Roman Vrublivskyi is the experienced CEO of Attekmi, a global ad tech company that provides white-label programmatic solutions.​gettyIn our current landscape, supply path optimization is a common tool in programmatic advertising. As such, in the face of growing signal loss challenges across the board, curated deals can often serve as an effective way to purchase ad inventory. These are prepackaged premium inventory bundles: You get a single ID that provides access to ad space grouped by content, audience and more. With a curated deal, you can often, in my experience, unlock greater operational efficiency and reduce manual effort. ​When done right, curation can be beneficial for both advertisers and publishers. For example, according to Digiday, media owners who included their inventory in curated PMPs experienced a 70% revenue increase on mobile ads (in the U.S.) and 13% growth for connected TV (CTV) ads.​However, using curated deals can still come with certain risks. What are those risks, and how can you mitigate them?1. Curation Doesn’t Fully Eliminate IntermediariesCuration is often considered an SPO-friendly tactic, but curation doesn’t eliminate intermediaries—your supply path complexity is just different. For instance, a brand buying a curated CTV package (and expecting direct premium inventory) may discover that their impressions actually pass through several supply-side platforms (SSPs), a reseller and a data enrichment provider before reaching the demand-side platform (DSP).​In instances like these, supply routes may be ineffective. Every additional participant may also imply an additional fee, which increases costs. ​While running regular SPO audits is a must to avoid situations like this, I also recommend that programmatic advertisers request a breakdown of all participants involved in any deal. From there, you can compare your curated deals' performance with other approaches and prioritize platforms that can clearly explain their curation logic and supply sources. Additionally, consider building direct relationships with publishers—this can help remove those intermediaries from your supply chains. 2. Too Precise Targeting May Limit ReachCurated deals usually rely on contextual signals and highly specific audience niches. In the era of third-party cookie deprecation and growing privacy concerns, this can be a great help, as you can reach your potential customers in a privacy-friendly manner. On the other hand, this can limit campaign reach and scale. For instance, a curated sports audience package may perform well in the beginning, but it may reach the peak of its performance quickly—because the relevant audience pool is too small. Due to potentially limited supply, CPMs can increase. On top of all of this, a small audience may simply see your ads too often.​Instead of focusing solely on curated deals, consider combining them with other programmatic approaches (for instance, open auctions can help reach a broader audience). Avoid applying too many filters and continuously monitor your reach and frequency. It may also be useful to test multiple curated deals simultaneously to avoid dependency on a single audience segment.3. Both Advertisers And Publishers Lack ControlCurated deals are usually packaged by intermediaries, which implies limited control for both marketers and media owners. For example, an advertiser buying a “premium news” package may later find out that part of the inventory comes from low-engagement websites.​Advertisers do not really know how inventory is selected, what data is used and what ad space is actually included. This reduces your ability to optimize performance effectively. Additionally, even though curated deals are supposed to offer high-quality ad space, low-quality or irrelevant inventory can still be included. In turn, publishers may have lower control over how inventory is packaged and which buyers access the supply.​Again, direct deals offer ultimate control for all participants, so consider using them in combination with curated packages. Using third-party verification tools can also be helpful here. Choose deal providers who prioritize transparency and provide sufficient information about every package. 4. Privacy Compliance Is Hard To AchieveRespecting user privacy and being compliant with regulations like GDPR is a must in the modern advertising ecosystem. However, when it comes to curated deals, you may not know where data comes from and whether clear consent was obtained. For instance, you may purchase a package built using third-party behavioral data. It would be impossible for you to verify whether valid user consent was collected under GDPR.​In combination with inconsistent standards across different partners, this introduces compliance risks. Your business may be fully compliant on its own, but by using curated deals, you may “inherit” your partners' risks without even knowing it.​In my opinion, requesting full data transparency is a critical step that you cannot avoid. Prioritize partners with strong compliance policies and focus on privacy-safe advertising methods. Whether you use curated deals or not, leveraging first-party data and contextual targeting can help you maintain a competitive advantage.5. The Risk Of OverpayingLogically, premium inventory (which is usually offered via curated deals) is more expensive than non-premium options. However, the presence of intermediaries, as well as competition, can inflate prices even more. For instance, you may pay premium CPMs for relevant packages and then discover that similar ad space is available at a lower cost in open auctions, private marketplaces or via direct deals. Another risk that I see in this space is that, due to the potential lack of transparency, it may be challenging for you to understand the real value you get from a curated deal. ​I suggest splitting your budget between different programmatic options (e.g., curated deals and open auctions), testing them and comparing your expenses and key metrics. Remember to focus on outcome-based KPIs and continuously optimize your budget allocation. Final WordsWhile they may solve some of programmatic advertising's biggest problems, curated deals still introduce their own specific risks. Using them effectively requires a thorough approach. Choosing the right provider for you is one of the most important steps you will take. Prioritize transparency and make sure to combine curated deals with other programmatic tactics. This way, you will be able to track what works best for your campaigns. ​​Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?