Ep 585: Amazon Marketing Cloud: 5 Audience Plays to Lower ACOS on Competitive Keywords

February 13
17 mins

Episode Description

Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - ⁠https://dtcnews.link/signup⁠


Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) used to feel “enterprise-only.” Not anymore. Tyler Masur (Head of Amazon at Pilothouse) breaks down what AMC actually does, how to use the no-code templates without being a SQL wizard, and the audience overlays that make broad keywords finally make sense.


Role-based hook: For Amazon operators and DTC teams spending real money on Sponsored Ads who want lower ACOS without sacrificing scale.


In this episode, we get tactical on:

  • What AMC is (and isn’t): audience building + deeper measurement layered on top of your existing console
  • How to start with the no-code audience + analytics templates (and when AI-generated SQL helps)
  • Why you should test AMC audiences in net-new campaigns (so you don’t accidentally choke your winners)
  • The “broad keyword + qualified audience” play (example: bidding on “cooler” but only for outdoors browsers)
  • Measuring DSP impact: what happens after someone sees DSP, then hits Sponsored Brands/Products


Who this is for: Amazon managers, DTC founders, and growth teams trying to scale Sponsored Ads past the “set it and forget it” phase.


What to steal:

  • Build a “generic keyword” campaign, then overlay an in-market audience (nodes/categories) so you can bid higher without paying for junk clicks.
  • Keep audience tests isolated in new campaigns; don’t jam audiences into legacy structures and hope.
  • Run the AMC overlap reporting to spot the campaigns that actually increase conversion when paired together (then fund those).


Timestamps:

0:00 Amazon Marketing Cloud is now open to all sellers

2:05 What AMC actually does: audiences and analytics

4:10 No-code templates vs custom SQL queries (and the built-in AI helper)

6:10 Audience targeting strategy to improve ACoS without over-narrowing

8:55 Using prebuilt analytics to see which campaigns lift conversion together

11:10 When AMC becomes worth it based on ad spend and effort required

13:15 How Pilothouse uses AI day-to-day for Amazon work (including Rufus content)

15:20 Measuring DSP incrementality and overlap with sponsored ads using AMC reports

17:30 Platform notes: Amazon layoffs and the OpenAI + Amazon speculation


Subscribe to DTC Newsletter - https://dtcnews.link/signup

Advertise on DTC - https://dtcnews.link/advertise

Work with Pilothouse - https://www.pilothouse.co/?utm_source=AKNF585

Follow us on Instagram & Twitter - @dtcnewsletter

Watch this interview on YouTube - https://dtcnews.link/video

See all episodes

Never lose your place, on any device

Create a free account to sync, back up, and get personal recommendations.