YieldUp is our new fully managed programmatic solution. The team of advertising specialists at BLOX Digital will provide end-to-end management of your inventory with the goal of maximizing revenue. We do this by creating a solid blend of your prioritized locally sold inventory with the premium programmatic demand that we provide.

Who is YieldUp designed for?

YieldUp is our new turnkey path to premium, guaranteed programmatic advertising revenue for local media organizations. It's perfect for those iQ Ad Ops partners we work with today, and for anyone that wants to improve on their current programmatic yield and monetization.

How does YieldUp work?

When managing your inventory we're always striving to maximize yield. It's a delicate balance between maximizing rate and filling inventory at a very high percentage. What we're doing with YieldUp by BLOX Digital is guaranteeing to buy all of your non-locally sold inventory at a specified CPM rate.

How soon do we get paid?

Using guaranteed CPM rates we can provide industry leading turnaround of Net 30 payment. With the previous system, it could be a headache to reconcile all the activity, track when certain revenue streams come in and are applied to the invoice, or be dependent on the timing of our current vendor payments. YieldUp makes it possible to get you paid very quickly, and gives you a more predictable cash flow.

How is this different from BLOX Digital' iQ Ad Ops program?

YieldUp is the next evolution for your programmatic advertising and backfill. With the iQ Ad Ops program, inventory is paid using a variable rate that can change month over month, and fluctuate from period to period. There are also many factors outside of your control that could negatively impact programmatic rates. Along with relying on a variable rate, payout times take much longer as we wait for everything to be fully finalized for our iQ Ad Ops partners. With YieldUp, you'll know in advance what your guaranteed CPM rate will be, and you'll be paid much more quickly.

How is my guaranteed CPM rate calculated?

Your guaranteed CPM rate is calculated based on a mix of historical information, recent network performance data, and recent run rate. All the filled programmatic impressions that BLOX Digital manages would receive that guarantee. This rate can change each month, but the locked-in rate is provided 20 days in advance for every month that you're participating in the program.

When will I know what my guaranteed CPM rates are?

We provide our YieldUp partners with a fully guaranteed CPM rate 20 days prior to the beginning of each month. Those rates are locked in and will not change regardless of what the true CPM outcome may be. This takes away any risk of downtown for our partners, and provides a more predictable revenue forecast.

What can my site do to improve our CPM rate?

Premium CPM rates can be a subjective term. There are a whole slew of factors that go into the programmatic rate including what your site does from a local standpoint. Sites with a higher sell through of local ads tend to have better programmatic rates overall. Geolocation, audience mix, number of new users, and more all factor into the rate that we're generating. We also take into account the true CPM performance. Meaning we're always pushing to do better, and as we continue to do better that will increase the guarantees we're providing.

YieldUp by BLOX Digital is more direct, more transparent, and confirmed in advance as far as the rates. We're really excited because this is eliminating a lot of the guesswork. (Click here for Part 2 of our YieldUp FAQ.)

Ryan Tornquist is the director of new revenue programs at BLOX Digital.