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Branch: Integration Guide

Welcome to our guide on integrating Branch with NewsBreak! Follow these steps to connect your mobile app data and enable accurate event attribution and performance tracking.

 

1. Step-by-Step Setup Guide

  1. Log in to your Branch Dashboard.

  2. In the left-hand navigation menu, go to Ads > Partner Management.

  3. Use the search bar to search for NewsBreak.

  4. Select NewsBreak from the search results.

  5. Click Save and Enable.

  6. If prompted, enter your required account credentials.

  7. Click Save and Enable once more to finalize the integration.

💡 Missing your credentials? If you do not have your NewsBreak account credentials, please contact your dedicated NewsBreak Account Manager for assistance.

2. In the POSTBACK CONFIG section, add and manage postbacks.

By default, basic postbacks for Install and Purchase events activate automatically as soon as you enable NewsBreak as an ad partner. No additional setup is required for these core metrics.

How to Configure Additional Postbacks

If you want to track custom conversions or deeper funnel actions, follow these steps to set up additional postback events:

  1. In your Branch dashboard, navigate to Ads > Partner Management.

  2. Search for and select NewsBreak.

  3. Click on the Postback Config tab.

  4. Add the specific events you want to share with NewsBreak.

⚠️ Important: You must use the exact NewsBreak event names when mapping your events within Branch. You can find a complete list of supported event names by logging into the NewsBreak Ad Manager and navigating to Event Management > App Events.

💡 Best Practice We highly recommend sending as much in-app event data as possible. Sharing events like app launches, purchases, ad revenue, and other engagement metrics trains the NewsBreak algorithm to optimize your campaigns and target higher-value users more accurately.

 

💡Tip: For enhanced campaign performance,  check the box on the ALL EVENTS.

3. Creating Tracking Links

To track your campaign performance accurately, you will need to generate and configure tracking links within Branch to use in your NewsBreak campaigns.

Step-by-Step Setup

  1. In your Branch dashboard, create a Branch Ad Link designated for NewsBreak.

  2. Copy both your click tracking URL and impression tracking URL.

To ensure campaign data passes correctly between both platforms, verify your tracking links utilize the standard NewsBreak macros outlined below.

Sample Tracking URLs

Sample Click Tracking URL:

Plaintext

 
https://<your-app>.app.link/<link_id>?%243p=a_newsbreak&~campaign=__CAMPAIGN_NAME__&~campaign_id=__CAMPAIGN_ID__&~ad_set_name=__ADSET_NAME__&~ad_set_id=__ADSET_ID__&~ad_name=__AD_NAME__&~ad_id=__AD_ID__&~click_id=__CALLBACK_PARAM__&%24aaid=__ADID__&%24idfa=__IDFA__

Sample Impression Tracking URL:

Plaintext

 
https://impression.link/impression?branch_key=<your_branch_key>&%243p=a_newsbreak&~campaign=__CAMPAIGN_NAME__&~campaign_id=__CAMPAIGN_ID__&~ad_set_name=__ADSET_NAME__&~ad_set_id=__ADSET_ID__&~ad_name=__AD_NAME__&~ad_id=__AD_ID__&~click_id=__CALLBACK_PARAM__&%24aaid=__ADID__&%24idfa=__IDFA__

⚙️ Link Configuration Checklist

Before implementing these URLs, manually replace the following placeholder values:

  • Replace <your-app> with your actual Branch app domain.

  • Replace <link_id> with your generated link ID.

  • Replace <your_branch_key> with your live Branch key.

Note: You do not need to alter the placeholders enclosed in double underscores (e.g., __CAMPAIGN_NAME__). NewsBreak dynamically populates these __MACRO__ values at the time your ad is served.

For a comprehensive list of all supported parameters, please refer to the URL Parameter Macros Help Center Article.

  1. The correct NewsBreak event name can be found in Ad Manager, as shown in the screenshot below.

4. Setting Up App Events in NewsBreak Ad Manager

To finalize the integration and begin tracking conversions, you must add your newly generated Branch tracking links to the NewsBreak platform.

Final Setup Steps

  1. Log in to the NewsBreak Ad Manager.

  2. Navigate to Event Management > App Events in the dashboard menu.

  3. Enter your official App Store URL (iOS or Android).

  4. Select your designated conversion event.

  5. Paste your Branch click tracking URL and impression tracking URL into their respective fields.

  6. Click Save to finalize the integration.

✅ Setup Verification Once you click save, the connection is live. We recommend running a test attribution or monitoring your NewsBreak dashboard shortly after launching your campaign to ensure conversion data is reporting successfully.

5. Verifying Data Transmission

Once your setup is complete, it's best practice to confirm that conversion data is flowing correctly from Branch to NewsBreak. You can monitor this in real-time using Branch's live testing tools.

Step-by-Step Verification

  1. In your Branch dashboard, navigate to Liveview > Webhook Records.

  2. Retrieve NewsBreak's unique $3p value.

    • Note: You can find this by going to Partner Management, selecting NewsBreak, and looking under the Account Settings tab.

  3. In Liveview, apply a filter where ad partner (3p) equals your specific $3p value.

  4. Trigger a test event or review recent traffic to check the delivery status.

📊 Interpreting Webhook Response Codes

  • 200 (Success): The webhook was sent by Branch and successfully received by NewsBreak. Your integration is working perfectly!

  • 400 (Error): Indicates a bad request or misconfiguration. If you see a 400 code, double-check that your event mapping names and account credentials match exactly.

Troubleshooting Postback Failures

If you notice that conversion data isn't pulling through correctly or your webhook responses are returning errors, use this checklist to diagnose and resolve the issue.

Common Troubleshooting Steps

  • Verify the Partner ID ($3p value): Double-check the Account Settings tab in Branch to ensure NewsBreak's $3p value is accurate and hasn't been accidentally altered.

  • Check Event Mappings: Navigate to the Postback Config tab and confirm that the event names you configured match the exact, case-sensitive event names required by NewsBreak.

  • Expand Your Liveview Diagnostics: When debugging in Liveview, customize your view by adding the Webhook Response Code and IDFA/AAID columns. This provides granular detail on whether a failure is due to a server error or missing device identifiers.

📚 Still Stuck?

For a deeper dive into managing ad partnerships and advanced debugging techniques, check out the official Branch Ad Partner Integration Guide.

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