How to write a publisher proposal request that gets comparable answers
Part of Curated deals and PMPs
The short answer
A publisher proposal request is a written brief a buyer sends to chosen publishers, asking each one to propose a deal: inventory, formats, markets, price model, data use and reporting. Send one identical request to each publisher, set a reply date, score each answer against the brief's own requirements, and confirm accepted terms in the buying platform before launch.
Key takeaways
- One request, sent word for word to each publisher, is what makes the answers comparable.
- Score each proposal against the brief's requirements, one requirement at a time, and not against another publisher's answer.
- The sources cited here set no reply window, so the buyer names a date and states what happens to late answers.
- Acceptance starts the work: IDs, creatives, targeting and reporting are still to be set and checked before launch.
How do you request a deal proposal from a publisher?
A proposal request turns the media brief into questions a publisher can answer with a priced offer. IAB's 2013 paper Programmatic and Automation: The Publishers' Perspective (opens in a new tab) says what sets automated guaranteed buying apart from a traditional direct sale is "the automation of the RFP and campaign trafficking process." The request can go through a platform or by email; a good one says the same things either way.
Inside a buying platform the request has a fixed shape. Display & Video 360's request for proposal guide (opens in a new tab) starts it from Marketplace, by choosing a publisher and selecting Request proposal, or from Negotiations. The form asks for an RFP name, CC emails, sellers, a budget, a start date, an optional end date, optional CPM, inventory type, format, device type and country, and a message to sellers. Google notes that anyone on the CC list can see the details entered.
Five steps to send a proposal request
- Pick the publishers first. Choose them from the plan, with a reason for each, before any request goes out, so the shortlist is not shaped by who answers fastest.
- Write one master request. Draft the brief summary, requirements and reply instructions once, in a single document the whole team can review.
- Mark what is fixed and what is open. Say which items are requirements (markets, flight, brand rules) and which are invitations to propose (formats, price, packaging).
- Send it the same way to each seller. Use the platform's form or one email template; if the platform's per seller message is used, change only the greeting and the seller's name.
- Answer questions to all. When one publisher asks a clarifying question, send the answer to each recipient, so no seller works from a different brief.
What should a proposal request include?
Include what the publisher needs to price the offer and what the trader needs to activate it. A useful test is the activation form. For a non-guaranteed deal entered by hand, Display & Video 360's inventory source guide (opens in a new tab) asks for a name, the deal ID, the exchange, the inventory format, the creative requirement, a rate type of CPM (fixed) or CPM (floor), the rate, dates and the advertisers that may use it. A request that leaves those blank invites a proposal that cannot be set up.
| Part | What the buyer writes | What the publisher sends back |
|---|---|---|
| Brief summary | Product, audience, content wanted and content to avoid, in plain words | The sections, sites or placements it proposes, with the reason each fits |
| Markets and languages | Countries, and states or provinces if narrower; English, French or both | Confirmation that it can sell those markets, and in which language editions |
| Flight and budget | Start date, end date and the budget range for this publisher | Available volume for those dates, as an estimate with its basis |
| Formats and devices | Display sizes, video lengths, native or audio, and the devices wanted | The formats it can deliver and the creative specifications for each |
| Price model and currency | Whether a floor, a fixed price or a guaranteed volume is sought; USD or CAD | A rate, the rate type and the currency, stated explicitly |
| Buying details | The buying platform, the exchange preferred, the buyer seat and the advertiser domain | The exchange it will set the deal up on and confirmation the seat can be allowed |
| Data use | Whether publisher data is welcome, and any data the brand will not accept | What data, if any, the deal applies, and how consent was obtained |
| Reporting | Report dimensions, cadence and the deal identifier the reports must carry | The reports it can share and how long it keeps them available |
Put reporting in the request. Display & Video 360's report dimensions (opens in a new tab) include Inventory Source ID (External), "the seller's (i.e. a publisher or exchange) identifier for a deal used in their systems." Asking the publisher to report against that same ID lets the buyer join both sides' numbers without matching deal names by hand.
How do you assess proposals against the brief?
Score each proposal against the requirements the request stated, one at a time. A proposal earns its place by meeting the brief, not by beating another publisher's answer, which keeps the review defensible to the client and fair to smaller publishers. The sources cited here give no scoring formula for proposals, so the grid below is a working method, not a standard.
| Requirement | Meets | Partly meets | Does not meet |
|---|---|---|---|
| Content fit | Named sites or sections match the content wanted | Fit is described by category only | Inventory is run of site with no content detail |
| Markets | All requested states or provinces, in the requested languages | Country level only | Markets missing or outside the brief |
| Formats | Each requested format, with specifications attached | Some formats, or specifications to follow | Formats the brief did not ask for |
| Price terms | Rate, rate type and currency all stated | Rate given without type or currency | Price left to a later call |
| Activation details | Exchange named and seat confirmed | Exchange named, seat to be checked | No exchange or deal type named |
| Reporting | Reports keyed to the external deal ID, with cadence | Reports offered without an identifier | No reporting offered |
How long should publishers get to respond?
The platform guides cited here set no reply window for a publisher proposal request, so the buyer picks a date and writes it on the request. The right length depends on how much the publisher has to build: existing placements in one market are quicker to quote than a custom package across several provinces, a new data segment or a guaranteed volume checked against the publisher's own forecast.
| Factor | Shorter reply | Longer reply |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory | Existing sections or placements | A package built for this brief |
| Markets | One country or one state | Several states or provinces, or two languages |
| Commitment | A floor with no volume promise | Guaranteed volume at a fixed price |
| Data | No data applied | Publisher data segments to be scoped |
| Creative | Standard sizes already accepted | Formats needing specifications or review |
Platforms show where each request stands. In Display & Video 360, an RFP's deals sit under one RFP ID in Negotiations with statuses such as Sent to seller, Viewed by seller and Action required, meaning the seller has responded and the buyer must act. Google's proposal guide for publishers (opens in a new tab) has the publisher set an expiration date when it requests acceptance, so an agreed proposal has a deadline too.
What should happen after a proposal is accepted?
Acceptance fixes terms; it does not make the deal ready to spend. For guaranteed inventory, Display & Video 360's configuration guide (opens in a new tab) follows acceptance with configuring the deal: the advertisers allowed to target it, a default advertiser and campaign, and at least one eligible creative for each product size and duration. Google advises doing this at least one to two days before launch, and warns that deals may under deliver if the chosen creatives require VPAID.
Handoff from planner to trader after acceptance
- Send the trader the accepted proposal. Attach the final version, not the first draft, with the publisher's added terms highlighted.
- Check the identifiers before saving. Display & Video 360 says the ID, exchange and inventory format of a manual inventory source cannot be changed once saved, so a typo means a new entry.
- Mirror the terms in targeting. The Deals API says deal criteria "are not guaranteed to be accurately reflected in bid requests" and that buyers should apply targeting matching the deal's terms on their side.
- Load creatives early. Pick creatives that meet each product's size and duration, leaving time for review.
- Book the first report. Agree the date of the first delivery report and the deal ID it will carry.
What does a proposal request look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A family fun center asks four publishers for proposals
An unnamed arcade and go-kart family fun center wants display and short online video to sell summer passes and birthday party bookings across Delaware, weighted to Wilmington, Dover and Newark, in English. The planner picks four publishers from the plan: a statewide news site, a college town news site, a family events site and a regional things to do blog, each with a written reason.
One request goes to all four, with the content wanted and to avoid, flight dates, a budget range per publisher, display sizes and a 15 second video, USD pricing, the preferred exchange, the agency's seat, and reports keyed to the external deal ID.
The statewide news site meets each requirement. The college town site offers display only, so it partly meets formats. The family events site gives a CPM without saying floor or fixed, so the planner asks before scoring. After acceptance, the trader saves each deal ID once and mirrors the Delaware targeting in the line items.
How does PlacementGraph help choose which publishers get the request?
Frequently asked questions
Should the budget appear in a publisher proposal request?
A budget range helps the publisher size the offer, and it is a field in Display & Video 360's request form. Give a range for each publisher rather than the total campaign budget, and state whether the range includes fees or is working media only.
What if a publisher proposes something the request did not ask for?
Score the proposal on the requirements first, then record the extra idea separately. A new format or package can be worth testing, but it should not raise the score for requirements the proposal missed. If the idea is good, add it to the next request for each publisher.
Can a proposal request go to a publisher that sells only through resellers?
Yes. In the ads.txt specification (opens in a new tab), a RESELLER entry means the publisher has authorized another entity to control the account and resell its ad space. Ask in the request which company will create the deal and on which exchange, and check that the publisher's ads.txt lists that seller's account before accepting.
Is an accepted proposal the same as a signed insertion order?
Not necessarily. An accepted proposal in a buying platform records the agreed deal terms, while an insertion order is a contract document whose terms the two companies sign. Check which document the client's agreement treats as binding, and file the accepted proposal with the order so delivery can be reconciled against both.
Sources
- Negotiate deals with an inventory seller (request for proposal) (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Submit a proposal (for publishers) (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Configure a Programmatic Guaranteed deal (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Create an inventory source manually (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Report dimensions (opens in a new tab)Google, Display & Video 360 Help
- Deals API Specification v1.0 (opens in a new tab)IAB Tech Lab, February 6, 2026
- Programmatic and Automation: The Publishers' Perspective (opens in a new tab)IAB, September 2013
- ads.txt (Authorized Digital Sellers) (opens in a new tab)IAB Tech Lab
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.