How to Advertise on Amazon Prime Video: A Guide for Modern Brands
Amazon Prime Video is more than your typical streaming platform; it's a retail giant's entertainment arm with direct pipelines to purchase intent that other platforms can only dream of. When your ad appears during The Boys or The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, you're not just reaching viewers; you're connecting with Amazon's ecosystem of active shoppers who are already primed to buy.
The numbers tell the story: Prime Video reaches over 200 million monthly active users globally, but the real magic happens in the integration. Unlike traditional streaming ads that hope for brand recall weeks later, Prime Video advertising can drive immediate action through seamless connections to Amazon's marketplace, creating a direct path from impression to purchase that transforms how we think about streaming ROI.
This convergence of entertainment and commerce creates unprecedented opportunities for brands willing to think beyond traditional awareness campaigns. Prime Video audiences aren't just watching content; they're shopping, browsing, and making purchasing decisions within the same ecosystem where your ads appear.
The brands winning on Prime Video understand this fundamental difference. They're not just borrowing attention from premium content; they're integrating into a shopping journey that begins with entertainment and ends with conversion. This guide reveals brands are leveraging Prime Video's unique position to drive measurable business results in ways that traditional streaming simply cannot match.
Prime Video ads reach over 130 million U.S. viewers by default through the ad-supported tier, connecting brands to active Amazon shoppers.
Amazon’s closed-loop ecosystem links Prime Video ad impressions to commerce behavior, delivering unmatched attribution and purchase-driven ROI.
Ad spend options start at ~$10K/month via self-service Amazon DSP or ~$35K/month for managed services with strategic support.
Targeting capabilities include demographics, shopping habits, content preferences, and custom audiences—though over-targeting may limit scale.
Ad formats support 15–30s video spots with interactive and shoppable features that drive immediate conversions from awareness.
Good Kids helps brands activate effectively on Prime Video through creative excellence, efficient targeting, and measurable growth strategies.
The Prime Video Advertising Ecosystem
Prime Video's advertising ecosystem operates differently from both traditional television and other streaming platforms. When Amazon flipped the switch in January 2024, they didn't just add another ad-supported tier — they fundamentally changed how streaming advertising works by making ads the default experience and charging subscribers extra to opt out. This bold move instantly created the world's largest ad-supported streaming audience, with approximately 80% of Prime Video's 130.4 million U.S. viewers staying on the ad-supported tier according to EMARKETER's streaming analysis.
The platform's integration with Amazon's broader ecosystem sets it apart from competitors. While Netflix and Disney+ operate as standalone streaming services, Prime Video functions as part of Amazon's interconnected commerce and entertainment universe. This means advertisers aren't just reaching viewers — they're reaching verified shoppers with known purchase histories, browsing behaviors, and demographic profiles. The platform serves ads across Amazon Originals like "Fallout" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," licensed third-party content, live sports programming, and even Amazon's free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels.
Content quality matters more on Prime Video than on many platforms. Amazon has invested heavily in premium programming, from acquiring MGM's library to producing award-winning originals. "Beast Games" became Prime Video's most-watched unscripted series of all time with over 50 million global viewers according to Amazon's October 2024 data, while "The Idea of You" marked Amazon MGM Studios' number one romantic comedy debut. This premium content environment means your ads appear alongside programming that viewers actively choose and engage with, not just background noise.
The Prime Video Challenge: Measurement Maze
Prime Video's biggest advertiser challenge isn't reach or creative — it's measurement complexity. The platform offers incredible closed-loop attribution through Amazon's ecosystem, but this creates analysis paralysis. Brands get lost in Amazon Attribution, Marketing Cloud, DSP reporting, and third-party verification, often missing the forest for the trees. Many advertisers either oversimplify (looking only at video metrics) or overcomplicate (trying to track every micro-conversion), missing the strategic middle ground that drives real business impact.
How Good Kids Simplifies Prime Video Measurement
We build hierarchical KPI frameworks that prioritize what matters. For awareness campaigns, we focus on reach and frequency first, with sales lift as a secondary indicator. For performance campaigns, we flip the hierarchy but maintain brand health metrics. Our measurement dashboards typically consolidate 15+ Amazon reports into 3-5 actionable views, helping clients make decisions 50% faster while improving campaign performance by 25-40%. We also establish clear testing protocols to separate correlation from causation in Amazon's interconnected ecosystem.
Getting Started: Access Options and Requirements
Entering the Prime Video advertising space requires choosing between two primary paths: self-service through Amazon DSP or managed service with dedicated support. Each option offers distinct advantages depending on your team's expertise, budget, and campaign complexity.
Self-service advertising through Amazon DSP provides the most flexibility and typically the lowest entry barriers. After registering for Amazon DSP access, advertisers can browse available inventory in the Inventory Hub, searching specifically for "Prime Video" deals. The self-service route offers three main purchasing options:
Preferred Deals: Pre-negotiated packages at fixed CPMs starting around $26, ideal for testing the platform
Private Marketplace (PMP): Invitation-only auctions for premium inventory with more exclusive placements
Open Auction: Real-time bidding for available inventory with dynamic pricing based on demand
Managed service campaigns offer white-glove support but require higher minimum investments — typically $35,000 per month. This option suits brands launching major campaigns, those new to streaming advertising, or companies wanting to leverage Amazon's strategic insights. Managed service clients work directly with Amazon's advertising team to develop custom strategies, access premium sponsorship opportunities, and receive detailed performance analysis.
The approval process varies by access type. Self-service advertisers can typically begin campaigning within days of DSP approval, while managed service relationships may take several weeks to establish. All advertisers must meet Amazon's content guidelines and brand safety requirements. Interestingly, you don't need to sell products on Amazon to advertise on Prime Video — the platform is open to all eligible brands, vendors, and agencies.
Budget considerations extend beyond minimum spends. While self-service campaigns can theoretically start with lower budgets, Amazon recommends at least $10,000 monthly for meaningful reach. The platform's CPM-based pricing means you're paying for impressions rather than clicks, making it essential to plan for sustained visibility rather than quick-hit campaigns. Current CPM rates range from $26 to $54 depending on targeting sophistication, ad length, and inventory quality.
Targeting Capabilities That Transform Campaigns
Prime Video's targeting capabilities represent a quantum leap beyond traditional TV advertising. By combining Amazon's e-commerce data with streaming behavior insights, the platform enables precision previously impossible in premium video advertising. Nielsen's 2022 study of 82 digital campaigns confirmed this advantage, showing significantly higher ROI for campaigns reaching intended audiences versus off-target delivery.
Demographic targeting on Prime Video leverages both Nielsen verification and Amazon's first-party data. Standard options include age, gender, household income, and geographic location down to the DMA level. But the real power comes from Amazon's behavioral segments. Advertisers can target based on recent purchase history (bought running shoes in the last 30 days), browsing behavior (researched kitchen appliances), or even life events (recently moved, new parent). This granularity means a beverage brand can target health-conscious consumers who actually buy organic products, not just those who fit a demographic profile.
Contextual targeting adds another layer of sophistication. Advertisers can align campaigns with specific content genres — placing family brands alongside feel-good comedies or automotive ads during action films. Amazon's content taxonomy goes deep, allowing targeting by subgenre, content rating, or even specific series. This contextual alignment improves both brand safety and message relevance.
Custom audience creation through Amazon DSP unlocks advanced strategies. Advertisers can upload first-party data for customer matching, create lookalike audiences based on existing customers, or build sequential messaging campaigns that adapt based on viewer behavior. Retargeting capabilities mean you can reach viewers who've seen your Prime Video ad with follow-up messages on other Amazon properties or across the web. The platform also supports negative targeting — excluding existing customers from acquisition campaigns or removing competitors' customers from certain messages.
The Prime Video Challenge: Targeting Overload
Prime Video offers so many targeting options that advertisers often create overly narrow audiences, driving up CPMs while limiting reach. The platform's sophisticated segments tempt brands into hyper-targeting (left-handed organic coffee drinkers who bought camping gear), missing Prime Video's core strength: reaching massive audiences efficiently. Many campaigns fail not from poor targeting but from over-targeting, creating audiences too small to optimize against or achieve meaningful frequency.
How Good Kids Balances Precision with Reach
We use a layered targeting approach that starts broad and narrows strategically. Beginning with content-based targeting for scale, we layer on 1-2 behavioral segments maximum, maintaining reach pools of at least 5 million viewers. Our campaigns typically achieve 25-30% lower CPMs than average by resisting over-targeting temptation. We also build "targeting trees" that show how each layer impacts reach and cost, helping clients visualize the efficiency trade-offs. This approach consistently delivers 40% better reach efficiency while maintaining relevance scores above platform benchmarks.
Ad Formats and Creative Requirements
Prime Video's ad formats balance viewer experience with advertiser impact, maintaining what Amazon calls "meaningfully fewer ads" than traditional TV while ensuring messages resonate. Understanding these formats and their requirements is crucial for campaign success.
Video ad specifications follow industry standards but with Amazon's quality requirements:
15-second spots: Ideal for brand awareness and simple messages
20-second spots: Added flexibility for storytelling without viewer fatigue
30-second spots: Traditional format allowing full narrative development
Resolution: Minimum 1920x1080 (HD), with 4K preferred for premium placements
Audio: Stereo required, 5.1 surround supported for enhanced experience
File formats: MP4 or MOV, with specific codec requirements
The viewing environment demands premium creative execution. Unlike social media where ads compete with user-generated content, Prime Video ads appear alongside Hollywood productions. This context requires broadcast-quality production values, compelling storytelling, and professional audio mixing. Successful campaigns treat the format with the same respect as traditional TV commercials while leveraging digital's targeting capabilities.
Placement types vary by campaign objectives. Pre-roll ads capture attention before content begins, ideal for brand messaging. Mid-roll placements during natural content breaks provide higher completion rates but require creative that respects the viewing experience. The platform automatically determines optimal placement based on content type and viewer behavior, though managed service advertisers can request specific strategies.
Interactive and shoppable features distinguish Prime Video from traditional TV. Shoppable ads allow viewers to add products to their Amazon cart directly from their remote control, creating a seamless path from awareness to purchase. Interactive overlays can display additional product information, special offers, or QR codes for mobile engagement. These features work best for products already sold on Amazon but can also drive traffic to brand websites or retail locations.
Need creative that commands attention in premium streaming environments? Our production team crafts compelling video content optimized for lean-back viewing. View Our Video Production Work
Creative best practices for Prime Video emphasize quality over quantity. The platform's limited ad load — currently 4-6 minutes per hour — means each impression carries more weight. Successful advertisers focus on emotional storytelling, clear brand presentation, and memorable messages rather than hard-sell tactics. Testing reveals that ads acknowledging the premium viewing context ("Now back to your show" messaging) perform better than jarring interruptions.
Measurement and Attribution Strategies
Prime Video's measurement capabilities combine traditional TV metrics with digital attribution, providing unprecedented visibility into campaign performance. This dual approach helps advertisers understand both immediate impact and longer-term brand effects.
Standard metrics available through Amazon DSP include:
Reach and frequency: Unique viewers reached and average exposure frequency
Completion rates: Percentage of ads viewed to completion (averaging 87% per Amazon data)
Viewability: Verification that ads were actually seen, not just served
Brand safety: Confirmation of appropriate content alignment
Geographic delivery: Breakdown of impressions by location
Amazon's measurement advantage comes from closed-loop attribution. Because viewers are often Amazon shoppers, advertisers can track the complete journey from ad exposure to purchase. The platform reports on Amazon-specific metrics like New-to-Brand customers (shoppers who haven't purchased from your brand in the past 12 months), purchase rate, and return on ad spend (ROAS). This attribution works even for brands not selling on Amazon through pixel tracking and conversion modeling. According to Amazon's internal data, 78% of Prime Video advertisers see measurable lift in Amazon product sales within 30 days of campaign launch.
Third-party verification adds credibility and comparison capabilities. Prime Video supports measurement from Nielsen, Kantar, Lucid, and other industry-standard providers. These partners can measure brand lift, ad recall, purchase intent, and competitive benchmarking. Recent Kantar studies showed Prime Video campaigns delivering above-average performance compared to other video platforms, particularly for brand awareness and consideration metrics.
The Prime Video Challenge: Attribution Tunnel Vision
Prime Video's powerful attribution creates its own trap: obsessing over Amazon sales metrics while ignoring broader brand impact. Advertisers become so focused on ROAS within Amazon's ecosystem that they miss how Prime Video drives offline sales, competitive conquesting, or long-term brand equity. This narrow view leads to undervaluing campaigns that might be driving significant business value outside Amazon's measurable universe.
How Good Kids Makes Measurement Better
We build comprehensive measurement frameworks that capture full business impact, not just Amazon attribution. Using matched market tests, brand lift studies, and multi-touch attribution modeling, we typically uncover 40-60% additional value beyond Amazon's reported metrics. Our dashboards integrate Amazon data with Google Analytics, point-of-sale systems, and third-party measurement to show true incrementality. For one CPG client, we proved their Prime Video campaign drove 3x more value through retail channels than through Amazon direct sales, completely changing their investment strategy and doubling their commitment to streaming advertising.
Budget Planning and Cost Optimization
Understanding Prime Video's cost structure helps advertisers maximize their investment while achieving campaign objectives. The platform's evolution from launch to maturity has created opportunities for smart budget allocation.
Prime Video launched with aggressive pricing to attract advertisers — CPMs around $30 compared to competitors charging $50-60. This disruption forced industry-wide price reductions, with Netflix and Disney+ cutting rates by over 25%. Current Prime Video CPMs range from $26 for basic targeted campaigns to $54 for premium placements with advanced targeting. These rates remain competitive, especially considering the audience quality and measurement capabilities.
Factors affecting your Prime Video advertising costs:
Targeting precision: More specific audiences command higher CPMs
Creative length: 30-second spots cost more than 15-second versions
Seasonality: Q4 rates spike due to holiday demand
Geographic markets: Major metros cost more than smaller DMAs
Inventory type: Premium content and live sports carry premium pricing
Buying method: Programmatic generally costs less than guaranteed deals
Concerned about making your streaming budget work harder? Let's explore how strategic planning can stretch your investment across platforms. Optimize Your Media Investment
Budget allocation strategies vary by objective. Brand awareness campaigns benefit from broader targeting at lower CPMs, maximizing reach within budget constraints. Direct response efforts justify higher CPMs through precise targeting and measurement. A balanced approach might allocate 60% to efficient reach-driving tactics and 40% to high-precision retargeting or conquest campaigns.
Competitive dynamics affect pricing and availability. As more advertisers discover Prime Video's effectiveness, premium inventory becomes scarcer. Smart advertisers lock in upfront deals for tentpole content or seasonal campaigns. Others use programmatic buying's flexibility to find efficiency in off-peak times or emerging content. The platform's expansion to new international markets also creates opportunities for early adopters to secure favorable rates.
Hidden costs deserve consideration. While media costs are straightforward, successful Prime Video campaigns require quality creative production. Unlike social media where rough authenticity works, this environment demands professional execution. Factor in production costs, multiple creative versions for testing, and potential refreshes to prevent fatigue. Many brands find partnering with experienced production teams provides better ROI than cutting corners on creative quality.
Integration with Broader Marketing Strategies
Prime Video advertising reaches maximum effectiveness when integrated with comprehensive marketing strategies rather than running in isolation. The platform's unique position within Amazon's ecosystem creates opportunities for sophisticated cross-channel orchestration.
Cross-Channel Campaign Orchestration
Prime Video advertising reaches maximum effectiveness when integrated with comprehensive marketing strategies rather than running in isolation. The platform's unique position within Amazon's ecosystem creates opportunities for sophisticated cross-channel orchestration.
Streaming TV campaigns on Prime Video can anchor broader video strategies. The platform's premium environment and massive reach make it ideal for launching brand narratives that extend across other channels. A Prime Video campaign might introduce a new brand story during tentpole programming, with shorter versions running on social media and connected TV platforms. This sequential approach leverages each platform's strengths while maintaining message consistency.
Amazon Ecosystem Integration
The commerce connection differentiates Prime Video from pure entertainment platforms. Advertisers can coordinate Prime Video exposure with Amazon DSP display campaigns, sponsored product ads, and even physical retail promotions. A CPG brand might use Prime Video to build awareness for a new product line while simultaneously running sponsored ads on Amazon.com to capture purchase intent. This full-funnel approach accelerates the path from discovery to purchase.
Cross-device targeting enables sophisticated remarketing strategies. Viewers who see your Prime Video ad on their living room TV can receive follow-up messages on their mobile devices or computers. This persistence across screens keeps brands top-of-mind without relying solely on expensive video inventory. Social media advertising teams can import Prime Video-exposed audiences for targeted campaigns on other platforms.
Retail Media Opportunities
Retail media integration opens unique opportunities. Brands selling through Amazon can connect Prime Video campaigns directly to retail outcomes. Shoppable ads, deal synchronization, and Prime member targeting create closed-loop campaigns impossible elsewhere. Even brands not selling on Amazon benefit from the platform's commerce signals — targeting consumers actively shopping in relevant categories or life stages.
Creative Synchronization Strategies
Creative synchronization across channels multiplies impact. The most successful advertisers develop modular creative systems that maintain brand consistency while optimizing for each platform. A 30-second Prime Video spot might spawn 6-second bumpers for YouTube, vertical videos for social platforms, and display units for programmatic campaigns. This efficient content creation, developed by integrated creative teams, ensures message consistency while respecting platform differences.
Success Stories and Best Practices
Early Prime Video advertisers have established patterns that separate successful campaigns from missed opportunities. These lessons, drawn from the platform's first year, provide blueprints for maximizing your investment.
Entertainment Brands
Entertainment brands found natural alignment with Prime Video's content-forward environment. Movie studios promoting new releases discovered that targeting fans of similar genres delivered 3x higher engagement than broad demographic targeting. The key was creative that felt native to the platform — using cinematic production values and respecting the viewing experience rather than interrupting it.
Automotive Brands
Automotive advertisers leveraged Prime Video's living room dominance. With 70% of viewing on connected TVs, car brands could showcase vehicles in full HD glory on large screens. Successful campaigns combined emotional brand storytelling with interactive features allowing viewers to book test drives directly through their remote. Integration with Amazon's auto research tools created seamless paths from inspiration to consideration.
CPG Brands
CPG brands capitalized on the commerce connection. Rather than traditional awareness campaigns, smart advertisers used shoppable formats to drive immediate trial. One snack brand synchronized Prime Video ads with Amazon Fresh promotions, seeing 5x higher sales lift compared to TV-only campaigns. The ability to measure actual purchase behavior, not just brand lift surveys, justified premium CPM rates.
Common mistakes to avoid emerged from early campaigns. Advertisers who simply repurposed existing TV commercials underperformed those creating Prime Video-specific content. Frequency capping proved essential — viewers quickly tired of seeing the same ad repeatedly in the platform's limited ad load. Geographic targeting misalignment wasted impressions in markets without distribution. Most critically, brands that ignored measurement capabilities missed optimization opportunities that could have dramatically improved performance.
Best practices for Prime Video success include starting with clear objectives tied to available measurement, creating platform-specific creative that respects the premium environment, leveraging Amazon's unique targeting capabilities rather than defaulting to demographics, planning for sustained presence rather than one-off flights, and integrating with broader Amazon advertising efforts for full-funnel impact.
Making the Decision: Is Prime Video Right for Your Brand?
Prime Video advertising isn't for every brand, but for those aligned with its capabilities, the platform offers unmatched opportunities. Evaluating fit requires honest assessment of your objectives, resources, and target audience.
Ideal candidates for Prime Video advertising include brands with broad target audiences who benefit from massive reach, products sold on Amazon that can leverage shoppable formats, companies with sufficient budgets for sustained presence, brands prioritizing premium, brand-safe environments, and advertisers who value comprehensive measurement and attribution.
Challenges to consider include minimum investment requirements that may strain smaller budgets, creative production costs for broadcast-quality content, complexity of Amazon's advertising ecosystem for newcomers, limited inventory during peak seasons, and potential audience overlap with other Amazon advertising.
The decision often comes down to strategic priorities. Brands focused solely on bottom-funnel performance might find better efficiency elsewhere. Those building long-term brand equity while driving measurable results find Prime Video's combination compelling. The platform works best as part of integrated campaigns rather than standalone efforts.
Timing matters in the decision process. Early adopters benefited from lower rates and greater inventory availability. As the platform matures, competition for premium placements intensifies. However, ongoing expansion and format innovation continue creating new opportunities. Brands willing to test and learn often find sustainable advantages.
Start Your Prime Video Advertising Journey with Good Kids
Streaming platforms like Prime Video aren’t just where people binge their favorite shows; they’re where smart brands show up. With more viewers shifting to ad-supported streaming, Prime Video offers premium inventory that blends reach, targeting, and attention like no other. But launching a successful campaign on Prime takes more than just a media buy; it requires strategic creative, platform fluency, and audience-first thinking.
That’s where Good Kids comes in. We specialize in crafting high-impact streaming TV campaigns that don’t just get seen; they get remembered. From concept to creative to precision media buying, we handle the full scope of your Prime Video advertising journey. Whether you're a local disruptor or a global brand, we help you show up in the right homes, at the right time, with messaging that moves people.
Turn Ideas Into Impact with Good Kids
Sources:
Amazon Prime Video's 2024 ad launch turned streaming on its head, EMARKETER: https://www.emarketer.com/content/amazon-prime-videos-2024-ad-launch-turned-streaming-on-its-head
Prime Video ads: Your brand alongside premium content, Amazon Ads: https://advertising.amazon.com/products/prime-video-ads
Exclusive: Amazon Doubles Ad Load on Prime Video, Adweek: https://www.adweek.com/media/amazon-doubles-prime-video-ad-load/
Prime Video's pitch deck includes fixed CPMs and precision targeting, EMARKETER: https://www.emarketer.com/content/prime-video-s-pitch-deck-includes-fixed-cpms-precision-targeting-amazon-s-bid-advertisers
Amazon Prime Video Advertising Expanding In 2025, The Hollywood Reporter: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/amazon-prime-video-advertising-2025-expanding-1236023534/
