How to Create Your First Amazon Sponsored Brands Video Campaign: A Beginner’s Step-by-Step Guide
A practical beginner’s guide to choosing the right campaign goal, product, landing page, budget, targeting and video strategy
Running your first Amazon advertising campaign can feel surprisingly complicated.
You may know which product you want to promote, have a video ready, and even have an Amazon Ads account with previous campaign data—but once you enter Campaign Manager, Amazon presents several options that can make you wonder:
- Which campaign goal should I choose?
- Should I send shoppers to my Brand Store or product page?
- Do I need to select the exact ASIN?
- How much should I spend?
- Should I use keywords or product targeting?
- What is the difference between “Drive page visits” and “Grow brand impression share”?
- Should I immediately increase my bid if the campaign doesn't spend?
This guide explains the process step by step, especially for a small or growing brand launching its first Sponsored Brands Video campaign.
Important: Amazon Ads interfaces and available options can change over time. The exact fields you see may vary by marketplace, account eligibility and campaign type.
What Is a Sponsored Brands Video Ad?
Sponsored Brands Video is an Amazon advertising format that lets brands use video creative to showcase products and attract shoppers while they are browsing Amazon.
Depending on the campaign configuration, Sponsored Brands Video can appear in shopping results and on product detail pages. Advertisers can use targeting based on keywords, categories or products, and can direct shoppers to a Product Detail Page or, in applicable campaigns, a Brand Store.
The basic customer journey looks like this:
Amazon search → Video ad → Product Detail Page → Purchase
For a product-focused first campaign, this is often easier to understand and measure than sending traffic through multiple pages.
Why Start With Your Best-Selling Product?
If you are testing Sponsored Brands Video for the first time, don't necessarily choose a random product just because it looks good on video.
A better starting point is often a product that already has evidence of customer demand.
For example, if one product consistently receives:
- Organic sales
- Good product-page traffic
- Positive reviews
- Strong conversion
- Competitive pricing
- Adequate inventory
it can be a sensible candidate for your first video advertising test.
Why?
Because you are not testing everything simultaneously.
You are mainly testing:
Can video advertising generate additional qualified traffic and sales for a product that shoppers already like?
That gives you a much cleaner experiment.
Step 1: Choose Sponsored Brands
Inside Amazon Ads Campaign Manager, begin by creating a Sponsored Brands campaign.
Sponsored Brands supports several creative formats, including video, and is designed to help shoppers discover brands and products.
For this type of campaign, select:
Ad format → Video
Amazon also provides tools that can help advertisers create video assets, which can be useful if you don't already have a professional advertising video.
Step 2: Understand the Three Campaign Goals
One of the most important decisions comes right at the beginning.
Amazon may show three goals:
- Drive page visits
- Grow brand impression share
- Reserve share of voice
These sound similar, but they serve different purposes.
1. Drive Page Visits
This is the most straightforward choice when your immediate objective is to send qualified shoppers to a product or shopping destination.
Think:
Search → Ad → Click → Product Page
For a first product-focused video test, this is usually the easiest goal to understand because you're trying to generate traffic and ultimately sales rather than simply maximize visibility.
Amazon's Sponsored Brands documentation describes Sponsored Brands as a way to drive traffic to destinations including Product Detail Pages, and Sponsored Brands Video can use CPC-based advertising in applicable configurations.
Best suited for:
- Product promotion
- Traffic generation
- Product consideration
- Testing a new video creative
- Connecting shoppers directly with a product
For a first product-focused video campaign:
Drive page visits is generally the logical starting point.
2. Grow Brand Impression Share
This goal is more focused on visibility and share of voice.
Instead of asking:
"How many shoppers can I bring to my product?"
the strategic question becomes:
"How prominently can I make my brand appear in relevant Amazon searches?"
Amazon describes this goal as being focused on increasing brand impression share, particularly in prominent search placements.
This can make sense when a brand is already thinking beyond one product and wants to strengthen brand recognition.
Best suited for:
- Brand awareness
- Increasing search visibility
- Building brand presence
- Protecting or expanding visibility around important searches
- Brand-level advertising strategies
For a beginner testing whether a particular product video can drive sales, this may not be the first goal to choose.
3. Reserve Share of Voice
This is a more specialized option.
Reserve share of voice is designed to secure consistent Sponsored Brands visibility at the top of search for branded keywords at a fixed, upfront price.
For example, imagine customers already search for:
Your Brand Name
or
Your Brand + Product
The objective is to make sure your brand has predictable visibility when shoppers perform those high-intent branded searches.
Amazon describes reserve share of voice as a way to secure top-of-search visibility for branded keywords rather than relying entirely on the standard auction model.
Best suited for:
- Established brands
- Branded search protection
- Major launches
- Seasonal campaigns
- High-intent branded searches
- Brands with meaningful branded search demand
It is generally not the first thing a beginner needs when the objective is simply:
"I have one product and I want more qualified shoppers to visit it."
Quick Comparison
| Goal | Main purpose | Best use |
|---|---|---|
| Drive page visits | Generate traffic | Product-focused campaigns |
| Grow brand impression share | Increase visibility | Brand awareness |
| Reserve share of voice | Secure branded top-of-search presence | Established/branded search demand |
A simple rule:
Want shoppers to visit a product? → Drive page visits
Want more people to see your brand? → Grow brand impression share
Want to dominate searches for your own brand terms? → Reserve share of voice
Step 3: Name Your Campaign Properly
Don't name your campaign:
Video Campaign 1
That becomes difficult to understand when you eventually have dozens of campaigns.
Use a consistent naming system.
For example:
SBV_ProductName_Keyword_Aug2026
or:
SBV_Product_Category_Sales
A useful naming structure can contain:
Ad type + Product + Targeting + Date
For example:
SBV_MarbleBowl_Keyword_Aug26
The exact naming system doesn't matter as much as being consistent.
Step 4: Set a Controlled Daily Budget
Your first Sponsored Brands Video campaign does not need an enormous budget.
The purpose of the first test is to collect meaningful performance data.
A controlled starting budget lets you evaluate:
- Impressions
- Click-through rate
- Cost per click
- Clicks
- Orders
- Conversion rate
- Advertising cost of sales
- Sales generated
without putting your entire advertising budget at risk.
Amazon allows advertisers to set daily budgets and adjust campaigns after launch.
Beginner principle:
Start controlled → collect data → optimize → scale
Don't start aggressively simply because Amazon recommends a higher budget.
Step 5: Choose Your Landing Page
Amazon may give you options such as:
Product Detail Page
or
Brand Store
For a campaign focused on one specific product, a Product Detail Page can create a very direct customer journey.
Product-focused funnel:
Video → Product Page → Purchase
Amazon specifically describes Product Detail Page Sponsored Brands Video campaigns as being designed to connect shoppers with a product.
When Should You Use a Brand Store?
A Brand Store makes more sense when your objective is broader.
For example, your video might introduce your brand and then allow shoppers to explore:
- Bowls
- Trays
- Home décor
- Bathroom products
- Kitchen products
- Decorative objects
The journey becomes:
Video → Brand Store → Multiple products
This can be useful when the goal is brand discovery rather than selling one specific product.
Step 6: Select the Product / ASIN
This is an important point for beginners.
If your campaign is designed around one particular product, select the exact ASIN you want to advertise when Amazon asks you to choose products.
For a first test, there is a strong argument for keeping the campaign simple:
1 campaign
→ 1 ad group
→ 1 primary product
→ 1 video
This makes the data much easier to interpret.
If you advertise ten products in your first campaign, you may eventually get sales—but it becomes harder to understand which product, creative or targeting strategy was responsible.
Why One Product Can Be Better for the First Test
Imagine this campaign:
- Product A
- Product B
- Product C
- Product D
- Product E
The campaign generates ₹5,000 in sales.
What did you learn?
Not much.
Now imagine:
- One product
- One video
- Focused targeting
The campaign generates ₹5,000 in sales.
Now you have a much clearer signal:
This particular product + video + targeting combination has potential.
Once you understand what works, you can expand.
Step 7: Create or Select Your Video
The video is the heart of this advertising format.
Amazon recommends making a strong first impression and showing the product or something interesting within the first few seconds.
This is particularly important because shoppers are scrolling through a busy shopping environment.
Your video shouldn't take ten seconds to explain what the product is.
The viewer should understand the product almost immediately.
What Should a Product Video Show?
For a physical product, a simple structure works well:
0–3 seconds
Show the product immediately
3–7 seconds
Show the product's design or material
7–12 seconds
Show how it can be used
12–18 seconds
Show the product in an attractive lifestyle setting
Final seconds
Brand + simple call to action
This isn't a rigid formula, but it provides a useful starting framework.
Amazon's current guidance also recommends keeping Sponsored Brands Video creative concise and making the opening seconds engaging.
Don't Depend on Audio
Amazon's Sponsored Brands Video ads can autoplay without sound, with shoppers able to enable audio.
That means your video should still make sense when muted.
Use:
- Clear visuals
- Short text overlays
- Product demonstrations
- Captions where appropriate
Don't make the entire sales argument dependent on narration.
What Makes a Good Product Video?
A good video answers four questions quickly:
What is it?
Show the product.
Why is it different?
Show its material, design, craftsmanship or distinctive feature.
How can I use it?
Demonstrate realistic use cases.
Why should I click?
Give the shopper a reason to explore the product.
Step 8: Choose Targeting
Sponsored Brands can use targeting options including:
- Keywords
- Categories
- Products
Amazon's Sponsored Brands Video documentation confirms these targeting options.
For a first product-focused campaign, keyword targeting can be a straightforward way to test shopper intent.
Start With Highly Relevant Keywords
Don't immediately target every broad home-and-lifestyle keyword you can think of.
If you're advertising a marble bowl, begin with terms closely connected to the actual product.
For example:
- marble bowl
- white marble bowl
- decorative marble bowl
- handmade marble bowl
- handcrafted marble bowl
- marble décor bowl
- marble serving bowl
- marble centerpiece bowl
These are much closer to the shopper's actual intent than extremely broad terms such as:
- home décor
- luxury décor
- table accessories
Think in Search Intent
Not every keyword has the same commercial value.
Compare:
"marble bowl"
with:
"home décor"
Someone searching for "marble bowl" has already identified the product category.
Someone searching for "home décor" may be interested in:
- Lamps
- Paintings
- Cushions
- Vases
- Mirrors
- Furniture
- Wall décor
Your advertising budget is therefore more exposed to irrelevant traffic.
Beginner principle:
Relevance before reach.
Step 9: Don't Change Everything Every Day
This is one of the biggest mistakes new Amazon advertisers make.
They launch a campaign and then check it repeatedly:
No sales yet.
Then:
Increase bid.
Then:
Change keywords.
Then:
Increase budget.
Then:
Pause keywords.
Then:
Change the video.
Eventually there is no clean data left.
Instead, allow enough time for the campaign to collect meaningful information before making major changes.
Step 10: Evaluate the Campaign Using the Right Metrics
Don't judge a video campaign only by sales.
Look at the entire funnel.
Impressions
How often was the ad shown?
If impressions are extremely low, investigate targeting, bids, eligibility and competition.
CTR
How many people clicked after seeing the ad?
Low CTR may indicate:
- Weak creative
- Poor relevance
- Weak headline
- Unclear product
- Wrong targeting
CPC
How much are you paying for each click?
A high CPC isn't automatically bad if the traffic converts profitably.
Conversion Rate
This is where the Product Detail Page becomes important.
If you get plenty of clicks but very few orders, investigate:
- Product images
- Price
- Reviews
- Product description
- Competitive positioning
- Delivery
- Product quality communication
ACOS
Advertising Cost of Sales helps determine how much advertising spend was required to generate the attributed sales.
ROAS
Return on Ad Spend helps you understand revenue generated relative to advertising expenditure.
The Funnel You Should Analyze
Think of the campaign as a chain:
Impressions
↓
CTR
↓
Clicks
↓
Product Page
↓
Conversion Rate
↓
Orders
↓
Sales
↓
ACOS / ROAS
This is much more useful than simply asking:
"Did I get a sale?"
Step 11: Compare Video With Your Existing Advertising
If you already run Sponsored Products or other Amazon campaigns, don't automatically pause your successful campaigns just because you launched Sponsored Brands Video.
Sponsored Brands Video has its own placement and auction mechanics. Amazon notes that it does not directly compete with other self-service advertising campaigns you're running.
Instead, think of the campaigns as different layers.
Sponsored Products
Can capture shoppers closer to the product-listing/search experience.
Sponsored Brands Video
Can add a visual brand/product discovery layer.
Sponsored Display
Can serve different audience and remarketing objectives depending on setup.
The objective is not necessarily to replace one with another.
The objective is to build an advertising system where each campaign has a clear job.
Step 12: Don't Judge a Campaign Without Context
An ACOS of 20% isn't automatically excellent.
An ACOS of 50% isn't automatically terrible.
It depends on:
- Product margin
- Selling price
- Amazon fees
- Shipping
- Manufacturing cost
- Organic sales
- Repeat purchases
- Advertising objective
- Customer lifetime value
For a highly profitable product, a higher ACOS may be sustainable.
For a low-margin product, even a moderate ACOS may be problematic.
So define your break-even ACOS before deciding whether a campaign is profitable.
A Simple First-Campaign Framework
If you're a beginner, keep your first Sponsored Brands Video campaign deliberately simple:
Campaign type: Sponsored Brands
Format: Video
Goal: Drive page visits
Landing page: Product Detail Page
Products: One primary product / ASIN
Targeting: Highly relevant keywords
Creative: Short product-focused video
Budget: Controlled test budget
Optimization: Don't make daily changes
Evaluation period: Give the campaign enough time to generate meaningful data
What About the Other Two Goals?
You don't have to ignore them forever.
Think of them as different stages of brand growth.
Stage 1 — Product validation
Drive page visits
Goal:
Get qualified shoppers to the product.
Stage 2 — Brand visibility
Grow brand impression share
Goal:
Increase visibility and strengthen brand presence.
Stage 3 — Branded search dominance
Reserve share of voice
Goal:
Secure prominent visibility when shoppers specifically search for your brand.
Reserve share of voice is particularly focused on branded keywords and predictable top-of-search visibility.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Mistake 1: Choosing a goal because it sounds impressive
"Reserve share of voice" sounds powerful.
But powerful does not mean appropriate.
Choose the goal that matches the business objective.
Mistake 2: Advertising too many products
More products do not automatically mean better advertising.
For a first test, simplicity produces cleaner data.
Mistake 3: Using extremely broad keywords
Broad reach can quickly become expensive reach.
Start with relevance.
Mistake 4: Making the video too much about the brand
Your brand matters, but shoppers usually need to understand the product first.
Show the product quickly.
Mistake 5: Making the video dependent on sound
Remember that video can autoplay without audio.
Make the visual story understandable without sound.
Mistake 6: Changing the campaign every day
Give the campaign enough time to produce meaningful data.
Optimize based on evidence, not anxiety.
Mistake 7: Ignoring the Product Detail Page
A great advertisement cannot completely rescue a weak product page.
The video gets the click.
The product page has to help earn the purchase.
A Practical Pre-Launch Checklist
Before clicking Launch, ask:
- Is this the correct Sponsored Brands campaign?
- Did I choose the correct campaign goal?
- Is the landing page appropriate?
- Did I select the correct ASIN?
- Is the product currently available?
- Is the product page conversion-ready?
- Is the video understandable without sound?
- Does the product appear within the first few seconds?
- Is the headline clear?
- Are my keywords closely relevant?
- Is my budget controlled?
- Is my bid reasonable?
- Do I have enough inventory?
- Do I know what metrics I will evaluate?
If the answer is yes, launch.
The Bigger Lesson: Amazon Ads Is an Experiment
One of the most useful mindset changes for a small business owner is to stop thinking:
"I launched an ad. Now I hope it works."
Instead think:
"I designed an experiment. Now I need to learn from the data."
Your first campaign teaches you:
- Which shoppers respond
- Which keywords attract clicks
- Which searches convert
- Whether your video captures attention
- Whether the product page converts
- How much qualified traffic costs
- Whether the product can support profitable advertising
Then your second campaign can be better than your first.
And your tenth campaign can be dramatically better than your first.
Final Takeaway
If you're creating your first Sponsored Brands Video campaign around a proven product, don't make the setup unnecessarily complicated.
Start with a clear objective:
Get qualified shoppers to the product.
Then create a simple funnel:
Relevant search → Sponsored Brands Video → Product Detail Page → Purchase
Use a strong product-focused video, select the correct product/ASIN, keep targeting relevant, control your budget and analyze the complete advertising funnel.
Most importantly, don't confuse visibility with sales.
Amazon gives advertisers different campaign goals because different business objectives require different advertising strategies.
Drive page visits is about getting shoppers to your destination.
Grow brand impression share is about increasing brand visibility.
Reserve share of voice is about securing prominent visibility for branded searches.
The right choice isn't the campaign with the most impressive name.
It's the one that matches what you are actually trying to accomplish.
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