PubMatic role-play cheat sheet

For the mock cold call at the end of most SDR interviews.

What they sell, in one line

A sell-side advertising platform that helps publishers sell ad space and helps advertisers buy it programmatically.

Who you'd be calling

Programmatic leads, media buyers and partnership heads at agencies, brands, and ad tech or publisher companies.

Your opener

“Hi Sam, this is Alex from PubMatic. I know I'm calling out of the blue. We help advertisers and agencies reach quality ad inventory with more transparency about where their money goes. Is programmatic buying part of what you manage?”

Problems you solve for them

Wasted ad spend and unclear paths between buyer and publisher
Poor transparency on where ads actually run
Difficulty reaching quality inventory across video, mobile and connected TV

Discovery questions to ask

How do you buy programmatic inventory today, and through which partners?
How confident are you in where your ads are actually running?
Which channels are you trying to grow, like video, mobile or connected TV?

Objections they'll throw at you

“I'm busy right now.”

→ Understood, I'll be quick. I'd just like to learn how you buy today. Could we find 15 minutes next week?

“We're not interested.”

→ Fair enough. A lot of buyers say that until they see how much spend gets lost along the way. Is that something you track?

“We already use something for this.”

→ That makes sense, most teams use several partners. Is there any channel or type of inventory where you feel you're not getting enough reach or clarity?

“Just send me an email.”

→ Sure thing. So I send the right thing, are you more concerned with transparency, cost or reach?

Competitors worth knowing

Magnite, Index Exchange

Interview tips for this company

Learn the vocabulary first: publisher, advertiser, DSP, SSP, programmatic. Be ready to explain what a sell-side platform does in one sentence.
Ad tech buyers hear pitches all day, so practice a short, sharp opener that avoids buzzwords.

Turn this into a full practice scriptOpener, pitch, questions, objections, voicemail and close for PubMatic.Generate

Written from public information about PubMatic to help you practice. Ask an insider what their role play looked like; it's the best prep there is.