Publisher Portal Guide

Everything newsletter operators need to monetise inventory on MailAdx — from your first ad unit through floor pricing, direct deals, programmatic fill, brand safety, and monthly payouts. This guide is the operational playbook for the Publisher Portal in Dashboard → Publisher.

Who this guide is for

Newsletter publishers, media operators, and ad ops teams selling inbox inventory. If you are buying ads instead, see the Advertiser Dashboard guide. For product positioning, see For Publishers.

1. How publisher monetisation works on MailAdx

MailAdx is an open-time ad server: you paste a dynamic image ad tag into your ESP template once. When a subscriber opens your email, their client requests that URL and MailAdx runs a waterfall in real time — direct-sold line items first, then optional OpenRTB programmatic demand, then a house ad if configured. You earn only on genuine opens, not on sends nobody reads.

  • Impression — counted when the ad image loads at open time (see Impression & Click Tracking).
  • Fill rate — share of ad requests that return a paid or house creative.
  • eCPM — effective revenue per thousand impressions after demand clears your floor.
  • Platform fee — flat per-impression fee; MailAdx does not take a percentage of direct-sponsor revenue you negotiate (see Billing & Statements).

The full decision flow is documented in Architecture: Ad Server, SSP, and DSP and OpenRTB Strategy.

2. Account setup and going live

  1. Create a publisher account — sign up as Publisher, verify email, and wait for team activation (typically within 24 hours on business days).
  2. Complete your publisher profile — newsletter name, category, list size band, and payout details under Dashboard → Publisher → Settings.
  3. Create your first ad unit — see section 3 below.
  4. Publish configuration — snapshot changes propagate to the ad server within seconds (see Config Snapshots & Publish).
  5. Integrate with your ESP — copy the ad tag and EMAIL_SHA256 merge field from Dashboard → Ad Tags. Follow Mailchimp or Klaviyo guides for ESP-specific syntax.
  6. Send a test and verify — open the email on a real device; confirm an impression appears in Publisher → Reporting.

New to MailAdx entirely? Start with Getting Started for a condensed first-impression checklist.

3. Ad units, placements, and formats

An ad unit (placement) is a defined slot in your newsletter — header leaderboard, mid-article native block, footer banner — with format rules, dimensions, floor CPM, and optional programmatic settings. Each unit receives a unique ad tag URL.

To create an ad unit: Publisher Portal → Ad Units → New Ad Unit

  • Image banner — standard static image creatives (leaderboard, rectangle). Set allowed width/height and max file size.
  • Native — composite PNG assembled at open time from headline, body, and thumbnail. Configure layout (CARD, SPLIT, TEXT_ONLY) per Native Ads.
  • Journey-enabled units — allow multi-step Ad Journey sequences from advertisers (see Ad Journeys).

Most publishers run one primary above-the-fold placement plus an optional secondary slot. Copy the generated tag once; the same tag serves all demand types through the waterfall.

4. Floor prices and the revenue waterfall

Your floor CPM is the minimum price you accept for that placement. Direct deals and programmatic bids must clear the floor to win. Set floors per ad unit based on placement value — hero slots command premium rates; secondary slots can run lower floors to maximise fill.

Waterfall priority (highest first):

  1. Direct-sold / guaranteed line items booked against your inventory
  2. Private marketplace (PMP) deals at agreed CPMs
  3. OpenRTB programmatic auction (opt-in per ad unit)
  4. House ad — your own promo, referral, or cross-sell creative

Programmatic is opt-in

OpenRTB is disabled by default on each ad unit. Enable it only when you want automated demand to fill unsold inventory. You can run direct-sold-only by leaving RTB off and using house ads as fallback.

Publishers on MailAdx typically reach 90–97% fill once direct demand and programmatic are configured. If fill is low, check whether floors exceed market CPMs, category blocks are too broad, or demand sources are inactive — your portal reporting shows unfilled requests per placement.

5. Direct deals, approvals, and PMP

The Publisher Portal is built for operators who sell sponsors directly and want programmatic backfill. Direct line items you or your sales team create are always prioritised over auction demand.

  • Deal requests — review incoming advertiser proposals; accept, counter, or reject from Publisher → Deals.
  • Creative approval — require manual review before a sponsor creative goes live. One-click accept/reject with preview.
  • Guaranteed volume — set impression or spend caps on direct IOs; pacing runs at open time so delivery matches actual reads.
  • PMP packages — bundle placements for specific advertisers at fixed CPMs without opening inventory to the full exchange.

Revenue from direct deals follows the commercial terms you set with the advertiser. Use Reporting exports to reconcile delivery for invoicing.

6. Brand safety and category controls

Your audience trusts your editorial voice — MailAdx gives you granular controls so ads match that standard:

  • Category block list — exclude entire verticals (crypto, gambling, adult, competitors) with one toggle per placement or globally.
  • Advertiser block list — block specific brands or agencies from buying your inventory.
  • Creative review queue — hold all new creatives for approval before serve.
  • Native branding — control AdChoices and "Powered by MailAdx" badges on native units (see Native Ads).

All network-sourced demand must comply with the Advertising Policy and Invalid Traffic Policy. Report concerns via Contact support.

7. Reporting, statements, and payouts

The Publisher Portal surfaces live delivery data — impressions, clicks, CTR, fill rate, eCPM, and estimated revenue — broken down by ad unit, date, and demand type. Data refreshes every 1–2 minutes for impressions; revenue aggregates update every 5 minutes.

  • Delivery summary — daily and monthly rollups for ops review.
  • Revenue calendar — send-by-send breakdown when you run multiple issues per week.
  • CSV export — finance-ready rows for reconciliation and tax reporting.
  • Scheduled exports — automated email delivery (see Reporting Overview).

Publisher statements are generated monthly; net-30 payment via bank transfer with a $50 minimum threshold. Platform fees deduct in real time per impression. Full payment mechanics are in Billing & Statements and the Monetisation Policy.

8. Publisher checklist and next steps

Use this checklist before every major send or sponsor launch:

  • Ad tag and EMAIL_SHA256 merge field present in live ESP template
  • Configuration published after any floor or block-list change
  • Test send opened on mobile and desktop; impression logged in portal
  • Direct line item flight dates and caps match the sponsor IO
  • Category blocks reviewed for the upcoming campaign vertical
  • Wallet balance sufficient for platform fees (alert below $5)

Related documentation