Unlocking Untapped Revenue: How Publishers Make Small Deals Profitable with Automation
In the fast-paced world of digital publishing, big-name accounts get the spotlight but small-to-medium business (SMB) advertisers are where untapped revenue lives. The catch? These deals are tough to scale—unless operations are built for efficiency from the ground up.
SMB Advertising: The Hidden Goldmine
Every local plumber, boutique fitness studio, or new restaurant wants to reach relevant readers. For most publishers, though, the paperwork and manual chaos mean small deals aren’t worth the hassle. That’s where ad automation flips the script.
SMBs want campaigns launched quickly, with a clear dashboard and timely billing.
Manual creative collection can eat up more hours than the campaign is worth.
Too many moving parts slow everything down.
Automation in Action: Making Small Deals Work
Platforms designed for publisher operations—like FatTail Portal—make it possible to serve SMBs profitably. The difference is night and day.
Automated reminders help clients send assets, no nagging needed.
Dashboards and self-service tools put the basics at clients’ fingertips.
Billing and reporting? Streamlined for speed.
Real Success: The Business Journals’ Approach
By embracing workflow automation, The Business Journals cut manual report time almost in half, freeing up 40 hours of client service per month. That means less stress, quicker campaigns, and more room for growth—even with a high volume of unique small campaigns.
AI and the Future of Media Planning
AI tools are already here, helping publishers assemble plans, suggest products, and speed up approvals. Small deals move from “burden” to “opportunity” when planning gets smart.
Key Takeaways:
Automation transforms SMB campaigns from break-even to growth engines.
Platforms like FatTail Portal prove you can give small clients big-agency treatment—and grow profitably.
With smarter workflows and AI-powered planning, publishers can finally say yes to more, without adding staff or overhead.
Discover how FatTail Portal helps publishers profitably serve small-to-medium advertisers without extra staffing in the on-demand Pub Pitch webinar. Hear from FatTail, Cox Automotive, and American City Business Journals about scaling workflows and growing revenue with automation.