Social Media Marketing Deal FAQs

These FAQs address common questions related to Social Media Marketing Deals offered by City Lifestyle. All answers below apply exclusively to social media marketing campaigns sold as part of a bundled print + digital agreement.

Deal Requirements & Eligibility

Why don’t I see the “New Social Media Marketing Deal” button in ARC?

The button only appears when the client has an active print agreement with at least 12 months remaining. If there is no qualifying print agreement in place, the button will not be visible.

Can a client run a social media marketing campaign without a print agreement?

No. Social Media Marketing Deals require a minimum 12-month print advertising agreement. Digital-only campaigns are not permitted.

Can a client upgrade their agreement during their campaign?

Yes. You can reach out to the campaign manager to coordinate the upgrade. We allow this at any time during their contract. 

Can a client downgrade their agreement during their campaign? 

No. If a client wants to downgrade their campaign, they will need to cancel and sign a new 12 month minimum contract.

Are SMM agreements able to be paused?

No. If the magazine ad is being paused for a prolonged period of time, the social media marketing agreement will be cancelled. We do not offer any pauses on social media marketing campaigns. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Publisher Social Media Agreement Compensation

What commission does the publisher receive on Social Media Marketing Deals?

Publishers receive commission on the digital portion of qualifying bundled print + digital agreements. Commission is calculated per individual magazine based on total monthly collected digital revenue for that specific publication.

Commission Tiered Structure (Per Single Magazine)

25% of total monthly collected digital revenue (base rate)

30% if the magazine reaches $10,000 in total monthly collected digital revenue

35% if the magazine reaches $20,000 in total monthly collected digital revenue

Commission Clarifications

Are revenue thresholds calculated per publisher or per magazine?

Commission tiers are calculated per individual magazine, not across a publisher’s entire portfolio.

If a publisher manages multiple magazines, do all magazines qualify for higher commission if one magazine reaches a threshold?

No. Only the magazine(s) that individually reach the $10K or $20K collected revenue thresholds qualify for the higher commission tier. The total TCV exceeding 10k must be under one singular magazine. We do not add up their total revenue across each magazine and base the commission percentage on that, the revenue must be under a single magazine to qualify for a bump in commission.

Is commission paid on contracted revenue or collected revenue?

Commission is paid on collected revenue only.

What happens if a client upgrades, downgrades, or cancels their bundled agreement?

Commission adjustments resulting from upgrades or bundled cancellations tied to print termination will be reconciled accordingly. Downgrades mid-term are not permitted.

Does commission apply if the bundled agreement is not in good standing?

No. Commission applies only to bundled agreements that remain active and in good standing.

Campaign Onboarding & Launch

How soon does onboarding begin after the deal is signed?

The onboarding email is sent automatically after the digital agreement is signed. The client will receive a welcome email coming from the publisher (ARC sends automatically) with information on what to expect next and a link to their onboarding form.

The client can also access the onboarding form in their customer portal under the “Social Media” tab. 

What if the client does not complete the onboarding form?

If the form isn’t submitted within 5 business days, our team will proceed by collecting relevant assets from the client’s existing content to keep the campaign on schedule.

When does billing begin for Social Media Marketing Deals?

Billing begins on the campaign launch date, which becomes the client’s recurring billing date. Clients will receive confirmation via email and instructions on how to access campaign reporting.

Where are the Social Media Marketing Deal ads posted from?

Ads are published from the City Lifestyle publication’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, not the client’s social media accounts. 

Campaign Structure & Management

How often and when are Social Media Marketing Deal campaigns updated?

Each campaign runs in 3-month cycles (90 days) within a 12-month agreement. This helps align the messaging with seasonal trends and keep the content fresh. We will post a new ad for the client every 30 days, meaning they get 12 ads per 12-month agreement.

Can a client cancel their Social Media Marketing Deal campaign?

We do not allow cancellations for social media marketing campaigns. There is no cancellation policy as cancellations are not accepted. Cancellations will only be processed if the client is also cancelling their print agreement. 

What happens if a payment fails for a social media marketing agreement?

The client has 10 days to rectify the unpaid invoice. We send the client and the publisher an email immediately upon payment failure. They receive several reminder emails if the payment is not received. After 10 days, the agreement will automatically cancel. 

What happens if a contract cancels due to non-payment?

The client has a 7-day grace period to request reinstatement. The client must reach out to their campaign manager to request reinstatement.

The campaign will remain off until the payment is made by the client. If they do not make the payment within the 7-day grace period, they must sign a new agreement to continue. The SMM team will receive an email notification when the payment is received. 

If card information is updated for print, will it automatically apply to the social media marketing agreement?

No. If the social media marketing agreement payment method also needs updated, this change must be made manually. 

Creative & Targeting

Can clients provide their own ad creative for the Social Media Marketing Deal?

Yes, clients can submit their creative assets during onboarding for Social Media Marketing Deals. However, it will need to be formatted to the correct sizes for delivery in all placements on Meta Platforms. The publisher or the client can reach out to their campaign manager to get the exact formats for each placement. If it is incorrectly formatted, we cannot run the ad.

Can my client request changes to the Social Media Marketing Deal ad copy or visuals after the ad goes live?

Once an ad is live, we will allow it to complete its 30-day cycle to maintain consistent performance data. However, if there’s a major issue (e.g., incorrect information), you can reach out to the campaign team to request an edit.

How is the Social Media Marketing Deal ad’s target audience chosen?

Our team uses Meta’s tools to build a custom audience based on the client’s goals and demographic info from onboarding. We can target by:

• Age
• Behaviors
• Interests
• Location (within the set radius)

Can we move the radius so my client can promote a business location that is outside of the radius of our print distribution?

No, the location targeting must fall within the defined targeting radius of the publication’s print distribution area. If our Gold tier digital package (20 miles) does not cover the area the client wants to promote, we cannot move the radius to accommodate that location. This restriction exists due to the co-branded nature of our campaigns, ads must remain geographically aligned with the city center of the print distribution to ensure consistency and campaign integrity.

Is the targeting location of the ad based on the business’s address, or can the client pick the location?

No, the targeting radius is based on the city center of the magazine’s print distribution zip codes, not the business's physical address. The targeting radius will only be adjusted if it’s significantly impacted by a large body of water or uninhabited land, such as a national park or reserve, to ensure optimal ad delivery to populated areas.

Can I choose the audience for the ad (e.g., homeowners, parents, etc.)?

We use Meta’s targeting tools to build a custom audience based on the client’s goals and target demographic, which they share during onboarding. While you can’t hand-pick specific users, we do our best to match the campaign to the intended audience. We can generally target by age, location, behaviors, interests, and other demographic indicators.

Ad Destination & Reporting

What if the client wants to link to their website instead of the City Lifestyle Digital Directory?

If the client wants to link their ad to their website, we’ll need to go through the Meta Business account partnering process to get proper permissions. If they prefer to skip that, we can link the ad to their City Lifestyle digital directory and create a pop-up message that encourages users to visit their site.

How does the client see the campaign results?

Clients will receive instructions to access their ARC customer portal, where they can view performance metrics and reporting for their campaign. They can find their impressions, clicks, and click-through rate under the “Ads” tab in their customer portal under “Advertising Reach”.