Read Time: 4 minutes
IN THIS ARTICLE:
Learn how to define Product Performance Benchmarks that show what success typically looks like for each product.
Overview
Product Performance Benchmarks can now be added within the Deliverables section of the Product form for all buy types - including Flat Fee, CPM-Based, and Sponsorship Based.
These benchmarks act as reference metrics, such as:
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
Video Completion Rate (VCR)
Engagement Rate
Article Views or Scroll Depth
And more
Benchmarks do not affect pricing or reporting (yet), but they appear in the Media Plan under Expected Benchmarks, allowing both internal and client teams to view indicative performance levels for each product.
Click here to learn How To: Set Performance Benchmarks
Click here to learn How To: Set Customised Performance Benchmarks
Benchmark Usage for Sponsorship-Based Products
For Sponsorship-Based products, benchmarks act as non-guaranteed reference points that define expected performance during the sponsorship period. They help establish clarity on campaign impact, especially for day-rate or time-bound sponsorships.
Benchmarks for these Products can be drawn from existing options in PubSuite or created as custom with their own label and expected value/ rate.
Examples might include:
Average Engagement Rate (e.g., 3%)
Average Article Views (e.g., 20,000 views)
Scroll Depth (e.g., 60%)
Benchmark Usage for CPM-Based Products
For CPM-Based Products, benchmarks take on a particularly important role, since Deliverables (beyond Impressions) are not supported for this Product Buy Type.
Publishers can use Benchmarks to set performance expectations that complement Impression guarantees. These values provide useful context for both Advertisers and your internal teams - such as expected CTR, Engagement Rate, or Completion Rate.
Each benchmark consists of:
A Label (the performance metric name)
A Rate/ Value (the expected level of performance)
Benchmarks are generally indicative in nature and do not represent contractual commitments, though this can be dependent on your commercial agreement with your Advertisers.
How Benchmarks Appear in your Media Plan in Campaign Builder
All Benchmarks added into the Product form automatically sync to Campaign Builder. In the Media Plan view, they appear under the Expected Benchmarks column, alongside Guaranteed Deliverables (where applicable). For both Sponsorship-based and CPM-based products, any saved benchmarks will appear (e.g., CTR 0.40%, VCR 70%). If no benchmarks are defined for a product, this section will remain blank.
This layout gives Sales teams and Advertisers a clear view of:
Guaranteed Deliverables - what is committed for delivery
Expected Benchmarks - what success is likely to look like, typically based on the Publisher’s past performance
Key Notes
Benchmarks ≠ Deliverables - Benchmarks represent expected outcomes, not guaranteed results
Benchmark is applicable across all Buy Types, though their purpose can differ slightly between CPM and Sponsorship-Based Products
Benchmarks currently serve as reference values only. Reporting integration for Benchmarks is in our roadmap for future releases
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