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HCP Planner overview
Media plans created through the Healthcare Professional (HCP) Planner tool give you powerful insights into your strategy’s potential reach and impressions once those parameters are layered onto your campaigns. You can pre-optimize your audience and targeting details to help ensure each campaign spends in full—all without allocating resources to test-and-learn budgets. This includes segmenting HCPs based on factors such as medical specialty, prescribing behavior, geographic location, and more.
Refer to Healthcare Professional (HCP) Planner overview for more information and eligibility details, and continue reading to create a new plan or manage an existing one.
Create a plan
Follow these steps to create a HCP media plan from the Planner app:
Open the Planner app.
Select HCP.
Click + Create Plan. This will open the New Plan page.
Complete the following sections:
Plan Information, Budget Type, and Audience Methods (Filter Based, NPI Upload, Existing Audience) - Required
Audience Targeting - Required
Specialties - Required*
Accounts - Required*
Data Partner - Required*
Location - Optional
Device Types - Required
Creative Type - Required
Channel Type - Required
Inventory - Optional
Split Strategy - Optional
Save a draft of the plan or activate the plan once all required and applicable fields are completed.
More on in-plan forecasts:
Once you reach step 2 of the plan creation process, you’ll have access to three forecasting metrics: Total Budget, Reach, and Impressions.
We recommend selecting Refresh next to these metrics after you complete each applicable section of your plan. The result will give you a better understanding of how each targeting parameter will impact your plan’s ability to scale.
Refer to Plan outputs: Forecasts for more information on the forecasting metrics that you can review during and after plan creation.
Plan Information, Budget Type, and Audience Methods (Required)
Type a name into the Plan Name field.
Choose a unique name to differentiate this plan from others that you may create.
Select the plan’s Timezone.
Use the Start Date and End Date fields to select a date range for the plan.
Enter the maximum number of times the same user should be able to see your ad.
Values between 1 and 99 are accepted. Refer to Frequency capping overview for more information on how this setting is applied to campaigns.
Select whether the plan will include budget-based or impression-based campaigns.
Choose up to three methods you’ll take to add your target audience to the plan.
Refer to Key terms and concepts: Audience Methods for more information on each option. At least one method is required per plan.
Click Next to continue to step 2 of the plan creation process.
Audience Targeting (Required)
Choose up to three methods for adding your target audience to the plan:
Refer to Key terms and concepts: Audience Methods for more information on the differences between them, or refer to the sections below for step-by-step instructions on adding audiences via each method.
Filter Based
Follow these steps to use filters to create new, custom audiences based on US NPI data:
Locate the Select Audience Method(s) section and select the Filter based checkbox.
Click Next.
Choose whether the audience should include Healthcare Professionals (HCP), Nurses, or both.
Use the scroll bar to locate the required Specialties, Accounts, and Data Partner portions of the plan.
Follow the steps outlined in these sections to complete these required portions and finish creating your filter-based audiences:
Upload NPI List
Follow these steps to create a new audience from an NPI list:
Locate the Select Audience Method(s) section and select the Upload NPI List checkbox.
Click Next.
Select the Upload NPI List tab.
Choose whether the file contains HCP or Nurse NPI details.
Download the provided sample file to help ensure your NPI file adheres to content and formatting guidelines.
Add your CSV file containing the NPI list.
To upload the list from your computer’s local files, select Upload File and choose the desired file.
To drag-and-drop the list, open your computer’s local files, choose the file, and drag your cursor from the file to the or Drag & Drop portion of the plan.
To upload the list from an external file-storage service such as Google Drive or a Dropbox account, select the corresponding company’s icon. You’ll be prompted to log in, accept any applicable privacy settings, and select the file from the online drive.
Use the scroll bar to locate the required Specialties and Data Partner portions of the plan.
Follow the steps outlined in these sections to complete these required portions and finish creating your filter-based audiences:
Existing Audience
Follow these steps to add existing Matched, Segmented, and/or Account Based audience(s) to the plan:
Locate the Select Audience Method(s) section and select the Existing Audience checkbox.
Click Next.
Select the Existing Audience tab.
Choose at least one, and up to three, audience types.
Refer to Key terms and concepts: Audience types for more information on each audience type.
Open the Select audience menu to search or browse and select each audience that you’d like to add to the plan.
A given audience will populate in this list when two conditions are met: It matches the Type(s) you selected, and it’s an NPI-based audience.
You can choose up to 250 audiences per plan.
Click Next to configure additional targeting settings for the plan.
Specialties (Required*)
Specialties selection notice: You have the option to choose one or more specialties if the plan’s Audience Method is Filter Audience and/or Upload NPI List. All specialties are selected by default if no individual selections are made.
Note that, if a plan’s Audience Method is Existing Audience, the plan-creation form will not include this section. |
Follow these steps to add specialties to an audience:
Select the Filter Audience and/or Upload NPI List tab(s), depending on the Audience Method(s) you chose for the plan.
Open the Specialties menu to select the applicable specialties for this audience.
If you don’t apply any changes, all specialties are selected by default.
If desired, select the X icon next to a specialty to deselect it.
Accounts (Required*)
Accounts selection notice: The Accounts section is required only when the plan’s Audience Method is Filter Audience. If its Audience Method is Upload NPI List or Existing Audience, the plan-creation form will not include this section. |
Follow these steps to add accounts to an audience:
Select the Filter Audience tab.
Open the Accounts menu to select the applicable accounts for this audience.
Click Apply to add the selected accounts to the audience.
If desired, you can remove an account from the audience by reopening the Accounts menu and clicking on a selected audience.
Data Partner (Required*)
Data Partner selection notice: You’ll be prompted to choose one or more data partners if the plan’s Audience Method is Filter Audience and/or Upload NPI List. If its Audience Method is Existing Audience, the existing audiences you add to the plan will feature the same data partners that you chose when you initially set up those audiences in the Audiences app. These selections can’t be altered. |
Follow these steps to choose which data provider(s) will provide matching data for the plan’s NPI-based audience(s):
Review each partner’s Reach, Cost, and Budget details.
Audiences created through the Upload NPI List option will also include Match Rate details, and those created through the Filter Audience option will also include Coverage details.
Refer to Key terms and concepts: Data partner selection for more information on these metrics and how they’re calculated.
Select the checkbox(es) next to your preferred data partner(s).
Any partner with a Reach of 100 or greater can be selected.
You must select HLD as one of your partner selections if your plan includes any Accounts criteria.
If you selected more than one partner, review additional insights such as cumulative Coverage and Reach, as well as the data Overlap percentage.
Location (Optional)
More on location targeting: Plans created from the HCP Planer tool apply an “OR” relationship to your location targeting settings. This means that your campaign will target a user if they’re located in any of the locations you choose, as long as all other campaign targeting criteria are met. |
HCP Planner plans support location targeting within the United States. Follow these steps to add location-targeting rules to a plan:
Select the Search Locations field.
Type or browse and select the desired location(s) by State or City.
Filter the results by either of these categories, if desired.
Select the Zip Codes tab to search and select locations by ZIP code, if desired.
Review your selections in the Targeted Locations panel.
Device Types (Required)
Enable the TV device type: You must select both Video and TV Ad-Buying in the Creative Type section to enable the TV option in the Device Type section. Refer to Creative Type (Required) for more details. |
Choose up to four devices that the plan’s campaigns should target. At least one is required.
Creative Type (Required)
Choose one or more creative formats. If you plan to run on connected TV (CTV) or over-the-top (OTT) devices, select both the Video tile and TV-Ad Buying toggle.
Review Creative ad specs and requirements to ensure that the creative(s) you plan to target will match the creative type(s) you select in this plan.
Channel Type (Required)
Choose up to four channels that the plan’s campaigns should target. At least one is required.
Select Inventory (Optional)
If desired, you can use the Select Inventory section to target Open Exchange inventory and/or Open Exchange inventory groups:
Open Exchange inventory: Public inventory sources made available via real-time bidding (RTB) auctions.
Open Exchange inventory group: A collection of Open Exchange inventory categorized based on specific criteria such as ad format, placement type, targeting options, or other relevant attributes.
Select Open Exchange inventory
Follow these steps to add Open Exchange inventory to a plan:
Select Open Exchange.
Choose whether to target one or more of the IAB Tech Lab’s page content categories, individual ad exchanges, or both.
To target the IAB Tech Lab’s page content categories, open the IAB Categories menu.
Search or browse and select all desired categories.
To target specific ad exchanges, open the Exchanges menu.
Search or browse and select all desired exchanges.
Select Open Exchange inventory groups
Inventory group notice: You’ll need to create an Open Exchange inventory group in the Inventory app before you can add it to your proposal. Refer to Open Exchange inventory groups to learn more about this inventory group type, and follow the steps outlined in Create or manage an inventory group to create an Open Exchange inventory group in the Inventory app. |
Follow these steps to add existing Open Exchange inventory groups to a plan:
Select Inventory Groups.
Search or browse the list of Open Exchange inventory groups.
Review key details about each inventory group:
Globe icon: The globe icon indicates that the group is an Open Exchange inventory group.
Creative format: All supported creative format types are listed next to each inventory group's name.
Inventories: This metric represents the total number of ad placements that match the search criteria you applied when you created the inventory group.
Bar chart: Hover over the graph to review a breakout of devices for each inventory group.
Click the checkbox(es) next to the inventory group(s) that the plan will target.
If desired, click Select All to add all listed inventory groups to the plan.
Split Strategy (Optional)
Maximum campaign limit notice: While a plan’s Split Strategy allows you to create more precise campaigns, too many selections may cause you to exceed the plan’s maximum limit of 250 campaigns. If you receive an error related to exceeding 250 campaigns, change your Split Strategy selections to stay within the maximum campaign limit. |
All plans’ campaigns will be split by Creative Type and NPI Type by default. These settings are non-editable. If desired, you can also segment your plan’s campaigns by one or more of the following targeting dimensions: Data Partner, Device Type, and/or Audience Type.
Follow these steps to define a Split Strategy for this plan:
Click the checkbox next to a targeting dimension to segment your campaigns by that dimension.
Open any drop-down menus that appear below a dimension category to make your campaigns even more targeted, if desired.
For example, if you selected the TV and Tablet options in the Device Types section, you can use the Split by Device Type menu to segment campaigns by TV or Tablet devices.
Review the number of campaigns that your plan will include.
The more detailed you make your Split Strategy selections, the more campaigns will be included in your plan.
Save As Draft, Create IO, or Create Plan
Select Save As Draft at any time to save your progress. Refer to Manage a plan for steps on how to access and update an existing plan draft.
When you reach and complete the 4 out of 4 steps page, two additional options will appear: Create Plan and Create IO.
Select Create Plan to signal the platform to start processing the plan and its strategies. Once that process is complete and the plan features a Ready status, you can click Create IO to convert the plan into an insertion order (IO) and campaigns.
Review Plan statuses for more information on each status.
Manage a plan
Plan management notice: Applying changes to an existing plan or its campaigns will impact forecasted figures such as reach and impressions. We recommend selecting Refresh near any forecasting metrics after you apply each change. The result will give you a better understanding of how any updates may update your plan’s ability to scale and perform. |
Review and manage in-progress and generated plans from the Planner app:
Review a plan
Follow these steps to review an existing plan in the Planner app:
Select HCP.
Search by a proposal element (ID, Name, Created By) or filter by the plan’s status status limit which proposals will display on the page.
Click the plan’s name to open and review it.
Edit a plan
You can apply changes to plans that feature a Draft, Ready, or Failed status. Follow these steps to edit a plan:
Select HCP.
Search by a proposal element (ID, Name, Created By) or filter by the plan’s status status limit which proposals will display on the page.
Select the checkbox next to the plan you’d like to edit.
Click Edit. This will open the plan in the Planner app.
Follow the steps outlined in Create a plan to edit the desired fields.
Select Next on the bottom-right corner of the plan form until you reach the last page of the plan: the 4 out of 4 Steps page.
Click Save Plan. Review any warnings or disclaimers, and confirm your selection to apply your changes to the existing plan.
The updated plan will revert to the Processing stage.
Duplicate a plan
You can duplicate plans that feature a Draft, Ready, Processing, IO Created, or Failed status.
Follow these steps to duplicate a plan:
Select HCP.
Search by a proposal element (ID, Name, Created By) or filter by the plan’s status status limit which proposals will display on the page.
Select the checkbox next to the plan you’d like to duplicate.
Click Duplicate. This will open the Duplicate Plan pop-up window.
Type a name into the Plan Name field.
Choose a unique name to differentiate this plan from others that you may create.
By default, the plan name will feature “Copy of” followed by the name of the plan you duplicated.
Select the plan’s Timezone.
Use the Start Date and End Date fields to select a date range for the plan.
Click Duplicate.
The duplicated plan will feature a Draft status. Refer to Edit a plan to apply any changes and generate the plan.
Delete a plan
Plan deletion notice: Deleted plans are unrecoverable, and this action is permanent. |
You can delete Draft, Ready, or Failed plans individually or in bulk.
Follow these steps to delete a plan:
Select HCP.
Search by a proposal element (ID, Name, Created By) or filter by the plan’s status status limit which proposals will display on the page.
Select the checkbox next to the plan(s) you’d like to delete.
Click Delete.
Review any warnings and confirm your selection.
Download a plan
You can download plans that feature a Ready, Processing, IO Created, or Failed status. Select the download icon from a plan’s Actions column to download it as a PDF file.
Manage a plan’s campaigns
Campaign editing notice: Changing an editable campaign value impacts other fields or, in certain cases, the entire plan. Refer to Plan outputs: Campaigns for a list of the elements that are generated for each campaign, which ones you can update, and which fields may be impacted by those updates. |
When you reach the 4 out of 4 Steps page of the plan, you’ll have a chance to review each of the campaigns included in the plan. This includes details such as each campaign’s projected Reach and Impressions, Budget and Budget %, and more.
You can change certain campaign values–such as campaign Start Dates and End Dates–and remove campaigns from a plan before you activate it.
Edit a plan’s campaigns
Set a campaign’s Start Date or End Date
You can change Start Dates or End Dates one by one or in bulk. Follow these steps to change one or more campaigns’ Start Dates or End Dates:
Locate the Campaigns section of your in-progress plan’s 4 out of 4 Steps page.
Select the checkbox(es) next to the campaigns you’d like to update.
Click Set Start Date or Set End Date. Depending on your selection, this will open the Set Start Date or Set End Date pop-up window.
Use the Start Date or End Date field to choose the new value.
The date you choose must fall within the date range you specified in the Plan Summary.
Click Set to apply the new Start Date or End Date to the selected campaign(s).
Set a campaign’s Media CPM
You can change Media CPMs one by one or in bulk. Follow these steps to change one or more campaigns’ Media CPMs:
Locate the Campaigns section of your in-progress plan’s 4 out of 4 Steps page.
Select the checkbox(es) next to the campaigns you’d like to update.
Click Set Media CPM. This will open the Set Media CPM pop-up window.
Use the Media CPM field to enter the desired value.
Click Set to apply the new Media CPM to the selected campaign(s).
Edit another campaign value
You can edit certain campaign values individually. Refer to Plan outputs: Campaigns for a full list of values you can edit prior to creating the plan, and follow these steps to apply your desired changes:
Locate the Campaigns section of your in-progress plan’s 4 out of 4 Steps page.
Click the cell you’d like to update.
Editable cells feature a dashed border, while non-editable cells feature a solid border.
Enter the desired characters or values directly into the selected cell.
Edit the Total Plan Budget
Total Plan Budget adjustment notice: The Total Plan Budget is the estimated total dollar amount, or estimated total impressions, that the plan’s campaigns can spend or serve. While you can update this value manually, note that doing so will apply changes to the plan’s individual campaigns. Refer to Plan outputs: Campaigns for more information. |
Follow these steps to change the plan’s Total Plan Budget:
Locate the Plan Summary section of your in-progress plan’s 4 out of 4 Steps page.
Select the Total Plan Budget field.
Enter the desired impression or monetary value, depending on whether this is a budget-based or impression-based plan.
Review how much budget your plan would spend if you changed your frequency cap settings and, if desired, select a different frequency cap.
Refer to Frequency capping overview for more information on how this setting is applied to campaigns.
Delete a campaign from a plan
Campaign deletion notice: Campaign deletion is permanent. As a safeguard, consider duplicating a plan before deleting any campaigns from it. |
You can delete campaigns from a plan one by one or in bulk. Follow these steps to delete campaigns:
Locate the Campaigns section of your in-progress plan’s 4 out of 4 Steps page.
Select the checkbox(es) next to the campaigns you’d like to delete.
Click Delete.
Review any warnings and confirm your selection.
Activate the plan
Once your plan features a Ready status, you’ll need to activate it to convert it into an insertion order (IO) and campaigns. Refer to Generate a campaign from a Healthcare Professional (HCP) Planner plan for step-by-step instructions and more information.
Locate additional HCP Planner resources