Outbrain User Management | OpsBlu Docs

Outbrain User Management

Centralized access management workflows for Outbrain, covering invitations, removals, and role maintenance for cross-team engagements.

User Management Overview

Outbrain access is organized by Account and then Marketer. Core roles are Admin (all settings, billing, pixels, and user invites), Marketer (create/edit campaigns), Read Only (reporting), and Billing (invoices only). Assign users to the smallest marketer scope needed for their campaigns.

Outbrain's permission model is built around accounts that contain multiple marketers (brands). Each account operates independently with its own billing, user roster, and conversion pixel configurations. Understanding this two-tier hierarchy is essential when managing access, as users granted account-wide visibility can see all marketers, campaigns, and invoices - even for brands they don't actively manage.

Access model & roles

Outbrain structures access around accounts and marketers. When you invite someone to an account, you must decide whether they need visibility to all marketers or just a subset. Most organizations limit users to specific marketers to reduce the risk of accidental campaign changes or cross-brand data exposure.

Core roles in Outbrain:

  • Admin: Full control over the account including user invitations, billing settings, conversion pixel management, and marketer creation. Admins can modify account-level settings such as payment methods, billing contacts, and global reporting configurations. This role should be restricted to senior managers, finance leads, or operations personnel who require account-wide visibility.

  • Marketer: Can create, edit, pause, and activate campaigns within assigned marketers. Marketer users manage budgets, targeting, content recommendations, and day-to-day optimizations. They cannot invite users, edit billing, or modify conversion pixels. This is the most common role for media buyers and campaign managers.

  • Read Only: Read-only access to campaigns, reports, and dashboards. Read Only users can export data and view performance metrics but cannot change campaign settings, budgets, or targeting. Ideal for analysts, client stakeholders, or finance teams who need visibility without editing rights.

  • Billing: Limited to invoice and payment details. Billing users can download invoices, review payment history, and update billing contacts, but they cannot view or edit campaigns. Some organizations assign this role to accounts payable teams who don't need media access.

Data controls:

  • Conversion pixels and events can be scoped to specific marketers. When onboarding agencies, explicitly assign which marketers they can associate with pixel configurations and conversion tracking.
  • Custom audiences and lookalike modeling are typically managed at the marketer level by Admins or Marketers. Users inherit audience visibility based on marketer assignment.
  • Always document which data sources and third-party integrations are authorized per marketer to avoid unexpected data sharing or compliance issues.

Common use cases

Agency onboarding: When bringing on an external agency, assign them Marketer access limited to the marketers (brands) they will manage. Never grant account-wide access unless they are managing your entire Outbrain account. If they need reporting for client presentations, consider adding a separate Read Only user for their stakeholders instead of elevating marketer permissions.

Client access: Clients typically need Read Only access to monitor campaign performance for their specific marketer/brand. Avoid giving clients Admin or Marketer roles to prevent accidental changes. If a client insists on editing access, create a dedicated test marketer for training and limit their production access.

Internal team members: Campaign managers should receive Marketer access with marketer-specific assignments. Finance teams should get Billing only. Data analysts or BI teams who need raw reporting data should receive Read Only access.

Contractor or temporary access: For short-term contractors, use Marketer with a defined expiration date. Document the removal date in your ticketing system and set a calendar reminder. Outbrain does not automatically expire users, so manual review is required.

Adding users

When adding a new user to Outbrain, you'll need Admin rights and the user's work email. Outbrain sends an email invitation that the user must accept to activate their account.

Step-by-step process:

  1. Sign in to Outbrain as an Admin and navigate to Account Settings → User Management.
  2. Click Invite user and enter the user's email address. Use their work email for audit trail purposes.
  3. Select the appropriate role: Admin, Marketer, Read Only, or Billing. If uncertain, default to Marketer and adjust later.
  4. Choose which Marketer(s) the user should access. You can select individual marketers from the list or grant access to all marketers (not recommended unless they truly need account-wide visibility).
  5. If the user needs billing access, enable the Billing option. This is independent of the primary role, so a Marketer can also have billing visibility if required.
  6. Review your selections, then click Send Invite. The user will receive an email with a link to accept and set their password.
  7. Verify the user appears in the User Management table with a status of "Pending."

After sending the invite, notify the user to check their inbox and spam folder. Follow up if they don't accept within 72 hours.

Updating roles

Role adjustments in Outbrain take effect immediately and do not require the user to log out. Changes are reflected on the next page load or action. This is useful when you need to temporarily elevate or restrict someone's permissions.

When to update roles:

  • A marketer is being promoted to Admin because they now manage billing or need to onboard other users.
  • An Admin is stepping down and should be downgraded to Marketer to reduce risk.
  • A campaign manager is transitioning to analytics and only needs Read Only access going forward.
  • An agency's contract scope changed, and they now manage additional marketers or fewer marketers.

Update process:

  1. Go to Account Settings → User Management and locate the user in the table.
  2. Click the user's name or the Edit icon to open their profile.
  3. Modify the role dropdown and/or adjust the Marketer assignments.
  4. If you're downgrading an Admin, review any conversion pixels or account settings they configured. Ensure another Admin can manage these going forward.
  5. Update marketer assignments if the user is moving between brands. This prevents them from seeing another marketer's campaign data.
  6. Save your changes and verify the updated role appears in the user table.

Best practice: When downgrading someone from Admin to Marketer, immediately audit any conversion pixels or billing settings they created to ensure continuity.

Removing & offboarding

Removing a user from Outbrain is permanent. Once deleted, you cannot restore their login or activity history. Always transfer ownership of critical assets before removal.

Offboarding checklist:

  1. Identify any campaigns, conversion pixels, or custom audiences the user created. Transfer ownership to an active Admin or assign a new owner from the asset settings.
  2. Go to Account Settings → User Management, find the user, and click Remove or Delete.
  3. Capture a screenshot of the user's final permissions (role, marketers, billing status) for your access log and compliance records.
  4. Update your internal roster, SSO directory, or identity management system to reflect the removal.
  5. If the user was an Admin, ensure at least one other Admin remains active on the account to prevent lockout scenarios.

After removal:

  • Run a quick audit of the account's User Management page to confirm no orphaned accounts or unexpected "Pending" invitations.
  • Document the removal in your ticketing system with the date, approver, and reason (e.g., "Left company," "Agency contract ended").
  • Schedule a reminder for your next quarterly access review to ensure the account roster stays current.

Available Guides

Change Control Checklist

  • Confirm the Account and Marketer the request applies to before you invite or edit anyone.
  • Decide if the user needs Billing access; keep it separate from campaign roles when possible.
  • Capture proof from Account Settings → User Management for every change.
  • Update your roster/SSO so Outbrain access mirrors internal records.
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