Reference

Newsletter advertising glossary

Clear definitions for the terms publishers and advertisers encounter when monetizing newsletters — from eCPM and fill rate to open-time ad serving and SSP/DSP.

Ad Journeys

Sequential newsletter ad campaigns where subscribers advance through steps based on previous exposure.

Ad Placement

A defined slot within a newsletter where an ad is displayed to subscribers.

Ad Waterfall

A prioritized sequence of demand sources the ad server checks to fill an impression.

Apple MPP (Mail Privacy Protection)

Apple's iOS 15+ feature that pre-fetches email pixels, inflating open rate metrics.

CPC

Cost per click — an ad pricing model where the advertiser pays only when a subscriber clicks the ad.

CPM

Cost per mille — the price an advertiser pays per 1,000 ad impressions.

CTR (Click-Through Rate)

The percentage of ad impressions that result in a click.

Direct-Sold Advertising

Ad campaigns sold directly by the publisher to advertisers, without programmatic intermediaries.

DSP (Demand-Side Platform)

Technology platform that allows advertisers to buy ad inventory across multiple publishers programmatically.

eCPM

Effective cost per thousand impressions — the actual revenue earned per 1,000 ad impressions.

Email Hash (SHA-256)

A one-way cryptographic transformation of an email address used for privacy-safe ad targeting.

ESP (Email Service Provider)

A platform used to create, send, and track email campaigns and newsletters.

Fill Rate

The percentage of ad requests that result in an ad being served.

Floor CPM

The minimum price a publisher will accept for an ad impression.

Frequency Cap

A limit on how many times a specific subscriber sees a particular ad.

GDPR Compliance in Newsletter Advertising

How newsletter ad serving can satisfy EU General Data Protection Regulation requirements.

Gmail Image Proxy

Google's image caching system that serves email images through Google's servers, affecting ad decisioning.

Native Ads

Ad format that matches the visual style of editorial newsletter content.

Newsletter Ad Network

A platform that connects newsletter publishers with advertisers at scale.

Newsletter Monetization

The strategies and tools publishers use to generate revenue from their email newsletters.

Open Rate

The percentage of newsletter recipients who open a given email send.

Open-Time Ad Serving

An ad serving technique that runs the ad auction when the subscriber opens the email, not when it is sent.

OpenRTB

Open standard protocol for real-time programmatic ad auctions between buyers and sellers.

PMP (Private Marketplace)

A private, invitation-only programmatic auction between a publisher and select advertisers.

Programmatic Advertising

Automated buying and selling of ad inventory using real-time bidding technology.

Sponsorship CPM

The effective CPM of a flat-fee newsletter sponsorship deal.

SSP (Supply-Side Platform)

Technology platform that helps publishers manage and sell their ad inventory.

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