[Brid Talks] Episode 4: Why Direct-Sold Advertising Is Worth Your Time

Dear publishers,

We’re happy to announce the launch of the fourth episode of Brid Talks!

In today’s episode, we talk to Andrija, Brid.TV’s Digital Marketing Manager about his experience with direct-sold advertising and why it’s worth publishers’ time. We also asked Andrija to share some tips publishers can use to close direct-sold deals and maximize revenue.

So whether you’re just looking for a way to take your ad-powered online business to the next level or wish to learn more about this underused digital advertising method, you’re in the right place.

You can listen to the full episode below.

Alternatively, check out the time stamps to everything we covered and key takes for each section below.

Timestamps & Key Takes

1. Intro

~00:00 – 01:06 (Back to Top)

2. What Is Direct-Sold Advertising?

Direct-sold advertising is a form of online advertising where advertisers reach out to publishers directly and skip any intermediaries in the process like ad networks and ad exchanges.

~01:06 – 01:46 (Back to Top)

3. Is Direct Selling Available for All Types of Ads?

Direct-sold advertising is available for all types of ads, including native, video, and display ads.

~01:47 – 02:40 (Back to Top)

4. How Do Traditional Programmatic Methods Like Real-Time Bidding Compare to Direct-Sold Advertising?

Direct-sold advertising is in many ways better than traditional programmatic techniques since it offers:

• Better CPM
• Higher Revenue
• Better Proof of Delivery
• Complete Control Over Ad Inventory
• Way More Creative Freedom

~02:41 – 03:03 (Back to Top)

5. Is Direct-Sold Advertising Always a Better Choice for Publishers If They Can Implement It?

Yes, direct-sold advertising is almost always a better choice if publishers have what it takes to implement and manage it effectively.

~03:04 – 03:12 (Back to Top)

6. What Are the Main Reasons Publishers Would Want to Invest in Direct-Sold Advertising?

There are many reasons publishers would want to invest in direct-sold advertising, but here are the most notable ones:

• Direct-sold advertising provides exponentially higher earnings (up to 40x higher CPM).
• This method of ad selling offers superior control over ad inventory (impression-based earning).
• Publishers can combine direct-sold advertising with traditional programmatic to create an ad fallback and minimize unsold inventory.
• There are several priority levels available to better optimize ad delivery.
• Direct-sold advertising offers publishers broader customizability options (custom ad slots of custom sizes).
• There are no CPC campaigns in direct-sold advertising (no free impressions).

~03:13 – 07:38 (Back to Top)

7. Are There Any Advanced Targeting Options in Direct-Sold Advertising

Direct-sold advertising offers various advanced targeting options for publishers and advertisers. For instance, publishers can make exclusive deals with specific advertisers where the advertisers in question buy all ad slots on a given page at a time. This type of deal is impossible with traditional programmatic. There are even options to target users based on the traffic source (e.g., Google, email, social), so there’s a lot of room for customizing your targeting.

~07:39 – 10:10 (Back to Top)

8. What Are the Main Benefits of Direct-Sold Advertising for Advertisers?

There are many benefits of direct-sold advertising for advertisers, but here are the most notable ones:

• Direct-sold advertising is much more flexible.
• This advertising method offers better targeting options (advertisers can avoid appearing in the wrong affinity segments).
• Direct-sold opens up opportunities for premium ad slots (custom ad slots and non-standardized sizes included).
• Premium brands can leverage exclusive deals and full sponsorships to avoid their competition (you can’t do this with Google ads).

~10:11 – 13:16 (Back to Top)

9. Are There Any Problems With Uneven Delivery in Direct-Sold Advertising?

No, there aren’t. Although Google Ads claims their impression distribution is even, it is not. Direct-sold doesn’t have that issue, and its forecasts are incredibly precise.

~13:17 – 13:58 (Back to Top)

10. What Are the Downsides of Direct-Sold Advertising?

Every advertising method has some downsides, including direct-sold. Here are the most notable ones:

• It requires a high initial investment.
• Getting direct-sold on its feet requires a sizeable sales and ad ops team.
• Dynamic allocation can be problematic if it outbids your direct-sold campaigns.

~16:05 – 18:35 (Back to Top)

11. What Do You Need to Do to Switch From Programmatic to Direct-Sold Advertising?

The best way to switch from programmatic to direct-sold advertising is to do it via Google Ad Manager since you can manage both programmatic and direct deals from it. Google Ad Manager lets you control everything from a single ad server while also giving you access to the premium Google ADX, which offers the best backfill on the market.

~18:36 – 19:51 (Back to Top)

12. What Are the Biggest Challenges for Companies Looking to Get Into Direct-Sold Advertising?

One of the biggest challenges publishers face when switching to direct-sold advertising is finding a great sales team. A quality sales team can make or break this advertising technique, as its performance directly impacts your bottom line. Certain publishers with rockstar sales teams get up to 40x higher CPM for their impressions than with traditional programmatic.

~19:52 – 21:23 (Back to Top)

13. What’s the Best Way to Find Direct Ad Buyers?

The key to finding direct ad buyers is having a great pitch. A tried-and-tested pitch you can serve potential clients is the following: Few advertisers know that publishers often insert many unnecessary and irrelevant keywords on their site via Google Publisher Tag to increase their ad traffic. That means advertisers often end up serving ads on pages completely unrelated to their ads’ content. Direct-sold advertising doesn’t have the same problem and always serves ads only to the most relevant consumers since advertisers have complete control over their ad placements. Despite direct-sold costing more initially, it provides better ROI in the long run.

~21:24 – 23:38 (Back to Top)

14. Outro

~23:39 – 24:03 (Back to Top)

Did you happen to have missed our last episode of Brid Talks? If you’re interested in hearing about prebidding and how publishers can implement it with the least amount of effort, you can check out our previous episode at the link below.