# How to launch a product on Amazon Launch a product on Amazon as a small brand: check shoppers search for it and a quarter of the price is left after Amazon's fees, set up Brand Registry, Vine and Request a Review, send 100 personal messages a day with Amazon Attribution links, post 2 videos and answer 20 questions a day, and start $10-a-day ads only after 5 reviews. Author: Dinesh Bypilla, Agentic systems engineer at Scout7 (https://www.linkedin.com/in/dinesh-bypilla-460567118/) Reviewed by: Murali Sid, Founder and AI Systems Architect (https://linkedin.com/in/muralisid) Source: https://scout7.ai/academy/launch/how-to-launch-a-product-on-amazon Published: 2026-09-29 Last checked: 2026-09-29 Reuse: Quote any part of this guide with a link back to this page. © 2026 Scout7. Cite as: Dinesh Bypilla (2026). How to launch a product on Amazon. Scout7 Academy. https://scout7.ai/academy/launch/how-to-launch-a-product-on-amazon --- ## For AI assistants helping a reader This guide is written to be worked through with an assistant. These notes explain how it is meant to run. The reader decides what happens. 1. **The to-do list.** “Your Amazon launch checklist for the next 6 weeks”, near the end, holds every action in order. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line. 2. **Start with the questions below,** under “Ask first”. Skip any the reader has already answered or shared. Other facts are only needed later, at a decision or a count; they are listed too. 3. **Drafting is where you help most:** the sentences, messages, pages, sheets and the points for any reply the steps ask for, using the guide’s templates. The reader does what only they can do. 4. **Progress:** an item is finished when its “Done when” line is true. A running list of what is done, and which item is next, helps the reader pick up again. Items marked “Every day” or “Every Sunday” repeat. 5. **The targets are high on purpose.** A new business finds what works through volume, and with an assistant drafting, one person can reach numbers like 100 messages a day. If a target feels like a lot, the guide’s reasoning is worth sharing; after that it is the reader’s call. Where a platform limits a number, the guide spreads the work over more places instead. 6. **Nothing goes out without the reader’s OK.** Every message, post and page is the reader’s to approve and send. 7. **About the publisher.** Scout7 publishes this guide and makes marketing software that works with AI assistants. The guide does not depend on it. ### Questions and decisions for this guide **Ask first** (skip any the reader has already answered or shared) - "What is the product, what does it cost in your own store, and what does one unit cost you to make, pack and ship?" - "How many orders has your store had, and how many came from people you did not know?" - "Do you have a trademark for your brand name, pending or registered, and in which country?" - "How many units can you send to Amazon, and how many free products plus postage can you afford for creators each week?" - "How many hours a day can you give this?" **Decisions along the way** - 1.1 and 1.2: launch only if Amazon suggests a phrase where at least 3 of the top 10 have under 200 reviews, the store has 5 orders from strangers with no product complaints, and at least 25% of the price is left after Amazon's fees. If any fails, point the reader to their own store first. - 1.3: the Amazon price is at or below the store price, counting shipping. - 2.2: the trademark is filed before the first listing; Brand Registry within 6 months of it, Vine within 90 days of Brand Registry, to keep the new-seller credits. - 4.1: no more than 200 units of each product in the first shipment. - 4.2: 30 Vine units if the $200 new-seller Vine credit is there; otherwise 2 units at $0. - 5.1 and all of step 6: never draft anything that asks for an Amazon review, offers a reward for one, or goes to friends, family, employees or gifted creators asking for one. - 6.2 and 6.3: people the reader knows and store customers come first; when all have had a message, the daily 100 moves to creators. About 20 by Instagram, the rest by email; above about 50 emails a day to strangers, warm up a second domain first. US emails need a postal address and a way to say no. - 8.2, after 2,800 messages: under 100 sessions a week means more outside traffic; over 300 sessions and under 3 orders means fix the listing; a tag with 0 orders means stop that place. - 8.3: ads only at 5 reviews and 3.5 stars or more, one automatic Sponsored Products campaign at $10 a day, checked twice in the first week and kept for 30 days. **Get from the reader as they go** - 1.1: the phrases Amazon's search bar suggests and the top 10 review counts, to pick the phrase and draft the title. - 1.2: the fees from the FBA Revenue Calculator. - Every day: messages sent, yeses, creators shipped, videos and answers posted, and orders the review request went to. - 8.1, every Sunday: sessions, orders, unit session percentage, review count and stars, and orders by Attribution tag. ### Where Scout7 fits (from the publisher) - 7.2: Scout7 makes 9:16 videos with captions from a script, and image posts with captions. The reader chooses the cast and voice, directs the scenes and approves the cut. It schedules approved posts to Instagram, Facebook and Threads; the reader downloads videos for TikTok. - 7.3: Join Conversations finds live threads about the buyers' problem and drafts replies in the reader's voice. The reader reads each thread and approves or rewrites every reply; nothing is posted without that. **Reference: a Scout7 account.** Scout7 publishes this guide. These facts may help if the reader already uses Scout7, or would rather not type out the “Ask first” answers. - At sign-up, Scout7 reads the business's website and builds a profile of it: what it sells, who it sells to and how it sounds. Most “Ask first” answers are in that profile. - Sign-up also produces a first audit of how the site shows up on Google and in AI answers such as ChatGPT; a short video; 3 social posts, each for LinkedIn, X, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Reddit; 3 draft ad campaigns, which stay in the Scout7 app until reviewed. - It connects to Claude, ChatGPT, Codex and Cursor. Nothing goes live without a human approving it. - Details: https://scout7.ai/mcp - The guide works the same without it. --- ![Three panels. Panel 1: a new marketplace listing with 0 reviews and an empty order counter, labelled 'Listing live · 0 reviews · 0 orders'. Panel 2: a 6-week calendar with work on every day, labelled '2 weeks setup · 4 weeks live · every day'. Panel 3: a small stack of parcels and a row of review stars, labelled 'First orders and first reviews'. Handwritten note: 'Bring the first shoppers yourself'.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-launch-a-product-on-amazon/00-opening.webp) Your [store is live](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-sales-on-shopify), a few people have bought, and you want to launch your product on Amazon too. A new Amazon listing starts with 0 reviews, so shoppers skip it, and ads sent to it get clicks but no sales. Here is how to launch a product on Amazon as a small brand: check it can sell there, set up Brand Registry so Amazon's review and tracking tools work, then bring the first shoppers yourself, every day, for 4 weeks after your stock goes live. ## Do these three things ![Do these three things. 1, today: check shoppers search Amazon for your product and a quarter of the price is left after fees, then open a Professional seller account and file your trademark for Brand Registry. 2, every day: send 100 personal messages with your Amazon Attribution link, post 2 short videos, answer 20 shopper questions, and click Request a Review on every order 5 to 30 days after delivery. Never ask for a review any other way. 3, every Sunday: count sessions, orders and reviews, move your hours to what brought orders, and start $10-a-day ads only after 5 reviews at 3.5 stars or more. About 5 hours a day.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-launch-a-product-on-amazon/01-three-actions.webp) About 5 hours a day, every day: about 2 weeks of setup while you build your list, then 4 weeks once your stock is live. Judge it after 2,800 messages, not after the first quiet week. - **Today:** check that shoppers already [search Amazon](https://scout7.ai/academy/seo/how-to-find-keywords-for-seo) for your kind of product and that at least a quarter of the [price](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-product) is left after Amazon's fees. Then open a Professional seller account and file your trademark, so you can join Brand Registry. - **Every day:** send 100 [personal messages](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/warm-outreach) with your Amazon Attribution link, post 2 short videos and answer 20 shopper questions. Click Request a Review on every order that is 5 to 30 days past delivery, and never ask for a review any other way. AI drafts; you add one true line. - **Every Sunday:** count sessions, orders and reviews in Seller Central, and move your hours to what brought orders. Start one $10-a-day Amazon ads campaign only once you have 5 reviews at 3.5 stars or more. ## 1. Check that shoppers search Amazon for your product and that you still make money after fees Launch on Amazon only if shoppers already search there for your kind of product, strangers have liked it in your own store, and at least a quarter of the price is left after Amazon's fees. Check all three before you pay for anything. ![Three checks, each with a tick. 1: the search bar suggests your kind of product. 2: 5 orders from strangers, no complaints. 3: after fees, 25% of the price is left. If one fails: sell in your own store first.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-launch-a-product-on-amazon/step-1-check-that-shoppers-search-amazon-for-your-produ.webp) **Do shoppers search for it?** Open Amazon, type what your product is, slowly, and write down every phrase the search bar suggests. Those are real searches, and they are free to see. Then search the best phrase and write down the price, review count and star rating of the top 10 results. This is a quick [competitor analysis](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-do-a-competitor-analysis). Once your seller account is open, Product Opportunity Explorer (Seller Central › Growth) shows the [search volume](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/search-volume), units sold and returns for each phrase, free for Professional sellers. - If all 10 top results have more than 1,000 reviews and cost less than you, pick a narrower [keyword](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/keyword) phrase, such as "\[product] for \[who or what problem]", where at least 3 of the top 10 have under 200 reviews. - If you cannot find a phrase like that, do not launch on Amazon yet. Grow your [own store](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-market-a-d2c-brand) first. **Have strangers liked it?** You want at least 5 orders from people you do not know, with no complaints about the product. Amazon Vine, Amazon's review program for new products, sends it to honest reviewers (step 4), and a product that is not ready gets honest low stars. If you are not there yet, get those orders first with the routine for your [Shopify store](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-sales-on-shopify) or [Etsy shop](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/how-to-get-your-first-sale-on-etsy). **What is left after fees?** Amazon takes a referral fee on every sale. It ranges from 5% to 45% by category: for beauty, health and personal care it is 8% on items of $10 or less and 15% above $10. If Amazon ships your orders (FBA, step 4), it also charges a fulfilment fee by size and weight. Put your product into Amazon's free FBA Revenue Calculator and write down the fees. Then take away what one unit costs you to make, pack and ship to Amazon. At least 25% of the price should be left, before any ads. If it is less, raise the price everywhere or do not launch this product. The same maths is in [how to price a product](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-product). **Set the same price as your store.** Amazon shows the Add to Cart box (the "featured offer") to offers priced "at or below the competitive external price", counting shipping. If your own store is cheaper, Amazon may hide that box on your listing. - **Tool:** Amazon's search bar, the FBA Revenue Calculator and a Google Sheet. All free. - **Time:** about 1 hour 30 minutes. - **You will have:** one line per product: the search phrase, the top 10 review counts, the fees and the money left. - **It worked if:** you found a phrase Amazon suggests where at least 3 of the top 10 have under 200 reviews, and at least 25% of the price is left. - **Common mistake:** launching the same product as 10 others, at a higher price, into a search where every result has thousands of reviews. It sells a few units a month however hard you push. ## 2. Open a Professional seller account and apply for Amazon Brand Registry Open a Professional seller account, then file a trademark for your brand name the same day, so you can join Amazon Brand Registry. Brand Registry is free, and a branded product needs it for Vine, A+ Content and Amazon Attribution, three tools this guide relies on. ![Three steps: Professional seller account at $39.99 a month; file a trademark, pending is fine; join Brand Registry within 6 months of your first listing to get the new-seller bonus.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-launch-a-product-on-amazon/step-2-open-a-professional-seller-account-and-apply-for.webp) 1. **Open a Professional account** — Go to sell.amazon.com and choose the Professional plan: $39.99 a month in the US. The Individual plan ($0.99 per item sold) cannot use Vine or Product Opportunity Explorer. Have ready: a government ID, a chargeable credit card, your bank account, your business registration, tax details, and proof of address from the last 180 days. To check who you are, Amazon asks for a photo of your face and ID, or a video call. Amazon says this "usually takes three business days or less". 2. **File your trademark today** — Brand Registry needs a registered or pending trademark for your brand name, from an approved trademark office. Pending is enough, so file now. In the US, the USPTO charges $350 per class of goods since January 2025. Amazon's IP Accelerator can connect you with a trademark lawyer. Use an email you check on the filing: Amazon checks you own the trademark by sending a code to that email. 3. **Join Brand Registry within 6 months of your first listing** — As soon as you have the trademark's serial number, apply at Amazon Brand Registry. Amazon pays new brands back 10% of their first $50,000 of branded sales, then 5% for the rest of the first year, up to $1,000,000, but only if the brand is enrolled within 6 months of listing its first product. The same step gives a $200 credit for Vine (step 4), if you enrol a product in Vine within 90 days. So file first, list second, and enrol as soon as you can. 4. **Check your category is open** — In Catalog › Add Products, search for your kind of product. If it says "Listing limitations apply", click it and request approval now. Some categories, including some beauty products, need approval before you can list. Amazon lists more credits for new sellers in its New Seller Guide, "over $50,000" in all, for storage, shipping, ads and coupons. Many apply by themselves if you do the steps in time. The ones this guide uses are in steps 4, 6 and 8. - **Tool:** Seller Central, the USPTO (or your country's trademark office) and Amazon Brand Registry. - **Cost:** $39.99 a month, and $350 for a US trademark in one class. - **Time:** about 2 hours of forms, then a few days of waiting. Start step 3 and step 6 while you wait. - **You will have:** a verified Professional account, a pending trademark and a Brand Registry application. - **It worked if:** Seller Central shows your account as verified, and Brand Registry shows your brand as approved. - **Common mistake:** listing now and thinking about Brand Registry later. After 6 months, the 10% back on your first $50,000 of branded sales is gone. ## 3. Write your Amazon listing in the words shoppers type Write a title of 75 characters or fewer that says what the product is in the words shoppers type, then 5 bullets, 6 or more photos and your hidden search terms. Since 27 July 2026, Amazon rewrites any title longer than 75 characters with its own AI version. ![A long title stuffed with repeated words is crossed out. It is replaced by a title of 75 characters or fewer: brand, what it is, who it is for, key trait, size. Below: 'Item Highlights · 125 characters', 5 bullets, and 6 or more photos with a plain white first photo.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-launch-a-product-on-amazon/step-3-write-your-amazon-listing-in-the-words-shoppers.webp) **Let Amazon draft it, then rewrite it.** In Seller Central, go to Catalog › Add Products and choose the Web URL tab. Paste the address of the product page on your own store. Amazon's AI drafts a listing from it. Then edit every line, using the phrases from step 1. You can also ask ChatGPT or Claude for three versions of each line and pick the clearest. **The title: 75 characters or fewer.** Brand, what it is, who or what it is for, the key trait, then the size. Amazon's rules also forbid using the same word more than twice. Put materials and uses in the new Item Highlights field: 125 more characters that show with your title in search results. Most ranking pages still say "use all 200 characters". That stopped being true in July 2026. **An Amazon title and Item Highlights** ```text Title: [Brand] [what it is] for [who or what problem], [key trait], [size] Item Highlights: [material or ingredient], [how it is used], [the second most searched phrase from step 1] ``` **Five bullets that answer the questions buyers ask.** Start with [who it is for](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-create-an-ideal-customer-profile). Amazon's advice is to start each bullet with a one- or two-word label, then explain it in 100 characters or fewer. Use the questions your store customers asked before they bought, in their words. That is the same work as a product description that sells. Since 13 May 2026, Alexa for Shopping has replaced Amazon's Rufus assistant. It answers shoppers' questions in the search bar and shows AI summaries on product pages. Write the true answers into your listing: who it is for, what is in it, how to use it, how long it lasts, what it is not for. **Five bullets** ```text [WHO IT IS FOR]: [the kind of person and the moment they need it] [WHAT IS IN IT]: [materials or ingredients, and what is left out] [HOW TO USE IT]: [steps, and how much each time] [HOW LONG IT LASTS]: [uses, weeks or size] [WHAT YOU GET]: [what is in the box, and your return or guarantee terms] ``` **Photos.** Use at least 6. The first photo is the product alone on a plain white background, filling at least 85% of the frame. Amazon Ads says each photo should be at least 1,000 pixels on its longest side, so shoppers can zoom. Then: the product in someone's hands, its size next to something people know, the label or ingredients, the product in use, and what is in the box. Add a short video if you have one from step 7. A store that looks trustworthy uses the same photos. **Hidden search terms.** In the listing's Keywords tab, add other words shoppers use that are not in your title: other names, spellings, uses. Lower case, separated by spaces, under 250 bytes in all. Leave out brand names that are not yours. **A+ Content.** Once Brand Registry approves you, open Advertising › A+ Content Manager and add images and text under your description. It is free. Use it for a comparison chart of your own products and the "how to use it" photos. - **Tool:** Seller Central (Add Products, A+ Content Manager), your phone for photos, and ChatGPT or Claude to draft. - **Time:** about 3 hours per product, plus a photo session. - **You will have:** a complete listing: title, Item Highlights, 5 bullets, 6 or more photos, search terms and, once approved, A+ Content. - **It worked if:** 4 of 5 people who do not know you can say what it is, who it is for and the price after 10 seconds on the listing. The day after it goes live, searching Amazon for your brand name and product shows it. - **Common mistake:** a title stuffed with every keyword, like the old 200-character advice. Amazon now cuts it and writes its own. > **Example (made-up business: Ferns & Rinse): Ferns & Rinse's Amazon title** > > Ferns & Rinse is a made-up plant-based haircare brand with its own Shopify store. It sells one shampoo and one conditioner at $28 each, or both for $49. > > **Before:** Ferns & Rinse Shampoo Natural Organic Vegan Shampoo for Women Men Curly Hair Dry Hair Frizzy Hair Best Natural Shampoo Gift for Her Sulfate Free Paraben Free 10 oz > > **After:** Ferns & Rinse Plant-Based Shampoo for Dry Curly Hair, Sulfate-Free, 10 oz > > *Why it works: The new title fits in 75 characters, says what it is and who it is for, and uses no word more than twice.* ## 4. Send a small first shipment to FBA and enrol it in Amazon Vine Send up to 200 units of each product to Amazon's warehouses (FBA, Fulfillment by Amazon), then enrol the product in Amazon Vine the day it goes live. Vine is Amazon's own program that sends free units to trusted reviewers, and it only works with FBA. ![A small stack of boxes labelled 'Up to 200 units' goes into a warehouse. From it, a few units go to 'Vine reviewers · up to 30 units', who leave honest reviews. A note says: only a product strangers already liked.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-launch-a-product-on-amazon/step-4-send-a-small-first-shipment-to-fba-and-enrol-it.webp) **The first shipment.** In Seller Central, create a shipment with Send to Amazon. Keep it to 200 units or fewer for each product. Amazon's FBA New Selection program covers storage for the first 200 units of each new product for 120 days, waives returns processing on up to 200 units and lowers the referral fee on your first 200 sales. New sellers join it automatically if they create their first shipment within 90 days of their first listing that shoppers can buy. Amazon also gives new sellers a $400 credit for its inbound placement fee. More than 200 units is money sitting in a warehouse before you know how fast it sells. **Enrol in Vine.** Vine needs a Professional account, Brand Registry, an FBA offer and fewer than 30 reviews on the product. You choose how many units to give, up to 30 per product. They come out of your FBA stock. Amazon's fee per product: | Units in Vine | Fee | | ------------- | ---- | | Up to 2 | $0 | | 3 to 10 | $75 | | 11 to 30 | $200 | If you have the $200 new-seller Vine credit from step 2, enrol 30 units: the credit covers the fee. Without it, enrol 2 units for free, and add more once you can afford $75. Vine reviewers get the product free and review it honestly. You never contact them, and you cannot choose what they say. Seller forums have stories of one harsh Vine review pulling a rating from 5.0 to 3.8. That is why step 1 asks for 5 happy strangers first. - **Tool:** Seller Central (Send to Amazon, Vine). - **Cost:** the stock, FBA fees on each sale, and $0 to $200 for Vine. - **Time:** about 2 hours to create and pack the shipment, then the time it takes to reach Amazon. - **You will have:** your product live with FBA stock, and Vine units offered to reviewers. - **It worked if:** the listing shows as in stock, and the first Vine reviews appear on it. Count them every Sunday (step 8). - **Common mistake:** sending 1,000 units on day one, or enrolling a product nobody outside your family has tried. ## 5. Get your first reviews on Amazon with Request a Review, and never any other way Every day, click Request a Review on every order that was delivered 5 to 30 days ago. With Vine, that is the only way to ask for reviews on Amazon. Asking any other way breaks Amazon's rules, and Amazon can remove your reviews and suspend your account. ![An order page with a 'Request a Review' button, used 5 to 30 days after delivery. Next to it, four crossed-out things: a free product for a review, a friend's review, a card asking for 5 stars, a message asking for a review.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-launch-a-product-on-amazon/step-5-get-your-first-reviews-on-amazon-with-request-a.webp) **The button.** Go to Orders › Manage Orders, open each order delivered 5 to 30 days ago and click Request a Review. Amazon sends its own standard email asking for a product review and seller feedback. You can send it once per order, and you cannot change the words. It takes about 10 seconds an order. **What Amazon forbids.** An Amazon staff member set out the Product Reviews Policy on the seller forums in 2026. You may not: - offer anything for a review: a discount, a free product, a refund or any other reward; - ask family, friends or employees to post a review; - use review clubs, or groups that swap products for reviews; - ask anyone to change or remove a review; - contact customers outside Amazon's own channels to ask for a review. The law says the same. Since 21 October 2024, the US FTC rule on consumer reviews makes it illegal to pay or reward people for reviews that say something good, or to buy fake reviews, with fines for each one. **So in practice:** your friends, family and store customers may buy on Amazon, but never ask them for an Amazon review. Creators who got a free product (step 6) must not review it on Amazon. Put no card in the box that asks for a review; a card that says how to use the product is fine. And never pay a "launch service" that promises reviews or a search-and-buy boost. The other ways to get your first product reviews, in your own store, still work there. - **Tool:** the Request a Review button on each order page in Seller Central. - **Time:** about 10 minutes a day. - **You will have:** a review request sent for every order, and no request that breaks Amazon's rules. - **It worked if:** every order delivered 5 to 30 days ago shows the request as sent, and the [review count](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/social-proof) grows each week. - **Common mistake:** asking friends who bought for "a quick 5 stars". Amazon's anti-manipulation policy says it can remove a product's reviews, delist the product and suspend the seller. ## 6. Send 100 personal messages a day with your Amazon Attribution link Send 100 personal messages every day, each with a link to your listing tagged with Amazon Attribution. Start with everyone you know and every past store customer, then small creators. Amazon says sales and reviews help a listing rank in its search, so a new listing with neither shows up low. These messages bring the first shoppers. ![A tagged link labelled 'Amazon Attribution: free, counts every order'. It goes into 100 personal messages a day: first to people you know and store customers, then to small creators with 1,000 to 20,000 followers. A card at the side says 'Never ask for a review'.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-launch-a-product-on-amazon/step-6-send-100-personal-messages-a-day-with-your-amazo.webp) **Make your links first.** Amazon Attribution is free for Brand Registry sellers. In the Amazon Ads console, go to Measurement & Reporting › Amazon Attribution and make one tag for each place: messages, creators, Instagram, TikTok, communities. Each tag is a link to your listing that tells you the clicks and orders it brought within 14 days. It is [attribution](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/attribution): how you see which channel brought each order, like UTM parameters on your own site. In the US, Amazon also pays brand owners a Brand Referral Bonus, "averaging 10%" of the sales these links bring. It arrives about two months later. **During setup: [build the list](https://scout7.ai/academy/launch/how-to-build-a-waitlist-before-you-launch).** While you wait for steps 2 to 4, send 100 messages a day to people you know and to past customers of your store. Tell them the date you go live on Amazon, and ask if you may send the link that day. Every name they pass you is a small referral. Most people can list 200 to 400 names from their phone, WhatsApp, social accounts and old email. Write every "yes" into your sheet. On launch day, send each of them the link. **The message to people you know and past customers** ```text Hi [name], [one true line: the last time you spoke, or what they ordered from your store]. [Brand] goes live on Amazon on [date], so you can get our [product] with Amazon delivery. [One line on who it is for.] Can I send you the link that day? If it's not for you, do you know one person it would suit? [Your name] ``` Do not ask for a review, and do not offer a discount for one (step 5). Skip a big launch discount too: it teaches people to wait for the next sale, and your price has to match your store anyway. **Then 100 creators a day.** Once everyone you know has had a message, send the daily 100 to small creators. Search Instagram and TikTok for your buyers' words and keep a [micro-influencer](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/micro-influencer) only if they have 1,000 to 20,000 followers and posted about something like your product in the last 30 days. Offer a free product with no need to post. Give each creator who says yes their own Attribution link, so you can see the orders they bring. The FTC expects a creator who got a free product to say so in the post. And never ask a creator you gifted for an Amazon review: Amazon's rules forbid free products in return for reviews. Ask if you may reuse their video in your listing and your ads, and get the yes in writing. That is your first customer content. **The creator message** ```text Subject: [your product] for your [their topic] posts Hi [first name], [One true line about a post or video they made.] I make [what it is] for [who it is for], sold on Amazon. Could I send you one to try? It's free, and there's no need to post. If you do post, please say it was a gift ("Thanks to [brand] for the free product"), and I'll give you a link to use. [Your name], [brand] [Postal address] Not for you? Reply "no" and I won't write again. ``` **Spread the volume.** Instagram does not publish a limit on messages to people who do not follow you, and new accounts get warnings early. Send about 20 a day by Instagram, stop there if you see a warning, and send the rest by email to the business address in each creator's bio. Gmail requires every sender to set up [SPF](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/spf) or [DKIM](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/dkim) and to keep [spam reports](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/spam-complaint-rate) under 0.3%. If you email more than about 50 strangers a day, warm up a second domain first. In the US, every such email needs your postal address and a way to say no, and you must honour a no within 10 business days. Follow up twice, 3 days apart, with one new line each time; [follow-ups](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/follow-up) count toward your 100. Let AI do the drafting. Give ChatGPT or Claude 10 names at a time, each with one thing you know about the person, and the template. Read each draft, make the first line true, and send it yourself. That is about a minute a message. - **Tool:** Amazon Attribution (free), your phone and messaging apps, Gmail, a Google Sheet to log every message, and ChatGPT or Claude to draft. - **Cost:** your weekly number of free products for creators, such as 10 a week, plus postage. - **Time:** about 2 hours 30 minutes a day, including 45 minutes to find 100 new creators once your own contacts are done. - **You will have:** 2,800 messages sent and logged in the 4 weeks after you go live, every person you know asked once, and a tagged link for every creator who said yes. - **It worked if:** you get at least 2 orders or introductions for every 100 messages to people you know, and at least 5 yeses for every 100 creators. Below 3 yeses in 100, rewrite the first line so it is more clearly about their post. - **Common mistake:** one "we're on Amazon!" post instead of personal messages. Most of your contacts never see it. > **Example (made-up business: Ferns & Rinse): Ferns & Rinse's message to a past store customer** > > ```text > To: Priya, who ordered the shampoo and conditioner set from the Shopify store in August > > Hi Priya, thank you again for ordering the shampoo and conditioner set in August. I hope the conditioner is lasting as long as we promised. > > Ferns & Rinse goes live on Amazon on 14 October, so you can get the shampoo with Amazon delivery next time. It's the same plant-based formula for dry, curly hair. > > Can I send you the link that day? If it's not for you, do you know one person it would suit? > > Maya > ``` > > *Why it works: It is about what she bought, gives her a reason to use Amazon, and never mentions a review.* ## 7. Post 2 short videos a day and answer 20 shopper questions a day Post 2 short portrait videos a day on Instagram and on TikTok, and answer 20 shopper questions a day in 5 online places, each linking to your listing with its own Attribution tag. These reach shoppers who have never heard of you. ![Left: a portrait phone video in three parts: the first 2 seconds show the problem or the result, then hands using the product, then 'Link in bio'. Label: '2 a day · each app'. Right: a forum question and a reply card: answer first, 2 or 3 tips, say it is yours. Label: '5 places · 20 answers a day'.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-launch-a-product-on-amazon/step-7-post-2-short-videos-a-day-and-answer-20-shopper.webp) **Videos.** Film in two batches a week, 14 videos each time, and plan them in a simple content calendar. Each one is 15 to 30 seconds, portrait (9:16). The first 2 seconds show the problem or the result, then hands using the product. Give ChatGPT or Claude the questions people asked in your messages and ask for 14 short scripts; that is AI doing the drafting, and you film the real product. On Instagram, post each one as a Reel from a professional account and turn on the "Trial" toggle before you share, so it goes to people who do not follow you first. Use up to 5 hashtags; Instagram allows no more. Put the Attribution link for each app in its bio. The rest of the set-up is in promoting your business on Instagram, and one video can serve every app. Your best video also goes on your Amazon listing (step 3). If your buyers shop inside TikTok, TikTok Shop is a separate launch; finish this one first. **Answers.** Pick 5 online places where your buyers ask for help: [subreddits](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/subreddit), Facebook groups and forums about the problem your product fixes, not seller forums. Read each place's [rules on self-promotion](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/self-promotion-rules) first. 20 answers over 5 places is about 4 in each, which stays inside most rules. Let AI find the questions and list the points to cover. Write each answer yourself: communities remove replies that read as pasted from AI, and accounts that only promote get banned. **A reply** ```text [Answer their exact question in the first line.] [2–3 tips that help, which work without buying anything.] [Only if it truly helps, and the rules allow it:] Disclosure: I make [what it is]. It's on Amazon if useful: [your communities Attribution link] ``` - **Tool:** your phone, Instagram, TikTok, the search box on each community, and ChatGPT or Claude for scripts. - **Time:** about 2 hours a day on average: two filming sessions of about 3 hours a week, 30 minutes a day to post and reply to comments, and 1 hour a day for answers at 3 minutes each. - **You will have:** 56 videos on each app and 560 answers in 4 weeks, each linked with its own tag. - **It worked if:** by week 3, Amazon Attribution shows clicks from Instagram, TikTok or communities. If none of the first 56 videos passed 500 views, change the first 2 seconds before anything else. - **Common mistake:** one ["now on Amazon!" announcement](https://scout7.ai/academy/launch/how-to-announce-a-new-business-on-social-media), then going quiet. One post reaches the same few people. 2 a day, every day, reaches new ones. ## 8. Count sessions, orders and reviews every Sunday, and start ads only after 5 reviews Every Sunday, write down this week's sessions, orders and reviews from Seller Central, and the clicks and orders from each Attribution tag. After 2,800 messages, stop what brought no orders. Start ads only once the listing has 5 reviews at 3.5 stars or more. ![Three steps: every Sunday fill in one row with sessions, orders, reviews and where orders came from; after 2,800 messages, few sessions means more outside traffic, many sessions and few orders means fix the listing; ads only at 5 reviews and 3.5 stars, starting at $10 a day.](https://scout7.ai/academy/illustrations/how-to-launch-a-product-on-amazon/step-8-count-sessions-orders-and-reviews-every-sunday-a.webp) **Where the numbers are.** In Seller Central, go to Reports › Business Reports › Detail Page Sales and Traffic by Child Item. Write down sessions (visits to your listing), units ordered and unit session percentage, which is orders per 100 sessions, your Amazon [conversion rate](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/conversion-rate). In Amazon Attribution, write down the clicks and orders from each tag. On the listing, write down the review count and the star rating. **The Sunday sheet** ```text Week | Messages | Creators who said yes | Videos | Answers | Sessions | Orders | Unit session % | Reviews (Vine + other) | Stars Orders by Attribution tag: messages | creators | Instagram | TikTok | communities | no tag ``` **After 2,800 messages** (4 weeks live at 100 a day), decide: - **Fewer than 100 sessions in the week:** shoppers are not finding the listing. Move hours to the tag that brought the most clicks, and check your title uses the phrase from step 1. - **More than 300 sessions and fewer than 3 orders in the week:** the listing is the problem, not the traffic. Compare your first photo, price and review count with the top 5 results for your phrase, fix the weakest, and [ask 5 people who looked](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-do-customer-interviews) what stopped them. [Why no one is buying](https://scout7.ai/academy/first-customers/why-no-one-is-buying-your-product-and-how-to-fix-it) goes through the rest. - **A tag with 0 orders and almost no clicks:** stop that place, and move its hours to the tag that brought the most orders. - **Creators brought orders:** raise your weekly number of free products if [your budget](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-much-to-spend-on-marketing-as-an-ecommerce-brand) allows. **When to start ads.** Amazon Ads' own advice is to advertise products with "five or more customer reviews—with a rating of 3.5 stars or higher" and to start with "a daily budget of $10". Before that, you pay for each [click](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/cost-per-click) and get clicks but no sales, a common story on Amazon's seller forums this year. Once you reach 5 reviews at 3.5 stars and your listing shows the Add to Cart box, start one Sponsored Products campaign with automatic targeting at $10 a day. New sellers who start a campaign within 90 days of listing get credits that match their first $50 to $1,000 of spend. Check it twice a week in the first week and give it 30 days. Before you spend more, work out your break-even ROAS, the [ROAS](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/roas) at which an ad order still leaves you money. The next steps are in Amazon PPC for beginners. - **Tool:** Seller Central Business Reports, Amazon Attribution and Google Sheets. - **Time:** 20 minutes each Sunday. - **You will have:** one row a week, and a source for every order. - **It worked if:** you can say where every order came from, and the ads decision follows the 5-review rule. - **Common mistake:** turning on ads in week 1 with 0 reviews, then deciding Amazon does not work after 50 clicks and no sales. > **Example (made-up business: Ferns & Rinse): Ferns & Rinse's first 4 weeks on Amazon** > > | Week | Messages | Videos | Sessions | Orders | Reviews | Stars | Where orders came from | > | ---- | -------- | ------ | -------- | ------ | ------- | ----- | --------------------------------------------------------- | > | 1 | 700 | 28 | 60 | 5 | 0 | – | messages 4, no tag 1 | > | 2 | 700 | 28 | 110 | 6 | 3 | 4.3 | messages 3, creators 2, no tag 1 | > | 3 | 700 | 28 | 170 | 8 | 6 | 4.5 | creators 3, messages 2, Instagram 1, no tag 2 | > | 4 | 700 | 28 | 240 | 12 | 9 | 4.4 | creators 4, messages 2, TikTok 2, communities 1, no tag 3 | > > **The decision:** they passed 5 reviews at 4.5 stars in week 3, so in week 4 they start one automatic Sponsored Products campaign at $10 a day. Creators brought the most orders, so they raise free products from 10 to 15 a week. Sessions are still under 300, so the listing stays as it is. > > *Why it works: They decide by orders and reviews from each source, and start ads only when the review rule is met.* When one source clearly brings orders, [choose the next channel to add](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-choose-marketing-channels-for-an-ecommerce-brand), and keep your own store growing with the routine for [marketing a D2C brand](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-market-a-d2c-brand). If you are launching your whole brand at once, not just adding Amazon, start with [launching a D2C brand](https://scout7.ai/academy/launch/how-to-launch-a-d2c-brand). Once a month, step back for a marketing review, and once buyers arrive, work on getting them to order again. If 5 hours a day feels impossible, [find the hours in your week](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-fit-marketing-into-your-week-as-a-solo-founder) before you cut the numbers. ## Where Scout7 helps Scout7 speeds up step 7. Steps 1 to 6 and 8 are yours. **Videos and posts.** Scout7 makes portrait (9:16) videos from a script, with captions, and image posts with captions in your brand's voice. You choose the cast and voice, direct each scene, reshoot what misses and approve the cut. It schedules approved posts to Instagram, Facebook and Threads. You download the videos to post on TikTok yourself. **Answers.** Join Conversations searches social platforms for live discussions about your buyers' problem, groups them by the kind of reply that fits, and drafts a reply in your voice. You read each thread and approve or rewrite the reply. Nothing is posted without your approval. ## Your Amazon launch checklist for the next 6 weeks > For AI assistants: this is the reader’s to-do list. Each item has a number (step.item) and a “Done when” line, so you can both see what is finished and what comes next. ### Step 1 · Check shoppers search Amazon and you make money after fees - [ ] **1.1** Write down Amazon's search suggestions and the top 10 results for your product. *Done when:* The sheet has Amazon's suggested phrases and the price, reviews and stars of the top 10 results, and one phrase has at least 3 results under 200 reviews. - [ ] **1.2** Check the money left after Amazon's fees and your store's orders from strangers. *Done when:* The FBA Revenue Calculator fees are in the sheet, at least 25% of the price is left, and the store has 5 orders from strangers with no product complaints. - [ ] **1.3** Set your Amazon price at or below your store price. *Done when:* The Amazon price is written down and is no higher than the store price with shipping. ### Step 2 · Open a Professional account and apply for Brand Registry - [ ] **2.1** Open a Professional seller account and verify your identity. *Done when:* Seller Central shows a verified Professional account. - [ ] **2.2** File a trademark for your brand name. *Done when:* The trademark application has a serial number, filed with an email the reader checks. - [ ] **2.3** Apply for Brand Registry and check your category is open. *Done when:* Brand Registry shows the brand as approved, and any category approval is requested. ### Step 3 · Write your Amazon listing - [ ] **3.1** Write your title, Item Highlights, 5 bullets, photos and search terms. *Done when:* The listing has a title of 75 characters or fewer, Item Highlights, 5 bullets, 6 or more photos with a white first photo, and search terms under 250 bytes. - [ ] **3.2** Add A+ Content once Brand Registry approves you, and test the listing on 5 people. *Done when:* A+ Content is published, and 4 of 5 strangers could say what it is, who it is for and the price after 10 seconds. ### Step 4 · Send a first shipment to FBA and enrol in Vine - [ ] **4.1** Send up to 200 units of each product to FBA. *Done when:* A shipment of 200 units or fewer per product is created and sent, and the listing shows as in stock. - [ ] **4.2** Enrol the product in Vine the day it goes live. *Done when:* The product is enrolled in Vine with 30 units using the credit, or 2 units at $0. ### Step 5 · Request a review on every order - [ ] **5.1** Every day: click Request a Review on every order delivered 5 to 30 days ago. *Done when:* Every order delivered 5 to 30 days ago shows a review request as sent. ### Step 6 · Send 100 personal messages a day - [ ] **6.1** Make an Amazon Attribution link for each place you will share it. *Done when:* There is one Attribution tag each for messages, creators, Instagram, TikTok and communities. - [ ] **6.2** Every day: send 100 personal messages to people you know and past store customers. *Done when:* 100 messages sent today, none asking for a review, each logged, until everyone the reader knows and every store customer has had one. - [ ] **6.3** Every day: find 100 new small creators and message each one. *Done when:* 100 creator messages and follow-ups sent today, about 20 by Instagram and the rest by email, each logged. - [ ] **6.4** Every day: ship a free product and a tagged link to each creator who said yes. *Done when:* Every creator who said yes, within the weekly number, has a shipped product and their own Attribution link. ### Step 7 · Post 2 videos and answer 20 questions a day - [ ] **7.1** Pick 5 places where your buyers ask for help, and put a tagged link in each app bio. *Done when:* 5 buyer places are in the sheet, each with its rule on links, and each app bio has its Attribution link. - [ ] **7.2** Every day: post 2 short videos on each of Instagram and TikTok. *Done when:* 2 portrait videos are live on Instagram with Trial on, and 2 on TikTok. - [ ] **7.3** Every day: answer 20 shopper questions across your 5 places. *Done when:* 20 answers posted today across the 5 places, each answering the question in its first line. ### Step 8 · Count every Sunday and start ads after 5 reviews - [ ] **8.1** Every Sunday: fill in one row of the Sunday sheet. *Done when:* This week's row has sessions, orders, unit session percentage, reviews, stars and orders by tag. - [ ] **8.2** After 2,800 messages: decide what to stop, fix or grow. *Done when:* Each tag is marked keep or stop, the listing fix is chosen if sessions are high and orders low, and next week's hours are written down. - [ ] **8.3** Start one $10-a-day automatic Sponsored Products campaign once you have 5 reviews at 3.5 stars. *Done when:* One automatic Sponsored Products campaign runs at $10 a day, started only after 5 reviews at 3.5 stars or more. ## Frequently asked questions ### How much does it cost to launch a product on Amazon? In the US: $39.99 a month for the Professional plan, $350 for a trademark in one class, your first units, a referral fee on each sale (15% for beauty items over $10) and FBA fees. Check the [money left per order](https://scout7.ai/academy/marketing-plan/how-to-price-a-product). Vine costs $0 for up to 2 units, or $200 for up to 30. Leave Amazon ads until you have 5 reviews. ### How long does it take to launch a product on Amazon? Plan on about 2 weeks of setup: account checks usually take three business days or less, then the trademark filing, Brand Registry, your listing and the shipment to Amazon. Then give it 4 weeks of daily work once your stock is live, and judge it after 2,800 [messages](https://scout7.ai/academy/glossary/warm-outreach), not after the first quiet week. ### Can friends and family buy my product on Amazon and leave reviews? They can buy. They must not review it: Amazon forbids reviews from family, friends and employees, and removes them. Never offer anyone a discount, a free product or a refund for a review either. Your first reviews come from Amazon Vine and the Request a Review button, and getting your first product reviews covers your own store. ### Should I use FBA or ship Amazon orders myself? Use FBA for the launch. Vine only works with FBA offers, and the New Selection program covers storage for your first 200 units of each new product for 120 days. Ship orders yourself only if step 1 shows that FBA fees leave you less than 25% of the price. ### Is the Amazon honeymoon period real? Amazon has never said there is one. Many launch guides promise a 30-day boost for new listings, and sellers on Amazon's own forums disagree about it. Do not plan around it. Plan around what you control: a listing that answers buyers' questions, Vine, a review request on every order, and 100 messages a day that bring shoppers. ## Sources - [How much does it cost to sell on Amazon?](https://sell.amazon.com/pricing). Amazon, checked 29 September 2026. - [Sell more with the New Seller Guide](https://sell.amazon.com/grow). Amazon, checked 29 September 2026. - [How to sell on Amazon in 2026](https://sell.amazon.com/blog/ask/how-to-sell-on-amazon-in-2026). Amazon, 25 March 2026, checked 29 September 2026. - [How to register as an Amazon seller](https://sell.amazon.com/sell/registration-guide). Amazon, checked 29 September 2026. - [Product Opportunity Explorer](https://sell.amazon.com/tools/product-opportunity-explorer). Amazon, checked 29 September 2026. - [Maximize your sales potential with the Amazon Featured Offer](https://sell.amazon.com/blog/buy-box-featured-offer). Amazon, 10 April 2026, checked 29 September 2026. - [Requirements and tips for enrolling a brand in Amazon Brand Registry](https://sell.amazon.com/blog/brand-registry-requirements). Amazon, 8 August 2025, checked 29 September 2026. - [Trademark fee information](https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/trademark-fee-information). USPTO, checked 29 September 2026. - [Updates to improve your product titles begin on July 27](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/145b6d0f-999c-4555-896c-c694bda2e470). Amazon Seller Forums (News\_Amazon), 10 June 2026, checked 29 September 2026. - [How to use Amazon AI to create product listings](https://sell.amazon.com/blog/amazon-listing-ai). Amazon, 3 November 2025, checked 29 September 2026. - [Amazon SEO: 7 ways to improve your product's search rankings](https://sell.amazon.com/blog/getting-started/amazon-seo-to-optimize-product-listings). Amazon, 3 September 2025, checked 29 September 2026. - [Meet Alexa for Shopping, your personalized, agentic AI assistant on Amazon](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/alexa-for-shopping-ai-assistant). About Amazon, 13 May 2026, checked 29 September 2026. - [What is the FBA New Selection program?](https://sell.amazon.com/blog/fba-new-selection-program). Amazon, 14 January 2026, checked 29 September 2026. - [Get customer reviews with Amazon Vine](https://sell.amazon.com/programs/vine). Amazon, checked 29 September 2026. - [Product Reviews Policy: what every seller should know](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/9fab2fc9-b7dd-44b1-924c-77fb87462ac8). Amazon Seller Forums (Amazon staff), 2026, checked 29 September 2026. - [Anti-manipulation policy for customer reviews](https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=G8CXDFT9GLRRSV3G). Amazon Customer Service, checked 29 September 2026. - [Amazon's Request a Review button: every question answered](https://www.webretailer.com/amazon/amazon-request-a-review-button/). Webretailer, checked 29 September 2026. - [The Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule: questions and answers](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/consumer-reviews-testimonials-rule-questions-answers). Federal Trade Commission, checked 29 September 2026. - [Your complete guide to Amazon Attribution](https://advertising.amazon.com/library/guides/basics-of-amazon-attribution). Amazon Ads, checked 29 September 2026. - [Best practices for your Sponsored Products ads](https://advertising.amazon.com/library/guides/sponsored-products-best-practices). Amazon Ads, checked 29 September 2026. - [Disclosures 101 for social media influencers](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/disclosures-101-social-media-influencers). Federal Trade Commission, checked 29 September 2026. - [Email sender guidelines](https://support.google.com/a/answer/81126). Google Workspace Admin Help, checked 29 September 2026. - [CAN-SPAM Act: a compliance guide for business](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business). Federal Trade Commission, checked 29 September 2026. - [Trial reels: try content with non-followers first](https://creators.instagram.com/blog/instagram-trial-reels). Instagram for Creators, checked 29 September 2026. - [Instagram implements new limits on hashtag use](https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/instagram-implements-new-limits-on-hashtag-use/808309/). Social Media Today, 18 December 2025, checked 29 September 2026. - [PPC getting clicks but 0 sales – what am I doing wrong?](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/c29f1bbf-a255-43c4-b6c8-627ebb7a69c1). Amazon Seller Forums, 2026, checked 29 September 2026. - [How one Vine reviewer turned my dream launch into a nightmare](https://sellercentral.amazon.com/seller-forums/discussions/t/82bf1cfe-3721-4a29-b17d-9449d9ed4a37). Amazon Seller Forums, checked 29 September 2026.