Hi Everyone,
Most new sellers launch a product and immediately turn to PPC and Amazon Vine, expecting one of them to kick-start sales. When that doesn’t happen, confusion sets in. The problem isn’t that PPC or Vine don’t work — it’s that both are often misunderstood and misused at the launch stage.
PPC only does one thing: it brings traffic. It doesn’t build trust, explain value, or reduce buyer hesitation. If a new listing has weak social proof, unclear positioning, or generic visuals, ads simply expose those problems faster. High impressions, low conversion, rising ACoS — and Amazon quietly learns that shoppers aren’t responding.
Amazon Vine is often treated as a shortcut to credibility, but it has its own limitations. Vine reviewers are extremely honest, sometimes brutally so. If the product or listing isn’t fully ready, Vine can lock in early negative feedback that’s hard to reverse. Even when Vine reviews are neutral, they don’t always create the kind of momentum sellers expect.
Another issue is timing. Many sellers activate PPC and Vine before their listing has been properly validated. Images haven’t been tested, objections aren’t addressed, and the product positioning is still based on assumptions rather than real buyer insight. In that situation, both PPC and Vine become expensive experiments instead of growth tools.
Neither PPC nor Vine can manufacture trust on their own. They work best when the fundamentals are already strong — when the product delivers, the listing communicates clearly, and early buyers are satisfied. In those cases, PPC accelerates visibility and Vine adds credibility. Without that foundation, both tools often disappoint.
The common mistake is treating PPC and Vine as fixes instead of amplifiers. Amazon rewards listings that convert, satisfy buyers, and show consistent engagement. Ads and Vine simply magnify whatever signal already exists.
If you agree with my analysis, join me to have a discussion on the topic. I have a solution to this issue.