If you are managing your own ad inventory, you already know that the open market is fantastic for filling space. However, it doesn’t always deliver the premium CPMs your highest-performing ad placements deserve. Instead of broadcasting your available ad slots to the entire internet, Private Auctions allow you to invite a specific, hand-picked list of high-quality advertisers to bid on your inventory. Let’s learn more!
What is a Private Auction?
The Private Auction in GAM is a way of selling your ad inventory that limits the number of advertisers allowed to participate in an auction. To start the process, you invite specific buyers. This gives them access to an auction. You can choose to give these buyers priority, or you can allow them to compete against the general Open Auction. When they bid, they must meet the minimum floor prices that you have set. By using this format for your non-guaranteed ad space, you gain strict control over how your ad inventory is sold.
How to set up a Private Auction
- After logging into your GAM account, navigate to “Sales” and then “Private Auctions”;
- Choose “New Private Auction”;
- Fill out the required information under “General settings“. They include contact information for the seller, name, and terms;
- Click “Save” and continue to finalize the deal parameters and send invitations to your selected buyers.
Then you are eligible to invite buyers (however, there is also an option to do that in the previous step), and here’s how:
- While in the GAM dashboard, go to “Sales”, then choose “Private Auctions”;
- Pick the specific Private Auction you want to update and click “Invite buyers”;
- In the “Buyer” or “Curator” section, designate who is managing the deal. If you choose “Curator,” a list of approved third-party partners will show up. You also have the option to select “Google Demand Facilitation” here;
- Fill out the sections for “Delivery settings“, “Additional settings“, and “Targeting“. They include the possibility of setting minimum prices, the start and end times of the auction, or, for instance, an “override blocks” setting which allows you to block some types of ads;
- Click “Invite buyers” to finish. Once you send the invitation, the Private Auction becomes active and ready to process transactions.
Brand safety GAM
Google Ad Manager lets you set strict ad content rules and delivery settings to protect your brand. Think of these protections as your uncompromising bouncer. Through GAM, you can block specific advertiser URLs, restrict certain ad categories, and even set competition rules to ensure two rival brands don’t show up side-by-side on your page. Ad content protections are an important way of ensuring brand safety, which helps to maintain your reputation and credibility.
Key benefits for publishers
When you set up a Private Auction in Google Ad Manager, you are taking direct control over who gets to purchase your highest-performing ad placements. Instead of opening your inventory to the entire open market, you restrict access to a select list of buyers. For publishers, this focused approach translates into three distinct advantages. First, you get exclusive buyer access. You decide exactly which advertisers get an invitation, keeping low-quality or irrelevant ads away from your site. Second, you have control over revenue floors. You establish the minimum price you are willing to accept. If buyers want to bid on this restricted inventory, their bids must meet the minimum CPM floor you have set. Finally, you maintain active competition. Even though the buyer list is limited, those invited buyers can compete against each other for the impression, potentially increasing competition for your inventory.
Private auctions vs preferred deals
It is incredibly common to mix up private auctions and preferred deals, as both methods give specific buyers special access to your inventory before it reaches the open market. The core difference comes down to pricing and competition. In a Preferred Deal, you negotiate a fixed CPM with a specific buyer, who gets the preferred opportunity to bid on the inventory at that price. That buyer gets a “first look” at your inventory, and if they want the ad space, they buy it at that exact negotiated price with zero bidding involved. In a private auction, however, you invite multiple buyers to the table. While you set a minimum required price, those invited buyers must still bid against one another to win the impression.
FAQ
1. What is a Private Auction in Google Ad Manager?
There are many ways of selling ad inventory in GAM, and a Private Auction is one of them. Think of it as an exclusive, invite-only event where you handpick the premium advertisers allowed to bid on your ad space. You set the minimum floor price, and those chosen buyers compete directly against each other to win the impression.
2. What changed in Google Ad Manager’s private auction settings in September 2026?
In GAM, you can set publisher-level blocks. This means you can create a master list of specific advertisers, brands, or buyers that are completely banned from showing ads anywhere on your website. Starting September 17, 2026, Google is changing how these master blocklists interact with your Private Auctions. By default, Private Auctions will now strictly obey your publisher-level blocks.
3. Will this change affect my fill rate or overall ad revenue?
Yes, this new default setting could potentially lower your fill rate and overall ad revenue if it suddenly stops invited buyers you want from participating in your active Private Auctions.
4. Can publishers override the new default blocks?
To protect your earnings, you need to turn the “Override blocks” toggle to the ON position for any specific auction where you intentionally want a blocked advertiser to serve. Flipping this switch grants that specific buyer an exception from your general blocklist, ensuring their ads continue to display and your revenue flows uninterrupted.
5. How do private auctions differ from preferred deals?
In a preferred deal, you negotiate a fixed price with a single buyer who gets the first opportunity to purchase that inventory without any bidding involved. In a private auction, you invite a select group of multiple buyers who must actively bid against one another to win the impression, provided they meet your minimum floor price.
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