Platforms without a connector

How their data comes in

For a platform without a connector, Growth Dept MTA still attributes the traffic it sends, from the UTM tags on its links and the Growth Dept pixel. It cannot read that platform's spend, so you send the spend yourself, through the spend API or a spreadsheet.

Settings > Connections shows cards for several of these platforms, such as Tatari, Attentive Mobile, Rakuten and LiveIntent, with the Connect button switched off.

Tracking parameters

Tag every link with UTM parameters. Settings > UTM guide has exact strings for Criteo, Grin, LiveIntent, Outbrain, Partnerize, Postscript, Rakuten, Revcontent, ShareASale, StackAdapt and Taboola. For any other platform, fill in the template below, and use a paid medium (paid, cpc or display) for paid traffic so it counts as paid.

utm_source=<platform>&utm_medium=<paid, email, sms, affiliate or influencer>&utm_campaign=<campaign>&utm_term=<ad set>&utm_content=<ad>

Visits are recorded only where the pixel runs. Settings > Growth Dept Pixel and Event Tracking has the scripts for your storefront.

Sending spend through the API

The spend API takes up to 10,000 daily rows per request: platform, date, currency and spend, with optional impressions, clicks, the platform's own conversions and conversion value, and campaign, ad set and ad IDs and names. Rows upsert on platform, date, account, campaign, ad set and ad: a row sent again replaces the stored one, and rows you do not send are kept. Amounts are converted once to the brand's currency at that day's rate.

An owner or admin of the brand's organization creates the key under Settings > API Keys and gives it the spend:write scope. The API docs cover the headers every request sends.

Uploading a spreadsheet

Settings > Data Spreadsheets takes a CSV file of daily spend, up to 10,000 rows. Each row needs a date, a platform and the spend; currency, impressions, clicks and the campaign, ad set and ad columns are optional, and the page offers a template file. You see what the file will add before you import it, and uploading a corrected file replaces the rows it repeats.

Moving to a connector

A platform with a live connection refuses rows from the spend API and spreadsheets, so its spend is never counted twice. Rows sent before you connect stay, though, and they carry their own account ID, so they would be counted on top of the connected spend. Remove them before you connect; Settings > Data Spreadsheets lists each upload.