This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
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Did you know that in addition to selling more than 12 million items, Amazon.com also sells ads. That's right, they actually sell a lot of ads. In fact, an increasing number of ads. They sell them in the search results on specific product listing pages. And if you're an Amazon customer, which just about everybody is these days, they will sell them to companies and then serve them to you based on your previous purchases.
And yes, there are some things about Amazon that are kind of scary. I'm the first to say that. But let's leave that topic for another conversation. Focus here on the question of selling those ads. Now, because one of our listeners is wondering, might this be a good way to promote her product?
Perhaps by paying less than she would elsewhere. Welcome to "Sign Us Will School." This is your host, Chris Guillebeau. We're gonna jump into this question. Are Amazon ads worth trying? After this, shout out to our sponsor.
Thank you, sponsor. [Music]
Hi, Chris. This is Laura from Pittsburgh, and I've been listening to the show for a couple of years now. I've been hearing about ads on Amazon being an alternative to expensive Facebook or Google ads. Is this true?
And if so, what do I need to know? I shop on amazon.com almost every day. And I've noticed that they've started showing more and more ads. I did some reading and it looks like anyone can pay for these ads, just like with Facebook and Google. It also looks like they're a lot less expensive and less competitive, at least for certain categories or items.
Is this true? And if so, what do I need to know about it? [Music]
Hey, Laura, thank you so much for listening. Shout out to everybody in Pittsburgh. Okay, so lots to talk about here.
Are they worth trying? Yes, they are worth trying. Oh, also, first of all, is it true that they will sell ads to anyone? Yeah, of course. Facebook and Google and Amazon, all these companies, will make it very easy to take your money.
So they're not concerned about the effectiveness of the ads. They're not concerned if you waste your money. I mean, they're happy to take your money, basically, just like any good major corporation. And you're correct as well that they're showing more and more ads these days. And as for whether they are less expensive and less competitive than the ones you see for Facebook and Google, it really does depend.
And in a lot of categories, it's not less expensive. It's not less competitive. So it might be for certain categories. It might be depending on what you're selling. But that's the kind of research you need to do once you start getting into that specific product that you're selling.
And once you start understanding a bit more about how it's marketed and who your ideal customers are and where you can reach them, all that kind of stuff. So categorically speaking, it's not that Amazon is going to be better or cheaper necessarily. So unfortunately, it's not just like a goldmine sitting there that you can go and spend a dollar and make $20 every time. Now, as for whether they're worth trying and such, I mean, anything is worth a try. But just like any other form of online advertising, people lose a lot of money doing it.
I know an author whose publisher spent $20,000 on Amazon ads recently, and they had a specific campaign. They actually worked with an Amazon rep. The company provides somebody directly to publishers and to those who are spending at that level or higher. And it really didn't work that well. I forget the precise numbers, but they spent a lot of money on selling a small number of books.
So not necessarily a great idea. One option might be to look at Pinterest. We haven't talked a lot about Pinterest ads, but that is another company that's happy to sell people ads based on certain targeting. You can include all the different demographics and variables that you want to specifically try to reach. And Pinterest ads, I think categorically can be cheaper than Google and Facebook, not for everything, but for a lot of things.
And as for whether they're effective, once again, that's going to come down to what you're selling. Overall, whether we're talking about any of these companies or any other networks or any other places in which you can purchase advertising, don't try any of that stuff if you don't have a product that converts. That's the most important thing. If you don't have a sales process that you know is going to be effective, feel free to spend $100 or something, but I definitely wouldn't invest in a big ad campaign without a proven product. That's why the work you do on the front end is so important because then if you do have a product that's amazing and it's converting and you've got a good sales process, a good message, then those ads can be an amplifier.
But only rarely will they kickstart something that is not a compelling offer in the first place. So focus on that first. Again, thanks, Laura, and thanks, listeners. You're awesome. If you have a question of your own, come to sidehustleschool.com/questions.
We will feature them throughout the year, along with updates from other listeners as they launch their projects. More is coming up, so be sure you're subscribed. My name is Chris Guillebeau, this is Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
