Amazon DSP Creative Specs & Ad Formats
DSP’s best audiences are wasted if your creative can’t fill the slots they unlock. Build the wrong sizes and you’re locked out of premium inventory; build the right ones and you’re eligible everywhere.
DSP creative comes in four types: responsive e-commerce ads (auto-built from your ASIN with price, reviews, and Prime badge), custom display banners in five standard sizes, video (online video and streaming TV), and audio. Build all five display sizes for maximum inventory eligibility, and lean on responsive e-commerce creative for retail trust. Always confirm exact specs against Amazon’s current spec sheet.
01The four creative types
DSP runs four creative families, matched to the inventory you’re buying: responsive e-commerce ads (Amazon auto-builds them from your product), custom display (your own designed banners), video (online video plus streaming TV), and audio. Most endemic sellers start with responsive e-commerce for efficiency, add custom display for brand campaigns, and layer video as they move up-funnel. The goal is to have creative ready for every slot your audiences make you eligible for — gaps in your creative library are gaps in your reach.
02Responsive e-commerce ads
This is DSP’s retail superpower. Responsive e-commerce creative is generated automatically from your ASIN — Amazon pulls your product image, current price, star rating, review count, and Prime badge, then adapts the layout to fit whatever slot it serves in, with a click through to your product page or Store. Because it surfaces real retail signals (a strong rating, a Prime badge, a live price), it carries built-in trust that a static banner can’t, and it updates itself when your price or reviews change. For retargeting and lower-funnel campaigns, it’s usually the strongest-performing option.
03Custom display: the five sizes to build
When you want full control of the design — logo, headline, lifestyle imagery — you build custom display banners. To be eligible across the widest inventory, produce the five core sizes: 300×250 (medium rectangle), 728×90 (leaderboard), 160×600 (wide skyscraper), 300×600 (half-page), and 320×50 (mobile leaderboard). Keep files light (typically under ~200KB), in JPG, PNG, or GIF. Skipping sizes silently shrinks your reach, because slots you have no creative for simply can’t serve your ad.
04Video creative
DSP video splits into two. Online video (OLV) runs in- and out-stream across the web, typically 15–30 seconds in 16:9 or 1:1 (mobile) as an MP4 at a high bitrate. Streaming TV / OTT is full-screen, non-skippable connected-TV video — 16:9, 1080p+, roughly 15 Mbps, sound-on, 6–45 seconds — the same requirements covered in streaming TV ad specs. If you’ve produced Sponsored Brands Video, those assets can be adapted as a starting point for OLV.
05Audio creative
Audio is the quiet, growing format. DSP audio ads — typically 10–30 seconds — run across Amazon Music’s ad-supported tier and Alexa-enabled devices, usually paired with a companion display banner shown on screen during playback. It’s an emerging awareness channel that reaches shoppers in moments when display and video can’t (cooking, driving, working out), and it’s worth testing once your display and video foundation is in place.
06Dynamic creative optimization
DCO (dynamic creative optimization) automatically assembles and tests creative variations — different images, headlines, or products — and serves the best-performing combination to each user. Expanded alongside Amazon’s Performance+ tooling, it takes much of the manual A/B work off your plate. It’s most valuable once you have enough creative assets and volume for the system to learn from, so treat it as an optimization layer on top of a solid creative base, not a substitute for one.
07The specs at a glance
| Creative type | Format / sizes | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Responsive e-commerce | Auto-built from ASIN (image, price, reviews, Prime) | Retail trust, retargeting |
| Custom display | 300×250, 728×90, 160×600, 300×600, 320×50 | Brand campaigns, controlled design |
| Online video (OLV) | 15–30s, 16:9 or 1:1, MP4 | Consideration & web video |
| Streaming TV / OTT | 16:9 1080p+, 6–45s, sound-on | Awareness (see STV specs) |
| Audio | 10–30s + companion banner | Amazon Music & Alexa |
08Creative best practices
A few rules keep DSP creative working hard. Build the full set of display sizes so you never lose inventory to a missing format. Use responsive e-commerce for retail and retargeting, where price and reviews build trust, and custom creative for brand and awareness work where design matters. Keep a clear single CTA, keep files light for fast load, and keep everything brand-safe and on-message. Budget roughly $1,500–3,000 for a professional display-and-video set if you’re not producing in-house. Next, we’ll pull audiences, inventory, and creative together into an actual DSP strategy.
- DSP creative has four families: responsive e-commerce, custom display, video (OLV + streaming TV), and audio.
- Responsive e-commerce ads auto-pull price, reviews, and Prime badge — strong for retail trust and retargeting.
- Build all five display sizes (300×250, 728×90, 160×600, 300×600, 320×50) for maximum eligibility.
- Video spans OLV (15–30s) and sound-on streaming TV; audio adds a companion banner.
- Use DCO to optimize variants, keep one clear CTA, and budget ~$1,500–3,000 for a pro set.
Frequently asked questions
What are Amazon DSP creative specs?
DSP supports responsive e-commerce ads auto-built from your ASIN, custom display banners in standard sizes like 300×250 and 728×90, video (15–30s online video and full-screen streaming TV), and audio (10–30s with a companion banner). Confirm exact current requirements on Amazon’s spec sheet before producing.
What ad sizes does Amazon DSP use?
The five core custom-display sizes are 300×250, 728×90, 160×600, 300×600, and 320×50. Building all of them maximizes the inventory you’re eligible to serve on; missing sizes mean missing placements. Responsive e-commerce ads adapt automatically across slots.
What is a responsive e-commerce ad?
It’s a DSP creative Amazon builds automatically from your product listing, pulling in the product image, price, star rating, review count, and Prime badge, and adapting the layout to each slot. Because it shows real retail signals, it carries built-in trust and updates as your listing changes.
Does Amazon DSP support video ads?
Yes. DSP runs online video (typically 15–30 seconds, 16:9 or 1:1) across the web, and full-screen, non-skippable streaming TV video on Prime Video and Fire TV. The streaming TV format is sound-on, 1080p or higher, and 6–45 seconds.
How much does DSP creative cost?
Responsive e-commerce ads are effectively free since Amazon generates them from your listing. For custom display and video, budget roughly $1,500–3,000 for a professional set if you’re not producing in-house, covering the core display sizes and a video cut or two.
Or return to Module 7: Amazon DSP or the course hub.