Outbrain Ads

Outbrain Amplify supports a browser pixel and server-to-server conversion tracking. Its advertiser API manages campaigns and reporting, while the conversion guide uses a GET postback with a click ID. See Outbrain conversion setup and server-to-server tracking.

Use ad-conversion-hub for the canonical event envelope, consent gate, identity rules, retry policy, and adapter contract. Pair it with ad-experiments for one-audience tests, seed sizing, PII-export authorization, and payment-provider truth.

Account and access

Create an Amplify account at my.outbrain.com. Outbrain’s current advertiser guide presents this as the account entry point.

The Amplify API is a separate access path. Outbrain’s advertiser guide says that API access is available to selected partners by request. Apply through the Amplify API access form.

The Amplify API covers marketers, budgets, campaigns, promoted links, and performance reporting. Its official reference does not list conversion ingestion as an API entity. See Amplify API reference.

Outbrain’s fetched guides define no environment-variable names. Use these hub-side names and label them as local configuration. See Amplify API reference:

OUTBRAIN_ADS_MARKETER_ID   public value used as OB_ADV_ID in the pixel
OUTBRAIN_ADS_API_TOKEN     server-only Amplify API token

The server-to-server guide defines a postback URL without an Amplify API token. Use that postback and the click ID captured by your server. See Outbrain server-to-server tracking.

Client-side Outbrain pixel

Open Conversions in Amplify and select Outbrain Pixel. Copy the generated code and place it in the <head> tag on every page that needs tracking. See install the Outbrain pixel.

The generated code defines OB_ADV_ID, creates window.obApi, loads //amplify.outbrain.com/cp/obtp.js, and tracks PAGE_VIEW. Copy the current snippet from Amplify instead of maintaining a hand-written copy. See the current pixel example.

Google Tag Manager is also supported. The Outbrain GTM guide supports direct Amplify connection or manual tag setup. The direct flow currently supports URL-based conversions, while event-based conversions need a GTM tag and trigger. See Outbrain pixel in GTM.

The browser pixel supports URL-based and event-based conversions. URL-based rules match a configured URL or URL fragment. Event-based rules track a named action, such as a button click or subscription. See conversion types.

Rule setup and event mapping

Create each conversion in Conversions → Add Conversion. Choose a category, give the conversion a name, and choose URL-based or event-based tracking. The conversion name must match the name sent by GTM, server-to-server tracking, or an imported conversion file. See create conversions.

Use event names that match the hub taxonomy. These names are local choices; Outbrain does not provide a fixed standard event list in the fetched guide. See event-based conversions.

For manual event tracking, install the base pixel and the generated event code. The event code is shown after you enter or change the conversion name. Event names are case-sensitive. See event setup and server-to-server event rules.

Server-side conversions API

Outbrain’s official conversion guide does not define a JSON Conversions API. The documented server-side route is an event-based conversion plus a GET request to https://tr.outbrain.com/unifiedPixel. See server-to-server tracking.

Create an event-based conversion in the Amplify Pixels → Conversions area. Set its name, conversion window, and value. You do not need to install the pixel code for this server-to-server setup. See server-side conversion setup.

Add this exact tracking parameter in the campaign’s Track box:

OutbrainClickId={{ob_click_id}}

Keep {{ob_click_id}} unchanged. Outbrain replaces this dynamic macro with a unique click ID and appends it to the landing URL as a query string value. See click parameter setup.

Store the landing value against the user or checkout in your server-side system. When the conversion occurs, send a GET request using this shape:

https://tr.outbrain.com/unifiedPixel?ob_click_id=CLICK_ID&name=EVENT_NAME

Replace CLICK_ID with the stored value. Replace EVENT_NAME with the exact case-sensitive conversion name. Keep the reserved keys ob_click_id and name, and URL-encode their values. See postback URL.

Outbrain documents these optional query parameters:

orderId=ORDER_ID
orderValue=ORDER_VALUE
currency=CURRENCY
timestamp=TIMESTAMP

The guide lists supported timestamp formats, including ISO-like forms with and without a timezone. Use one documented format and preserve the event time from the hub. See postback values and timestamp formats.

The Amplify API token uses the OB-TOKEN-V1 header for Amplify API requests. The official guide says tokens last 30 days. Do not add this token to the documented conversion postback. See Amplify API authentication and the postback contract.

Identity and consent

The fetched Outbrain conversion guides define click IDs, event names, order fields, currency, and timestamps. They do not define a customer email field, phone field, or SHA-256 hashing rule for this conversion path. Do not invent one or send an undocumented identity payload. See server-to-server fields.

For users in the EU or UK, Outbrain requires an IAB-compliant consent management platform and user consent before recording conversions. Gate the pixel and conversion postback through the hub consent record. See Outbrain pixel consent requirements and cookie and conversion tracking.

Click ID and first-party cookie

The campaign tracking key is OutbrainClickId. Its value comes from the dynamic macro {{ob_click_id}}. Capture it on the first landing request and associate it with the user or checkout before later conversion dispatch. See Outbrain click-ID tracking.

Outbrain’s UTM guide also supports {{macro}} and [macro] formats. Its recommended UTM string includes utm_source=Outbrain, utm_medium=Discovery, utm_campaign, utm_content={{ad_title}}, utm_term={{publisher_name}}_{{section_name}}, and utm_id={{section_id}}. See UTM tracking.

The fetched docs do not name an Outbrain cookie. Do not invent a cookie name. Outbrain says its pixel may use third-party or first-party cookies and may match users to conversions for up to 24 hours. See pixel cookie behavior.

The custom-audience console allows a cookie window from 1 to 180 days. This is an audience-segment setting, not the server-to-server click-ID lifetime. See custom audience setup.

Deduplication

Outbrain’s fetched conversion docs do not define a browser/server event ID, idempotency key, or deduplication field. Treat orderId as an optional order reporting field, not as a documented deduplication guarantee. See postback fields.

Keep one hub event_id across local browser and server records. Do not add an Outbrain deduplication field that the vendor does not document. See ad-conversion-hub.

Because Outbrain has no dedup field, send each conversion event through exactly one path — the browser pixel event-based rule or the server-to-server postback, not both — or Outbrain double-counts it with no way to reconcile the duplicate.

Amplify settings that override code

The conversion rule controls its category, name, URL or event condition, conversion window, and fixed value. If a dynamic value is also sent, Outbrain says the dynamic value is reported. See conversion settings.

Select Include in total conversions when the conversion should appear in total conversion metrics. Outbrain recommends marking one conversion for this purpose. See total conversion settings.

The conversion screen can also create an audience segment from converted users. Custom audiences support audience retargeting, story sequencing, converters segments, and value-based converters segments. See custom audiences.

For a conversion campaign, Amplify offers Conversion Bid Strategy modes such as Max Conversions, Target ROAS, Target CPA, and Semi Manual. The dashboard guide says this strategy appears for the Conversions or App Installs objective. See Amplify campaign settings.

Verification

Use the Outbrain Pixel Tracker browser extension to check that the pixel fires. The extension tests implementation; it does not itself prove an attributed conversion. See pixel installation and testing and conversion status.

In the Conversions tab, Pending means the action has not yet been tested or recorded. The documented pixel states include Active, No Recent Activity, and Not Active; No Recent Activity means no activity for over 72 hours. See Outbrain tracking status.

For server-side tracking, record the generated GET request and its response status as request proof. Then verify the named conversion in Amplify reporting. The server-to-server guide says a reported conversion appears in the dashboard. See server-side reporting.

Common pitfalls and security

• Copy the current generated pixel. Keep OB_ADV_ID equal to the marketer ID. See pixel code.
• Keep {{ob_click_id}} in the campaign tracking value. Do not replace the macro during setup. See click parameter setup.
• Keep ob_click_id and name as the postback keys. Send the postback with GET. See postback rules.
• Match event-name case exactly. Outbrain documents event names as case-sensitive. See server-to-server notes.
• Do not call the Amplify API a conversion API. Its documented entities cover campaign management and reporting. See Amplify API.
• Do not expect server-to-server tracking to report organic or direct purchases. Outbrain says it reports conversions that came from Outbrain. See server-to-server limits.
• Do not treat a pixel test as a conversion. Outbrain says testing does not register a dashboard conversion. See pixel status.
• Keep OUTBRAIN_ADS_API_TOKEN server-side. Send it as OB-TOKEN-V1 only for Amplify API requests. See API authentication.
• Never put tokens, click IDs, or raw identity data in logs, screenshots, browser bundles, or commits. The hub owns secret handling and identity retention. See ad-conversion-hub.
• Apply the EU and UK consent gate before pixel or conversion dispatch. See Outbrain consent requirements.

Official sources checked (2026-08-29)

• Install Outbrain pixel
• Create conversions with the Outbrain pixel
• Server-to-server integrations
• Pixel cookie and conversion tracking
• Outbrain pixel in Google Tag Manager
• UTM tracking
• Custom audiences
• Amplify API
• Amplify API access
• Amplify dashboard guide