#097: Amazon Ads vs Facebook Ads

Read Time: 3 Minutes

One question I'm asked a lot is whether authors should focus their advertising budget on Amazon Ads or Facebook Ads.

So today, I wanted to share some insights to help you make the best decision for your books.

Where Your Readers Are

Amazon Ads place your books directly in front of people actively shopping for their next read.

These readers are specifically on Amazon looking for books with strong purchase intent—they're in a buying mindset and ready to make a decision.

Your ads appear in search results and on related book pages—meaning these potential readers are just one click away from purchasing.

Facebook Ads reach readers in a different context. Unlike on Amazon, people aren't on Facebook actively searching for books—they're there to catch up with friends, view photos, watch videos, and engage with content.

Your ad interrupts their scrolling, but when it resonates with the right audience, it can still drive significant book sales despite readers not being in an initial book-buying mindset.

Cost Considerations

Amazon Ads (for most genres) have relatively high cost-per-clicks on the surface, often in the $0.50 - $0.80+ range, depending on the competitiveness of the genre.

These may seem pretty steep at first glance.

But there is an advantage...

These are high-purchase intent clicks from readers ready to buy a book (on the number one book retailer in the world).

Facebook Ads might offer cheaper clicks ($0.10 - $0.20), but it often takes more clicks to generate a sale.

So higher cost-per-clicks, but also higher conversion rates with Amazon Ads.

And with Facebook Ads, lower cost-per-clicks, but lower conversion rates.

This is why CPCs (Cost-Per-Clicks) aren't as important as Cost-Per-Sale – how much it's costing you to generate a sale.

In general, I find that Amazon Ads produce higher conversion rates and lower cost-per-sales than Facebook Ads.

But that's not the case 100% of the time and it does differ from genre to genre.

What You're Building

With Amazon Ads, your focus is on driving sales and page reads.

Success is clear and measurable through your Amazon Ads dashboard – with orders, page reads, sales, spend, etc.

Impressions (i.e. when your ads are shown to readers) are free with Amazon Ads. You only pay as the advertiser when someone clicks on your Ad.

With Facebook Ads, most authors use Facebook Ads specifically to sell books (just as they do with Amazon Ads).

Facebook Ads allows you to reach massive audiences of potential readers, directly impacting your bottom line while also providing secondary benefits of increased brand awareness and also, if you choose to, Facebook Ads can help you build your newsletter/email list.

Unlike Amazon Ads, with Facebook Ads you're paying for impressions. You're paying for exposure.

When to Use Each Platform

There's no hard and fast rules with any of this. Testing is paramount.

But as some general guidance:

Choose Amazon Ads when:

→ You're launching a new book

→ You want to increase visibility for your backlist

→ You have a complete series and want to promote book one

→ You want long-term positioning in front of readers who are actively searching for books

Choose Facebook Ads when:

→ You want to drive immediate book sales

→ You're running a promotion or launching a new book

→ You're promoting across multiple retailers

→ You also want to build your mailing list and author brand

The Smart Approach: Integration

The most successful authors don't see decision of which ad platform to use as an either/or question.

They use both platforms strategically and in conjunction with each other:

→ Facebook Ads generate sales quickly (often within 24-48 hours), building your book's sales history

→ This improved sales history makes the Amazon algorithm more favorable toward your Amazon Ads

→ Amazon's algorithm prefers to show ads for books that are already selling (it's a win-win: Amazon makes money, you make money, and readers find books they want)

→ Amazon Ads typically take 5-7 days or longer to gain full traction, so Facebook Ads can bridge that initial gap

Your advertising strategy should evolve as your author business evolves.

If you're just starting out, mastering one platform before adding another is my recommendation.

You also have budget and time to think about.

Each ad platform takes time, energy, headspace and money to get results from.

Don't overwhelm yourself thinking you need to be everywhere and do all the things.

Start small with one ad platform if that feels best for you, and layer on a second ad platform when you're ready.

What I will say though is you need to give each ad platform time.

Don't run Amazon Ads for a week and declare they don't work if you only make a handful of sales, or no sales at all.

I'd recommend giving each ad platform at least 90 days.

You got this.

Thank you so much for reading, enjoy your weekend and see you next week.

To Your Success
– Matt