Distribution
Checking publisher coverage before committing a budget
Separate possible publishers from booked placements and delivered sites before committing an Australian native ad budget.
Check coverage against the publications and contexts your campaign needs, then ask which are usable under the proposed account, market, settings and buying arrangement.
A partner logo or global publisher list does not promise an Australian campaign can run on a named site. A possible-publisher list is not a forecast of delivery.
Turn the brief into a coverage request
Separate indispensable publications from acceptable alternatives. Give the supplier your Australian geography, language, devices, dates and proposed format. Ask which site and surface each relevant title uses—webpage, app, newsletter or elsewhere.
If one publication is essential, request a written commitment to that publication and surface. If several contexts are acceptable, decide in advance which alternatives still serve the brief. Coverage is only useful when it matches the required audience and reader experience.
Read each document for what it proves
| Supplier material | What it can show | What it cannot promise |
|---|---|---|
| Global publisher examples | Possible relationships or past examples. | Current inventory or a booked placement. |
| Account possible-publisher list | Publishers the account might serve under the documented system. | Usable inventory after blocks, settings and campaign conditions. |
| Past campaign site report | Sites where that campaign delivered. | Future delivery or an exact page position. |
| Publisher format menu | Formats offered for enquiry. | The placement or date included in a quote. |
| Signed schedule | Agreed delivery, if stated precisely. | Reader attention or business outcomes. |
Taboola documents an allowed-publishers account endpoint and a separate site_breakdown for sites on which campaigns have run. The possible-publisher output includes blocked publishers.
Check blocking, campaign settings, market and format with the supplier before treating a listed site as usable. Taboola’s documented API publisher-targeting operation supports exclusions rather than an include-only list; ask how an indispensable site could be secured.
For Outbrain, ask the supplier to identify current Australian inventory and the exact publisher and surface available for the proposed campaign.
Guardian Labs Australia lists formats including premium articles, quizzes, photo galleries, podcasts and brand podcasts. Use its page to guide an enquiry, and verify any Powered by Nine capability separately. A proposal and agreement can establish the publication, surface, dates, production work, promotion and delivery evidence being bought.
Key platforms and their Australian coverage resources
- Taboola API endpoints
- allowed-publishers, site_breakdown
- Outbrain Australian publisher list
- Available via search by category (e.g., health services)
- Guardian Labs Australia formats
- Premium articles, quizzes, photo galleries, podcasts, brand podcasts
- Powered by Nine capabilities
- Verified separately via nineforbrands.com.au
Apply a budget gate
Record every required title or context as committed in writing, possible but uncommitted, alternative proposed or unverified. Resolve any indispensable item before treating the quoted budget as a covered plan. If the team can accept uncertain sources, it may set a limited learning allocation and review the sources that actually deliver before expanding spend.
The decision is whether the evidence supports the type of publisher coverage the brief requires and whether the agreement or subsequent report can show what happened. Keep any unanswered coverage question visible in the budget decision.
