Managing Line Items

Overview#

A line item is an individual ad placement within your campaign. Each line item represents a specific combination of ad format, scheduling, and budget on a particular platform. For example, a single campaign might include a :30 radio spot on a morning drive show, a banner ad on a news website, and a podcast mid-roll read — each of these is a separate line item.

Managing line items well is the key to running organized, efficient campaigns. This guide covers everything from configuring ad formats to bulk editing across your media plan.

Understanding Ad Formats#

Different platforms support different ad formats. When you add a platform to your media plan, Tap shows you the available formats for that platform along with their specifications and pricing.

Common Ad Formats#

Configuring Line Items#

Each line item requires several fields to be completed before it can be included in a proposal.

Required Fields#

• Ad format — Select from the available formats for the platform
• Flight dates — The start and end dates for the placement
• Quantity — The number of spots, impressions, or episodes
• Budget — The allocated spend for this line item

Optional Fields#

• Daypart preferences — For broadcast media, specify preferred time slots (morning drive, midday, evening, overnight)
• Programming notes — Request specific shows, segments, or content adjacencies
• Creative instructions — Notes for the publisher about tone, messaging, or brand requirements
• Targeting criteria — For digital formats, specify audience demographics, geography, or behavioral targeting

Setting Flight Dates#

Flight dates define when your ad will run. A few things to keep in mind:

• Lead time — Most publishers require advance notice before a campaign can start. Radio and podcast typically need 5-7 business days; TV may need 2-4 weeks. Check the platform profile for specific lead times.
• Minimum flight — Some publishers have minimum flight durations (e.g., one week for radio, one month for sponsorships).
• Blackout dates — Publishers may have dates where inventory is unavailable (holidays, special programming). These are shown in the date picker.
• Seasonal considerations — Inventory is tighter and rates are higher during peak periods (Q4, major sporting events, election season).

Budget Allocation#

How you distribute budget across line items affects your campaign's reach and impact. Tap provides tools to help you allocate effectively.

Allocation Strategies#

• Even distribution — Split your budget equally across all line items. Good for testing which placements perform best.
• Weighted allocation — Assign more budget to high-priority placements. Use this when you know certain platforms or formats deliver stronger results for your brand.
• Market-based allocation — Allocate based on market size or strategic importance. Larger markets typically need more budget to achieve meaningful reach.

Budget Guardrails#

Tap helps you stay on track with budget management:

• Total budget tracking — The planner shows your total allocated spend versus your campaign budget in real time
• Per-line-item minimums — Some platforms have minimum spend requirements, which are surfaced during planning
• Overspend warnings — You'll see a warning if your total line item budgets exceed your campaign budget

Creative Specifications#

Each line item has creative specifications that define what assets you need to deliver to the publisher. These vary by format and platform.

Audio Specs#

• File format — MP3 or WAV (WAV preferred for broadcast quality)
• Sample rate — 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz
• Bit depth — 16-bit or 24-bit
• Loudness — Typically -24 LUFS for broadcast, -16 LUFS for podcast
• Duration — Must match the booked format exactly (:15, :30, :60)

Video Specs#

• Resolution — 1920x1080 (HD) minimum, 3840x2160 (4K) for premium placements
• Frame rate — 23.976, 29.97, or 59.94 fps depending on broadcast standard
• Codec — H.264 or ProRes
• Audio — Stereo, -24 LUFS
• File size — Varies by platform, typically max 1-2 GB

Digital Display Specs#

• Dimensions — Must match the booked size (300x250, 728x90, etc.)
• File format — PNG, JPG, GIF, or HTML5
• File size — Typically under 150 KB for static, under 1 MB for HTML5
• Click-through URL — Required for all digital display placements

Viewing Creative Specs#

You can view the full creative specifications for any line item by clicking on it in your media plan. The specs panel shows:

• Required file formats and dimensions
• Maximum file sizes
• Delivery deadlines
• Any publisher-specific requirements or guidelines

Bulk Editing Line Items#

When your campaign has many line items, editing them one at a time is tedious. Tap supports bulk operations to save time.

Available Bulk Actions#

• Update flight dates — Shift start or end dates across multiple line items at once. Useful when your campaign timeline changes.
• Adjust budgets — Apply a percentage increase or decrease to selected line items, or redistribute a total budget across them.
• Duplicate line items — Copy a line item's configuration to create similar placements on other platforms or in other markets.
• Remove line items — Delete multiple line items from your plan in one action.

How to Bulk Edit#

Line Item Statuses#

As your campaign progresses, line items move through several statuses:

• Draft — The line item is in your plan but hasn't been submitted to a publisher yet
• Submitted — Included in a proposal that's been sent to the publisher
• Confirmed — The publisher has accepted the line item and it's scheduled to run
• In Flight — The campaign is actively running for this line item
• Completed — The flight dates have ended and delivery is finalized
• Cancelled — The line item was removed from the campaign after submission

Best Practices#

• Name your line items clearly — Use descriptive names that include the market, format, and platform (e.g., "Sydney - :30 Radio Spot - Triple M"). This makes it much easier to manage large campaigns.
• Double-check flight dates — Verify that your flight dates account for publisher lead times and creative delivery deadlines.
• Monitor delivery — Once campaigns are in flight, check delivery regularly to catch any issues early.
• Keep creative specs handy — Download or bookmark the creative specifications before starting production to avoid last-minute rework.
• Use templates — If you run recurring campaigns, save your line item configurations as templates for faster setup next time.

Next Steps#