It’s no secret that standing out as a publisher or brand in 2017 is increasingly difficult. With endless competition and limited consumer attention, finding success requires effective business execution.

For publishers, producing high-quality content is as valuable as ever. And for brands looking to drive sales, having a clear story and vision is essential.

Yet, great content and a good brand story will only get you so far. Without a clear path to site monetization, your business will struggle to thrive.

Agencies use RFPs to collect information from prospective partners when planning an advertising campaign. Here’s the full definition of an RFP:

A request for proposal is a document a prospective client or business partner (agency, brand, etc.) sends that contains questions and technical requirements for the terms of a potential partnership. RFPs are typically sent to several publishers at once, and the winning proposal is often selected at the end of a bidding process.

Putting your effort into an ad RFP only to lose out to a competitor is a tough pill to swallow. But there are several steps you can take as a publisher to increase your chances of landing that coveted ad campaign.

Here are three things you can do to increase your chances of landing that big deal.

Know your audience

Without knowing your audience, it can be difficult — if not impossible — to convey the value you bring to a potential partnership.

Providing basic demographic data is no longer enough. An agency wants to know how your audience is different from the other dozen publishers responding to its RFP. The more you invest in understanding your audience, the better you’ll be able to communicate your value. What can you share that gives the agency every chance to say yes?

Quantcast Measure helps you understand your digital audience and makes the ad sales RFP process easier.

Give them metrics

Partnering with agencies and other brands is a great way to drive revenue to your site. The most effective way to land those deals is to provide metrics and demographics that show your value to potential partners.

What makes your audience stand out? Why are you perfect for the campaign?

Providing detailed metrics that are relevant to agencies’ goals will grab their attention.

Be specific

One of the biggest reasons agencies pass on a publisher is because the proposal they got back was incomplete or lacked detail.

When you share more specifics in your proposal, there’s a better chance the agency (and its clients) will see value in partnering with you.

Use data visualizations, metrics, and demographics to show how you can meet the specific goals of the brand.

Here’s an example:

Don’t Say: “We do newsletter takeovers.”
Do Say: “We have three newsletters that go out five days a week to three targeted email lists, reaching 25,000 people in the target demographic for this campaign.”

The difference can mean missing out on the deal or celebrating with your coworkers.

Ultimately, the agency wants to satisfy its client’s goals because that will make the client want to continue doing business with the agency.

If you’re vague in your RFP response, it’s more difficult for the agency to know if the campaign will reach the right people. And if it doesn’t reach the right audience in the right way, the agency could end up with an unsuccessful campaign.

Of course, there are many ingredients in a successful ad campaign proposal, but not including specifics is one of the quickest ways to lose a deal. To reiterate what we covered above, here are a couple of ways to ensure you include those winning ingredients:

  • Describe how your offerings will address the particular goals the advertiser has for this campaign — agencies find it annoying when they have to request more information.
  • Monetize your brand by communicating your value to the agency, using as many details and metrics as possible.

You may be the perfect partner for that agency on paper — but only if they give you a chance. Having worked with hundreds of publishers, brands, and agencies, Quantcast knows what agencies look for in publisher proposals.

In our Guide To Winning Ad Sales RFPs, we tell you everything you need to know about crafting a converting ad sales proposal.

The Guide to Winning Ad Sales RFPs Get the PDF