SPONSORED
CONTENTCHECKLISTThe Ultimate Guide toAdvertiser Success
Whether you’re getting started with sponsored content for the first time,or you’re a seasoned pro, staying brushed up on best practices is thekey to finding continued success.
To help our advertisers get the most out of their Taboola
campaigns, we’ve compiled a comprehensive list of tips, tricks, andrecommendations for:AD CREATIVES
Headlines and images that grab attention and clicks
AUDIENCE TARGETING
Strategies for getting your content in front of the right people
CONTENT
Mastering the post-click experience
MEASURING SUCCESS
Seeking out the right KPIs in the right way
A/B TESTING
How and when to find out what really performs for youAND MORE.
These best practices come together to form an end-to-end guide thatyou can keep handy the next time you get started with a sponsoredcontent campaign.

CREATIVE BEST PRACTICES
Ad creatives are the window into your campaign. When done right,
they have the power to capture attention and drive clicks.
Images□My images don’t look like stock photos□My images have a singular point of focus and could be cropped to various
sizes without losing that focus□

My image background is not distracting□

If there are people in my photos, I can see their eyes□

My product is in the shot□

My text is easy to read, or, I’ve included all the info I need right in my headline(even better)□

I’ve bookmarked trends.taboola.com to keep up on image trends□

My image file is 2.5 MB Max. It’s either a JPEG (preferred), JMP, PNG, WEBP,or GIF.

□My image file is sized 1000 x 600 px minimum to serve in all placement sizesHeadlines□

I’ve called out my specific audience, or have deployed dynamic
keyword insertion (DKI) targeting to do so.

□

I’ve mentioned specific product or service types (i.e. credit cards,boots, insurance)□

I’ve kept my characters under 50 for desktop and 75 for tablet andmobile□

My branding text is a minimum of 30 characters□

I put the most important information in my headline first□I tested my title in Taboola’s keyword analyzer at trends.taboola.com
and know it has the highest potential CTRGeneral Creative□

My creatives don’t make false promises. When a user clicks on my ad,they’re not surprised by the content on the landing page.

□I’m testing 7-9 creatives at once in each campaign for the best
results––these can be three headlines and three images combined in all
the ways.

TARGETING BEST PRACTICES
Get your content in front of the right audiences, in the rightplaces, at the right time.
□I’m starting with broad targeting parameters to take full advantage of
Taboola’s unmatched scale and see what type of audiences I attract□I checked out Taboola Segments and third-party data options□I’m trying targeting techniques such as retargeting, geotargeting, lookalikeaudiences, and more□

I’m A/B testing one aspect of time (of year, week, day, etc.) or platform(desktop, mobile, tablet) to narrow down my performance

LANDING PAGE CONTENT BEST PRACTICES
You’ve got their click, now make their post-click experience worthwhile.
□I’m testing against at least two different landing destinations□

I’m ensuring that the content of my landing pages correlates directly with adcreatives□I haven’t shied away from really explaining to users why they would want myproduct or who we are□I have not included fluff or irrelevant information□

I have not headed straight a purchase CTA right at the top of a landing page□

I have made sure that landing page headers contain all pertinent
information––people scroll to the bottom of the page and then back to the
top before deciding whether or not to stay□

I have included a CTAs 1/3 down the page□

I have included a CTA at the bottom of the page□

My CTAs are long enough to include the value proposition directly in the text

MEASUREMENT BEST PRACTICESKeep close tabs on how your sponsored content is performing.
□I have implemented the Taboola Pixel to make tracking and measuring simple□I am looking at the whole funnel, not just the end or the beginning andremembering that there are often multiple touchpoints before a consumer
makes a purchase□

I have identified primary and secondary KPIs that ladder up to my ultimate
business goals so I have a full scope of a campaign’s successA/B TESTING BEST PRACTICES
Always be testing, but make sure you’re always doing so the right way.
□I am A/B testing as few things as possible at any one given time□

There can be very large discrepancies between a “good” headline and a “bad”
headline––do the work of testing different headline strategies (listed headlines,headlines that pose a question, headlines calling out the target audience) tosee what works best□

I’m keeping in mind that A/B testing never ends and I should always be testing

BIDDING BEST PRACTICESGet the maximum campaign-bang for your buck.
□

I’ve paused ads with low conversions after every ad has served 300-500 clicks□

When CPAs are high, I’ve considered modifying bids on individual sites before
blocking publishers□

I only bid down on sites after delivering greater than 300 clicks with a CPA 3X
higher than my goal□

I only block a site entirely after delivering 500 clicks with no conversions□

I’ve increased bids by 25%-50% for top-performing sites to increase theircompetitiveness□I’ve considered always-on campaigns if budget and offer parameters allow□

I’m using Taboola’s Smart Bid––advertisers tend to see more success withSmart Bid than by manually bidding.

HOW TO AVOID A CAMPAIGN REJECTION
Get your campaign up and running as quickly as possible.
□My thumbnail images/video creatives, headlines, and landing pages arealigned with Taboola’s Campaign Quality Rating Guidelines□

My thumbnail images have minimum original dimensions of 1000 x 600 px.

□My thumbnail images/video creatives and headlines match the content of mylanding pages□

I have permission to use my thumbnail images/video creatives and all contenton my landing pages□

My headlines and landing page content are grammatically correct and do notmake exaggerated or unsubstantiated claims□

My product or service is compliant in my targeted regions and is not prohibited
per Taboola’s Prohibited Contents, Products, and Services Guidelines□

None of my URLs are broken

ASSETS TO BOOKMARK
Frequently updated Taboola resources to support my success..
□Taboola’s Help Center, packed with articles on best practices, tips andtricks for an optimized sponsored content campaign□

Taboola Trends, a site that analyzes millions of campaigns on Taboola
platform weekly, to surface trends in images, titles, and more, for mysuccess□

Taboola’s Title and Thumbnail Best Practices, to easily reference
creative specs□

Taboola’s blog, which posts multiple updates frequently with data-driven
advice on creative strategy, targeting best practices and thought leadership□

I know that it can take time to see results, but using all of the above bestpractices is a great place to start

From careful creatives all the way down to thoughtful A/B testing, these are the ingredients in a standout Taboola sponsored content campaign.
Sponsored content first-timers and veterans alike, put these best practices into playand you’ll be well on your way to sponsored content success.

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