New listings, relaunches, or stalled products that need a disciplined, PPC-led path to traction—without lighting money on fire.
The Profit Guardrail (set this first)
Calculate Breakeven ACoS so every bid/budget decision stays grounded. Breakeven ACoS=Price−(COGS+Amazon fee+FBA+Other variable)Price\text{Breakeven ACoS} = \frac{\text{Price} – (\text{COGS} + \text{Amazon fee} + \text{FBA} + \text{Other variable})}{\text{Price}}Breakeven ACoS=PricePrice−(COGS+Amazon fee+FBA+Other variable)
Example: Price $25; COGS $8; Amazon fee 15% ($3.75); FBA $5; other $1
Contribution margin = 25 − (8 + 3.75 + 5 + 1) = $7.25 → Breakeven ACoS = 7.25/25 = 29%.
We’ll target launch ACoS ≤ breakeven and drive TACoS down as organic rank lifts.
Pre-Launch Checklist (T-7 to T-0)
Listing & Offer
- Main image crisp, fills frame; 6–8 supporting images (lifestyle, infographics, comparison chart).
- Title: head term + 1–2 high-intent modifiers.
- Bullets: benefits > features; solve the #1 objection in bullet #1.
- A+: benefit blocks, comparison chart, FAQs.
- Offer: introductory coupon (5–10%) or bundle; enable Subscribe & Save if relevant.
- Inventory: at least 30–45 days cover at planned sell-through.
Measurement
- Brand Registry enabled.
- Conversion tracking verified (attribution windows understood).
- Build a simple launch dashboard: ACoS, TACoS, CPC, CVR, CTR, Orders, Sessions, Buy Box %, Inventory.
Reviews & Social Proof
- Eligible for Vine (if applicable).
- “Request a Review” cadence ready; packaging inserts compliant.
Launch Architecture (clean data = fast decisions)
Per product (or tight family), create three lanes:
1) Defend (Branded Exact)
- Goal: own your brand terms cheaply.
- Reality: for true new brands, this may be near-zero at launch—add when branded demand starts.
2) Win (Core Non-Branded)
- SP | Core-Exact: 5–20 high-intent exact keywords (tight theme).
- SP | Core-PT: high-fit product/ASIN targets you can beat (price/review/image).
3) Learn (Discovery)
- SP | Discovery-Phrase and SP | Discovery-Broad (controlled bids).
- SP | Auto (low bids; four match groups allowed to learn).
- SP | Discovery-PT-Wide for broader ASIN sweep.
Optional (if Brand Registered):
- SB Video for the single most important head term (20–30s, product in use in first 2s, captions on).
- SB Headline pointing to a Store subpage tightly matched to your keyword cluster.
Rule of steel: Never mix Branded + Non-Branded, and never mix Exact with Phrase/Broad in the same campaign.
Starting Budgets & Bids (day 1)
- Budget split (no brand demand yet): Core-Exact 50%, Discovery 40%, Core-PT 10%.
(If you already have brand demand: add Branded Exact at 10–20% and reduce Discovery accordingly.) - Bids:
- Exact: slightly above suggested midpoint.
- Phrase/Broad/Auto: at midpoint or a touch below.
- Dynamic bidding: Down Only everywhere on day 1.
- Placement modifiers: 0% at launch (earn boosts with data).
The 30-Day Schedule (copy/paste)
Days 1–3 — Go Live & Verify Signals
- Confirm impressions, CTR (>0.3% baseline), clicks, and first adds-to-cart.
- Kill nothing yet—except obvious mismatches (e.g., wrong audience/size).
- Ensure coupons/price parity and Buy Box stability.
Days 4–10 — Contain Waste, Nurture Winners
- Negative rule: add negative exact at 10–15 clicks / 0 orders; add negative phrase for bad themes (“free”, wrong size/gender/pet).
- Harvest: any search term with ≥2 orders and ACoS ≤ breakeven → add to Core-Exact; add that same term as a negative exact in Discovery.
- Bids: −10–15% on risers with poor CVR; +5–10% on promising low-impression winners.
Days 11–20 — Prove & Promote
- Expand Core-Exact (long-tail winners).
- Test Up & Down (dynamic) on proven exacts only.
- Check placements: if Top-of-Search CVR > average by ~30%+, add +10–20% ToS modifier; adjust in 5–10% steps.
- Launch SB Video v1 if not live yet.
Days 21–30 — Stabilize & Scale
- Increase daily budgets only on campaigns meeting ACoS/CVR targets and not capping midday.
- Add Core-PT targets where you have a clear advantage; exclude ASINs/brands that drain spend.
- Refresh a single listing element (image or headline) based on objections seen in Q&A/reviews.
Order-velocity milestones:
- Day 7: 15–25 orders (signals visible)
- Day 14: 40–60 orders (harvest engine working)
- Day 30: 100+ orders cumulative (category-dependent; adjust thresholds for high-ticket/low-volume items)
Creative & Listing: the hidden growth lever
- Image stack: main (crisp), lifestyle (context), comparison chart (why you vs. them).
- Title & bullets: mirror the query themes you buy.
- A+: repeat benefits; address objections; add sizing guides or compatibility tables.
- SB Video: show problem → solution → proof → CTA. Keep brand mark and benefits on-screen.
Offers that accelerate CVR & AOV
- Coupon 5–10% (launch aid; time-boxed).
- Bundles that pair core + accessory.
- Subscribe & Save for replenishable items.
- Price testing within your margin guardrails (small $1–$2 moves can change CVR).
What “good” looks like (guidelines, not laws)
- CTR (SP): 0.35%–1%+ (higher at Top-of-Search)
- CVR (SP): 8%–20% when intent and listing align
- Launch ACoS: ≤ breakeven; TACoS trending flat → down by week 4
- Discovery → Core promotion rate: 1–3 new exacts per week per ASIN early on
Common Launch Mistakes (we fix these)
- Mixing branded & non-branded (dirty data = wrong decisions).
- Turning on Up & Down and heavy ToS modifiers on day 1 (CPC spikes).
- Letting Discovery bleed without a weekly harvest/negative loop.
- Conquesting unbeatable ASINs (massive review/price gap).
- Scaling bids while listing conversion is the real ceiling.
Your 15-Minute Weekly SOP (Mondays)
- Pull Search Term Report (7–14d) → promote winners, negative losers.
- Re-allocate budgets: shift from Discovery to Core if Discovery >25–30% of spend with weak returns.
- Placement check on Core: add/trim ToS modifier based on CVR delta.
- ASIN targeting refresh: add 5–10 weaker competitors; exclude chronic bleeders.
- Log changes (date | what | why | next check).
GrowthXLLC’s role in your launch
- Audit → 30-day sprint: signals in 1–2 weeks, trends by weeks 3–4.
- Search-term isolation engine: Discovery finds; Core scales; negatives protect.
- Creative + CRO under one roof: We improve why they buy while we buy the right traffic.
- Margin-aware targets: Breakeven ACoS and offer math drive every lever.
Want a free launch map?
Send your top ASIN, margins, and category. We’ll return a one-page 30-day schedule (keywords to start, initial bids/budgets, and your first negative-keyword pack) to put you on a straight path to the first 100 orders.