What This Is
This guide explains how Propensity Display Network (PDN) campaigns pace and respect their configured budget limits. It also covers how overdelivery behavior works across other advertising platforms, and how the legacy over-accrual setting applies to campaigns created before the July 8th 2026 update.
When to Use This
Use this guide when:
- Reviewing PDN campaign pacing behavior
- Managing budget control requirements for PDN campaigns
- Understanding overdelivery behavior across advertising platforms
- Troubleshooting pacing concerns on campaigns created before July 8th 2026
How PDN Budget Pacing Works
PDN campaigns pace to their configured maximum budget and stop automatically when that limit is reached. This applies to all campaigns regardless of budget size.
Setting Your Maximum Budget
To configure the maximum budget for a PDN campaign:
- Open your campaign
- Go to Playbook
- Click View
- Click Edit Content
- Choose your Budget Spend Option. Click the ⓘ icon for more information on each option
- Propensity Estimated: you do not need to set a maximum budget. Propensity estimates delivery automatically based on your campaign settings
- Max Budget: you can set a maximum budget or leave it unset. If you set a maximum budget, the campaign stops spending once it reaches the set budget. If you do not set one, Propensity estimates the number of impressions available for your play.
Over-Accrual Behavior Across Major Advertising Platforms
Budget overdelivery behavior exists across most advertising platforms. The exact behavior varies by platform and is managed by the platform itself.
LinkedIn may allow daily spend to exceed the configured daily budget during high-activity periods. LinkedIn manages this behavior internally and balances spend over a broader reporting window. This behavior is controlled entirely by LinkedIn and cannot be overridden through Propensity.
If stricter budget control is required:
- Use lifetime budgets with fixed start and end dates
- Consider setting daily budgets below the true target budget
- Consider manual bidding strategies for more controlled pacing
Google Ads
Google Ads may exceed daily budgets during periods of increased traffic or auction activity. Google manages pacing and spend balancing internally across a broader monthly threshold. This behavior is controlled by Google Ads and cannot be configured through Propensity.
Meta (Facebook and Instagram)
Meta platforms may increase delivery during strong auction opportunities and balance pacing across broader delivery windows. This behavior is managed directly by Meta and is not controlled through Propensity.
Campaigns Created Before July 8th 2026
PDN campaigns with budgets under $1,000 created before July 8th, 2026 use legacy over-accrual behavior. If you have campaigns running from before this date, the Percent Budget Over Accrual Allowance setting in your workspace settings still applies to those campaigns.
Important Notes
- PDN campaigns created from July 8th 2026 onwards pace to their maximum budget and stop automatically, regardless of budget size
- Campaigns created before July 8th 2026 continue to use the legacy over-accrual behavior
- The Percent Budget Over Accrual Allowance setting remains available in workspace settings for managing legacy campaigns