Advertiser FAQs

Before You Start

How do I become an Optimise Advertiser?

Go to https://optimisemedia.com/sign-up/ and complete your details. We'll be in touch to discuss the options we can offer you.

Affiliates, Partners, Publishers, Influencers, KoLs. What's the difference?

Affiliates, Partners, Publishers, Influencers and KoLs are all types of partnerships you can form with Optimise Network to promote your campaign. Each one works in a slightly different way but the good news is they can all be tracked and remunerated with Optimise.

Can I learn more about the different types of Publishers I can work with?

Take a look at our short guide here: Working with Publishers

How can I work with Optimise?

Find out all about our different Service Levels and what we can offer you.

Can I use Optimise with my Shopify or WooCommerce store?

Absolutely. We have guides available for different ecommerce platforms and its super easy to get started. You can read more here

How do I pay for my Commissions?

We will issue a monthly invoice for all Commissions due. You can pay via Credit Card or Bank Transfer depending on your account type.

Getting Started

How do I setup tracking on my website

When you first login to your Dashboard we'll guide you through the best setup with a few simple questions.

We recommend reading the Tracking guide. This will give you the range of options available including Integations with 3rd party platforms such as Google Tag Manager, Shopify and more.

Is there a preferred way to track & record sales?

We would always recommend Server2Server Tracking. This is the most robust, accurate the future-proof way to track conversion activity on your site.

Can you help me with the tracking setup?

We recommend reading the Tracking guide first. If you are still stuck then reach out to your Account Manger and our Traffic Team for assistance.

How can I test my tracking is working correctly?

You should follow the Tracking Testing Guide first. If you need to diagnose the integration further you should try the Tracking Debug Tool and Optimise Tag Inspector Extension for Chrome & Edge.

Campaigns

How do I set the Commissions a Publisher/Partner will earn?

Read more about Commission Groups here.

In Dashboard, click on Campaigns > Commission Groups. Follow the guide by clicking on the help icon for full details and examples of how to set a Commission Group.

Can I set different commissions for different products?

Yes. You can set commissions against product, customer type, voucher, customer location and any other custom attributes. Read more about Commission Groups here.

Please note that the Commission Groups you can create will depend on your Account Type and also on how you have configured your Tracking

How can I provide creative material for Publishers to promote?

There are lots of ways you can assist Publishers with creative assets:

Ads/Banners - these can be uploaded in your Dashboard under Campaigns > Banners/Ads

Product Feeds - add a link to your Product Feed in your Dashboard under Tools > Product Feeds

Voucher/Coupon Codes - you can add new Vouchers, Coupons & Offers in your Dashboard under Campaigns > Vouchers/Offers

How do I add Publishers & Partners to my Campaign?

You can bring Publishers onto your Campaign in the following ways:

Publisher Explorer - Using our Publisher Explorer you can search our directory of Publishers & Partners and invite them to join your Campaign via the Communications Tool

New Publishers - If you want to bring a new Publisher to your Campaign on Optimise Network you can send them a link to join the Network that, when they are approved, will automatically join them onto your Campaigns.

Simply send the new Publisher the following link https://www.optimisemedia.com/apply?MID={MID} replacing {MID} with your own MID/AdvertiserID.

How can I send a message or email to my Publishers?

Using the Communications Tool you can send a message to one or more Publishers.

What is Downloadable Software and how should I work with these Publishers?

"Downloadable Software" includes Publishers that conduct affiliate marketing activities which involve things such as:

• Browser toolbars or extensions
• Software programs or applications
• Software widgets or plugins

Optimise is an advocate and participant in the Code of Conduct – Downloadable Software for Affiliates.

Publishers who use Downloadable Software must conform to these standards:

• Informed Consent: Affiliates must obtain explicit, informed consent from consumers before any software installation. Consumers should be clearly informed about the software's functions and any data it collects.

• Transparency and Uninstallation: The software must be easily identifiable and provide straightforward installation and uninstallation processes. It should not be bundled with other software, and users must be able to remove it without difficulty.

• Prohibition of Automatic Redirection: The software must not automatically redirect users or drop cookies without user interaction. Any redirection should occur only after the user has actively engaged, such as by clicking a link.

• Traffic and Revenue Transparency: Affiliates are required to distinguish between traffic and revenue generated through the downloadable software and other affiliate activities. This ensures clarity for advertisers regarding the sources of their traffic.

• Advertiser Approval: Affiliates must secure opt-in consent from individual advertisers before deploying the software in their campaigns. This ensures that advertisers are aware of and approve the use of such software in promoting their products or services.

In cases where a Publisher is using Downloadable Software and a click would result in the overwriting conversion attribution to another Publisher (inside the conversion window) it is recommended that "Soft Cookie" functionality is used to prevent this attribution overwrite.

What is a "Soft Click" Cookie?

When a Publisher is attributed for a Conversion/Sale, a cookie will be set typically using a Last Click Wins model known as Last Click Attribution. This will overwrite any pre-existing attribution cookies.

There may be scenarios when certain Publishers should not overwrite an existing Publisher's cookie. For example:

• Toolbar or browser extensions - These tools operate within the user's browser and can be triggered under certain conditions set by the user, typically to highlight potential incentives they may be overlooking or to notify them that a product they are viewing is available at a lower price elsewhere.
• Retargeting or re-engagement tools
• Conversion optimisation / Overlay website technologies - These are typically triggered by an event on the Advertiser's website such as an Exit intent and can provide an incentive to complete a sale.

We will automatically set some Publisher Types as "Soft Click". Please raise a support request or discuss with your account manager how to enable this feature.

Validations

What is a Validation?

Affiliate Marketing works on a CPA (Cost Per Aquisition) of CPS (Cost Per Sale), where you only pay for actual Conversions delivered that can be attributed to a Publisher, making it a highly cost-effective channel for advertisers.

When we record a Sale/Conversion from a Publisher we will record the Order/Application reference and the Order Value (We may also record additional parameters depending on your Tracking Configuration and Commission requirements).

You will typically only pay a Commission for a Conversion where user doesn't cancel or return the purchase. We use Validations to Approve or Reject a Conversion and the associated Commission Payout to the Publisher.

Note: It is possible that a user may return part of an order. In this instance you would update the order value and only pay Commission on that component of the Conversion.

How do I confirm & validate my sales/conversions?

There are a few ways to do this:

Validation File - At the start of each month we will send you a link to download a Validation File from your Dashboard containing all of the Conversions for the previous month. Follow the guidance on Validations Guide and upload the file as a "Validation Response" into File Explorer.

Manual - You can validate each line one by one on the Dashboard by clicking on Validations > Manual

API - Use the API to programmatically change the Validation Status of a Conversion using the Update Conversions method.

What are the different Conversion statuses?

We've reduced the number of statuses we use to make things simpler. Conversions now have three statuses.

• Pending – this is the initial status, pending conversions have not yet been validated or rejected. These are indicated with a yellow symbol in our reporting.
• Approved – these conversions have been confirmed and they will be invoiced for the commission. These are indicated with a green symbol in our reporting.
• Rejected - these have been rejected and commission will not be paid. These are indicated with a red symbol in our reporting. You should always include a Rejection Reason when rejecting a Conversion to ensure transparent reporting to your Publishers.

Can I validate automatically via API?

Yes. Use the API to programmatically change the Validation Status of a Conversion using the Update Conversions method.

Reporting

How do I access my reports/statistics?

Publisher dashboards contain a range of summary reports but more detailed reports are available. To access further reporting select Reports > All Reports from the navigation menu on the left of the page. We provide various views including Over Time, Conversions and Advertiser reports. We also provide lower level reporting, including item level data on individual conversions within the Conversion Report.

All reports can be modified using the Modify Report option and custom reports can be created and saved by users by selecting Add new report on the top right of the All Reports screen.

Reports can be scheduled to be emailed to you or your colleagues on a regular basis and any can be favourited so that they appear at the top of the page. Use the filter to see reports by category.

Can I access my reports by API?

Yes.

You can use the Reporting Endpoint of our API to build your own report.

Conversion line item reports can also be accessed via the API under List Conversions

Can I import by data to Google Data Studio?

Yes. You can use our Data Connector. Learn more.

Support

What support options are available?

We offer multiple support options:

1. Knowledgebase - this knowledgebase provides detailed guidance on our platform and processes around Affiliate Marketing.
2. Contextual Help - throughout the platform you will see a ? icon in a blue circle. Click this to load up help relevant to the page/item you are viewing.
3. Support - you can raise a Support request using the options highlighted below.

How do I raise a support question?

Depending on your Plan you can contact support as follows:

Essential & Enterprise Platform Plans:

Technical Support Raise a ticket in the Dashboard by clicking the help icon in the header and choose "Support Tickets".

You can also use the Chat icon on the bottom left-hand corner of the page.

Standard, Premium & Advanced Platform Plans:

Technical Support Raise a ticket in the Dashboard by clicking the help icon in the header and choose "Support Tickets".

Commercial Support Please contact you're assigned Account Manager. You can locate this by clicking on the User icon in the top right corner of your Dashboard. The Account Manager is displayed on the menu.

Security

What levels of security are employed?

All communication between you and our servers is encrypted with AES-128/SHA-256 encryption.

You can also enable Multi-factor authentication to secure your account.