How to Launch a New Product on Amazon: The 90-Day Playbook

Why the First 90 Days Make or Break Your Product

Amazon gives new products a brief window of opportunity. During the first few weeks, your product gets a slight algorithmic boost in search visibility. Amazon wants to see if shoppers respond to your product. If they do, you get more organic visibility. If they do not, you get buried. There are no second chances at a first impression on Amazon.

At Marknology, we have launched hundreds of products on Amazon. The brands that follow a structured 90-day launch plan succeed at dramatically higher rates than those who "just put it up and see what happens." This playbook is that plan.

"Think of launching a product on Amazon as an investment. Just like you would launch anything else. Maybe you are getting a billboard, maybe you are getting whatever. Do not be afraid to put in that advertising money. Do not be afraid to pay for some help. If you are going to do it, you need to actually do it."

Pre-Launch: Foundation (Days 1-14)

Week 1: Listing Creation

• Professional product photography. 7 images minimum: main image (white background), lifestyle shots, infographics highlighting features, size/scale reference, and ingredients/materials detail.
• Keyword-optimized title, bullets, and description. Your primary keyword belongs in the first 80 characters of the title. Secondary keywords in bullets and description.
• A+ Content. Have it ready to go live the same day your listing goes active. Do not launch without it.
• Brand Story module. Set it up to link to your other products and establish credibility.
• Backend keywords. 250 bytes of unique, non-duplicated search terms.

Week 2: Launch Infrastructure

• Inventory in FBA. Ensure at least 60 to 90 days of projected inventory is received and available.
• Vine enrollment. Submit to Amazon Vine immediately. Those early reviews are critical for conversion rate during launch.
• PPC campaigns built (not activated yet). Auto campaigns, manual exact/broad/phrase campaigns for your top 10 to 15 keywords, and product targeting campaigns against top competitors.
• Coupon or promotion setup. A launch coupon of 10 to 20% off creates urgency and boosts click-through in search results.

Launch Phase: Ignition (Days 15-30)

Week 3: Go Live

• Activate all PPC campaigns simultaneously
• Set aggressive bids (top of range for your category) during the first 7 days. You need impressions and data.
• Activate your launch coupon
• Share the listing with your email list, social media, and any existing customer channels
• Monitor daily: impressions, clicks, click-through rate, spend, and sales

Week 4: First Optimization Pass

• Review your Search Term Report. Which keywords are converting? Which are wasting money?
• Add high-performing search terms as exact match campaigns
• Negate irrelevant or non-converting search terms
• Check your listing for the "honeymoon period" effect: Are you getting organic impressions on your target keywords?
• Follow up on Vine enrollees (reviews should start coming in)

"Whenever you put items into FBA at the beginning of launching an account, you are basically getting the power of Amazon behind you to say they vouch for your store."

Growth Phase: Build Momentum (Days 31-60)

• Scale winning PPC campaigns. Increase bids and budgets on keywords showing positive ROAS.
• Launch Sponsored Brand campaigns (headline search and video). Video ads typically have 2 to 3x higher click-through rates.
• Request reviews on every delivered order using the "Request a Review" button or automated tools.
• Start A/B testing through Manage Your Experiments: main image, A+ Content, and title.
• Monitor organic rank movement on your top 10 keywords. You should see steady upward movement if launch is going well.
• Address any negative reviews immediately with listing improvements or product adjustments.
• Evaluate pricing. If conversion rate is strong, test a small price increase. If weak, consider a temporary promotion.

Scale Phase: Compound Results (Days 61-90)

• Optimize PPC for profitability. Shift from growth-mode spending to sustainable TACOS targets.
• Launch Sponsored Display campaigns to retarget shoppers who viewed but did not purchase.
• Consider DSP if budget allows for audience-based targeting and off-Amazon retargeting.
• Expand to additional keywords discovered through 60 days of search term data.
• Begin planning for your next product launch using the data and playbook you have refined.
• Evaluate international expansion (Amazon Canada, UK, EU) if your product has proven product-market fit.

KPIs to Track at Every Stage

• Days 1-30: Sessions, click-through rate, conversion rate, review count, organic rank on top 5 keywords
• Days 31-60: TACOS, organic sales percentage, review velocity, Best Seller Rank trend
• Days 61-90: True profit margin, organic rank stability, month-over-month revenue growth, return rate

Launch Mistakes That Kill Products

1. Launching without reviews. Products with zero reviews have abysmal conversion rates. Use Vine and do not expect advertising to overcome a bare listing.
2. Running out of inventory during launch. Nothing kills momentum faster. Over-stock your launch, not under-stock.
3. Weak photography. If your main image does not win the "flash card test" (2-second glance and you know what the product is), redesign it before launch.
4. Skipping PPC. Organic visibility does not exist for new products. PPC is not optional during launch.
5. Giving up too early. Most products need 60 to 90 days to hit their stride. Pulling the plug at 30 days because "it is not working" is the most common and most avoidable mistake.

Launching a product on Amazon is equal parts preparation, execution, and patience. Follow this 90-day playbook and you give your product the best possible chance of success. For hands-on launch support, learn how Marknology approaches product launches, or browse our client success stories.