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Outbrain Conversion Upload

Send your adtribute conversion data directly to Outbrain to improve campaign optimization with more accurate conversion tracking.

Written by Daniel Busch
Updated over 3 weeks ago

What is Outbrain Conversion Upload?

This feature automatically uploads conversion events from adtribute to your Outbrain account. This gives Outbrain's algorithm access to more complete conversion data, which improves campaign performance and optimization.

Conversions sent from adtribute capture more events than Outbrain's native tracking, leading to better-informed bidding decisions.

Prerequisites

Before setting up Outbrain conversion upload, ensure Outbrain is already connected in the adtribute app.

Loom Tutorial for Outbrain Setup

Setup Process in Outbrain

The setup has two parts: creating a conversion in Outbrain, then creating an action in adtribute. You can either complete the adtribute setup yourself or only create the conversion in Outbrain and share the event name with your account manager and they'll handle it for you to make sure all the values are correct.

Step 1: Create a Conversion in Outbrain

  1. In your Outbrain dashboard, navigate to Conversions

  1. Click "New Conversion"

  2. Select "Server-to-Server Conversion" for the datasource if not selected already

  3. Configure the conversion:

    1. Category: Select Purchase (or match your use case like "Add to Cart")

    2. Name: Choose a descriptive name and copy this name as it is needed for configuration in adtribute (e.g. "adtribute_purchase")

  4. Click Advanced Options:

    1. Set conversion windows to match your existing conversions (to allow for comparison)

    2. Important: DESELECT "Include in total conversions"

    3. Click Create Conversion

  5. Enter your landing page URL

  6. Click Done

  7. Send the exact conversion name (e.g., "adtribute_purchase") to your account manager or continue yourself

Details: More information on the Outbrain server-to-server conversion tracking integration can be found in their documentation here.

Step 2: Create the Action in adtribute

  1. In adtribute, go to Activation in the main menu

  2. Click "Create Action"

  3. If you haven't already, create an Outbrain destination:

    1. Click "Create Destination"

    2. Give it a name and description

    3. Select "Outbrain Ads" as the destination type

    4. Click "Confirm"

  4. Create your conversion upload action:

    1. Name: Descriptive name (e.g. "Outbrain Purchase Upload")

    2. Description: Add context about what this action does

    3. Conversion: Select the adtribute conversion you want to upload (if it is an order, it should not be on line item level. Explained in more detail in the Meta Ads CAPI article)

    4. Event Name: Enter the exact same conversion name you created in Outbrain (e.g. "adtribute_purchase")

    5. Value (optional): For purchase conversions, you can map a value field like gross revenue (this metric needs to reference the conversion)

  5. Click Create

Within 24 hours, conversions will begin uploading automatically.

Testing and Optimization

Phase 1: Monitor and Compare

  1. Add the adtribute event as a column in your Outbrain ads manager

  2. Compare it with your standard Outbrain conversion event

  3. Verify the adtribute event reports more conversions

Phase 2: Switch to Primary Conversion

Wait until the adtribute event consistently reports more events than your standard event for multiple consecutive days without exception.

Once verified:

  1. Edit your Outbrain conversion settings and enable "Include in total conversions"

  2. Optimize campaigns using the adtribute event

  3. Continue monitoring both events to ensure consistent performance

Important Notes

  • Continue making media buying decisions with the adtribute dashboard data and not the adtribute event in Outbrain (this should only be used to power the algorithm with better data)

  • The conversion name in Outbrain must match exactly what's configured in adtribute (case-sensitive)

  • Keep the conversion as secondary (excluded from total conversions) until testing confirms better performance

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