Ep 585: Amazon Marketing Cloud: 5 Audience Plays to Lower ACOS on Competitive Keywords

Feb 13, 2026

Tyler Masur, Head of Amazon at Pilothouse and Amazon ads expert, explains how Amazon Marketing Cloud enables audience building and deeper analytics. He covers using no-code templates vs AI-assisted SQL. He walks through testing isolated audience campaigns, overlaying in-market audiences on broad keywords, and using overlap reports to spot combo-driven conversion lifts.

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INSIGHT

AMC Is An Audience + Analytics Layer

Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) combines audience building with deeper analytics layered on top of existing Amazon campaign manager.
It functions like a data clean room to analyze ad performance and build targeted audiences without replacing the console.

ADVICE

Test Audiences In Net‑New Campaigns

Use prebuilt no-code audiences and analytics templates before attempting custom SQL queries in AMC.
Keep audience tests isolated in net-new campaigns so you don't choke existing winners.

ADVICE

Pair Broad Keywords With Qualified Audiences

Overlay qualified audiences onto broad generic keyword bids to bid higher without buying junk clicks.
Select audiences by nodes like camping or hiking to qualify traffic for product features (e.g., rugged coolers).

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Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) used to feel “enterprise-only.” Not anymore. Tyler Masur (Head of Amazon at Pilothouse) breaks down what AMC actually does, how to use the no-code templates without being a SQL wizard, and the audience overlays that make broad keywords finally make sense.

Role-based hook: For Amazon operators and DTC teams spending real money on Sponsored Ads who want lower ACOS without sacrificing scale.

In this episode, we get tactical on:

What AMC is (and isn’t): audience building + deeper measurement layered on top of your existing console
How to start with the no-code audience + analytics templates (and when AI-generated SQL helps)
Why you should test AMC audiences in net-new campaigns (so you don’t accidentally choke your winners)
The “broad keyword + qualified audience” play (example: bidding on “cooler” but only for outdoors browsers)
Measuring DSP impact: what happens after someone sees DSP, then hits Sponsored Brands/Products

Who this is for: Amazon managers, DTC founders, and growth teams trying to scale Sponsored Ads past the “set it and forget it” phase.

What to steal:

Build a “generic keyword” campaign, then overlay an in-market audience (nodes/categories) so you can bid higher without paying for junk clicks.
Keep audience tests isolated in new campaigns; don’t jam audiences into legacy structures and hope.
Run the AMC overlap reporting to spot the campaigns that actually increase conversion when paired together (then fund those).

Timestamps:

0:00 Amazon Marketing Cloud is now open to all sellers

2:05 What AMC actually does: audiences and analytics

4:10 No-code templates vs custom SQL queries (and the built-in AI helper)

6:10 Audience targeting strategy to improve ACoS without over-narrowing

8:55 Using prebuilt analytics to see which campaigns lift conversion together

11:10 When AMC becomes worth it based on ad spend and effort required

13:15 How Pilothouse uses AI day-to-day for Amazon work (including Rufus content)

15:20 Measuring DSP incrementality and overlap with sponsored ads using AMC reports

17:30 Platform notes: Amazon layoffs and the OpenAI + Amazon speculation

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