sales-skills/sales-paved

Paved Platform Help

Step 1 — Gather context

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

1. Are you an advertiser or publisher?

   • A) Advertiser — I want to sponsor newsletters
   • B) Publisher — I want to monetize my newsletter with sponsors
   • C) ESP partner — I want to integrate Paved monetization into my platform
   • D) Not sure yet — exploring options

2. What's your situation?

   • A) New to Paved — haven't signed up yet
   • B) Signed up but haven't launched a campaign / listed my newsletter
   • C) Active — have campaigns running or sponsors booked
   • D) Troubleshooting — something isn't working

3. What specifically do you need help with?

   • A) Finding and booking newsletters to sponsor (advertiser)
   • B) Getting listed and attracting sponsors (publisher)
   • C) Setting up the Ad Network (programmatic ads)
   • D) Using Booker for direct sponsorship deals
   • E) Radar for lead enrichment
   • F) Pricing and rate optimization
   • G) ESP integration setup
   • H) Campaign performance / analytics
   • I) Payment or billing issue

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

Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| Problem domain | Route to | |---|---| | Newsletter monetization strategy (models, pricing tiers, paid subs vs ads) | Run: /sales-newsletter {user's question} | | Email marketing campaigns, automation, segmentation | Run: /sales-email-marketing {user's question} | | Growing newsletter subscriber list | Run: /sales-audience-growth {user's question} | | Email deliverability, SPF/DKIM/DMARC | Run: /sales-deliverability {user's question} | | B2B account-based advertising | Run: /sales-b2b-advertising {user's question} |

When routing to another skill, provide the exact command.

Step 3 — Paved platform reference

Read references/platform-guide.md for the full platform reference — Marketplace, Ad Network, Booker, Radar, pricing, ESP integrations, publisher requirements, and advertiser workflows.

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

Step 4 — Actionable guidance

You no longer need the platform guide — focus on the user's specific situation.

For publishers: Focus on getting verified (connect ESP), optimizing your media kit (audience demographics, engagement rates, past sponsor results), and choosing between Marketplace (curated, higher CPM) vs Ad Network (automated, lower effort).

For advertisers: Start with 2-3 test placements across different newsletter niches. Track CPC and CPA, not just impressions. Use the Marketplace for premium placements and Ad Network for scale.

For both: Check campaign analytics regularly. Respond to booking requests within 24 hours — slow response hurts your marketplace ranking.

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. Publishers need 5,000+ subscribers to list on the Marketplace — below that, you won't be accepted. Grow your list first with /sales-audience-growth.
2. 30% commission on Marketplace sponsorships — factor this into your rate card. Direct deals via Booker may have different terms.
3. Ad Network pays per click, not per impression — $1.45 avg CPC reported. Low-engagement newsletters may earn very little.
4. Payment threshold is $25 — you won't receive a payout until your balance reaches $25.
5. ESP integration only syncs subscriber counts and deliverability metrics — personal subscriber data (names, emails) is never shared with Paved.
6. Campaign dates aren't always respected — some advertisers report placements not running on scheduled dates. Confirm placement dates directly with the publisher or Paved support.
7. Billing can continue on "inactive" campaigns — check your campaign status regularly and contact support immediately if charges appear unexpectedly.

Related skills

• /sales-newsletter — Newsletter monetization strategy (paid subscriptions, sponsorships, pricing, premium tiers)
• /sales-audience-growth — Growing your subscriber list to qualify for Paved (5K minimum)
• /sales-email-marketing — Email marketing strategy (campaigns, automation, segmentation)
• /sales-b2b-advertising — Account-based B2B advertising (if you're an advertiser targeting business audiences via newsletters)
• /sales-deliverability — Email deliverability (SPF, DKIM, DMARC — affects your newsletter engagement metrics that sponsors see)
• /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: Publisher getting started

User says: "I have a 12,000-subscriber tech newsletter and want to start making money through Paved" Skill does: Walks through publisher onboarding — connect ESP for verified badge, optimize media kit, set initial CPM rates based on niche and engagement, choose Marketplace listing vs Ad Network vs both Result: User has a complete Paved setup plan with pricing strategy

Example 2: Advertiser finding newsletters

User says: "I want to reach DevOps engineers through newsletter sponsorships on Paved" Skill does: Guides through Marketplace search filters, recommends starting with 2-3 test placements at different price points, explains CPC bidding for Ad Network, provides metrics to track for ROI Result: User has a newsletter advertising plan with test budget and success criteria

Example 3: Low ad revenue

User says: "I'm on Paved's Ad Network but only earning $30/month on 8,000 subscribers" Skill does: Diagnoses low CPC/engagement — checks open rates, click rates, audience demographics. Recommends Marketplace listing for higher CPM, ESP verification for credibility, and media kit optimization to attract direct sponsors via Booker Result: User has a revenue optimization plan combining multiple Paved channels

Troubleshooting

Publisher not receiving payments

Symptom: Campaigns completed but no payment received Cause: Balance may be below $25 threshold, or payment method not configured correctly Solution: Check your balance in the dashboard. Verify PayPal or bank account details. If balance is above $25 and payment hasn't arrived, email [email protected] with your publisher ID and campaign details. Payments are processed monthly.

Ad Network revenue is very low

Symptom: Earning pennies despite decent subscriber count Cause: Low open rates or click rates reduce CPC bids; audience may not match advertiser targeting Solution: Focus on engagement first — improve open rates (better subject lines, send time optimization). Connect your ESP for verified metrics. Consider switching to Marketplace for higher CPM on curated placements.

Campaign not running on scheduled date

Symptom: Advertiser booked a placement for a specific date but it didn't appear Cause: Scheduling conflicts or publisher missed the insertion Solution: Contact Paved support at [email protected]. For future campaigns, confirm placement dates directly with the publisher 48 hours before the scheduled date.