Updated: Aug 12, 2026
Understanding payable clicks in the beehiiv Ad Network
Your Ad Network report includes a metric called payable clicks. Here's what it means and why it matters.
Verified clicks is a binary flag: a click either meets beehiiv's highest confidence tier or it doesn't. Payable clicks takes a different approach, measuring click quality on a graduated, quality-weighted scale instead, which gives us a solid foundation for billing, for advertisers and publishers alike.
Because payable clicks and verified clicks are measured on different bases, they won't line up one-to-one, and that's expected. For most publishers, the payable count will be higher than the verified count on the same campaign, because payable clicks accounts for graduated quality signal rather than a single pass or fail threshold. Your payout per click is unchanged.
Below, we'll walk through what each click metric means, why they don't always match, and answer the questions we hear most often about how this affects your payouts.
Key terms
Your Ad Network reporting uses a few distinct click metrics, and it's worth knowing what each one actually measures before you compare them. Here's what each term means.
Total clicks
Every click event recorded on a link, including repeat clicks from the same subscriber and clicks from automated sources. This is a raw activity count, not a measure of audience, and it's always the largest of the numbers below.
Unique clicks
The number of distinct subscribers who clicked a link, counted once per placement no matter how many times that subscriber clicked. A subscriber who clicks the same ad six times counts once. A subscriber who clicks two different ads counts once in each, because each placement is measured separately.
Verified clicks
Clicks that met the highest confidence tier in beehiiv's click-quality checks. Verified clicks remain visible in your Clicks Report at the post level as a content-quality signal.
Payable clicks
The number of clicks in a campaign that are eligible for payout. Payable clicks count unique subscriber clicks that fall inside the advertiser's payout window and carry sufficient quality signal. Automated and known-invalid traffic is excluded and is never payable.
Payable clicks is the metric beehiiv bills advertisers on and pays publishers on.
Payout window
The period following a send during which a click remains eligible for payout, currently 72 hours from the click. Clicks recorded outside this window are reported but not payable.
Payout per click (CPC)
The rate applied to each payable click, set per campaign. Your payout is payable clicks multiplied by your payout per click.
Invalid traffic
Clicks identified as automated, machine-generated, or originating from known bot infrastructure. Invalid traffic is excluded from payable clicks in all cases.
Why these numbers don't match each other
Each of these numbers answers a different question. Total clicks tells you how much activity a link generated. Unique clicks tells you how many individual subscribers engaged. Verified clicks tells you how much of that engagement met beehiiv's highest confidence tier. Payable clicks tells you how much of it is eligible for payout under your campaign's terms.
Because they're measured differently, they aren't expected to match, and comparing a payable-click count to a verified-click count from an earlier campaign won't produce a meaningful result.
Frequently asked questions about payable clicks
My ad report used to show verified clicks. Where did it go?
Ad reports now show payable clicks, which is the metric beehiiv bills advertisers on and pays publishers on. Payable clicks is a graduated, quality-weighted measure rather than a single pass or fail check. Verified clicks is still available in your Clicks Report at the post level as a content-quality signal.
Is payable clicks higher or lower than verified clicks?
It depends on the campaign, but you'll typically see a higher number. Verified clicks only counts what clears a single pass or fail bar, while payable clicks weighs a full range of click-quality signal, so it usually captures more eligible clicks than the verified count alone. Either way, your payout per click stays the same — the only thing that changes is which clicks are being counted.
Does this mean my previous payouts were too low? Am I owed anything for past campaigns?
No. Past campaigns were billed and paid correctly under the methodology in effect when they ran. Payable clicks is a change in how eligible clicks are measured going forward, not a correction of prior reporting. Historical reports remain accurate as issued and are unchanged.
How is payable clicks calculated?
Payable clicks starts from unique subscriber clicks within the campaign's payout window, excludes automated and known-invalid traffic, and weights the remainder according to the quality signal observed on your traffic. The specific weighting isn't published, consistent with how invalid-traffic detection generally works across ad platforms.
Can I increase my payable clicks?
Yes. The levers are the same ones that improve engagement generally: send to subscribers who actively open and click, prune dormant and unengaged segments, and keep your acquisition sources clean. Publishers with engaged, organically grown lists tend to see a higher share of their clicks qualify as payable.
Am I being paid for bot clicks?
No. Traffic identified as automated or originating from known bot infrastructure is excluded from payable clicks entirely and is never eligible for payout.
Why is my payable-click count lower than my unique clicks?
Unique clicks counts every distinct subscriber who clicked. Payable clicks counts only those clicks that fall inside the payout window and carry sufficient quality signal. Some gap between the two is normal and expected on every campaign.
Do advertisers see the same number I do?
Yes. Payable clicks is a single shared metric: advertisers are billed on it and publishers are paid on it, at the campaign's respective rates.
My earnings changed this month and my sends didn't. Why?
Payouts move with the mix and quality of clicks each campaign generates, and with the campaigns you were matched to. If you'd like a closer look at specific numbers, please use the chatbot to help you reach out to beehiiv support, or access the Help page in your account.
Does the number in my post report match the number in my ad report?
Not necessarily. Post-level reporting, shown in your Clicks Report and Posts Report, shows content-engagement metrics for everyone who received the post. Ad reporting shows the clicks eligible for payout under that campaign's terms. They answer different questions, so the numbers won't always match.
Is my CPC or payout rate changing?
No. Payout rates are set per campaign and are unaffected by this change.
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