Insertion Order (IO) template

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Insertion orders play an important role in the advertising industry. They give all participants in an advertising campaign clarity and detail about exactly how that campaign should be carried out.

In this guide, we'll explain what an insertion order is, why you should use one, and how you can make managing insertion orders simple. We've also shared a free insertion order template to help you get started. You can download it as a PDF or try it out as a digital template in Juro.

What is an Insertion Order?

An insertion order, often abbreviated as IO, is a formal, legally binding agreement between a publisher and an advertiser that specifies the details of an advertising campaign.

The insertion order outlines crucial elements, including:

type of advert
when and where the advert will be placed
duration of the advertising campaign
cost

The IO not only ensures that all parties are on the same page about what to expect, but it also provides legal protections in case things don't go as planned.

This document is particularly important in advertising, where precise execution is crucial, and the stakes can be high. Advertising campaigns are often complex, multi-stakeholder arrangements that develop quickly and require agile management. Businesses (specifically agencies) typically use an Advertising Insertion Order Template to achieve a repeatable process here.

Interested in advertising contracts? Check out this free advertising agreement template.

Why use an Insertion Order?

The main reason that you might want to use an insertion order is to establish a clear, legally binding agreement between the advertiser and the publisher.

The IO provides clarity about the campaign specifics, reducing the scope for potential conflicts and misunderstandings. This can help you avoid unpleasant events like breach or termination.

Here are the main benefits of using an insertion order:

Precision: The IO outlines the exact terms of an advertising deal, including the campaign's timing, location, pricing, and more.

Accountability: With an IO, both the advertiser and publisher have a clear understanding of what's expected of them, promoting accountability on both sides.

Legal protection: In case of any disputes, an IO serves as a binding contract that can be referred to or used in a court of law.

Who is responsible for managing Insertion Orders?

Responsibility for managing insertion orders generally falls within the advertising or marketing team of a business. More specifically, it's often handled by:

Media planners/buyers: These are the people in the business responsible for identifying the most effective media channels for the campaign and negotiating the ad placements. This means that the creation of insertion orders often sits with them.

Account managers: They are the point of contact between the advertiser and the publisher, so they often oversee the execution of the insertion order, ensuring all terms are adhered to.

Advertising operations team: larger organizations might have a dedicated team known as AdOps (advertising operations) which manages the logistical aspects of ad campaigns, including handling insertion orders.

That said, it's also common for the legal team to draft, review and approve insertion orders, depending on the company's risk appetite.

What should an Advertising Insertion Order template cover?

Given the level of detail and specificity required in an insertion order, it's important to make your IOs comprehensive (you can achieve this by grabbing our free Insertion Order example template above and customizing it for your needs). Usually, an insertion order template should cover:

Campaign specifics: This section should encompass the type of ad, its dimensions, the specific placement locations and timings, and the total number of ad insertions. Also, consider including the target audience and any other relevant specifications.

Billing and payment details: Lay out specifics about the cost per ad or total campaign cost, invoice issuance and payment dates, preferred payment method, and any late payment penalties.

Cancellation clause: Outline a clear procedure for ad placement cancellation, detailing any associated fees or penalties for early termination. You should also define the notice period for cancellations.

Performance metrics and reporting: Clearly define the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the campaign, as well as the frequency and format of performance reports. This should include metrics like impressions, click-through rates, and conversion rates.

Warranty and liability: This section outlines any guarantees provided by the publisher regarding ad performance. It also defines liability limitations in case of performance issues or technical difficulties.

Force majeure: This clause frees both parties from liability or obligation in case of unforeseeable circumstances that prevent fulfillment of the contract.

Terms and conditions: Additional terms, conditions, or obligations that the advertiser or publisher need to adhere to should be stated clearly to prevent misunderstandings or disputes.

What is an Insertion Order example workflow?

Despite the mass-adoption of digital workflows to manage contracts, many organizations still rely on a manual process to create insertion orders. This process can be cumbersome and time-consuming, with numerous steps and potential pain points.

1. Planning

The initial stage involves planning the specifics of the ad campaign. This includes deciding the type of ad, the target audience, placement details, and the total number of insertions.

2. Drafting

Once the parameters of the agreement are agreed upon, the legal or perhaps marketing department will draft the insertion order. What this process looks like will depend on whether there's an insertion order template in place or not.

If there is, the contract owner will retrieve the IO template and populate it manually in a Word file or Google Doc, editing it to make it relevant and appropriate for that particular ad campaign. As well as changing details like parties, dates, addresses and costs, clause language itself will likely need to be changed too.

There's always the risk of marketing teams using an outdated insertion order template at this stage, or going off-piste with the terms. This risk only increases when the business doesn't have its own advertising insertion order template.

3. Negotiation

The media planner or buyer then negotiates the terms of the campaign with the publisher or media outlet. This negotiation covers details like pricing, placement timings, and performance expectations.

Insertion orders will usually be shared via email and moved into Word for redlining, with any additional comments scattered across email chains. This can be a lengthy and repetitive process, especially if parties struggle to reach terms they both agree on.

4. Signing

Once approved, the insertion order is sent to the publisher for final review and signature. The advertiser also signs the document, either in wet ink or via an eSigning tool, finalizing the agreement.

5. Execution and Management

After the signed IO is returned, the campaign is executed as per the terms of the contract. Contract performance is tracked manually, and any deviations from the agreed-upon terms are addressed directly with the publisher.

Problems with the manual process

As we just heard, the manual process for managing insertion orders involves several tools and lots of back and forth. This causes businesses a few headaches:

It's time-consuming. Manual drafting, reviewing, and managing of insertion orders can be a lengthy process, especially for large or complex ad campaigns.

It's too easy to make mistakes: Manual entry of data increases the likelihood of human error. These errors can lead to misunderstandings or disputes down the line.

It's inefficient: Manual processes lack the efficiency of automated systems. For example, tracking performance against the terms of the IO often involves manually collecting and collating data.

Manual insertion orders don't scale: For businesses running multiple ad campaigns across different channels, managing insertion orders manually can quickly become unmanageable.

How to automate Insertion Orders with a free insertion order template

Fortunately, there's a way for businesses to streamline the process used to manage insertion orders. They can set up the free insertion order template above in Juro's contract management platform to automate it.

Here's what that workflow looks like:

1. Marketing teams can generate an insertion order in Juro using an automated contract template defined and approved by legal.

2. The template is populated automatically in Juro. This is done by pulling your responses to a short Q&A form into the contract, or by pulling the data in from another business tool, which can be done via an integration. You can use Juro's AI Assistant to have generative AI help out with clause language, providing drafting, review and summary functionality.

3. Legal teams can set rules and conditions in their insertion order template. This can be set up so that certain clauses will appear, disappear or change depending on the information in the contract. This is achieved through a feature called conditional logic.

4. The contract is shared with the counterparty for review and signing in Juro. If they decide to negotiate the terms, they can do this by adding comments and suggestions in Juro's browser-based negotiation workspace. No more switching between files and tools!

5. When the terms have been agreed, the parties will sign the contract. This also happens in Juro as Juro has native electronic signing capabilities.

6. Post-signature, the contracts are stored securely in Juro's data-rich contract repository. From there, legal and marketing teams can gain instant visibility into contracts and their data with Juro's custom contract dashboards, OCR-enabled search feature, and automated key date reminders.

Ready to automate Insertion Orders (IOs) in Juro?

If creating and managing insertion orders is a headache for your business, it's worth considering how a contract management solution can help.

Juro powers contracts for 6000+ companies around the world already, allowing them to:

Agree contracts ten times faster by streamlining collaboration between legal and business teams
Safely automate up to 75 percent of routine contract admin tasks, freeing up time for higher-value work
Gain instant visibility into their contract data with real-time dynamic reports, automated key date reminders and OCR-search.

To find out more about Juro and how it can make managing insertion orders faster and more efficient, hit the button below.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is an insertion order template?

An insertion order template is a ready-made contract that an advertiser or agency can adapt for each campaign it books with a publisher. It records what the advertiser is buying, such as the ad formats and placements. It also sets the dates the ads will run and the price.

Do I need an insertion order for a single small ad placement?

Usually, yes. Without one, there’s no agreed record of what the publisher promised to deliver, so a dispute over a missed placement or an unexpected invoice comes down to email threads. Many publishers won’t run a campaign without a signed IO anyway, and a short one takes minutes to fill in.

How is an insertion order different from an advertising agreement?

An advertising agreement usually sets the overall relationship between an advertiser and a publisher or agency, including legal terms like liability and payment. An insertion order covers one campaign or flight, and it often refers back to those master terms or to a set of standard industry terms. Agencies that buy media regularly tend to use both.

What cancellation terms should an advertiser ask for?

Ask for the right to cancel without penalty if you give notice before the ads start running, and set out how much notice you need to give once they have. Publishers often treat premium or guaranteed placements as non-cancellable, so check those terms carefully before signing. Cancellation is the term most often argued about, because the advertiser’s plans can change faster than the publisher can resell the space.

What happens if the publisher under-delivers?

Most IOs deal with this through a make-good, where the publisher runs extra ads to make up the shortfall. The IO should say how delivery is measured and whether the advertiser can choose a refund or credit if a make-good isn’t suitable, for example when the campaign was tied to a launch date.

Can I use this template as it is?

It’s a sound starting point, but it works best when you tailor the campaign details and the cancellation terms to each publisher and remove anything that doesn’t apply. If the publisher sends its own IO, compare its terms with yours before signing. For specific legal advice on your contract templates, consult an attorney.

What’s the easiest way to manage insertion orders?

Build the template in Juro once and let your media buyers generate each insertion order from it, filling in the campaign details and the budget. If your standard cancellation or payment terms change, you update that one template and every new IO follows. Signed IOs are stored together, so you can search them for flight dates and cancellation deadlines across every campaign.

Can Juro create a template like this for me?

Yes. In Juro, Operator can turn your existing IOs and media contracts into a new template, following your drafting style and the positions you usually take on terms like cancellation and make-goods. That gives you a first draft that reflects your risk appetite, which your legal team approves before anyone uses it.

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