KonMari Your CJ Account: Publisher Edition

You've spent the last few months "tidying up" your closet, bookshelves, garage, and who you follow on social media (yep, that's a thing) so...what's left? How about KonMari-ing your CJ Publisher account?

If you're unfamiliar with the KonMari Method, the tidying craze was introduced by Japanese organizing guru, Marie Kondo. Her book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, (published in the US in 2014) quickly became an international best-seller. There's been a recent explosion of tidying compounded by the Netflix series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. Her method calls for a "category-by-category" approach that asks you to consider if each item you own "sparks joy". It's time to spark joy, affiliate style.

We have so many different accounts and profiles online these days that it's only natural to want to skip through all the proper steps when you sign up for something new (guilty). Fast forward two years later and you STILL haven't filled out your Network Profile. Or maybe you created your Publisher account such a long time ago that everything you entered is old and outdated.

Let's take a tour through the CJ Publisher interface, shall we? We'll go through each navigation tab and hover our cursor inquisitively over each section long enough to ask ourselves: Does this spark joy? Is this info correct and up to date? Is this really what I want Advertisers to know about me when they review my application?

Account Tab

Account > Administrative Settings > Payment and Tax Information

It's not surprising that one of the most common reasons why Publishers don't get paid is because their payment and tax information is left blank or filled out improperly. Double check this information and while you're at it, change your Payment Method to direct deposit so you can change your Minimum Payment Amount to $50 (vs the $100 minimum for check) and get paid more often.

Account > Network Profile > General

Another sadly neglected area of many Publisher accounts is the Network Profile. This important section tells Advertisers who you are and how you drive traffic to your partners. Essentially, it's your chance at a great first impression and it's what Advertisers will see on their end when you click "Join Program". Fill up the Description field with information about your site, including  your strengths, goals, site traffic, demographics, your business model, etc.

Account > Network Profile > Promotional Methods

Promotional methods describe the techniques that you'll to use to drive traffic to your affiliate partners. Have you started a newsletter recently? Added a blog component to your website? You'll need to update your Promotional Methods. Be accurate because Advertisers will use these to determine if you're a good fit for their programs. Note that adding promotional methods will trigger a notification email to be delivered to your joined Advertisers. You will also receive a confirmation email to your Publisher account.

Account > Users

Take some time to delete old users and make sure that current users have the right permissions. You can also opt in and out of communication and change who on your team receives important network and program communications.

Account > Websites

Check out the websites you have added to make sure current website information is up to date—name, URL, category, description. You can also archive old websites that are no longer active.

Advertisers Tab

There's no better time than the present to dive into the Advertisers Tab. There's so much you can do! Here are some ideas:

• Review your list of active Advertisers. Sort by My Advertisers (Active) under the Status filter to see all programs that you're joined to and consider expiring relationships that no longer serve you or making a list of Advertisers that could use some promotional love.
• Take a closer look at your active Advertiser details and program terms to take note of things like non-commissionable items (no point in promoting that gift card that pays 0%, right?), product categories that have higher commission rates, etc.
• If you're a Content Certified Publisher, you probably have a ton of pending offers from Advertisers. Take some time to clean up pending offers by accepting/declining.
• Sort Advertisers by network earnings/EPC to find hidden gems and top gainers.
• Sort Advertisers by Category to find new partners that fit your niche.

Links Tab

Links > Link Tools

If you're not already using the Deep Link Generator tool, drag that sweet little button to your bookmarks bar ASAP. The Deep Link Generator is one of our most popular tools and allows you to create an affiliate link directly from an (active) Advertisers' site quickly and easily without logging into your CJ account.

Placements Tab

Placements > Opportunities

Have opportunities on your site that you'd like to share? Create a new placement opportunity that will be searchable by Advertisers. Examples include homepage placement, newsletter features, social promotion, and sponsored posts. You can also upload a general rate card with a menu of options for Advertisers to peruse.

Placements > Insertion Orders

Review and follow up on insertion orders. An insertion order acts as the contract between the you and an Advertiser with whom you've negotiated a placement. Each insertion order outlines the details of the placement, including creative requirements, pricing, and how the Advertiser will pay for the placement. FYI: your functional currency must be the same as the Advertiser's functional currency to create an insertion order.

New! Insights Tab

We've recently introduced a new suite of reporting dashboards to help you easily gain new...well, insights. If you haven't already, spend some time playing around with this tool. You might find that you can quickly pull those MOM metrics you've been calculating manually or your new go-to reports.

Phew! We know that there's a ton to keep on top of as a Publisher. But the time spent tidying can help you feel confident that your affiliate affairs are in order, lead to more successful partnerships, and spark new ideas. Are you feeling that life-changing magic yet?

Looking for more information about navigating your CJ account? Check out all Support Center articles here.