5 Tips For Communicating Effectively With Ad Network Representatives

This post was most recently updated on September 20th, 2019

Communicating with demand partners and ad representatives isn’t always easy, especially when you’re negotiating a contract, a revenue share, or agreement conditions.

Here at MonetizeMore, ad representative communications are just a small part of the extended ad optimization services we offer to our publisher partners.

Here are five tips to help you effectively communicate and close a deal with ad network representatives.

Be familiar, clear and organized

Start by checking the ad network to identify what they offer and if they can add value to your publisher’s stack.

Confirm whether ad tags are DFP-compatible or need to be hardcoded because this can help you determine your timetable from testing to launching date.

Once you have this information, confirm the type of deal the ad network would like to set up. This could be either programmatic (open, private, preferred and automated guaranteed) or a Direct Deal (tip: they deliver higher CPMs).

Once defined, proceed by determining payment terms early on the exchange. Payment terms refer to when the ad network pays the publisher.

Net30 pays in 30 days. Some Ad networks may play hardball and offer longer terms because they have a net amount minimum.

Additionally, you can also set Revenue Share (RevShare) which sets the “distribution” between the publisher and ad network, i.e., 80/20 means 80% of the revenue goes to the publisher and 20% to the ad network.

Naturally, you’ll want to negotiate the highest possible revenue share for yourself or the publisher you work for.

Finally, when everything has been agreed upon, seal the deal /partnership by asking for an Insertion Order (IO).

Clarify and confirm

Once payment terms are established, we need to get the specifics. Will it be a flat CPM or dynamic CPM deal? With a flat CPM deal, the ad network needs to maintain the agreed CPM throughout the campaign, while a dynamic deal doesn’t.

Dynamic is usually is the result of a RevShare agreement (explained above).  Can they fill 100% of the traffic? If not, can the ad network set-up a pass back?

A passback ensures that unfilled impressions are still monetized. Next, does the campaign target specific geographical areas, devices or demographics maybe?

This data will allow you to set your CPM rate: desktop and Tier 1 (US, UK, Australia, and Canada) garner higher CPMs. (Tip: a 100% fill on guaranteed CPM provides better returns).

Remember to confirm if their dashboard is accessible for daily performance tracking and if it can be used to customize your setups such as floor price and URL blocking.

At this point, you can request your ad tags.

Be clear on your timeline

If the CPM and payment terms have been fixed, provide a precise schedule when the tags can be set live on the site.

Necessary procedures for this involve tags being scanned for at least 6 hours for malware (redirects, pop-ups, etc.), just like any new device you plug into your computer!

This can mitigate any future issues of violations or user complaints. 24 hours should be enough. Next, the timeline for the actual testing of the tag on the site; the average is usually around 3-5 days.

This process should help you gauge the tag’s performance. At this point, it would be up to you to extend the test or stop even on the 2nd day which reiterates the relevance of having access to the ad network’s dashboard.

Respond promptly

Most ad representatives you communicate with are also the publisher’s Account Manager for post-launch needs. For urgent matters, specify by putting “ASAP” or “URGENT” (also upper case) on the subject field and the rest, keep them in lower case—keep in mind that word all uppercase implies importance and time sensitivity.

Those two distinct words should be sufficient. In cases that you are still not able to receive a timely reply, you can email other contacts you have with the ad network (tip: best to keep a list of contacts for specific ad networks).

Be friendly and mind your etiquette

A simple “Good morning” or/and “how was your weekend?” sets the tone for that specific e-mail thread which can help you get  90/10 RevShare you’re proposing.

Use your words wisely.

Don’t continuously put subject lines in upper cases. This can make the ad representatives put you in “low-priority” or maybe even dismiss your e-mails.

Take cues from how the ad representative communicates with you. If they appear to prefer a more relaxed or informal style, do the same but maintain your professional decorum because, at the end of the day, you’re representing your company or business.

In closing

Keep in mind that this might not be a one size fits all solution, but these tips will most certainly help make your dealings with ad representatives more successful.

For more ad optimization tips be sure to sign up for our newsletter below. If you don’t have time to focus on daily optimization tasks, why not let MonetizeMore help? Find out how we can help increase your ad revenues and what it means to partner with us by booking your free consultation today!