strong first impression before a shopper starts scrolling.
These ads are a key part of any serious Amazon PPC strategy. Here’s what they do for you:
Capture Top-of-Search Placement: Your brand becomes the first thing shoppers see when they search for relevant keywords.
Showcase Multiple Products: Instead of betting on one product, you can put a curated collection front and center. Show off your best-sellers, a new seasonal line, or complementary items all at once.
Drive Traffic to Your Brand Store: You don't have to send shoppers to a standard product page. You can direct them to your custom Amazon Storefront for a richer brand experience.
Defend Your Brand Space: Bidding on your own brand name with a headline ad is a smart defensive move. It stops competitors from taking that top spot and stealing your loyal customers.
Here’s a great example of a Sponsored Brands ad in action, using a custom image and headline to grab attention.
This ad works because it uses a video, headline and three relevant products.
To run these ads, you must be enrolled in Amazon's Brand Registry.
To see how these ads fit into the bigger picture, it helps to understand what PPC is on Amazon and its role in your growth plan. Sponsored Brands are a key piece of that puzzle.
How to Set Up Your First Sponsored Brands Campaign
Ready to launch your first Sponsored Brands campaign? The process is more straightforward than you might think. Everything happens inside your Seller Central dashboard. Let's break down the steps, focusing on the key decisions you'll make.
1. Go to the Campaign Manager
Find the Advertising tab. From there, click on Campaign Manager. This is your command center for all Amazon PPC. Click the "Create campaign" button and select "Sponsored Brands" as your campaign type.
2. Set Your Campaign Details
Next, you'll establish the foundation for your campaign. This is where you set the basic rules.
Campaign Name: Give it a clear, descriptive name. Something like "Brand Name, Product Line, Q4 Holiday" makes it instantly identifiable.
Start and End Dates: You can let the campaign run continuously or set a specific timeframe. A fixed schedule is perfect for seasonal promotions or product launches.
Daily Budget Allocation: Set a daily budget you're comfortable with. A modest budget of $25 to $50 per day is a solid starting point to gather initial performance data before you scale up.
This is the screen you'll be looking at in Seller Central when you get started.
Every field here, from the ad format to the landing page, directly impacts who sees your ad and what they experience when they click.
3. Choose Your Ad Format and Landing Page
This is where you make a critical strategic choice. Amazon offers a few ad formats, each built for a specific purpose:
Product Collection Ads: This is the classic three-product showcase. It’s perfect for highlighting your best-sellers or a group of items that work well together.
Store Spotlight Format: This format drives shoppers directly to your Amazon Storefront. If you've built a great store, this is an excellent way to immerse customers in your brand story. If you haven't set one up yet, check out our guide on how to create an Amazon Storefront.
Sponsored Brands Video: This format uses a short, auto-playing video to demonstrate your product. Videos often grab more attention and can lead to higher engagement.
Your landing page choice depends on your goal. A product collection ad typically links to a custom landing page showing just those specific products, while a Store Spotlight ad links directly to your Brand Store.
4. Ad Creative
Now for the fun part: making the ad. Your creative is built on three main elements.
Brand Logo: This must be your official, trademarked logo. Ensure it meets Amazon's quality and size requirements.
Custom Headline Optimization: You have a tight headline character limit, so get to the point. Focus on a key benefit or a compelling call-to-action. Don't say "High-Quality Yoga Mats." Try "Your Non-Slip Mat for Perfect Poses." It’s more engaging.
Products: Pick the three products you want to feature. Make sure they have great star ratings, plenty of reviews, and are fully in stock. Nothing kills a campaign faster than sending traffic to an out-of-stock item.
Think about this: by 2025, over 300,000 global sellers are projected to earn more than $100,000 a year on Amazon. You can bet amazon headline search ads are fueling much of that growth. The platform's average ad conversion rate is around 9% to 10%, showing how powerful these ads can be when set up correctly.
Once you’ve filled everything out, submit the ad for review. Amazon's ad moderation policy usually approves it within 24 to 72 hours, and then your campaign is live.
Choosing the Right Targeting Strategy
Your campaign’s success depends on getting your ads in front of the right shoppers. For Sponsored Brands, this comes down to two methods: keyword targeting and product targeting.
A good mix is the key to a profitable campaign. It lets you capture both broad browsers and focused buyers. But first, you have to know who you're talking to. A great campaign starts with knowing how to identify your target customers who actually buy. Once you have that, you can pick the right tools to reach them.
1. Keyword Targeting
This is the most direct route to a sale. Keyword targeting puts your ad in front of a shopper the moment they type a search term.
Your keyword bidding strategy will rely on a mix of three match types:
Broad Match Strategy: This casts the widest net, showing your ad for searches loosely related to your keyword. It’s a good tool for discovery but use it cautiously at first to avoid burning your budget.
Phrase Match Targeting: This is a happy medium. Your ad shows for searches that contain your keyword phrase in the correct order. For "bamboo cutting board," your ad could appear for "large bamboo cutting board."
Exact Match Keywords: This gives you maximum control. Your ad only shows for searches that are a perfect match. Reserve this for your high-performing keywords.
A balanced portfolio is what you're after. I recommend dedicating most of your budget to exact and phrase match for terms you've already validated. Getting this right takes some digging; our guide on keyword research for Amazon is a great place to start.
Just as important is what you don't want to show up for. This is where negative keyword lists come in. If you sell premium leather dog collars, you’d add words like "cheap," "nylon," and "cat" to your negative keyword list. This simple step stops you from wasting money on irrelevant clicks.
2. Use Product Targeting Options
Product targeting is different. Instead of bidding on what people search for, you're bidding to place your ads on specific product detail pages or within categories.
You have two main levers here:
ASIN Level Targeting: This is your sniper rifle. It lets you target the detail pages of specific products using their ASIN. You can use this to target a direct competitor or complementary products. Selling coffee filters? Target the ASINs of top-selling coffee makers.
Category Targeting Filters: This is your shotgun approach. Here, you target entire product categories. You can filter for specific brands, price points, or even star ratings. This tactic is great for building brand awareness and reaching shoppers browsing within your niche.
Fine-Tuning Bids and Ad Creative
Getting your Amazon headline search ads live is just the beginning. The real work is the constant process of optimizing your campaigns to get the most from your ad spend. This means refining your ad creative and your bidding strategy.
It all starts with a great headline. Too many sellers list features, which is a fast track to being ignored. "Durable Stainless Steel Blender" is accurate, but it's boring. "Blend Smoothies in 30 Seconds" speaks directly to a customer's need. It solves a problem, it doesn't just describe a product.
1. A/B Test Your Creative
You can't just assume you know what your audience wants. A/B testing, or split testing, is how you find out for sure. Run two similar ads, but change one thing. Then let the data tell you which one wins.
Here are a few elements to test:
Headlines: Pit a benefit-focused headline against one that calls out a unique feature.
Custom Images: Does a lifestyle shot outperform a clean studio photo on a white background? Test it.
Product Lineup: Try swapping out one of the three featured products. A different combination might get more clicks.
Let your tests run for at least two weeks to get solid data. Once you have a clear winner, push your budget behind that version and start testing the next element.
2. Manage Your CPC Bids
Managing your cost-per-click (CPC) bids is a balancing act. Amazon gives you a couple of ways to approach CPC bid management.
Automated Bidding Options: Here, you let Amazon’s algorithm do the driving. It adjusts your bids based on how likely a shopper is to convert. This is a good starting point for beginners.
Manual CPC Adjustment: This is for sellers who want more control. You set the exact bid for every keyword or target. It's the preferred method for seasoned sellers who want to get aggressive on proven keywords.
Your click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rate are your key indicators. If a keyword gets clicks but no sales, lower that bid. If a keyword is strong on both fronts, bid up to fight for that top of search placement. Remember that the words and images get the click. Applying persuasive advertising techniques to your copy is a huge lever for success.
3. Dig for Gold in Your Search Term Report
If there's one tool you need to use, it's the search term report. This report shows you the exact queries people typed into Amazon before clicking your ad.
Check this report weekly. You're looking for two things:
New Keyword Opportunities: You'll find specific, long-tail keywords you hadn't thought of. Add these to your campaigns as exact or phrase match keywords.
Wasted Spend: You will find clicks from irrelevant search terms. Add these to your negative keyword list immediately. Every irrelevant term you negate is money back in your pocket.
This process is one of the most powerful ways to improve your campaign's profitability. For more, we've compiled advanced Amazon advertising tips in our complete guide.
Conversion rates for headline search ads can be as high as 36% for essentials while being lower for higher-ticket items. For deeper insights, SequenceCommerce.com offers detailed analysis that can help you set realistic goals.
Tracking the Metrics That Actually Matter
Running Amazon headline search ads without watching your data is like driving blind. It’s easy to get lost in numbers, but only a few metrics tell you if your campaigns are working. Forget vanity metrics like raw impressions; focus on what affects your bottom line.
The two big ones are ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sales) and ROAS (Return on Ad Spend). They're two sides of the same coin. ACOS shows you how much you spent on ads to make a dollar. A 25% ACOS means you spent 25 cents to make a dollar. ROAS flips it, showing you made $4 for every $1 spent.
A good target for a mature campaign is an ACOS under 30%. If you’re consistently above 35%, it’s a red flag. It’s time to look at your bids, targeting, or creative.
1. New-to-Brand Metrics: The True Growth Indicator
One of the most valuable, and often overlooked, metrics for Sponsored Brands is New-to-Brand (NTB). This tells you how many of your sales came from shoppers who've never bought from you before. This is important because it’s proof that your ads are growing your customer base, not just targeting the same people.
NTB data validates the brand-building power of these headline ads. It proves you're expanding your market share and reaching new audiences.
2. Impression Share: Measuring Your Visibility
Impression share tells you how often your ad showed up compared to how often it could have shown up. If your impression share is 50%, your competitors are taking that top spot the other half of the time.
This metric is a direct check on your competitiveness. A low impression share (below 70%) usually points to two problems:
Your bids are too low: You're getting outbid for that prime real estate.
Your daily budget is too small: Your campaign is running out of money before the day is over.
Keeping an eye on impression share is crucial for understanding where you stand.
3. Read Your Campaign Reports Correctly
Making smart, data-driven decisions means looking at the whole picture. Don't fixate on a single metric. A great click-through rate (CTR) is nice, but if your conversion rate is low, your ad might be attracting the wrong audience or your landing page isn't effective.
Consistently dig into your reports to see the full story. For a deeper dive on how to use this data, our guide to Amazon Brand Analytics is a great next step. By focusing on ACOS, ROAS, NTB, and impression share, you can measure the true impact your amazon headline search ads have on your business.
Common Mistakes to Avoid with Headline Ads
Learning from others' mistakes is cheaper than making your own, especially with ad spend. Even experienced sellers can fall into common traps with Amazon headline search ads.
If you can avoid these pitfalls, you'll be on the path to running more efficient campaigns from the start.
1. Vague Goals and Unfocused Budgets
One of the fastest ways to waste money is launching a campaign with a "set it and forget it" attitude. Throwing a daily budget at an ad without a clear objective, like brand awareness or a specific ACOS, is a recipe for disaster.
Before launching, decide what success looks like. Are you trying to launch a new product? Or are you playing defense to protect your brand name? Your goal will dictate your strategy, from your keywords to your daily budget allocation.
2. Neglecting Your Negative Keyword List
Many sellers focus on the keywords they want to target and forget about the ones they don't. Running a campaign without a solid negative keyword list is like leaving your front door open.
Make it a habit to check your search term report for irrelevant queries triggering your ads. If you sell premium leather wallets, add terms like "cheap," "fabric," and "kids" as negative keywords. This can save you a lot of wasted ad spend.
3. Writing Generic Headlines
Your headline is your first shot at grabbing a shopper's attention. A generic headline like "High-Quality Kitchen Gadgets" is just background noise.
Your custom headline has to be benefit-driven and speak to your ideal customer. Don't just describe the product; solve their problem. A headline like "Effortless Meal Prep Tools" is much more compelling.
4. Directing Traffic to a Poorly Optimized Page
A great ad is only half the battle. If that ad sends shoppers to a confusing Brand Store, you're wasting money. A cluttered storefront, low-quality images, or out-of-stock products will kill your conversion rates.
Make sure your landing page delivers on the ad's promise. Your brand store integration should be seamless, with easy navigation. And always check your inventory levels before running ads. Nothing frustrates a customer more than clicking an ad for a product they can't buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can Anyone Run Sponsored Brands Ads?
No, not just anyone can. You need to be enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry. This is Amazon's way of ensuring only legitimate brand owners use these high-visibility ad spots.
To get into the Brand Registry, you need a registered trademark. You also need a Professional Seller Account. It keeps the ad space valuable and ensures shoppers see ads from real, verified brands.
3. How Much Do Amazon Headline Search Ads Cost?
There's no flat fee. These ads run on a pay-per-click (PPC) model, meaning you only pay when a shopper clicks your ad.
The actual cost-per-click (CPC) varies. It can be as low as $0.25 in less crowded categories like Grocery, or climb past $1.29 for competitive niches like Health & Household. What you pay depends on your budget, bidding strategy, and targeting.
4. How Do I Optimize My Ad for Better Performance?
Optimization is an ongoing process. Here are a few things you can do right away.
First, A/B test your headlines. Pit a benefit-focused headline ("Get a Deeper, More Restful Sleep") against a feature-focused one ("Made with 100% Organic Memory Foam") and let the data decide.
Next, dig into your search term report. Find irrelevant search terms wasting your money and add them to your negative keyword lists. This can immediately stop budget bleed and improve your ACoS.
Finally, think about the landing experience. Make sure your ad directs shoppers to a well-designed Brand Store or an optimized product page. A great ad leading to a confusing page results in a low conversion rate.
