Advertising Guidelines

Our advertising guidelines dictate the rules regarding campaigns that you submit to us. We strive to make the process as simple as possible, but if you have a question please feel free to contact us.

Throughout this guide, we frequently use the terms 'campaign(s)' and 'advertisement(s)'. On Sailstream, a campaign refers to an entire advertising campaign while an advertisement refers to the actual advertising content within a campaign.

Creating a Campaign
Allow Mature

Some streamers are tagged as having potentially mature content: generally, this can mean adult language or references, but may vary from very mild to very extreme.

This checkbox allows you to notify us whether you are comfortable with your advertisement running on a stream that has been tagged as having mature content.

If you choose to leave this checked (meaning that you're comfortable with allowing your campaign on mature streams), your campaign will reach the greatest possible audience. Obviously, unchecking this reduces the potential streams that your campaign will be shown on.


Campaign Type

There is currently only one campaign type, but we have more in the works -- stay tuned.

Image

The standard campaign: runs an image on the stream.

An image campaign is probably what you're used to, if you've seen ads on eSports streams. Your image will display on stream in a 5:16 aspect ratio.

Where your image displays is up to the streamer: they are able to designate the region of their screen where advertisements appear.

Your image will display on stream for 7 full seconds before your advertisement fades out and changes to another campaign. The is the standard for all image campaigns, regardless of how the campaign is targeted.


Campaign Target

There are currently three targeting methods for campaigns on Sailstream: Fill campaigns, targeted campaigns, and subscription campaigns.

Fill Campaigns

Most economical but least targetable.

Fill campaigns are the least expensive option: they have no targeting and can play on any available stream.

A fill campaign is a great choice when you're just looking to get some impressions and viewers from any stream will do.

Since your campaign isn't restricted to certain parameters, the campaign will fulfill the impressions quite quickly.

Targeted Campaigns

Higher cost but also offering full customization.

Targeted campaigns are more expensive than fill campaigns as they offer customization over where the campaign is placed.

This is a great option for advertisers who are familiar with eSports. You can use a targeted campaign to select a certain streamer who will be the sole recipient of your campaign.

Obviously, targeted campaigns allow a more personal approach -- you are focusing your campaign around a certain streamer. This enables you to build a connection with streamers for future partnerships and other advertising opportunities.

Subscription Campaigns

Designed for bulk advertisers who want recurring campaigns with complete customization.

Subscription campaigns are specifically designed for advertisers who require large campaigns on a recurring basis.

This campaign type is disabled for new campaigns as it requires a great deal of communication between the advertiser and Sailstream. If you're interested, please contact us.


Campaign Budget

You must pay for your campaign before it can run on stream. The impressions your campaign receives modifies your campaign's budget. You may choose to either price your campaign by impressions or by a (lifetime/daily) budget.

Additionally, you must select the start and end days of your campaign. It is your responsibility to select a reasonable running time for your campaign. If for example you choose to run an intraday campaign (starting and ending on the same day), and choose 100,000,000 impressions, this is obviously unrealistic.

Finally, we do not make any guarantees that your campaign will complete all impressions within the timeframe you specify, or at all. This is because the volume of available streaming inventory on which we can place advertisements is constantly fluctuating and many streamers do not maintain a strict streaming schedule. Should your realistic campaign not complete within the specified timeframe, you will be given a set of choices: extend your campaign or request a refund of the unspent funds.


Image Configuration

If you are running any type of image campaign, you must upload an advertisement that will be shown on stream. The image you upload will be cropped and resized to 1280px x 400px and will display on stream in the same 5:16 aspect ratio as displayed in the campaign creation preview window.

Requirements for the advertisement content are covered below.


Campaign Payment

Initially, your payment method is authorized to ensure that it is valid. This authorization places a hold on the funds in your account, for the total amount of the campaign.
If the authorization is unsuccessful, you must retry your payment method or pay using another method.

If the authorization is successful, your campaign is sent to Sailstream and (if it is targeted), the streamer for approval.
If the campaign is rejected, the authorization will be released and the funds will be returned to your account. If it is approved, then your payment is submitted for settlement. This will initiate the transfer of the authorized funds to Sailstream.

If submitting the charge is successful, your campaign will begin on the start date you selected. If it is not successful, you must retry your payment method or pay using another method.

Finally, you may not archive or cancel the campaign after it is approved.


Content Policy

We review and approve/reject every single campaign to ensure that it is appropriate and complies with our content policy. It is important to note that we reserve the right to deny a campaign at any time and for any reason, even if it complies with our content policy. Additionally, we will retain the advertisements you upload after the campaign has been completed and they may be used in determining the approval/rejection decision of future advertisements. We may also ban you should you repeatedly create campaigns that are rejected.

In general, use your best judgement when determining if the content of an advertisement is appropriate.

Your campaign will be rejected if it contains references to or products with any of the following attributes:

  • Illegal products/services
  • Prescription or recreational drugs
  • Tobacco products
  • Weapons
  • Adult content, products, or services
  • Defamatory statements or content
  • Discriminatory content
  • Content directed at an individual
  • Misleading content
  • Content infringing on intellectual property
  • Links leading to unassociated content
  • Links leading to viruses/spyware/malware/trackers
  • Dynamic/auto-shortened links
  • Shocking content
  • Disrespectful content
  • Profanity
  • Credit cards/loans/financially-regulated content
  • Animated advertisement image
  • Low quality/illegible advertisement image
  • Incorrect spelling or grammar
  • Content without purpose
  • Disruptive or controversial content

Campaign Approval

If your campaign meets the content policy, expect your campaign to be approved promptly. If we have further questions about your identity or the content of your campaign, we may contact you to request additional information.

We strive to approve/reject campaigns immediately. However, there may be times when we are overwhelmed with new campaigns. If we aren't able to approve your campaign until after your scheduled start date, Sailstream will automatically add time to your campaign to make up for the lost time before it was approved. Specifically, if the campaign isn't approved by 12PM (noon) pacific time on the scheduled start date, we will add one day to the end date for each day we are late in approving your campaign.


Streaming Guidelines

Our streaming guidelines define what is acceptable for streamers on Sailstream. We strive to make the process as simple as possible, but if you have a question please feel free to contact us.

Maturity

Twitch allows you to specify if your stream is designated for mature audiences. We highly recommend that you have this option enabled if your stream frequently includes profanity or other adult content.

Campaign Approval

You have the ability to choose your preferences regarding how you receive campaigns. If you would like to maximize your earnings potential on Sailstream, you should opt to receive fill campaigns and to trust Sailstream's approval of targeted campaigns. However, if you would like to control exactly what appears on your stream, you should elect to disable fill campaigns and manually approve targeted campaigns. This will reduce your earnings. We will email you whenever you receive a new targeted campaign that is waiting for your approval, and you will only see a campaign pending your approval once we have pre-screened and approved it, as we do for all campaigns regardless of type.