AbstractActivated transcription in eukaryotes requires the aid of numerous co‐factors to overcome the physical barriers chromatin poses to activation, bridge the gap between activators and polymerase, and ensure appropriate regulation. S. cerevisiae has long been a model organism for studying the role of co‐activators in the steps leading up to gene activation. Detailed studies on the recruitment of these co‐activators have been carried out for more than a dozen promoters. Taking a step back to survey these results, however, suggests that there are few generalizations that could be used to guide future studies of uncharacterized promoters. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.