We've seen thousands of campaign reports. The vast majority share the same problem: they tell you what happened, but not what to do about it. Great reporting should drive action, not just inform.
The Problem with Standard Reports
Typical programmatic reports focus on vanity metrics: impressions served, click-through rates, and spend against budget. While these are necessary, they rarely answer the questions that matter: "Is this working?" and "What should we change?"
Building Actionable Reports
Every metric in your report should answer one question: "So what?" If a CTR dropped, the report should explain why and recommend a fix. If a creative is outperforming, the report should propose scaling it.
The Three-Layer Framework
- Layer 1 — Executive Summary: 3-5 bullet points answering "Are we on track?" Goes to leadership.
- Layer 2 — Performance Analysis: Channel-level breakdown with trend lines and benchmarks. Goes to marketing managers.
- Layer 3 — Tactical Recommendations: Specific optimizations with expected impact. Goes to the trading desk.
Conclusion
The best report is one that your team actually reads and acts on. Keep it concise, make it actionable, and always lead with "here's what we recommend changing."
