RunMags journal
A Guide to Advertising Orders and Fulfillment
An advertising order translates approved terms into deliverables. Fulfillment tracking should show what is ready, what actually ran and what evidence supports the billing handoff.
Create deliverable-level records
Record publication, issue or flight, product, position, approved price and responsible owner. A multi-channel package needs separate delivery dates and evidence for each component. Link the order to the accepted proposal and signed agreement. With a CRM built for magazine publishers, the order, proposal and agreement stay on the same advertiser record.
Track production readiness
Set material, proof, approval and press-ready dates for print. For digital products, record flight or send dates and reporting deadlines. Track file receipt, specification checks and advertiser approval separately. An uploaded file has not necessarily passed production checks.
Make blockers actionable
Missing artwork, changed placements and unresolved approvals need an owner and follow-up date. Update downstream tasks when order terms change. Review blockers before issue close, with a defined escalation path when the original commitment cannot be delivered.
Record delivery and pass billing evidence
Retain a final placement or issue proof, newsletter send record or campaign delivery report as appropriate. Mark each deliverable's actual outcome and any approved makegood. Finance should invoice using agreed terms and the relevant billing trigger. Evaluate tools using partial delivery and amendments as well as a standard order. In RunMags, advertising contract and fulfillment management shows booked ads in the flatplan for production, and invoices are created from the same order lines.
A practical worksheet
An order checklist can show each deliverable's committed date, materials status, proof version, approval, actual run date, evidence reference and billing trigger. For an illustrative package containing print and newsletter advertising, the print item may be complete while the newsletter send remains scheduled. Record those outcomes separately. If the agreement permits billing the completed component, finance should see the approved allocation and evidence; otherwise retain the outstanding milestone. This avoids either losing an unbilled delivery or invoicing the whole package based on one completed item.
Review checklist
- Split packages into independently trackable deliverables.
- Separate received, checked, approved and delivered states.
- Keep evidence and approved exceptions linked to billing.
