If you are running a website with any decent traffic, you already know the drill: your inbox fills up every day with messages from potential “partners” who claim they can double (or even triple!) your revenue overnight. Some are well-meaning. Some are not. The challenge is knowing which one to trust and how to avoid the ones that will waste your time or even cost you money.
Jaime Vázquez, our committed Publisher Inside Sales Director, takes over the keyboard today to share the top 4 red flag claims you should not fall for when looking for an AdTech partner.
Let’s see what he has to spill, starting with the most common empty promise you can run into.
“We guarantee you an X% revenue uplift”
“Hi! I’ve seen your website, and I think you can make 40% more ad revenue.” Sounds familiar?
This one is the classic and the worst of all promises. Nobody, and we mean nobody, can guarantee you a revenue increase of X% without knowing your site’s metrics.
Sure, there are exceptions. If you’re missing a high value ad format like a push-up or an interstitial ad in your strategy, adding it could quickly bring a 30–40% uplift (maybe even more!). But without implementing something new, and without reviewing your actual data, it’s pure guesswork.
Every site is unique. Revenue can be influenced by many factors, such as:
- Ad viewability: The higher the visibility, the better the yield.
- Time on site: Longer sessions usually mean better monetization.
- Traffic origin: Both the country and the source (search, social, direct, etc.) matter.
- Ad density: More ads can mean more revenue, right? But if you abuse of them, you’ll end up hurting your user experience.
If someone promises you a specific uplift without looking at your metrics first or without suggesting adding a new format, it’s a red flag.
“We have a direct campaign from X brand ”
When you see a “We just got a campaign from (brand name) and your site would be perfect for it. Just place this tag on your site…” on your inbox, it’s time to stop and think twice.
Direct deals are every publisher’s dream because of the attractive CPM (Cost-per-Mille) they offer. That’s why this pitch works and it’s exactly why you should be careful.
If a brand is genuinely interested in your site, the professional approach is to sign an IO (Insertion Order) for a specific number of impressions at an agreed CPM. Ideally, the campaign should run through your own ad server, not via an external tag you can’t control. And don’t forget to define the campaign duration! If their campaign ends in two weeks, what will they fill the space with afterward?
“You can earn a CPM of X with this entire campaign”
Following our last point. Not everything is a big fat lie. Some companies genuinely do have strong direct campaigns, but the reality is that most inventory is filled programmatically. In these cases, talk about RPM (Revenue per Thousand Pageviews) rather than CPM.
Why? Because a high CPM with a low fill rate will K.O. your RPM.
For example: If you run a campaign on your website at a 1€ CPM and it only gets a 10% fill rate, then you’ll end up making an RPM of 0.10€ for that direct campaign. Yikes.
What looked like a great deal can actually make you miss out on revenue.
“We work with (insert name of big website)” – Spoiler alert: They don’t
This one is common among newcomers to a market looking for quick credibility. They’ll name-drop big publishers they “work with” when in reality, they don’t.
Ideally, you can check this via ads.txt files, by typing right after the website’s URL /ads.txt. The catch is, not all publishers keep them clean and updated, so it’s not always reliable. Still, a quick check can save you from being misled.
What publishers should do before buying into a promise
Avoid wasting time and resources on empty promises by keeping these best practices in mind:
- Ask for proof and references: Real partners will happily share case studies, references, and verifiable data.
- Test with your own numbers: Don’t trust made-up uplift percentages. Measure the actual impact on your inventory.
- Prioritize RPM over CPM: Fill rate, visibilité, and real demand matter more than headline CPM.
- Check ads.txt and integrations: While not always perfect, it’s a useful first check for partner claims.
- Start small: Run short tests with your partner’s tech before committing to long-term contracts.
Forging a real AdTech partnership is not mission impossible
Not all AdTech companies are bad players. Some of the good ones also use the same vocabulary: uplift, revenue, easy setup… because it’s what publishers expect to hear. The difference is in the follow-through and the ability to fulfill those promises. You, as a publisher, should focus on working with partners who can prove their value with data, deliver consistent results, and invest in a long-term relationship instead of quick wins.
Transparency in ad tech is non-negotiable and that’s why our Refiners keep things to the point to ensure the best strategy for your site to grow. Discover here our mission, solutions, and personalized services to maximize your ad monetization.
