click_id vs sub-id tokens — which carries what

click_id vs sub-id tokens — which carries what

People jam everything into one token. Separate the jobs. Two different tokens, two different purposes.

click_id (single unique value):
— Job: round-trip identity for postback matching.
— One per click, opaque, never reused.
— Goes out in the offer URL, comes back in the postback. That's it.

sub-id / sub1-sub10 (structured passthrough):
— Job: carry campaign metadata you want in conversion reports.
— Holds creative ID, placement, geo, audience — readable values.
— Passed for slicing, not for matching.

When each breaks:
— Using sub-ids for matching → collisions when two clicks share metadata. You can't dedupe.
— Stuffing metadata into click_id → unreadable reports, you parse strings forever.
— Networks with limited token slots: protect click_id first, then prioritize sub-ids by reporting value.

Mapping rule: one click_id for truth, sub-ids for context. Reserve sub1 for your most-sliced dimension (usually placement or creative).

Save this SOP. Run this before every launch.