For years, media sales teams have been trained to sell products—print ads, digital campaigns, radio spots, newsletters, and more. But today’s advertisers aren’t asking for products. They’re asking for results. And the gap between those two mindsets is where many sales conversations—and revenue opportunities—fall short.
Products vs Results
Sometimes, media sales pitches still sound like a menu of offerings:
- Print ads
- OTT/CTV
- Social campaigns
- Email marketing
- Events
But advertisers don’t want to buy line items — they want to ensure what they’re purchasing provides outcomes like:
- Leads
- List growth
- Foot traffic
- Data
- Social growth
- Brand awareness
The problem? Traditional, product-led campaigns often fail to connect directly to those outcomes. This is why advertisers are increasingly frustrated—and increasingly selective.
According to Borrell Associates, advertisers consistently rank the following as their top priorities:
- Measurement and tracking
- Customized solutions
- Targeting capabilities
- Proven results and effectiveness
In fact, trackable, targeted results are the #1 factor that persuades advertisers to try something new. The message is clear: if you can’t prove performance, you can’t win the deal—or keep it.
Why Traditional Campaigns Fall Short
Traditional media products still play an important role—but on their own, they can lack direct engagement, operate in silos, and struggle to capture actionable data and clearly defined results.
This makes it difficult to answer the one question every advertiser is asking:
“What did I get for my investment?”
The most successful media organizations are flipping the model:
Instead of adding promotions to campaigns….they’re building campaigns around promotions.
Promotions are uniquely powerful because they are:
- Engaging: Audiences actively participate
- Trackable: Every action is measurable
- Action-driven: Users opt in, click, enter, and convert
- Data-rich: You capture insights advertisers can use
In other words, promotions are the engine of results—while traditional media becomes the fuel that drives audiences to them.
Proving the ROI
To successfully sell results, sales teams need to focus on the metrics that matter:
Hot Leads
A hot lead is a prospect who has demonstrated clear buying intent.
- They answer specific, qualifying questions
- They opt in for direct follow-up
- They convert 5–10x more often than warm leads
Opt-Ins
Explicit permission for advertisers to contact users.
- Must be clearly stated and not pre-checked
- Separate from general contest entry
- Critical for ongoing marketing
Data
Insights collected directly from participants, such as:
- Purchase intent
- Preferences
- Timing for future decisions
These are the metrics that prove ROI—and unlock repeat business.
Promotions are #1
When you align campaigns to outcomes, and place promotions at the center of your campaign, something important happens:
- Advertisers see real business impact
- Campaigns become repeatable
- Budgets increase
- Relationships deepen
The future of media sales isn’t about selling more products—it’s about delivering better outcomes.
Promotions provide the missing link between audience engagement and measurable results. They transform campaigns from static placements into dynamic, data-driven experiences.
And most importantly, they give advertisers exactly what they want: proof that their investment worked.
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Kristen is a Customer Success Manager and Content Creator. She works to create useful content with thought-leadership our partners can use to drive revenue, engagement, and audience growth with promotions.