Is Your Amazon Store actually a Sinking Ship?
Complete health check for FBA, FBM, and KDP sellers
Most people look at a marketplace like Amazon and see a endless sea of “stuff.” Though after years of having worked 1-on-1 with different kinds of brand owners, I can see clearly through most of the smoke and mirrors.
What I see is an ecosystem as VARIED as a rain-forest it’s named after.
The mistake most creative founders make is just that they end up trying to play someone else’s game. They see a someone else winning and try to mimic their style, but something about it always feels unnatural.
What I want to scream back is this core rule from the theory of Construction Grammar:
“Implicit knowledge includes dimensions related to form, function, and social context.” - Adele E. Goldberg, Linguist
You can't just borrow a competitor's format and expect it to convert; your strategy has to actually match your brand's specific function and the exact context of your audience.
When I sit down with a brand owner, the first thing I do is a Health Check or an Audit of sorts. We look at their shop like a bucket with holes in it.
Are people seeing you but not clicking?
Are they clicking but not buying?
We find the leak—whether it’s the “first impression” or the “final handshake”—and we fix it. Your campaigns structure should be watertight, and align with your primary goal, which is making the path to purchase as simple as possible for your customer.
Brands that use “Fulfillment by Amazon” (FBA)
They send their goods to the warehouse and let the machines handle the rest. For them, it’s all about Momentum.
In this world, the “Prime” badge is a golden ticket. It puts you in the fast lane.
The goal here is to be the loudest voice in the room. We don’t just “advertise”; we defend our territory. We make sure that when someone searches for what they make, our brand is the first thing they see at the top of the page. It’s aggressive, it’s fast, and it’s about moving as much product as possible before the shelves go empty.
They prioritize the shortest but most difficult paths. Low Frequency.
Brands that use “Fulfillment by Merchant” (FBM)
A studio that ships everything themselves. They don’t care if they have that “Prime” badge, and they don’t have the warehouse giants backing them up. If they tried to play the Momentum Game, they’d get crushed.
Instead of trying to win over the masses, we look for the “quiet corners” of the internet—those very specific, long-tail things people type into search bars when they know exactly what they want.
These customers are more patient; they don’t mind waiting a few extra days for shipping because the product is exactly right. For these owners, it’s not about how many people see them; it’s about making sure the right people see them. It’s a game of profit, not just volume.
They prioritize the average but most overlooked paths. Mixed frequency.
Only seller or vendor central accounts have access to Search Query Performance reports. Authors get left out.
Authors using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)
They’re in a unique position because they never run out of stock. They aren’t selling a physical object that need their input.
The strategy here is about keeping a proverbial fire lit.
Since they aren’t worried about inventory, their only job is to attract the front of a crowd.
We focus on curiosity—making sure that first click is compelling enough to make someone read the whole series.
They prioritize the longest but most affordable paths. High frequency.
Tucker B. Robinson
Finding the Semantic Empathy of a Search
Most people just guess what words to use, but we break it down to the root.
If a customer searches for “hand-poured soy candle for relaxation,” we don’t just look at the whole phrase.
We look at the form, function, and context: Hand-poured. Relaxation. Soy.
We figure out which of those words is actually most relevant. Then, we decide where to put our money.
Do we want to be in the “Front Window” (the very top of the search)? Or are we better off being a “Suggested Find” on a competitor’s page?
Every dollar spent is a choice about where your brand lives. Do you want to erect a billboard, or build a boutique?
My job as an advertiser is to make sure you are where your people are actually looking.
Thank you!
