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Learn how to use Margin fields in PubSuite to separate hard costs from pricing across every Buy Type.
Understanding Margin in PubSuite
Margin fields in PubSuite help you manage the difference between what a Product costs you compared to what you charge the Advertiser.
In its essence, the pricing structure follows one simple formula: Hard Cost + Margin = Total Line Item Price
You can enter Margin as either a dollar amount or a percentage. Just fill in any two of the three fields, and PubSuite will automatically calculate the third. This works across all Buy Types.
If you created Products before the Margin feature was introduced, don’t worry - nothing changes automatically. Any existing price is treated as the Hard Cost, and Margin defaults to $0. Your pricing will only update if you choose to edit it.
Comparing Buy Types at a Glance
Feature | Flat Fee | CPM-Based | Sponsorship-Based |
Pricing driver | Fixed price | Impressions delivered | Days booked |
Margin outcome | Fixed | Variable range | Variable range |
Sections | Single pricing table | Option to include flat fee + CPM | Option to include flat fee + day rate |
AmpPlus eligible | Yes | No | No |
Margin for Flat Fee Products
Best for: One-off or standardised products with a fixed price.
How margin works: Uses a single pricing table. Each row has a hard cost, margin ($ and/or %), total line item price, and a commissionable toggle. Margin is fixed - no variability based on duration or delivery.
The pricing summary at the bottom shows total hard cost, total margin, and total line item price.
If you are an AmpPlus client and have preset AmpPlus built into the selected Product,it will display it as a read-only line (configured in Deliverables & Benchmarks) so you can see its impact on the overall total.
Learn how-to configure margin for Flat Fee Products here.
Margin for CPM-Based Products
Best for: Products sold on an impression basis, like display.
How margin works: CPM products are split into two independent sections - a Flat Fee section and a CPM section. Both sections have their own hard cost, margin, and total line item price fields, with commissionable toggles on each row. The same formula applies to both: hard cost + margin = total line item price.
Because final delivery depends on impressions, campaign duration, and spend, margin outcomes are a range rather than a fixed number. The pricing summary combines the CPM rate, CPM-based inclusions, and flat fee inclusions into a single total product price, surfacing this variability clearly.
Due to the nature of delivery, AmpPlus is not eligible for CPM products.
Learn how-to configure margin for CPM-Based Products here.
Margin for Sponsorship-Based Products
Best for: Products sold by time in market, such as sponsorships, partnerships, podcast series.
How margin works: Sponsorship products have two components - an optional flat fee and a day rate. Margin is entered and calculated independently on each, using the same hard cost + margin = total line item price formula. Each row has its own commissionable toggle.
Because pricing scales by days booked, your effective margin varies by campaign length - a 5-day booking will produce a different margin outcome than a 10-day booking. The pricing summary breaks out total day-rate value, total flat fee value, and a combined total.
Sponsorship products are not eligible for AmpPlus bookings - delivery for this Buy Type is Publisher-owned.
Learn how-to configure margin for Sponsorship-Based Products here.
What Does "Commissionable" Mean?
The Commissionable toggle on each pricing row lets you control whether that specific line is commissionable or non-commissionable to Agencies or Partners, giving you full control over how commission is calculated across all Buy Types.
In many agency–media owner partnerships, not every part of a Media Plan is commissionable. Commercial agreements often specify that only a portion of the media cost qualifies for agency commission.
Non-commissionable items commonly represent a Media Owner’s hard cost, and can include things like production costs, third-party fees, or other pass-through expenses. However, this varies depending on the specific commercial agreement in place.
PubSuite gives Media Owners flexibility at the Product level to define exactly which line items or inclusions are commissionable to the agency. This ensures your pricing structure accurately reflects your commercial terms - without needing manual calculations outside of the platform.
Need more help?
Contact PubSuite Support via the chatbot in the lower-right corner of your screen.