DTC Podcast Episode 522: How to Strategically Win a 4‑Day Prime Day on Amazon | AKNF

Release Date: July 4, 2025

The latest episode of the DTC Podcast, hosted by the DTC Newsletter and Podcast team, delves into the strategic intricacies of navigating Amazon’s expanded Prime Day event. The discussion features Eric Dick, Rob, and Clifford, who share their insights on maximizing sales, adapting to platform changes, and leveraging advanced marketing tools. This comprehensive summary captures all the key points, discussions, insights, and conclusions from Episode 522.

1. Introduction to the 4-Day Prime Day

Eric Dick opens the conversation by highlighting the expansion of Prime Day from its traditional two-day format to a four-day event:
"We got a four day Prime Day. Is there anything different about that?" [00:00]

Rob responds by emphasizing the marathon nature of the extended event:
"Yeah, I mean so it's going to be more of a marathon. In previous years, there's a lot of times something that breaks in terms of like reporting. A lot of brands don't have time to react if they get day one wrong with four days, there's time." [00:02]

2. The Marathon Effect of Extended Prime Day

The team discusses the implications of a longer Prime Day, comparing it to managing a marathon rather than a sprint.

Clifford adds:
"Clients really hype up Prime Day as like this massive thing that really you need to do so much prep work for. And there's all this to do. Amazon does a lot of it." [00:17]

Rob further explains the benefits of having more days, allowing brands to adjust strategies based on initial performance:
"With four days, there's time. So the theory is slow moving brands are actually going to have time to realize they got it wrong. Day one, make changes. Day two, capitalize on those changes." [02:47]

3. Strategies for Preparing and Adapting During Prime Day

The discussion transitions into how brands can prepare for the extended Prime Day and adapt their strategies in real-time.

Clifford mentions the importance of participating in various Amazon deal options:
"Making sure we're enrolled in all of those. You're hitting the minimums. There's no product flags that prevent you from being in them." [07:59]

Rob emphasizes the need for flexibility in advertising budgets to accommodate the surge in traffic:
"If you're running a decent offer, a lot of the competitive market around you is not running a decent offer... Prime Day can be a 5x plus of a normal day. And so your ad budget needs to be able to scale appropriately." [08:10]

4. Navigating Amazon’s Title Changes

A significant portion of the episode is dedicated to Amazon’s recent change in product title formatting.

Rob introduces the topic:
"Amazon recently changed their titles to like a two part title which is like a clear concise section that covers the essentials and then a product highlight section." [09:46]

Clifford speculates on the potential impact of this change on SEO and product discoverability:
"Amazon's titles have been the same way for almost the inception of the site. So if they make a huge change like this, it will be a massive change to SEO as a whole on site." [10:08]

Clifford further advises brands to be proactive:
"Be prepared and be ready to change all of your catalog as soon as it happens because the first movers on it will have a huge SEO advantage if there's one to be gained from the change." [10:28]

5. Deep Dive into Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC)

The conversation shifts to the Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC), Amazon’s advanced analytics platform.

Clifford explains the accessibility and capabilities of AMC:
"AMC is a big one. It's been locked behind a lot of like you have to have API access and you have to be a software partner provider or whatnot." [13:13]

He elaborates on the sophisticated data insights AMC offers, such as customer path data and cross-platform behavior:
"You can get attribution down to like who saw your prime video ad and then bought in store versus bought on site." [14:05]

Rob weighs in on the practical application of AMC for performance marketers:
"Where we're at with it now is trying to discern where's the true value and where does it make sense. Like we're performance marketers, we're scared of vanity metrics." [16:25]

6. Leveraging AMC for Targeted Advertising

The hosts debate the efficacy of using AMC for hyper-targeted advertising versus allowing Amazon’s relevancy algorithms to function organically.

Clifford raises concerns about over-segmentation:
"If you're artificially limiting that audience using AMC... it's like, oh well, Amazon's not doing anything for the relevancy." [19:30]

Rob compares it to previous advertising platforms, pondering whether AMC can truly enhance targeting without hindering performance:
"It's like, if you have enough data, just trust in the metapixel and let it rip and run open." [17:00]

7. Influencer and PR Marketing in the Amazon Ecosystem

The discussion highlights the growing importance of influencer and PR strategies within the Amazon marketplace.

Clifford points out the seamless integration of influencer mentions leading to Amazon purchases:
"They get like $100,000 in sales from a couple million view TikTok." [24:08]

Rob shares examples of how both organic and direct influencer strategies can drive significant traffic:
"We've seen both work... Any of those things you're doing, even if you're not directly directing to Amazon, you'll likely see lift there." [25:26]

8. Creator Connections and Enhanced Affiliate Commissions

The episode explores Creator Connections, Amazon’s affiliate platform, and its impact on sales through enhanced commissions.

Clifford describes Creator Connections as an affiliate platform within Amazon that allows brands to offer higher commissions:
"It's like an affiliate platform is I think the best way to put it. It's just, it's within Amazon." [25:29]

He notes the competitive advantage it provides:
"Brands out there are offering 40%, 50% commissions to send traffic to their listing." [26:26]

Clifford warns smaller brands about the challenges of competing against those offering substantial commissions:
"If you're trying to ramp up the PPC ads and hope that if you bid more for this keyword on top of search, it's gonna work... you're really gonna have to think a lot more holistically." [26:29]

9. Personal Insights and Prime Day Preparations

As the conversation winds down, the hosts share their personal plans for Prime Day.

Clifford humorously mentions his intention to purchase a higher-end robot vacuum:
"I'm going to get a robot vacuum. I've had a robot vacuum for the past two weeks. Don't like it." [28:37]

Rob discusses his own shopping list, including a new smart thermostat:
"I'm like going to do a bathroom renovation soon. So I'm like, I need a new smart thermostat." [28:53]

10. Closing Remarks and Final Thoughts

Eric Dick wraps up the episode by promoting influencer Brett Turner and highlighting the importance of holistic strategies:
"If you're listening, you've got to follow our good friend Brett Turner, who's one of the Internet's Prime Day influencers..." [29:03]

Clifford adds a candid critique of Amazon’s platform support:
"I'm an Amazon influencer myself... Terrible platform to work on, by the way. Bad support things don't work right." [29:53]

Rob encourages listeners to seek professional support for Amazon-related challenges:
"So if you're tired of dealing with those problems yourself, call us and deal with them for you." [30:08]

Eric Dick concludes the podcast with well-wishes for Prime Day:
"Thanks for listening to today's episode... Have a happy Prime Day and have a great weekend." [30:20]

Key Takeaways:

1. Extended Prime Day Duration: The shift to a four-day Prime Day allows brands more time to adjust strategies based on initial performance, potentially reducing the risk of early missteps.

2. Preparation and Agility: Effective participation requires thorough preparation, enrollment in various Amazon deal programs, and the flexibility to scale advertising budgets in response to increased traffic.

3. Amazon Title Changes: The recent modification to Amazon’s product title structure necessitates immediate action from brands to update their catalogs, offering a potential SEO advantage to early adopters.

4. Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC): AMC provides in-depth customer behavior analytics, though its practical application may vary based on a brand’s size and advertising spend. Performance marketers must discern its true value amidst the complexity of data.

5. Influencer and PR Strategies: Organic and direct influencer engagements significantly impact Amazon sales, underscoring the importance of integrated marketing strategies beyond traditional PPC advertising.

6. Creator Connections: Enhanced affiliate commissions through Creator Connections present both opportunities and challenges, with larger brands leveraging higher commissions to dominate sales, potentially sidelining smaller competitors.

7. Holistic Marketplace Approach: Success on Amazon increasingly requires a multifaceted strategy encompassing advertising, SEO, influencer partnerships, and robust affiliate programs to stand out in a competitive, zero-sum environment.

This episode provides invaluable insights for direct-to-consumer brands aiming to maximize their performance during Amazon’s extended Prime Day. By understanding and adapting to platform changes, leveraging advanced marketing tools, and integrating comprehensive strategies, brands can navigate the complexities of the Amazon marketplace to achieve substantial sales growth.