How do you write avoid topics in a media brief so a planner can apply them?
Part of Programmatic media planning
The short answer
Write each avoid topic as a short record: the subject in plain words, whether it means pages about the subject or any mention of it, the kinds of coverage included, example articles that are out and others that stay in, the reason, and who approved it. A planner can then apply it page by page without guessing.
Key takeaways
- An avoid topic is a brand specific subject, written for a person to apply; a suitability category is a standard risk scale applied across every campaign.
- The scope word decides the outcome: about the subject, mainly about it, or mentions it are three different rules.
- Examples that stay allowed matter as much as examples that are out, because they stop reviewers from reading the topic too broadly.
- Apply avoid topics at the narrowest level the platform supports, page or section, before excluding a whole site.
What is an avoid topic in a media brief?
Definition
- Avoid topic
- A subject a specific brand does not want its ads next to, for reasons tied to its product, its customers or its history, written in the brief in plain words with examples and an approver.
The phrase in a brief is a working tool, not an industry standard. A planner reads it while reviewing sites and pages, and a trader may later translate part of it into platform settings. Because a person applies it first, the wording has to work for a person: concrete enough that two planners reading the same article reach the same answer, and narrow enough that it does not quietly remove good inventory.
"Avoid negative news" fails that test. So does "avoid anything about health." Neither says which articles are out, which are fine, or why. The method below turns a loose worry into a rule a planner can apply page by page and a client can read in a minute.
How is an avoid topic different from a suitability category?
A suitability category is a standard scale of risk, such as violence or profanity, with tiers the brand accepts or rejects across all its campaigns. An avoid topic is a subject. The IAB Tech Lab taxonomy implementation guide (opens in a new tab) keeps the two apart in the same way: topic categories describe the aboutness of content, and risk levels sit in an orthogonal vector that can be associated with a topic dynamically. The guide also says its most common usage is to associate a piece of content with an array of IDs, so one article can carry several subjects at once.
| Point | Avoid topic | Suitability category |
|---|---|---|
| What it describes | A subject, such as product recalls in the brand's category | A level of risk, such as graphic violence |
| Who it is written for | The planner reviewing sites and pages | The platform settings and the category tiers |
| Strength | Captures a concern no standard list names | Consistent across campaigns, platforms and teams |
| Limit | Needs examples, or reviewers read it differently | Too coarse for a worry specific to one brand |
| How long it lasts | One campaign or season, then reviewed | Until the brand's policy is revised |
How do I make an avoid topic specific enough for a planner?
Treat each avoid topic like a coding rule in a survey. The US Census Bureau's quality standard for coding data (opens in a new tab) asks for a list and description of the admissible codes, checks that coding rules are implemented consistently, and the review and updating of coding guidelines. A media brief is not a survey, but the discipline transfers: describe the category, test it on real cases, and revise it when cases arrive that the wording did not foresee.
Six parts of a precise avoid topic
- Name the subject in plain words. "Ship accidents and passenger illness outbreaks on cruises", not "negative travel news".
- Choose the scope word. About means the page's main subject; mainly about means the site's recent output centers on it; mentions means any reference. Pick one and write it down.
- List the kinds of coverage it covers. News reports, opinion, video, forums or how to articles. A brand may avoid news of an accident but accept a history feature about it.
- Give out examples and in examples. Two or three article descriptions that are out, and two that stay allowed, written as a reader would describe them.
- State the reason in one sentence. The reason lets a planner judge cases the examples do not cover.
- Add the approver and a review date. A topic tied to a news event may need to expire when coverage fades.
Test an avoid topic before it goes into the brief
- Two planners read five real articles against the topic and agree on every one.
- At least one example that stays allowed sits close to the line.
- The scope word appears in the topic, not only in a conversation.
- The topic does not repeat a category already set in the brand's suitability tolerance.
- Someone outside the planning team can explain the topic back in one sentence.
Which examples make an avoid topic clear?
Examples work best as descriptions of real article types, not keywords. A keyword list tells a planner which words appear; an example tells the planner what kind of page is out. Google makes the same point about its own tools: Display & Video 360's keyword help (opens in a new tab) says negative keyword targeting is not intended to be a form of brand safety targeting, and that a negative keyword such as "women's pants" would block content about women's jeans but not generalize to skirts or men's slacks. A machine draws its own boundary around a concept; a written example draws it on purpose.
| Article | Out or in | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A news report on a data breach at a national retailer | Out | Main subject is a breach |
| A forum thread where breach victims compare what they lost | Out | About a breach, in a format the brand avoids |
| A guide to stronger passwords that cites a breach in one line | In | The scope word is about, and the page is about habits |
| A review of new laptops | In | Technology coverage, not about breaches |
| An explainer on what to do after your data is exposed | Planner's judgment | Near the line; the reason sentence decides |
The last row matters. A topic can have articles near the line, and naming one shows the planner how the client wants close calls handled: record the page, apply the reason, and flag it for the approver if still unsure.
How do you avoid blocking whole sections by mistake?
Over blocking can happen at implementation, when a page level concern becomes a site level exclusion. Platforms set the limits. In Display & Video 360, URL targeting (opens in a new tab) supports two levels of subdirectory and up to five levels of subdomain, and a URL ending in a specific filename is targeted as an individual page. In Google Ads, excluded content keywords only support exact matches and can number up to 1,000 at the account level, per Google's content suitability help (opens in a new tab), checked in October 2026.
Who should approve the avoid list?
The brand owner approves the subjects, because only the brand knows why a topic matters. The planner proposes the wording and the examples, because the planner knows what pages look like. The person who will load settings into the platform reads the final version, because some topics cannot be expressed in platform settings and stay review only. Where a topic touches regulated claims or a past incident, the brand's own reviewers decide whether they need to see it.
Keep a record of what was implemented, not only what was approved. Display & Video 360's Brand Controls (opens in a new tab) page shows an advertiser's active exclusions and lets the user download a list of recent changes to content labels and sensitive categories, which can be checked against the approved wording after setup.
How does PlacementGraph use the avoid topics in a brief?
What does a finished avoid topic look like?
Fictional example
A river cruise operator selling to travelers in Pennsylvania
An unnamed river cruise operator plans a winter display campaign for spring departures, aimed at travelers in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Harrisburg. Its first draft says "avoid negative travel news." The planner rewrites it with the marketing director.
The finished topic reads: avoid pages about ship accidents, groundings and passenger illness outbreaks on cruise ships and river boats, in news, video and forum threads. Scope word: about. Out: a news report on a ship that ran aground; a forum thread on an illness outbreak during a sailing. In: a travel guide to river towns that mentions a past flood; a history feature on steamboats. Reason: the brand's passengers are booking months ahead and the campaign stresses comfort and calm. Approved by the marketing director, review in six weeks.
During review, one large travel site has a cruise news section that covers incidents weekly. The planner excludes that section only, keeps the destination guides, and records both decisions.
Frequently asked questions
How many avoid topics should one brief have?
As few as cover the brand's real concerns, and each one written in full. A long list of one word topics is harder to apply than three precise records, and each extra topic can remove inventory. If a list grows past a handful, check whether some belong in the suitability tolerance instead.
Can an avoid topic be temporary?
Yes, and some should be. A topic tied to a news event, such as a recall in the brand's category, can carry an end date or a review date in the brief. When the date arrives, the approver either renews it with new examples or retires it and the planner restores any sections excluded only for that reason.
Do avoid topics work the same way on YouTube?
The written record is the same, but the platform tools differ. Google's coverage table, checked in October 2026, shows excluded content keywords applying to in stream video and the Watch Next feed but not to YouTube Shorts, so a planner reviewing channels applies the topic by reading channel and video content as well.
Should avoid topics be shared with publishers in a deal?
Sharing the written topic with a publisher in a private deal helps when the publisher controls which sections the deal includes. Share the subject, the scope word and the examples, not the internal reason if it is commercially sensitive, and keep the planner's review as the check.
Sources
- Taxonomies implementation guide (opens in a new tab)IAB Tech Lab
- Statistical Quality Standard C3: Coding Data (opens in a new tab)US Census Bureau
- Keyword targeting (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- App, channel, and website targeting (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- About content suitability (opens in a new tab)Google, Google Ads Help
- Brand suitability (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- View and edit brand controls for your advertiser (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.