GET ALL THE ANSWERS TO YOUR MOST BURNING QUESTIONS ABOUT ADTECH

FAQs for Advertising Technology

Ever feel like ad tech is just an endless maze of jargon, mysterious platforms, and revenue that somehow never reaches its full potential? Well, you've come to the right place. At Playwire, we've built something that actually works - a complete revenue amplification platform that maximizes your earnings while minimizing your headaches.

We get a lot of questions about how our magic happens, so we've compiled this handy FAQ. Whether you're wondering about our secret sauce (Revenue Intelligence®), how much your revenue might increase, or what the heck we mean by "header bidding," you'll find answers here. And if you don't? Our team is just a click away. Let's demystify this thing.

What does Playwire’s service include?

We trademarked the term “Revenue Intelligence” in 2020 to describe our disrupting technology and service that automates and increases any website or app’s revenue by merely moving to our platform.

Many claim to do what Playwire does however all fall short when you actually peel back the layers of the onion:

  • Unique demand by plugging in directly to all major SSPs and DSPs with unique integrations and partnerships like Google Open Bidding, and Amazon TAM along with over 30 more partnerships.
  • Large Direct Salesforce. With over 30 direct sales members and 3 separate teams, we have the largest most comprehensive sales steam in the business. We cover Insertion order, Programmatic Guaranteed, Private Marketplace deals as well as Header Bidding.
  • Full site audit to help increase viewability and clean-up and IVT issues
  • In house custom creative Team
  • In house video content creation team
  • Our own Header Bidder
  • Proprietary Video Player
  • Full custom OVP
  • CMP| Consent Management Platform
  • DMP | Data Management Platform
  • Moat Integration
  • Celtra integration
  • Tag Certified
  • Clean.IO built right in
  • GCPP
  • Machine Learning
  • Revenue Intelligence®
  • Client-Side and Server-Side Header bidding
  • CCPA Solution
  • Partner Success team to ensure your site and app are constantly being monitored. By providing both human intelligence and Revenue intelligence we ensure we are covering you all the time.
  • Support the engineering team to help when you just can’t figure out what to do. We have spent many man-hours creating documentation and FAQ to help you along the way but we know sometimes it's just hard to figure out. Don't worry, we have you covered.
  • Dashboards and Analytics coupled with traffic insights and CPM data. Ensuring daily reporting and data are accurate and holding us accountable is paramount. This is why our backend gives you data and insights that are 100% transparent so you can see what is going on.
  • Timely reliable monthly payments. We ensure you get paid on time even if we don't. With our predictable on-time Net 60 payment schedule, you will know exactly when you're getting paid and how much.

Who is eligible to join Playwire?

Advertisers know and trust the quality of sites they find in Playwire Partners. By ensuring quality and trust, we are able to Demand More for you and get the best rates in the business.

  • You have a good footprint in English speaking countries (USA, UK, CA)
  • Google Analytics is installed and running, recording a minimum of 500,000 monthly page views
  • You are not blacklisted with Google or other major ad providers
  • Content is unique, original, and amazing for audiences and advertisers
  • Your traffic is from reputable and known sources, and you do not have IVT ratings over 7%
  • You have a Privacy Policy page, which is secure (HTTPS)

If your site meets these requirements, go ahead and apply here!

What type of ad layout will you run on my site?

Our team will work with you to create an ad layout that you are proud to have on your site. Our ad partners require a minimum of three ads running in highly viewable locations on each device.

We’ll give our recommendations based on what has proven to be successful, but you get the final say on how your ads are placed. Then, we keep a close eye on how your ads are performing so we can make sure you are always earning at your top potential!

What type of increases should I expect to see?

We love watching our publishers' revenue skyrocket! After you apply, we work with you to perform a detailed analysis of your current ad performance and craft a custom ad layout specific to your site and optimized for success.

Do we share your data?

We take your privacy seriously and will never share your data with any third party that we do not disclose or are partnered with without your consent. Please see our privacy policy listed here.

What is a Google Certified Publisher Partner?

We have the honor and privilege of being a strategic partnership with Google. This means we have to have strong growth, a unique value proposition, and a history of driving results. Last year, Google only allowed two new partners into this program in North America and we are fortunate to have been one of them. By being in this program, we get access to alpha and beta products, direct communication to deal with infractions and or issues as well as a ton of other cool features.

What is Playwire’s revenue model?

We believe in a revenue share model to ensure we are both sitting on the same side of the table. Having been in business for more than 17 years and having tried all kinds of models, we have seen this is the best way. If you look at the landscape of providers including SSP, DSP, exchanges, and events in some case management platforms, they have one interest in mind: to extract as much as they can from you. Playwire is the only company providing you with the technology, manpower, and size to demand more and get your seat at the table. By working on a revenue share methodology, it allows us to be partners, so when you make more money so do we.

What are your Payment Terms?

All payment terms are detailed here.

What are your minimum traffic requirements?

We require a minimum of 500,000 page views a month for websites or 1,000 daily active users for apps.

Do you work with Google, Amazon, etc?

Yes, we are a Google Certified Publishing Partner (GCPP), and we work with Amazon's UAM and TAM products. Additionally, we work with over 30 SSPs and DSPs.

Do you monetize AMP?

We do not monetize Google AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) and strongly recommend against using AMP pages for all our publishers. There are a few reasons:

We’d recommend that you revisit your AMP strategy and look to create a mobile-optimized experience instead. Use Google’s Lighthouse scores as your guide to determine if you’ve made your mobile pages fast enough to rank highly and drive traffic.

If you need additional resources on page speed optimization, check out these tips our team put together to support publishers.

Do you have Video?

Yes, please refer to this page to learn more about our video monetization capabilities.

Can I keep my AdSense/ AdX account?

You can keep the account, but it cannot run on your site in tandem with our script and ads. 

While we do work with AdX and are a Google Certified Partner, to access our demand (that also includes Header Bidding, Direct Sales, Rewarded Video, and most Major Mediation Partners), you would have to implement our Playwire SDK.

We can not provide AdX only, but would love to learn more about your app and discuss how we can provide a boost in ad revenue if you implement our SDK.

Do you have Direct Sales?

Yes, we have invested heavily in Direct Sales over the past 15 years. We currently have more than 25 sellers across the US, CA, and the UK.

Do you handle billing?

Yes, we automatically send payments to our publishers at the beginning of every month on a Net 60 payment policy.

Do you have a creative / production capabilities showcase?

Yes, we have a custom creations team that assists with any necessary ad units.

You can see examples of their work here.

How does your demand differ from other ad providers?

Why do we call it Revenue Amplification? Because with Playwire’s unique combination of global direct ad sales, client- and server-side bidders, and machine learning-based predictive analytics, you get unmatched demand for your ad inventory — and the highest eCPMs in the business. All available to you with a single line of code.

Do you have an ad block monetization solution?

Yes, we have partnered with Blockthrough to provide an ad recovery program that is already integrated with each of our solutions. 

How are you working with Google’s Core Web Vitals?

To learn more about how we approach keeping your website speed in line with Google's Core Web Vitals, check out our article on the topic.

What is eCPM vs. Pageview CPM vs. other CPMs?

First, eCPM stands for effective cost per mille (i.e. thousand impressions), this metric is calculated by publishers to show how much ad revenue a publisher has generated from 1000 ad impressions. A CPM is calculated by advertisers and stands for an advertiser's cost of 1000 ad impressions. Unique Visitors and CPM, A more accurate measure of Web traffic is the number of unique visitors a site receives. The Web server records the unique Internet Protocol (IP) address of each user who requests the page and counts the number of addresses that have accessed that page. Regardless of whether that visitor accesses the page once a day or fifty times in an hour, the server records only one unique visitor. When advertisers know how many unique visitors access a page, they can calculate the most cost-efficient CPM.

What are the best KPIs to measure for success?

In general, useful KPIs can include CPMs (effective, pageview, session, etc.), Fill Rate, Impressions / Pageview, Viewability, and more. Pageview and Session CPM are perhaps the best indicators of performance, normalizing data, and measuring health.

How does your adtech platform enable advertisers to reach their target audience?

Our adtech platform isn't just another cog in the digital marketing machine. We've engineered RAMP to connect advertisers with the exact audience they're looking for – which is good news for everyone. Advertisers get better ROI, internet users get more relevant ads, and you (the publisher) get higher CPMs. 

It's win-win-win. Our technology uses sophisticated targeting capabilities that help advertisers pinpoint relevant audiences across your inventory, all while respecting data protection standards. This precision targeting means higher bids for your ad space and better performance for campaigns running on your site.

What sets Playwire apart from other ad tech vendors and ad networks?

Look, the market is crowded with ad tech vendors making big promises. But here's the difference: we actually deliver. While other companies might specialize in just one piece of the puzzle, we've built an end-to-end solution that combines the power of 20+ unique SSPs, ad exchanges, and premium ad networks – all accessible through one platform. 

We're not just another middleman adding another layer of complexity to your ad stack. We're your comprehensive adtech partner that handles everything from ad placement optimization to direct sales. Plus, with over 30 direct sales team members creating custom advertising campaigns for brands, we're bringing exclusive demand to your publisher inventory that others simply can't match.

How does Playwire help publishers serve ads without sacrificing user experience?

Let's face it – nobody loves ads that slow down pages and annoy readers. That's why we've obsessed over building technology that serves ads efficiently without turning your site into a digital billboard nightmare. Our team conducts a full site audit to strategically place ads where they'll perform best without disrupting the user journey. 


We're constantly testing and optimizing ad placement to find that sweet spot between revenue and user experience. And with our proprietary video player and custom ad units, we can help you serve ads that actually engage audiences rather than drive them away. 

The result? Higher viewability, better engagement, and ultimately more revenue without sacrificing the experience that keeps your audience coming back.

What's Playwire's approach to third-party cookies and the changing privacy landscape?

The death of third-party cookies has sent most media agencies and marketing teams into panic mode – but not us. We saw this coming years ago and have been preparing our publishers accordingly. Our platform combines multiple approaches to ensure you're covered in this new reality. 
We've developed robust first-party data solutions through our Data Management Platform (DMP) that help identify valuable audience segments without relying on third-party data. We've also established partnerships with industry leading identity solutions like ID5 and LiveRamp to support identity resolution in a privacy-compliant way. 


Our Consent Management Platform (CMP) ensures you're always compliant with evolving regulations. While others are scrambling to adapt, we've built a solution that's already thriving in the cookieless future.


More and more, the industry is looking to contextual advertising and curation as solutions that will stand the test of time. There will always be new and innovative methods to continue to help advertisers target users, and Playwire is always at the forefront of testing and research as they appear.

How does Playwire help publishers reach and monetize engaged audiences?

Traditional media buying has always favored the big players with deep pockets. We've changed that equation. Our technology helps publishers of all sizes identify and monetize their most engaged audiences through sophisticated segmentation and targeting. 

Using our DMP, we analyze user behavior to create valuable audience segments that advertisers crave – think "gaming enthusiasts" or "tech-savvy parents." These segments command premium rates from agencies delivering campaigns for their clients. And because we can offer these audience insights across our entire network, even smaller publishers benefit from the collective scale. 

The result? Your inventory gets valued for the quality of your audience, not just the quantity of your traffic.

What kind of support do publishers receive when partnering with Playwire?

Choosing an adtech partner shouldn't mean sacrificing control or transparency. When you work with Playwire, you're getting more than just technology – you're getting an extension of your team. 


Our Partner Success specialists monitor your site constantly, ensuring everything runs smoothly. Our yield ops experts continuously optimize your setup to maximize revenue. Our engineering support team is there when technical questions arise. And our dashboards provide 100% transparent data so you can see exactly what's happening with your monetization. We don't believe in black-box solutions where you just have to "trust us" – we show you the results, explain our strategy, and collaborate with you to achieve your goals.

How does Playwire work with demand-side platforms (DSPs) and supply-side platforms (SSPs)?

We've built direct connections to all major demand-side platforms and supply-side platforms so you don't have to. While most publishers struggle to manage dozens of SSP relationships, we've already done the heavy lifting. 


Our platform seamlessly integrates with over 30 premium DSPs and SSPs, creating a unified auction that generates maximum competition for every impression. This isn't just about having more bidders – it's about having the right bidders with the right setup. We've fine-tuned our integrations based on years of performance data to ensure you're getting the highest possible bids. 


And because we operate at scale, we receive preferential treatment from these platforms – priority access, lower fees, and first looks at new features. It's like having VIP status across the entire adtech landscape without having to build those relationships yourself.

How does machine learning drive Playwire's technology?

Machine learning isn't just a buzzword for us – it's the engine that powers our Revenue Intelligence® technology. While others talk about AI, we've been using it to make our publishers more money since 2020. Our algorithms analyze thousands of data points from each user visit in real-time, predicting which combination of ad units, sizes, placements, and demand partners will yield the highest CPM for that specific impression. 

This means we're not just serving the same ads to everyone – we're dynamically optimizing every single impression based on historical performance, current market conditions, and user behavior. The system gets smarter with every impression, continuously improving its predictions and adapting to market changes. 

The result? Publishers consistently see revenue increases that manual optimization simply can't match.

What's on Playwire's product roadmap for adtech solutions?

We're constantly evolving our adtech solutions to stay ahead of industry shifts. Our current product roadmap is focused on three key areas: enhanced identity solutions for the cookieless future, advanced contextual targeting capabilities that don't rely on user data, and new interactive ad formats that drive higher engagement. We're also developing more sophisticated delivery methods for video advertising across connected TV and social media platforms. Unlike other companies that keep their roadmaps secret, we believe in transparency – our partners receive regular updates on upcoming features and have opportunities to beta test new capabilities before they're widely released. After all, your success is our success, so we want you building your growth strategies with full knowledge of what's coming next.

How does Playwire help publishers reach the right audiences in a cost-effective way?

In today's fragmented media landscape, reaching consumers efficiently is harder than ever. Our platform tackles this challenge by helping you identify and monetize the most valuable segments of your audience. 

Instead of treating all visitors equally, we use sophisticated audience-based targeting to match the right ads with the right users. This precision means advertisers see better performance, which in turn drives higher CPMs for your inventory. We're particularly skilled at helping publishers attract new customers in undermonetized verticals. 

Our direct sales team can create custom packages that highlight your unique audience attributes, often opening doors to premium advertisers you wouldn't otherwise access. The result is more efficient monetization that maximizes revenue while respecting user experience – truly cost-effective in every sense.

How is Playwire adapting to changes in the social media advertising ecosystem?

Social media platforms have become walled gardens, often keeping the best advertising opportunities (and data) for themselves. We've developed strategies to help publishers compete effectively in this environment. First, we help you leverage social traffic more effectively when users do visit your site, optimizing the monetization of these often fleeting visits. Second, we've created ad formats that mirror the engaging, interactive experiences users expect from social platforms – but on your own properties where you control the revenue. Finally, we're building bridges between traditional web publishing and social media through our creative services team, helping you develop content strategies that work across platforms. As the boundaries between social media and traditional publishing continue to blur, we're ensuring our partners can thrive in both worlds.

How does advertising technology like Playwire's drive better results for digital advertising campaigns?

Let's be real – most digital advertising campaigns underperform because they're running on outdated technology with limited competition for impressions. Our advertising technology stack changes that equation entirely. We've built a system that creates true competition for every impression, driving up CPMs and overall campaign performance. While traditional ad tech might connect you to 5-10 demand sources, our platform brings together over 30 unique demand partners, all bidding in real-time for your inventory. This increased competition means higher fill rates, better CPMs, and ultimately more revenue from the same traffic. Plus, our direct sales team creates custom digital ad campaigns that often outperform programmatic by 2-3x. The numbers don't lie – publishers who switch to Playwire typically see revenue increases of 30-50% compared to their previous setup.

How does Playwire help advertisers optimize ad spend across their properties?

In the digital advertising space, inefficient ad spend is the silent killer of profits. Our platform tackles this head-on by ensuring every dollar advertisers spend reaches its maximum potential. We use sophisticated data analysis to identify which ad units, placements, and formats deliver the best ROI for advertisers. This isn't guesswork – it's data-driven optimization backed by machine learning. Our platform continuously analyzes performance across billions of impressions to identify patterns and opportunities. We then automatically adjust where ad spend is directed to achieve the best possible outcomes. The result? Advertisers see better performance metrics, which leads to increased budgets and higher CPMs for your inventory. It's a virtuous cycle that keeps improving over time.

What makes Playwire different from other ad tech vendors in the programmatic advertising space?

Programmatic advertising is littered with companies that promise the moon but deliver a rock. Here's the difference: we've built a complete ecosystem, not just another point solution to add to your already complicated ad tech stack. While most ad tech vendors focus on a single piece of the puzzle – maybe an SSP here or a bidding solution there – we've integrated everything you need into one cohesive platform. 

This means you get all the benefits of programmatic advertising (real-time auctions, precise targeting, maximized competition) without the headaches of managing multiple vendors, troubleshooting integration issues, or reconciling conflicting reporting. Plus, our hybrid approach combines programmatic efficiency with the premium rates of direct sales, giving you the best of both worlds. When we say "Revenue Amplification," we mean exactly that – more money from your existing traffic.

How can publishers leverage first-party data to increase digital advertising revenue?

First-party data is the new gold standard in a world where privacy regulations are tightening and third-party cookies are disappearing. Our platform helps you collect, organize, and monetize this valuable asset without requiring a team of data scientists. Through our DMP (Data Management Platform), we help you build robust audience segments based on user behavior on your own properties. 

These segments – which might include categories like "sports enthusiasts" or "tech early adopters" – command premium rates from advertisers looking to reach specific audiences. Unlike other solutions that simply help you gather data, we've built direct connections to turn that data into revenue. Our direct sales team actively sells these audience segments to premium brands, while our programmatic systems make them available to DSPs for targeted campaigns. It's your data, but we're helping you turn it into a serious revenue stream.

How does Playwire help publishers navigate the complex ad tech ecosystem?

Ad tech has become so complicated that even seasoned professionals struggle to keep up. We've made it our mission to simplify this complexity for our publishing partners. Instead of forcing you to become an expert in header bidding, programmatic guaranteed deals, and dynamic allocation, we handle the technical heavy lifting. 

Our team stays on top of industry changes, new technologies, and emerging best practices, implementing updates and optimizations automatically. This means you can focus on creating great content while we ensure your monetization strategy is always cutting-edge. Think of us as your ad tech department – one that comes with decades of specialized experience and doesn't require health insurance or office space. 

We're constantly testing new ad networks, formats, and strategies to identify what works best, then rolling those optimizations out across our platform so all publishers benefit.

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