Parties
Identify advertiser and publisher by full legal name, billing address, and taxpayer identification to ensure correct contracting and payment routing.
A well-drafted IO reduces billing disputes, clarifies deliverables, and creates an auditable record of commitments. For electronic execution, IOs are enforceable under the ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. ch. 96) and UETA where adopted, provided intent, consent, attribution, and retention requirements are met.
Advertiser IOs are prepared and approved by advertising, media buying, and legal teams and then executed by authorized signers from both advertiser and publisher organizations.
Execution is usually completed by an authorized contracting officer, account lead, or procurement representative with delegated signing authority from each party.
Identify advertiser and publisher by full legal name, billing address, and taxpayer identification to ensure correct contracting and payment routing.
Describe placements, inventory types, creative formats, geography, and targeting parameters so trafficking teams can deliver to spec without assumptions.
Specify unit pricing, total budget cap, currency, and whether amounts include agency fees or platform fees to avoid reconciliation gaps.
List start/end dates, flighting windows, pacing rules, and any makegoods or compensatory impressions for shortfalls.
Define KPIs, reporting cadence, third-party tags, and viewability or invalid traffic standards to prevent later disagreements.
Reference payment terms, cancellation policy, indemnity, IP rights, and link or attach the controlling master agreement when present.
| Field | Configuration |
|---|---|
| Document Type | PDF or DOCX with editable fields |
| Authentication | Email link; optional SMS or KBA for higher assurance |
| Routing Order | Sequential signer order or parallel when agreed |
| Retention | Store signed IO and audit trail for mandated retention period |
Confirm the eSignature platform supports required authentication, audit trails, and file formats before initiating IO workflows.
For large or high-volume programs, verify SSO, API access, and bulk-send capabilities to streamline campaign onboarding and invoicing.
Ad creative must be approved by advertiser at least 3 business days before start.
Final assets due 48–72 hours before insertion to allow trafficking.
Publisher confirms live date once trafficking and measurement are validated.
Monthly invoicing typically closes on last business day of month.
Claims for discrepancies often limited to 30–60 days after invoice.
| Criteria | Advertiser IO | Master Agreement |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | execution details | governing legal terms |
| Term | campaign-specific | multi-year |
| Signatures | operational sign-off | legal sign-off |
| Modification | amendable per io | requires formal amendment |
| signNow | DocuSign | Adobe Sign | PandaDoc | HelloSign | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $8/user/mo | $15/user/mo | $14/user/mo | $19/user/mo | $15/user/mo |
| Free Trial | 7-day free trial | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan | Varies by plan |
| Bulk Send | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Audit Trail | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Envelope Cap | No cap | 100 envelopes/user/yr | Varies | Varies | Varies |