sales-broadstreet

What this skill does

# Broadstreet Platform Help

## Step 1 — Gather context

If `references/learnings.md` exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

1. **What are you trying to do?**
   - A) Set up Broadstreet to serve ads on my website
   - B) Add ad zones to my email newsletter
   - C) Track sponsored content performance
   - D) Generate client-ready reports
   - E) Integrate via the REST API or WordPress plugin
   - F) Compare Broadstreet to other ad servers

2. **What type of publisher are you?**
   - A) Local news website
   - B) Regional magazine
   - C) B2B/trade journal
   - D) Newsletter publisher
   - E) Radio broadcaster

3. **Current setup** (if applicable): CMS platform, newsletter ESP, number of advertisers

Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already contains enough context, skip to Step 2.

## Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| If the question is about... | Route to... |
|---|---|
| Newsletter monetization strategy (subscriptions, pricing models) | `/sales-newsletter [question]` |
| Sponsorship marketplace (finding sponsors) | `/sales-paved [question]` or `/sales-hecto [question]` |
| Programmatic/RTB ad serving | `/sales-epom [question]` or `/sales-adbutler [question]` |
| API-first custom ad platform | `/sales-kevel [question]` |
| Email deliverability (SPF/DKIM/DMARC) | `/sales-deliverability [question]` |

If the question is Broadstreet-specific, continue to Step 3.

## Step 3 — Broadstreet platform reference

**Read `references/platform-guide.md`** for the full platform reference — capabilities, pricing, newsletter setup, integration recipes, code examples.

**Read `references/broadstreet-api-reference.md`** for API endpoint details, authentication, and SDK usage.

Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.

## Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Focus on the user's specific situation:

- **Publisher getting started**: Create advertisers, campaigns, and zones. Install the WordPress plugin or paste zone tags into your site template. Start with display ads, add sponsored content tracking later.
- **Newsletter ads**: Use static zone code (preferred over RSS merge). Create zones, get zone code, paste into your ESP template. Add MailChimp cachebust macros to prevent image deduplication. Use `overflow=0` for empty zones.
- **Sponsored content**: Enable click tracking on WordPress posts. Broadstreet tracks clicks with timestamp and location data — no Google Analytics access needed for advertisers.
- **Reports**: Set up automated weekly/monthly reports. Broadstreet pulls data from web, newsletter, and sponsored content into client-ready PDFs.
- **API integration**: Get access token from my.broadstreetads.com/access-token. Use PHP or Ruby SDK. API docs at api.broadstreetads.com/docs/v1/.
- **Choosing Broadstreet vs alternatives**: Broadstreet is best for local/B2B publishers with direct sales teams. No RTB/programmatic — purely direct-sold. For programmatic, use Epom or AdButler. For self-serve portal, use AdButler. For free/open-source, use Revive Adserver.

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in `references/learnings.md`, append it there.

## Gotchas

> *Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.*

1. **No programmatic/RTB** — Broadstreet is direct-sold only. If you need programmatic demand, use Epom (RTB free for publishers) or AdButler (RTB add-on).
2. **Newsletter ads can duplicate** — campaign de-duplication doesn't work in email (requires JS). Avoid targeting the same campaign to multiple newsletter zones.
3. **No zone rotation in email** — JavaScript-based rotation doesn't work in email clients. Each zone shows one fixed ad per send.
4. **Dynamic ad formats don't work in newsletters** — Amazing Cube, video ads, etc. require JS. Use only static image ads in email zones.
5. **Valet service costs add up** — Broadstreet Valet charges $10 per 15 minutes. For frequent changes, learn the dashboard yourself or use the API.
6. **Automatic plan has limited availability** — the $399/mo plan isn't always open. Check with Broadstreet sales for current availability.

## Related skills

- `/sales-newsletter` — Newsletter monetization strategy (paid subscriptions, sponsorships, ad sales, pricing)
- `/sales-epom` — Epom hosted ad server + white-label DSP (API included, RTB free, 40+ metrics)
- `/sales-adbutler` — AdButler full-stack ad server (self-serve portal, email ad zones, REST API + MCP)
- `/sales-kevel` — Kevel API-first ad server infrastructure (build custom ad platforms, Decision API)
- `/sales-admailr` — Admailr programmatic email ad server (automated ad insertion, CPM+CPC, no setup)
- `/sales-passendo` — Passendo email ad server + SSP (programmatic exchange, direct-sold campaigns)
- `/sales-deliverability` — Email deliverability strategy (SPF, DKIM, DMARC, warmup)
- `/sales-do` — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: `npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do`

## Examples

### Example 1: Setting up newsletter ad zones in MailChimp
**User says**: "I publish a weekly local news newsletter on MailChimp with 15K subscribers. How do I add Broadstreet ads?"
**Skill does**: Walks through creating newsletter zones in Broadstreet, getting the static zone code, adding MailChimp cachebust macros (`?*|CAMPAIGN_UID|**|UNIQID|*`), pasting into the MailChimp template, and using `overflow=0` to handle empty zones gracefully
**Result**: User has Broadstreet ads running in their MailChimp newsletter with proper cachebusting

### Example 2: API integration for campaign creation
**User says**: "How do I use the Broadstreet API to programmatically create campaigns for new advertisers?"
**Skill does**: Shows access token setup, PHP SDK installation, and `createAdvertisement()` method with network_id, advertiser_id, name, type, and options parameters
**Result**: User can automate campaign creation via the API

### Example 3: Choosing between ad servers
**User says**: "I run a regional magazine website. Should I use Broadstreet, AdButler, or Google Ad Manager?"
**Skill does**: Compares all three: Broadstreet ($299/mo, built for local/B2B direct sales, newsletter integration, WordPress plugin, no RTB), AdButler ($179/mo, self-serve portal, programmatic SSP, API add-on), GAM (free but complex, Google lock-in). Recommends Broadstreet for direct-sold publishers who don't need programmatic.
**Result**: User has a clear comparison for their direct-sold publishing model

## Troubleshooting

### Newsletter ads showing the same ad in every zone
**Symptom**: Multiple newsletter zones display identical ads instead of different campaigns
**Cause**: Campaign de-duplication requires JavaScript, which doesn't work in email clients
**Solution**: Assign different campaigns to different zones manually. Avoid targeting the same advertiser/campaign to multiple newsletter zones. Use the trailing number in zone codes (0, 1, 2) to differentiate placements.

### Automated reports not generating
**Symptom**: Scheduled reports aren't arriving by email
**Cause**: Report scheduling misconfigured or email delivery issues
**Solution**: Check report schedule settings in Broadstreet dashboard. Verify the recipient email address. Check spam folders. If reports still don't arrive, contact Broadstreet support (included on all plans).

### Sponsored content clicks not tracking on WordPress
**Symptom**: Sponsored content shows zero clicks despite known traffic
**Cause**: WordPress plugin not installed or Broadstreet tracking code not on the sponsored post
**Solution**: Verify the Broadstreet WordPress plugin is installed and activated. Check that the sponsored content post has Broadstreet tracking enabled. Broadstreet tracks clicks independently of Google Analytics — check the Broadstreet dashboard, not GA.