This article will cover the following:
Welcome to CAKE
This guide walks new advertisers through getting started on a CAKE-powered network — from setting up your account and configuring tracking to creating your first offer, reading your performance reports, and managing your billing.
Note:
This guide is for new advertisers accessing a CAKE-powered network. If you are a network operator or affiliate, see the dedicated onboarding guides for your role.
This guide is for new advertisers accessing a CAKE-powered network. If you are a network operator or affiliate, see the dedicated onboarding guides for your role.
1
Account Setup and First Login
⏰ Est. 10 min
Note:
Your account manager has created your advertiser account and you should have received a welcome email with your login credentials. If you haven't received it, check your spam folder or reach out to your account manager before proceeding.
Your account manager has created your advertiser account and you should have received a welcome email with your login credentials. If you haven't received it, check your spam folder or reach out to your account manager before proceeding.
Log in for the first time
Navigate to your network's CAKE-powered portal using the URL in your welcome email. Enter your username and temporary password, then follow the prompt to set a new, secure password (minimum 12 characters including uppercase, lowercase, number, and special character).
Login Page → Enter Credentials → Set New PasswordComplete your advertiser profile
Fill in your company's legal name, website URL, primary contact name, and business address. This information is used for billing, contracts, and publisher-facing offer details — accuracy is important.
My Account → Profile → Edit ProfileAdd authorized account users
If colleagues need platform access — such as your marketing manager or finance team — add them as additional users and assign each the appropriate role (Admin, Reporting Only, etc.) to control their permission level.
My Account → Users → Add UserConfigure notification preferences
Set up email alerts for conversion spikes, budget thresholds, and billing reminders. Staying informed proactively helps you catch issues early and keep campaigns running smoothly.
My Account → Notifications → Manage AlertsReview and accept the advertiser agreement
Before creating offers or accessing full platform features, review and electronically accept the network's advertiser terms and conditions. Your account manager can answer any questions about the agreement.
My Account → Documents → Advertiser Agreement → Accept✓ Once you've logged in and completed your profile, you're cleared to begin exploring the platform. Keep your credentials secure and never share your password.
2
Platform Navigation
⏰ Est. 15 min
Note:
CAKE's advertiser portal is organized around a clean top navigation bar with role-based menu access. Familiarize yourself with the key sections before you launch your first campaign.
CAKE's advertiser portal is organized around a clean top navigation bar with role-based menu access. Familiarize yourself with the key sections before you launch your first campaign.
Familiarize yourself with the Dashboard
Your dashboard provides a real-time snapshot of campaign performance including clicks, conversions, spend, and revenue. Widgets are configurable — pin the metrics most relevant to your business and set the default date range to match your reporting cadence.
Dashboard (Home icon in top navigation)Explore the Offers menu
The Offers section is where you'll create, manage, and monitor all of your active campaigns. Each offer represents a product or promotion you want publishers to drive traffic toward.
Top Navigation → Offers → Manage OffersLocate the Reports section
CAKE's reporting suite lets you slice performance data by date, offer, publisher, creative, geo, device, and more. Bookmark Reports now — you'll return here regularly to monitor campaign health and optimize payout decisions.
Top Navigation → Reports → Performance ReportsReview the Billing and Invoices area
The Billing section displays your account balance, payment history, upcoming invoice amounts, and payment method on file. Confirm your billing contact and payment method are correctly configured to avoid campaign disruptions.
Top Navigation → Billing → Account SummaryAccess Help and Support resources
CAKE maintains a knowledge base accessible from within the portal. Use it to look up feature documentation, troubleshooting guides, and tracking implementation references any time you need a quick answer.
Top Navigation → Help → Knowledge Base3
Setting Up Conversion Tracking
⏰ Est. 30–60 min (with developer support)
Caution:
Accurate conversion tracking is the foundation of your entire campaign. Do not launch offers to publishers until your tracking is verified and firing correctly. Untracked conversions result in missed publisher payouts, compliance issues, and unreliable reporting.
Accurate conversion tracking is the foundation of your entire campaign. Do not launch offers to publishers until your tracking is verified and firing correctly. Untracked conversions result in missed publisher payouts, compliance issues, and unreliable reporting.
Understand your tracking options
CAKE supports three primary tracking methods: server-to-server postback URL (preferred — reliable, not blocked by ad blockers), pixel-based (image or JS tag on your confirmation page), and mobile SDK for app-based conversions. Discuss with your account manager which method fits your technical setup.
See: Tracking & Conversions in CAKEImplement a postback URL (recommended)
Configure your order confirmation or lead submission system to call CAKE's postback URL when a conversion occurs. You must capture and pass back the click ID from the original tracking link — this is what CAKE uses to attribute the conversion to the right affiliate.
Offers → [Select Offer] → Tracking Tab → Copy Postback URLPlace a conversion pixel (alternative method)
If server-side integration is not available, place the CAKE conversion pixel (image tag or JavaScript snippet) on your confirmation or thank-you page just before the closing body tag. Pixels are easier to implement but can be blocked by browser privacy settings.
Offers → [Select Offer] → Tracking Tab → Pixel CodeTest your conversion tracking
Complete a test conversion using a test link before going live. Verify the conversion appears in Reports → Conversions with an Approved or Pending status. Do not launch publisher traffic until at least one test conversion fires successfully.
Reports → Conversions → Verify test conversionUnderstand conversion statuses
Once conversions fire, each one is assigned a status: Approved (will be paid out), Pending (under review), Rejected (invalid), or Scrubbed (removed for quality or compliance reasons). Understanding these statuses helps you manage billing and resolve disputes.
Reports → Conversion Report → Status column4
Creating Your First Offer
⏰ Est. 20–30 min
Note:
Offers are the central unit of CAKE — everything from affiliate tracking links to conversion attribution and billing flows through an offer record. Take time to configure your first offer carefully.
Offers are the central unit of CAKE — everything from affiliate tracking links to conversion attribution and billing flows through an offer record. Take time to configure your first offer carefully.
Create a new offer
Go to Offers → Add Offer and fill in your campaign's name, payout structure (CPA, CPL, CPS), destination URL, and description. Choose a clear name that affiliates will immediately understand — this is what they see when browsing the marketplace.
Offers → Add OfferSet geo and device targeting
Restrict your offer to the countries, device types, and operating systems that your campaign supports. Configure a fallback offer so traffic that doesn't match your targeting is redirected rather than dropped — this protects affiliate relationships.
Offers → [Select Offer] → Targeting TabConfigure offer caps
Set daily, monthly, or overall conversion caps to protect your budget. An unexpectedly high-performing offer can exhaust your entire budget in hours without caps. Set cap alerts at 80% so you receive advance warning before traffic stops.
Offers → [Select Offer] → Caps TabUpload creative assets
Add banners, text links, HTML creatives, and landing page URLs that affiliates can use to promote your offer. Providing multiple banner sizes (300×250, 728×90, 160×600) gives affiliates flexibility across different ad placements.
Offers → [Select Offer] → Creatives Tab → Add CreativeActivate the offer
Once your tracking is tested and all settings are configured, change the offer status from Pending to Active. Affiliates with access will immediately be able to generate tracking links and begin sending traffic.
Offers → [Select Offer] → Status → ActiveCaution:
Always verify your destination URL is live and your tracking is firing before setting an offer to Active. A broken link or silent tracking failure means lost traffic and frustrated affiliate partners.
Always verify your destination URL is live and your tracking is firing before setting an offer to Active. A broken link or silent tracking failure means lost traffic and frustrated affiliate partners.
5
Reports and Billing
⏰ Est. 15–20 min
Note:
Use CAKE's reporting suite to monitor campaign performance and your billing section to stay on top of spend and invoices.
Use CAKE's reporting suite to monitor campaign performance and your billing section to stay on top of spend and invoices.
Run an Offer Performance Report
Filter the Offer Report to your campaigns and a specific date range to see clicks, conversions, spend, and conversion rate. Use this to identify which creatives and affiliates are driving the best results.
Reports → Offer Report → Filter by offer → Run ReportRun a Conversion Report for reconciliation
The Conversion Report shows individual conversion records with status, payout, click ID, and timestamp. Use this to verify conversion counts, investigate rejected conversions, and prepare for billing reconciliation.
Reports → Conversion Report → Filter by date → Run ReportExport your report data
Click Export or Download after running any report to save results as a CSV file. Use this for sharing with your finance team, loading into a BI tool, or reconciling against your internal order management system.
Reports → [Any Report] → Export / DownloadReview your invoices
Navigate to Billing → Invoices to see all invoices in their current status (Draft, Pending, Approved, or Paid). Confirm your billing cycle and payment method are correctly set up to avoid campaign interruptions.
Billing → InvoicesSet up scheduled reports
Configure automated weekly or monthly reports delivered to your inbox. This eliminates manual report-pulling and ensures consistent visibility into campaign performance without logging in every day.
Reports → [Run Report] → Schedule → Create Schedule6
Best Practices
⏰ Reference
Tracking and Campaign Setup Best Practices
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Test your tracking with a live test conversion before going live | Launch publisher traffic before verifying at least one successful test conversion |
| Set offer caps before activating any offer | Leave offers uncapped — unexpected volume can exhaust your budget in hours |
| Upload multiple creative sizes for each offer | Provide only one creative size — affiliates need flexibility across placements |
| Configure a fallback offer on every geo-targeted campaign | Drop non-matching traffic — lost clicks damage affiliate relationships |
| Notify your account manager immediately if you see unexpected conversion spikes | Wait to see if a spike resolves on its own |
Billing and Compliance Best Practices
| Do | Don't |
|---|---|
| Confirm your billing cycle before the first invoice is generated | Change billing cycles mid-period — it creates partial billing confusion |
| Review invoices in Draft status before they are approved | Wait until invoices are Paid to spot billing discrepancies |
| Share your suppression lists with the network before campaigns launch | Launch campaigns without providing suppression data — it creates compliance risk |
| Keep your primary billing contact details accurate and current | Let billing contact information become outdated — payment issues follow |
If you have any questions, please reach out to your dedicated CAKE Client Success Manager/Account Manager or contact the CAKE Support Team at support@getCAKE.com.