Track Paid Guest Spots on Third Party Content

If you're purchasing space in other people's newsletters or blogs, it's likely you've had difficulty tracking the ROI from those channels. Of course, implementing UTM parameters will help track the revenue earned through various campaigns and will give you a high level of tracking. However, if you're looking to get deeper tracking, especially when buying multiple spots on other people's platforms, it's possible to track this data in a way more similar to tracking ads return on ad spend (RoAS).

Keep reading through this doc to learn how to start tracking those types of conversions.

Track Conversions via UTM Parameters

The best way to track these types of conversions is through UTM parameters. For these guest post spots on 3rd party websites, or if you're providing a link to a paid affiliate, you'll want to create a URL to provide to that third party. You'll also want to make sure that you have some descriptive UTMs to filter by in SegMetrics.

Basic UTM Structure

Here's a basic example of what that URL should look like:

https://myurl.com/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=the-campaign-name&utm_source=the-source

Important: Note that by setting the utm_medium    parameter to cpc   , ppc   , or paidsearch   , SegMetrics will classify that data as a "Paid" channel in your reports. Here's a help article outlining the different UTM values you can use to classify the traffic as a particular channel in your SegMetrics account.

UTM Best Practices

Keep in mind that the more UTMs you use and the more descriptive the naming convention of those utms, the easier it will be to filter down to the data you're looking to pull from SegMetrics.

Once you've got your URL with UTM parameters, you will provide that link to the third party spot you'll be paying for. Once you start getting leads and purchase conversion, you can filter your SegMetrics reports by the specific UTM parameters.

Through these methods, you can now begin to query that data inside of SegMetrics. However, if you'd like to take it a step further and track this data on your Advertising reports, keep reading to learn how to bring in the cost of your paid spots and view the ROI of those efforts.

Reporting ROI For Paid Guest Spots

If you're paying for a guest spot on a third party post, blog, email, or website, you can import that data into SegMetrics to view the ROI of those guest spots on your Advertising report.

Step 1: Modify Your Tracking URL

First, you'll need to create a spreadsheet of those daily costs. You'll also need to modify the URL you'll be providing to the third party to include the ad_id    parameter. For the ad_id   , you'll want to create a unique ID number to associate with the third party spot.

Let's say for this example that the ad_id is: 123456

You'll want to include that in the url as such:

https://myurl.com/?utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=the-campaign-name&utm_source=the-source&ad_id=123456

The ad_id parameter is what tells SegMetrics to treat this link as an ad.

Step 2: Create Your Cost Data Spreadsheet

Now, you'll need to configure your spreadsheet as outlined in the following example:

Required Fields Overview:

• Date: The date of the ad spend
• Ad Spend: The total amount of ad spend for the coinciding date
• Ad Id: The unique identifier for the paid spot
• Ad Name: The name of the ad/paid spot
• Ad Campaign ID: The unique identifier of the campaign
• Ad Campaign Name: The name of the campaign

Importing the Spend Data into SegMetrics

Step 1: Connect a Custom Ads Integration

1. Navigate to the Integrations page (https://app.segmetrics.io/a/integration) in your SegMetrics account
2. Select the Custom Ads integration
3. Give the integration a descriptive name
4. Click Create Your Custom Integration
5. Click Finish Configuration

Step 2: Upload Your Data

Once you have your spreadsheet, you can upload that data into SegMetrics through a couple of different methods:

Method 1: Zapier (Automated)

The most automated way to do this is through Zapier.com. If going this route, you'll want to connect to upload the ad performance data through a Google Sheet. If you'd like more information about how to connect up to Zapier, please check out this help article.

Method 2: Manual Upload

1. Navigate to the Integrations page (https://app.segmetrics.io/a/integration) in your SegMetrics account
2. Click the Gear icon on the custom ads integration
3. Click Upload Historical Data
4. For the Data Type, select Ad Performance
5. For the Data File, select the CSV with your data from your computer
6. Click Map Field Data
7. Select the appropriate fields to coincide with the required fields
8. Click Upload

Viewing Your Results

Once you have your ad performance data uploaded into SegMetrics, you can visit the Advertising report, and you should be able to see the campaign and ad information, along with the ad spend and ROI of those efforts:

What You'll See in Reports

Your advertising reports will now include:

• Campaign performance for each guest spot placement
• ROI calculations based on spend vs. revenue generated
• Cost per acquisition metrics
• Revenue attribution back to specific placements
• Comparison data across different third-party platforms

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Can I track guest spots that don't have a direct cost?

A. Yes, you can still use UTM parameters to track performance even without cost data. Simply skip the ad_id parameter and custom ads integration if you're only interested in conversion tracking.

Q. What if I have multiple placements in the same newsletter?

A. Create unique ad_id values for each placement and use descriptive naming in your spreadsheet. This allows you to see which specific placements perform best.

Q. How long does it take for data to appear in reports?

A. UTM-tracked conversions appear immediately in SegMetrics. Uploaded cost data typically appears within a few hours of successful upload.

Q. Can I retroactively add cost data for past campaigns?

A. Yes, you can upload historical cost data for any date range. Just ensure your ad_id values match between your tracking URLs and your cost data spreadsheet.

Q. What's the difference between this and regular ad tracking?

A. This method treats third-party placements like traditional ads, allowing you to see ROI, cost per acquisition, and other advertising metrics that aren't available with UTM tracking alone.