Frequently Asked Questions

Viewability

What is Sharethrough's viewability rate?
The viewability rate varies widely by placement, publisher and device. 

Does Sharethrough accept 3rd party viewability pixels/tracking tags? How can I verify viewability? Can I use Moat?
Sharethrough can accept virtually any 1x1 tracking pixel. The exchange can support viewability tracking from DoubleVerify, IAS, Moat, and AdLoox. Sharethrough can support 3 javascript pixels.  

Sharethrough does have a direct integration with Moat to verify viewability. Your Sharethrough rep can push the Sharethrough results to your Moat dashboard to verify campaign viewability.

Can I only pay for GroupM viewable impressions?
Yes, although it should be noted that the GroupM standard is actually less stringent than the IAB’s (which Sharethrough uses), in that GroupM requires 100% of the ad in view for any length of time and the IAB requires 50% of the ad in view for at least one second. Sharethrough generally sees more impressions deliver against the GroupM standard than the IAB standard.

Private Marketplaces (PMPs) and DealIDs

Does Sharethrough support DealIDs?
Yes, both on a publisher-direct and exchange-wide basis.

Can we leverage Sharethrough's publishers' first party data?
Sharethrough does not offer support for publisher first party data through the exchange. If you are interested in unique data options, please contact your Sharethrough rep.

What type of PMPs can you offer?
Sharethrough offers a line of curated media bundles for a variety of channels, interests, or audiences that are available with both fixed and variable prices. Reach out to your Sharethrough rep for a list of available PMPs.

Ad Formats and Creative Guidelines

Why doesn’t Sharethrough support Video View Ads with all DSPs or Content Engagement Ads programmatically? What is the timeline to support them?
Sharethrough is constantly working on developing new ad formats and it usually takes time for programmatic standards to catch up to them. 

Video View Ads are currently supported by the OpenRTB spec and the Sharethrough exchange, although DSPs are still building their own support for those ad units. The Trade Desk and Adelphic offer them currently.

Content Engagement Ads are not currently supported by the OpenRTB spec and are therefore only available through the Sharethrough Managed Service. There is no timeline for those units being available programmatically yet.

What size thumbnail works best?
Sharethrough recommends a minimum thumbnail size of 320x180 for mobile and 1000x750 for desktop.

Can I use a third-party ad server? Why not?
No. Sharethrough, along with most native suppliers, dynamically renders creatives in real time to match the look, feel, and function of the site, so our platform cannot rely on a third-party ad server to properly pass and render the necessary components. Over time third-party ad servers may build native support but none of them have publicized any work on that front yet.


Targeting, Tracking and Reporting

Can I target <XYZ> in my DSP?
Virtually any targeting available in your DSP can be applied to Sharethrough inventory. Note that in-feed native is primarily a mobile supply source, which is still a developing landscape for the user data and targeting side of the industry. You may not see the same scale in native as you would with desktop, but Sharethrough can work with you on campaign strategies to achieve scale.

Why is my win rate low?
There are two potential reasons for a low win rate.

1) Most DSPs calculate win rate as <winning bids> / <total auctions>, which effectively works out to <impressions> / <total auctions>. However, since Sharethrough sells on a viewable CPM the win notification is only sent when the ad becomes viewable. This means that the win rate showing up in the buying platform is actually subtracting out lost bids AND non-viewable impressions. In reality, you are most likely winning significantly more bids.

2) You may not be bidding high enough to actually win bids. Since Sharethrough sells on a viewable impression the vCPM clearing prices tend to sit in the $6-$12 range. Sharethrough recommends starting with a vCPM bid of $10 and then optimizing.

Does Sharethrough accept tracking pixels?
Yes, Sharethrough can accept virtually any 1x1 tracking pixel. Sharethrough accepts a maximum of 3 javascript tags.