Amazon has been piling on new features for Kindle Direct Publishing authors recently and the latest innovation is for Sponsored Brands advertising which means authors can showcase a collection of books, such as those from the same genre or series.
Sponsored Brands are cost-per-click (CPC) ads that feature an author, a custom headline, and multiple books. Ads will click through to a custom landing page where you can display your titles in an immersive environment. You can also use video ads for a single product.
Amazon says the brand campaigns help customers discover and engage with your brand in prominent search placements, and generate awareness and consideration with customizable ads that link directly to a landing page or a store.
You will find Sponsored Brands available when setting up a new Marketing campaign through your KDP account as there are now three different types of ad available — Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Lockscreen Ads.
Sponsored Brands ads can include your brand logo, a custom headline, and up to three of your products. These ads appear in multiple locations on desktop and mobile pages, including above search results. When Amazon shoppers click your brand logo, they go to a store or a simple landing page. Amazon vendors also have the option to direct shoppers to a custom landing page. When shoppers click a product, they go to the product detail page.
There is also the option to use a video ad (in beta phase) to feature a single product with a video, as well as the product image and title. Video ads are eligible for mobile and desktop placements in search results. When Amazon shoppers click your video, they go to the product detail page.
As these ads are cost-per-click, you only pay when an Amazon shopper clicks your ad. You control how much you spend by setting your budget and choosing how much to bid per click.
Amazon has allowed authors to promote multiple books in ads since October 2019 but the Sponsored Brands facility takes this to a new level.
Some of the recent improvements that Amazon has made for KDP authors include:
- New Amazon Ads metric for estimated Kindle Unlimited KENP royalties
- Inviting authors to put forward their ebooks for Kindle Deals and Prime Reading promotions
- Upgrading Author Central with single site for worldwide pages
- Allowing authors to build book series pages through KDP
- Extending Kindle Create to offer ebook and print production at the same time
- Expanding Amazon Ads for authors to Canada and Australia