With the introduction of its newest program, Amazon is now making it easier than ever for brands to stand out on the platform. Amazon Posts is the eCommerce giant’s latest attempt to enhance brand messaging and allow brands to magnify their values and products with visual creatives and storytelling.
In this guide, we will be answering these questions:
- What are Amazon Posts?
- Who can use Amazon Posts?
- How do to sign-up for Amazon Posts
- How do you use Amazon Posts?
- What are the best ways to use Amazon Posts?
- What are some examples of Amazon Posts?
What are you waiting for? Read on to find out!
Table of Contents
What are Amazon Posts?
There is no better way to describe Amazon Posts than through the huge retailer’s own words:
“Posts is a new image-based browsing experience on Amazon. Shoppers can explore brand-specific feeds or browse by product category to discover products and see what’s new from brands. “Posts link to detail pages, making each post in a feed shoppable.”
Basically, they are a program that allows brands to display images and products in a shoppable catalog through an Instagram-like brand feed. Customers will be able to scroll through them as they do on other social media sites, clicking and viewing the product pages as they go. Along with showing up in your brand feed, shoppers can see your AMZN posts on related product’ feeds, category-based feeds, and product pages, using the Amazon algorithm to decide whether your stories will appear.
Similar to other social media platforms, they let brands educate their customers about their products and encourage them to purchase items. The program lets brands repurpose content from their other social media networks for their Amazon feed, maintaining a consistent brand identity.
Who Can Use Amazon Posts?
As this feature is currently still in beta, it is only available to sellers on the United States marketplace who are part of the Amazon Brand Registry program. You also must have an Amazon Store for your business to use them.
How to Sign-Up for Amazon Posts
As we said earlier, you have to be a member of the Amazon brand registry program or an Amazon seller in the United States to use the Amazon post feature.
Otherwise, you can follow these steps below to join:
- Visit the Amazon Posts website.
- Sign in using your Amazon account (or create an Amazon Seller account)
- Make your profile and verify your brand name.
- Upload your brand’s logo
How to Post on Amazon
If you’ve used other social media networks before, then posting on Amazon will come naturally to you. The structure of the content is very similar to platforms, such as Instagram.
We break an Amazon Post down below:
- On the top left are the brand logo and brand name. To the right of the brand logo is a “follow” button that buyers can use to stay updated with the brand’s content.
- In the middle of the post is the custom image, which highlights the product or expresses the brand’s story.
- Underneath the custom image are links to the product listings shown in the post.
- Below that is the caption, which is where you can communicate with the customers through words or emoticons. Your caption should always be clear and convey the information accurately.
- At the very bottom are the product categories that the product is tagged with. Clicking on the relevant category tags takes customers to posts related to that category.
Now that you know what they are composed of, we detail the 6 steps to use below.
1. Visit posts.amazon.com and log in.
If you haven’t already, you will need to take the first step and sign-up on Amazon Seller Central at this stage.
2. Select the “Create Amazon Posts” option
Select “Create Amazon Posts” in the upper-right-hand corner. The builder will then pop up, allowing you to create and preview all your posts.
3. Upload your photo
Like Instagram, you start by uploading a custom photo for your AMZN post. However, unlike Instagram, each post can only feature one image.
When choosing your image, you have to keep in mind the following requirement:
- File format: JPG or PNG
- Color format: RGB
- Display aspect ratio: 1×1, 16×9, 4×3
- Maximum file size: 100 MB
- Resolution: 640 x 640 pixels or larger
However, your image cannot contain the following:
- Brand logos
- A call-to-action (CTA), such as “Follow Us” or “Buy Now”
- Animations
- A cluster of elements, such as highlighting multiple new products in an image
A great way to make sure your photo is as appealing as possible is by using ZonBase’s Photo Enhancer tool. The Photo Enhancer tool lets you upload any ordinary image, which our team of professionals will use to create a high-converting product image just for you!
4. Add a caption
Captions have a limit of 2200 characters and must follow the requirements below:
- Promote a product your brand owns or is authorized to distribute
- Must be written in the primary language of the Amazon marketplace the brand sells on
- Use language suitable for a general audience
Your caption should not include the following:
- Ratings or customers reviews
- Deal promotions
- Requests to like, comment, or share
- References to other brands
- Requests to contact your brand through other channels, such as social media handles or email
If you want to view more information on what you can and cannot include in the caption, visit this website.
Like other social media content, you can use emoticons, hashtags, or shorthand (such as “b/c” for “because”). You just have to keep in mind your audience, as some can be confused.
5. Enter your ASIN
Once you’re done with the creative aspect of the posts, you then have to enter your product ASIN. This ASIN will create a link that will help shoppers discover your product listing if they click on your post.
6. Submit!
Now, you can preview and submit your finished post. In the page’s right-hand corner, you can see what it will look like to your customers. Double-check for any typos or errors, and then click “Submit for review.” After Amazon approves your post, you can view its performance on the AMZN Post website.
Best Way to Use Amazon Posts
Since the program is still in beta, there are no best practices established for Amazon Posts yet. However, we think it is safe to say that these can be treated like any other social media platform. Especially the one it bears an uncanny likeness to: Instagram.
Instagram and Amazon Posts’ purpose remains the same—to create engaging and appealing content that gets the attention of the consumers.
Down below are our tips for posting on Amazon:
- Use motivational lifestyle photos—This way you can inspire customers to explore your brand’s feed, story, and products. The images should still pertain to your company, so if your brand sells cooking supplies, perhaps you should upload images of food or people cooking.
- Make sure your lifestyle images are eye-catching and high-quality—As your image is the first thing that draws people to your post, it must be captivating and eye-catching. Poor-quality images will reflect poorly on your brand, so make sure you are keeping the photo quality in mind.
- Post often! —Similar to Instagram, there is no limit to how much you can post. So, post multiple times per day, and this will ensure consistent customer brand engagement.
- Use a captivating headline – While you are allowed to have up to 2200 characters, Amazon will only show the first two lines at first glance. Treat this as your headline and make sure it draws readers into the rest of your caption.
- Schedule posts ahead of time—This allows you to plan your content and make sure your brand’s feed is updated regularly.
- Repurpose content from other social media platforms – Reusing content is especially easy if your brand already has an Instagram because the content’s structure for the platforms is very similar.
3 Amazon Posts Examples
1. AIUHI
In this example from AIUHI above, the company appeals to its target audience with its high quality images of delicious curry. While the utensil set is not the main subject, you see it being used in the lifestyle photo.
The Post’s caption also gives the customer important information about the product, such as that their wooden cookware doesn’t scratch pans and is also environmentally friendly.
2. Lugz
This Post from Lugz draws in customers with their use of emoticons.
Along with that, their caption is very short and witty, appealing to customers as they don’t have to read a lot of text to understand the Post.
3. T&M Wholesalers
Lastly, this example from T&M Wholesalers uses a well-designed image with text to let their buyers know exactly what the product is, right off the bat. This image also shows the product in use, with the person in the back relaxing while the candle is burning.
To find more AMZN Post examples, open the Amazon Shopping app and browse product listings. You will see a variety of “Related Posts” on product detail pages to take inspiration from.
What are the Benefits of Amazon Posts?
Social media serves as a big influence on consumers’ purchasing decisions. With its appealing and engaging photos, it is no wonder more than 50% of social media users aged 18-24 have made purchases from their favorite brands through social media (Influencer Marketing Hub).
Posts mimic the experience of usual social media channels while also allowing customers to view the product behind the compelling content with a single click. That reason by itself makes using Amazon Posts a worthwhile investment.
Along with that, here are some other reasons you should use them:
Drives Brand Awareness
They allow sellers to demonstrate the functionality of their new products and educate their consumers on how they work. This is also a great chance to share their brand story and customer photos to build social proof.
Makes Your Product More Discoverable
Even if a customer knows about your brand, they usually don’t know about each one of your products. And, maybe one of your other products is exactly what they need. This is where they come in. Customers can discover more about your brand by scrolling through your Amazon product listing page, where posts detailing your other products can pop up.
Allows Your Product To Stand Out From the Competition
You can’t choose where your Posts will appear, but—as the Amazon algorithm groups similar products together— there is a likely possibility they will end up on your competitors’ listings. When this happens, customers can scroll the listing page to view them in a section labeled “Related Posts.” This is similar to Sponsored Display Ads, as Posts can help you attract your competitors’ customers.
Customers Can Stay Up-To-Date With Your Brand
Similar to other social media networks, users can “follow” your brand on Amazon to keep up with your content.
Measure the Performance of Your Posts
Similar to other advertising tools on Amazon, you are able to measure your content’s performance, reviewing metrics such as engagement metrics and tracking impressions of each of your Posts.
Free to Use
While all these reasons above are insanely beneficial for your brand, the best part is that Posts are absolutely free to use. Unlike Pay Per Click (PPC) or other types of advertising, there are no costs associated with using them.
Conclusion
Amazon Posts is a great combination of social media and online retail. While it is still a new feature in its beta phase, it definitely looks promising and is predicted to play a huge role in online shopping.
You should definitely create Amazon posts as it is free visibility and promotion for your brand and products. As long as it’s free, brands really have no reason not to use the service. If you want to maximize your brand’s profits and increase sales, combine these with ZonBase and your business will be unstoppable!
