Outbrain ads for business: set-up, bidding, budgets and specs

Everything below comes from Outbrain's own advertiser help pages: New campaign creation flow, Which ad format is right for my goals?, What targeting options are available to me?, Which Conversion Bid Strategy is the best fit, How do I define my campaign CPC and budget?, Ad specs, How do I install Outbrain's pixel?, How is Outbrain content reviewed? and How do I view conversions in my Amplify dashboard? Outbrain changes its platform often, so check those pages before you launch. For what native advertising is and where these ads appear, see our native advertising guide.

How an Amplify campaign is set up

Outbrain describes Amplify as a platform that "enables large and small marketers to reach their goals on the open web." Its newer guided set-up runs in six steps:

1. Pick a campaign goal. If the goal is sales or leads, Outbrain asks you to make sure you can set up conversion tracking first.
2. Set the audience and targeting: location, audience and device. Only one device can be selected per campaign.
3. Upload ads. Outbrain recommends "at least 3 title and image variations per URL" so the system can find the best one. An automated tool can also build image and title combinations from your website.
4. Set bidding, budget and schedule.
5. Launch. The content then goes through a review of 1-3 business days.
6. Add payment details. Outbrain says it accepts MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express credit cards from listed countries.

Outbrain marks this flow as a beta for some accounts; the older set-up screens are still supported.

Ad formats

Outbrain lists these formats on its ad format page:

• Standard: image, headline and an optional call-to-action button; the "go-to format for driving traffic and conversions".
• Carousel: up to 10 images in one ad, aimed at brands that show several products.
• App Install: custom CTA, brand logo and app store rating, built for installs.
• Clip: short GIF or MP4 assets, which can run alongside Standard and Vertical Video in one campaign.
• Vertical Video: full-screen 9:16 video on mobile web and in-app placements.
• Outstream Video: plays muted once in view; Outbrain says it is only available through its internal DSP, Zemanta.

Most small businesses start with Standard ads pointing at a page that already converts.

Targeting

Amplify's targeting options, as Outbrain's targeting page lists them:

• Placement: device (Outbrain recommends separate campaigns per device "as CPCs vary"), operating system and browser, and a WiFi-only option for mobile.
• Location: country, region, DMA or zip code, with exclusions. You can upload up to 7,000 postal codes to one campaign.
• Audience segments: custom audiences to retarget site visitors or campaign clickers, and lookalike audiences. Outbrain recommends letting a segment reach "at least 30,000 users" before you target it. First-party audiences can come in through DMP partners such as LiveRamp.
• Interest and attribute targeting: interests come from Outbrain's Interest Graph; attribute targeting uses third-party data and "will incur a third-party data fee on top of your CPC."
• Contextual: include or exclude IAB content categories.
• Advanced placement: High Impact units and an option to exclude users with ad blockers.

Outbrain warns that "adding too many audience targeting features may restrict the reach of your campaign" and suggests removing some targeting if a campaign cannot spend its daily budget. Watch the Potential Reach Estimator while you set targeting; Outbrain says it gives a rough estimate, not exact figures.

Bidding and conversion bid strategies

On Outbrain, "the CPC is the amount of money you are willing to spend for each click on your content." For a Traffic goal you set a target CPC; Outbrain's set-up guide recommends "starting with a CPC between $0.65 and $0.85" and lowering it a few cents once the campaign spends well. That is Outbrain's suggestion for a starting point, not a minimum or a price.

For conversion goals, Outbrain offers four Conversion Bid Strategy (CBS) modes:

• Max Conversions: gets as many conversions as your budget allows by adjusting your CPC.
• Target CPA: aims at a cost per acquisition you set.
• Target ROAS: aims at a return on ad spend; the conversion must carry a value.
• Semi Manual: sends traffic to the best-converting sections "without adjusting the campaign CPC."

Max Conversions and Semi Manual can start before any conversion is recorded, using Outbrain's network learnings. Target CPA and Target ROAS "cannot be enabled without a conversion event implemented." Outbrain also advises against optimising on a conversion with a conversion rate of 40% or more, because almost every click would count.

Budgets and pacing

Outbrain has three budget types:

• Daily (default): refreshes at 12am EST each day. Its only pacing option is accelerated, which spends as quickly as possible until the daily budget is reached.
• Monthly: renews on the first of each month. Outbrain says you "must select a monthly budget of at least $600," which it equates to $20 per day.
• Campaign: a fixed amount for set start and end dates, which does not renew. It must be more than the equivalent of $20 per day for the chosen days.

Monthly and campaign budgets can pace as Standard (spread evenly), Accelerated or Daily Target (a set amount per day). For a new campaign, Outbrain's set-up guide recommends "a daily budget of at least $100 – $150" to gather enough data. As with the CPC, that is Outbrain's recommendation; the $20 per day figure is the stated minimum for monthly and campaign budgets. Outbrain bills in small amounts through the month as you spend.

Ad specs

Outbrain's ad specs page lists these for the main self-serve formats:

• Standard Native image: PNG or JPG, 1200 x 800px, up to 2.5 MB.
• Standard Native text: title "100 characters maximum (60 recommended)", brand name up to 60 characters, optional description up to 150 characters, CTA from a predefined list.
• Carousel: 3 to 10 cards, 1:1 images (300px to 1200px), a URL for each card.
• Clip: GIF or MP4, 3:2 ratio, up to 30MB and 15 seconds.
• Vertical Video: MP4, 9:16, up to 80MB; 1080 x 1920 recommended, 15-60 seconds recommended.

Outbrain's review page adds that the image should be "relevant to your landing page", sharp and not heavily edited, and that headlines must not put whole words in capitals unless they are acronyms.

The Outbrain pixel and conversions

You find the pixel under the Conversions tab in Amplify, copy it, and paste it "into the head tag of your website." Outbrain offers a browser extension to test it, plus guides for Google Tag Manager, Shopify and server-to-server tracking. The pixel tracks URL-based and event-based conversions, and view-through conversions as well.

If you target the EU or UK, Outbrain asks you to run an IAB-compliant consent management platform; without consent passed through it, conversions cannot be tracked. Set up tagged links as well so your own analytics shows Outbrain traffic: see our UTM tracking links guide.

Ad review

A new campaign shows as "Inactive – Not Delivering" while it waits in the review queue, and its ads show as "Content Pending." Outbrain says it aims to review content "within 1 business day" but it may take up to 3 days. Rejections come with an email that gives the reason.

The checklist on that page is worth running before you submit. The landing page needs a clickable contact section with a valid email, address or phone number and a privacy policy; an advertorial needs clear disclosure at the top; the headline must match the landing page and not overpromise. Our landing page basics guide covers the rest of what a page needs.

Reporting

Once the pixel records a conversion, the Campaigns view in Amplify adds five columns for each conversion: conversions, conversion rate, CPA, total value and average value. You can filter, choose columns and export. By default Outbrain attributes conversions "to the day that the click took place" rather than the day of the purchase; you can switch that in the column settings. Keep that in mind when you compare Outbrain's numbers with your own sales by date.

Outbrain vs Taboola

Both sell sponsored recommendations on publisher sites. Outbrain prices campaigns by CPC, while Taboola charges per click or per thousand impressions depending on the campaign. The differences, from each platform's own help pages: Outbrain's conversion strategies are Max Conversions, Target CPA, Target ROAS and Semi Manual, while Taboola's are Maximize Conversions, Enhanced CPC and Fixed Bid. Outbrain sets a $20 per day floor for monthly and campaign budgets; Taboola recommends at least $50 per day. Both aim to review ads within one business day. Our Taboola ads guide has the Taboola side in detail.

Where to start (our view)

This is our own view, not Outbrain's advice. Install the pixel and set up one conversion before you spend, so the campaign can be judged on leads or sales and not only clicks. Start with one Standard campaign on one device type, broad targeting in the countries you serve, and three or more title and image pairs for one landing page. Let it run long enough to collect clicks and conversions before you narrow targeting or change bids. If you also run Taboola, keep the same landing page and tracking on both so the results compare fairly.

Frequently asked questions

Is Outbrain Amplify the same as Outbrain ads?

Yes. Amplify is Outbrain's dashboard where advertisers create, run and report on their Outbrain campaigns.

How much do Outbrain ads cost?

There is no fixed price. You pay per click based on your CPC. Outbrain's set-up guide suggests starting at a CPC of $0.65 to $0.85 and a daily budget of at least $100 to $150; monthly and campaign budgets must equal at least $20 per day.

What image size does Outbrain use?

For Standard Native ads Outbrain lists PNG or JPG at 1200 x 800px, up to 2.5 MB, with a title of up to 100 characters (60 recommended).

How long does Outbrain ad review take?

Outbrain aims to review content within 1 business day, Monday to Friday, but says it may take up to 3 days. You get an email if content is rejected.

Do I need the Outbrain pixel?

Not to run a traffic campaign, but Target CPA and Target ROAS cannot run without a conversion event, and you need conversion data to judge results by leads or sales.

Should I use Outbrain or Taboola?

Both reach readers on publisher sites with sponsored recommendations. Bid strategies, budget rules and specs differ, so compare our Outbrain and Taboola guides, and test one with a tracked landing page before adding the other.