Private marketplace (PMP) deals, also known as preferred deals, including on Google Ad Manager, are contracts made directly between the publisher and an advertiser or advertising network, managed through a supply-side platform (SSP).
The two parties make contact to agree on terms like rates, placements, contract length, and so on, and only when both parties agree to the terms does the contract start.
The advantage of a PMP deal is that it is possible to create good long-term relationships with advertisers who will then favor the publisher’s site over other choices, or open market deals, especially if they see good long-term returns. This may result in a higher price than the advertiser might bid on the open market or, at the very least, ‘price certainty’. Publishers know what they can expect from that advertiser in terms of rate. Advertisers can have more say in where their ads are placed and even on the page layout itself.
On the flip side, as the PMP deal takes precedence over line items running on the same open auction, being tied into one rate could mean that revenue is not maximized. In fact, advertisers will often estimate what they need to win the bid for the same impression on the open auction and bid there instead, limiting the power/usefulness of the PMP deal.
There isn’t one right or wrong answer to this question. It will depend on their site, the category, and the size.
Personal relationships are key, and in this regard, it will help if their site is significantly large enough within its specific market so that there is already a level of familiarity when they approach advertisers. Ideally, this should be advertisers who sell products or services in the same market sector as the site.
Publishers can also leave contact information on a site specifically for advertisers looking for a PMP deal. This applies to both advertisers and ad networks who may wish to partner with the site directly. The likelihood of this is enhanced by the quality of your audience (time on site, bounce rate, repeat visits, etc.), the demographic closely matching the advertisers’ target audiences, and the quantity of traffic (enough to make the PMP deal worthwhile).
There are also networking events in certain industries where advertisers and publishers might co-exist, like trade shows, industry co-working events, and online sources like Slack channels and forums.
Publishers should also add their details to their publisher profile if they have programmatically enabled in their Google Ad Manager account. To do this, navigate to ‘Sales’ > ‘Deals settings,’ and in the ‘Publisher profiles’ tab, click ‘NEW PROFILE’ (see screenshot below).
This opens the Publisher profile dialogue box, where publishers can enter the name of their business, the domain, their logo, a customized message to buyers, and their contact information.
The message to buyers should contain a description of the site, business aims and objectives, the types of inventory available, and any related information that might help buyers choose them. This can include information such as traffic levels, viewability rates, the existence of any fraud-prevention technology, and so on.
As soon as contact has been made, the two sides will enter a negotiation to determine the size of the deal, rates, targeting, and so on. When the deal is set, the publisher can enter the deal into ‘Sales’ > ‘Proposals’ (including details of start and end dates, targeting, creative(s) to show, etc., much like any other line item) and then request approval from the advertiser. When the advertiser accepts the proposed deal, ads can start to show.
Now that you have a better idea of the work involved in connecting with advertisers for PMP deals, you can decide whether it’s a good fit for your business. If you’re having trouble deciding and connecting with advertisers for PMP deals, why not get in touch with MonetizeMore? Once signed up, our ad ops teams will optimize all your ads and investigate every possible avenue to increase your ad revenue. Are you ready to have a Google Certified Publisher Partner manage your ad inventory? Sign up today!
Kean Graham is the CEO and founder of MonetizeMore & a pioneer in the Adtech Industry. He is the resident expert in Ad Optimization, covering areas like Adsense Optimization,GAM Management, and third-party ad network partnerships. Kean believes in the supremacy of direct publisher deals and holistic optimization as keys to effective and consistent ad revenue increases.
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