Insertion orders explained: the contract that anchors traditional ad buying
· 49m ago · Originally reported by PPC Land
An insertion order (IO) is the signed agreement in which an advertising buyer commits to purchasing ad space at agreed prices, dates and volumes. Beyond its legal role, DSPs also treat the IO as a budget level within their systems. It remains a foundational document bridging direct and programmatic media deals.
Why it matters
Even as programmatic automates trading, insertion orders still define the terms and budgets for many guaranteed deals, so understanding them helps anyone follow how ad money is committed.
Explain it like I’m new here
An insertion order is like a signed order form at a bakery saying you'll buy 100 loaves at a set price on set dates.
Terms in this story
Insertion order (IO)
An insertion order (IO) is the signed contract between an advertiser or agency and a publisher or vendor, specifying what ads run, where, when, in what volume and at what price.
Advertiser
An advertiser is the company, organisation or person that pays to place ads in order to sell products, build a brand, recruit, or spread a message.
Ad inventory
Ad inventory is the total amount of advertising space a publisher has available to sell, usually counted in impressions across its ad slots, pages, apps or screens.
DSP (demand-side platform)
A DSP (demand-side platform) is software that advertisers and agencies use to buy ad impressions automatically across many exchanges and publishers, deciding which impressions to bid on and how much.
Go deeper
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