In this guide on how to make money with ads, we will discuss that online publishers have many options for monetizing their websites and content through advertising. One approach is using an ad network like Google AdSense to automatically display ads. However, to maximize earnings on AdSense and other networks, you need to ensure your site is fully optimized and configured to achieve top performance. This is where working with an expert AdSense optimization service like Bigfourth.com can help publishers generate significantly higher revenues.
Introduction
If you want to how to make money with ads on your website, blog, or other online content, you have many options to consider. But with so many advertising techniques available, how do you determine the best strategies to implement? This guide provides an overview of popular ways to how to make money with ads so you can monetize your online content.
Whether you have a personal blog, niche website, online magazine, podcast, YouTube channel, or any other platform with an engaged audience, leveraging advertising can provide an income stream. But before diving in, you need to evaluate which options align with your goals, audience, and content format.
Some advertising techniques like ad networks require little effort but provide more passive earnings. Others like sponsored posts take more active sales and fulfillment but deliver higher returns. You’ll likely want to take an integrated approach using multiple monetization strategies together.
Here are some of the most common ways content creators how to make money with ads online:
Ad networks – Join an ad network to automatically display ads from advertisers. More passive income but lower earnings per ad.
Sponsored posts – Get paid by brands to create custom content featuring their products/services. More work but higher potential earnings.
Newsletters – Include paid promotions and sponsored content within email newsletters. Leverage your subscriber reach.
Podcasts – Find sponsors willing to pay for dedicated segments within your podcast episodes. Great for niche podcasts.
Pop-ups – Display pop-up or pop-under ads using a specialized network. Set frequency caps to avoid annoying visitors.
Paid reviews – Negotiate fees with brands to create transparent reviews of their products. Ensure content integrity.
Direct ad sales – Sell ad space directly to advertisers. More work but higher returns compared to networks.
Benefits of Advertising Revenue
Generating income from ads provides many benefits:
- Offsets hosting, software, development, and other operating costs
- Allows you to invest more time creating great content
- Enables reinvestment into site design, features, and audience growth
- Diversifies your income sources beyond just advertising
- Rewards you for building an engaged, niche audience
Evaluate Goals and Resources
Before choosing advertising strategies, clearly define your goals and resources:
Do you want mostly passive income or are you willing to do sales and fulfillment work?
What level of income do you need these efforts to produce?
Can you devote significant time to ad coordination and management?
Do you want to monetize existing traffic or grow your audience?
What design and development skills can you leverage?
Audit Your Content Platform
You also need to thoroughly assess your website, blog, podcast, newsletter, or other content platform:
| Niche and Audience | What niche or topic do you cover? Consider advertisers who want to reach your audience. |
| Traffic and Reach | How much monthly traffic do you get? Popular platforms have more monetization options. |
| Content Quality | Is your content optimized for discovery and engagement? Higher performing content attracts advertisers. |
| Ad Placement | Where can you place ads without impacting user experience? Header, sidebar, mid-article, etc. |
With clear goals, an assessment of resources, and an audit of your content platform, you can determine the right strategies to how to make money with ads. The rest of this guide explores these monetization options in more detail.
Ad Networks
One of the most popular ways to how to make money with ads is by joining an ad network. Ad networks provide a passive way to monetize your website by automatically displaying ads from advertisers. Less effort is involved compared to direct ad sales, but the earnings per ad are lower.
How Ad Networks Work
Ad networks act as intermediaries between advertisers and website publishers. They provide the technology to serve ads on your site and find advertisers to fill your inventory. Here’s an overview of how ad networks operate:
- You sign up for an ad network and place their ad code on your site.
- The network’s algorithm automatically selects and displays relevant text, image, and video ads on your site.
- When visitors view or click on an ad, you earn money.
- When you hit a minimum threshold, the network sends your earnings.
Benefits of Ad Networks
There are many benefits of using an ad network:
Requires very little effort – Once implemented, ads are served automatically.
Access to advertisers – Networks provide access to thousands of advertisers.
Relevant ads – Networks optimize to show ads relevant to your content.
Works for any site – Networks have options for sites of all sizes and niches.
Passive income – You earn money from ads with little ongoing work.
Established platforms – Big networks like Google AdSense have been around for years.
However, ad networks do provide lower earnings per ad compared to direct sales. You may make $0.10-$0.30 per click rather than dollars per click with direct deals. The trade-off is much less effort is required once your site is approved by the network.
Popular Ad Network Options
Here are some top ad networks to consider for monetizing your website:
Google AdSense – The most popular network. Displays text, display, and video ads.
Media.net – Focuses on high quality, relevant ads from Yahoo and Bing.
Ezoic – Uses AI to optimize ad placements and layouts for higher revenue.
Monumetric – Over 13 ad formats with a low 10k pageview requirement to join.
AdThrive – Provides premium ad rates with a 100k pageview requirement.
| Network | Minimum Traffic Requirement |
| Google AdSense | None |
| Media.net | 5k pageviews/month |
| Ezoic | 10k pageviews/month |
| Monumetric | 10k pageviews/month |
| AdThrive | 100k pageviews/month |
Optimizing Ad Network Earnings
Here are some tips to earn more with an ad network:
Place ads strategically – Avoid placements that annoy users or distract from content.
Experiment with ad sizes – Try different ad unit sizes and placements.
Analyze performance – Use the network’s analytics to optimize placements and ad types.
Improve content – Creating better content results in more engaged visitors and clicks.
Grow traffic – Increased traffic equals more ad impressions and revenue.
Ad networks provide a hands-off way for bloggers and publishers to how to make money with ads. Just be sure to analyze performance and tweal placements for best earnings.
Sponsored Posts
If you want to invest more effort for higher rewards, sponsored posts are a great way to how to make money with ads. With sponsored posts, brands pay you to create blog content that features their products or services.
How Sponsored Posts Work
Here’s an overview of how the sponsored post process works:
- You connect with advertisers in your niche.
- Negotiate the sponsored post fees and guidelines.
- Create a post that organically incorporates their brand/product.
- Publish the post on your blog on the agreed date.
- The brand pays you the agreed sponsored fee.
Sponsored posts blend product promotion with your usual content. Done right, readers find them useful, not just promotional.
Tips for Successful Sponsored Posts
Follow these tips to create effective sponsored posts:
Write naturally – Don’t force the brand mention. Weave it in smoothly.
Provide value – Offer tips, insights, or entertainment as you normally would.
Be transparent – Clearly label it as sponsored to build reader trust.
Link judiciously – Include one to two relevant links to the brand’s site. Too many looks spammy.
Place links organically – Work links into the text content, not just at the end.
Use visuals – Include images, charts, videos, etc related to the content.
Get feedback – Ask the brand to review the post before publishing.
Finding Sponsored Post Opportunities
Reaching out to brands directly is the best way to secure sponsored posts. But you can also use marketplaces like:
SponsoredReviews – Connects bloggers with advertisers paying for posts.
PayU2Blog – Get paid for writing posts on specific topics.
BKA Content – Offers writing gigs including blog posts.
Blogging Pro – Bloggers can find paid blogging jobs.
| Platform | Payment Minimum | Payment Method |
| SponsoredReviews | $20 | Paypal |
| PayU2Blog | $50 | Paypal |
| BKA Content | $30 | Paypal |
| Blogging Pro | None | Paypal, Direct |
Sponsored posts allow you to how to make money with ads while creating high-quality content as usual for your audience. Just ensure transparency and provide honest value.
Newsletters
Email newsletters present a great opportunity to how to make money with ads. You can include paid promotions and sponsored content within your newsletter to monetize your subscriber list.
Leveraging Your Audience Reach
The key to making money with newsletters is leveraging the audience reach you have. Here are some stats:
- Over 4 billion people use email worldwide.
- Email has a median ROI of 122% for marketing campaigns.
- Email subscribers have higher retention and LTV than social followers.
If you can build an engaged email subscriber list, you have a valuable asset to generate income from newsletters.
Creating Valuable Newsletters
First, you need to publish newsletters that provide value and build loyalty. Useful tips include:
Share useful insights – Offer actionable tips and intelligence your audience wants.
Curate relevant links – Include links to other quality resources.
Engage readers – Ask questions, run polls, encourage sharing.
Highlight subscribers – Feature subscriber content and stories.
Publish consistently – Send on a predictable schedule like weekly or monthly.
Monetizing Your Newsletters
Once you build your list, here are some ways to how to make money with ads in newsletters:
Sponsored dedicated emails – Send emails focused on one sponsor.
Feature sponsor sections – Highlight a sponsor in a section of your newsletter.
Insert text/banner ads – Add text links or banner ads for sponsors.
Promote sponsored content – Share posts, videos, or resources from sponsors.
Run lead gen promotions – Offer discounts, contests, etc for sponsors.
| Ad Format | Price Range |
| Sponsored Email | $500 – $5,000+ |
| Sponsored Section | $250 – $1,000 |
| Banner Ads | $20 – $75 CPM |
| Text Links | $10 – $40 CPC |
Maintaining Trust
When including promotions in newsletters, you need to maintain subscriber trust by:
- Flagging sponsored content as “Paid” or “Sponsored”.
- Only promoting brands/products you genuinely trust.
- Limiting promos – don’t make every email an ad.
- Segmenting your list – only send relevant offers.
Newsletters give you a direct line to engage an audience and how to make money with ads in the process. Just ensure you always deliver value.
Podcasts
Podcasts have exploded in popularity in recent years. If you have a podcast, you can how to make money with ads by finding sponsors.
Brands recognize podcasts provide a way to reach very targeted, engaged audiences. Many niche podcasts focus on specific topics like technology, comedy, true crime, etc. Their listeners are highly committed and tuned into the hosts.
This creates great opportunities to connect advertisers with podcast audiences they want to reach.
Podcast Advertising Options
There are a few formats podcasters use to monetize their shows with advertising:
Host-read ads – The host records a live read for the advertiser’s ad. This is seamlessly stitched into the episode audio.
Interview segments – A podcast may feature an interview with a brand spokesperson who discusses their product.
Branded content – A company may sponsor a recurring segment of the podcast focused on a topic related to their industry.
Cross-promotions – Hosts may promote other shows or products from their network.
Finding Podcast Sponsors
To land sponsors, do outreach to brands that align with your audience:
- Identify brands selling products your listeners would use.
- Check Facebook groups, forums, and conferences to find potential advertisers.
- Look at ads run by similar shows to find likely sponsors.
- Reach out by email and social media. Follow up! It takes persistence.
- Consider working with a podcast ad network that connects hosts and sponsors.
Setting Rates and Packages
When pricing your podcast ads, factors to consider include:
Download numbers – Sponsors want to reach more listeners.
Audience quality – A targeted, engaged audience commands higher prices.
Ad placement – Beginning or mid-show placements are more desirable.
Production – Producing the ad creative takes more time and effort.
| Metric | Sample Rate |
| Cost per thousand downloads | $18-$50 |
| 15-second host read ad | $40-$60 |
| 30-second host read ad | $60-$100 |
| 60-second host read ad | $100-$250 |
Podcasts let you engage a niche audience and how to make money with ads by connecting them with relevant sponsors. Just ensure ad reads fit naturally within your show.
Pop-Ups
While sometimes annoying, pop-ups and pop-unders provide another way to how to make money with ads on your website. By using a specialized pop-up ad network, you can monetize your site traffic.
How Pop-Up Ads Work
With pop-up ads, an ad appears in front of the main browser window or behind it. When a visitor leaves your site, the ad displays.
Pop-under ads remain hidden behind your site’s window until the user closes it. Then the ad appears on their full screen.
Here is how you make money with pop-up ads:
- Sign up for a pop-up ad network.
- Place their ad code on your website.
- Set the frequency cap for how often each visitor sees a pop-up.
- The network provides relevant pop-up ads.
- You earn money every time a user views or clicks on an ad.
Optimizing Pop-Up Performance
To maximize earnings, optimize your pop-up ads:
Experiment with frequency caps to find the ideal level.
Test different ad sizes and placements on your site.
Analyze performance data to identify high performing ad zones.
Make sure your site provides a good user experience overall.
Drive more quality traffic to increase views and clicks.
Top Pop-Up Ad Networks
Here are some top-performing ad networks specifically for pop-up and pop-under ads:
- Adsterra – Offers geo-targeted pop-unders with strong performance.
- Clickadu – Provides multiple pop-under sizes and positions.
- PopCash – Features pop-unders, banners, sliders, and more.
- PropellerAds – Focuses solely on pop-under ads in various sizes.
- PopAds – Lets publishers set customized frequency caps.
| Network | Minimum Payment | Payment Methods |
| Adsterra | $100 | Wire, Payoneer, PayPal |
| Clickadu | $20 | PayPal, Payoneer, Wire |
| PopCash | $50 | PayPal, Wire, Check |
| PropellerAds | $100 | PayPal, Wire, WebMoney |
| PopAds | $20 | AlertPay, PayPal |
While controversial, pop-ups allow publishers to how to make money with ads from site traffic. Just remember to optimize the user experience.
Paid Reviews
If your website or blog attracts decent traffic and you have industry expertise, you can make money by writing paid reviews.
For paid reviews, brands pay you to review their products or services on your site. This allows them to tap into your audience and credibility.
How Paid Reviews Work
Here is an overview of how paid reviews work:
- Brands contact you or you reach out to brands to offer reviews.
- You negotiate the payment amount for each review.
- Ensure you only accept brands you genuinely trust.
- You receive free products/services to test and review.
- Write comprehensive, honest reviews as you normally would.
- Disclose that the review is paid or sponsored.
- Publish the review on your site on the agreed date.
- The brand pays your agreed review fee.
Creating Quality Paid Reviews
Follow these tips to write effective paid reviews:
Test the product/service thoroughly before reviewing.
Share pros and cons transparently. Don’t just praise it.
Compare it to alternatives your readers may know.
Include photos/videos that demonstrate the product.
Answer questions your readers would commonly have.
Focus on how the product benefits the reader.
Include a clear call-to-action for the reader to learn more or buy.
Paid Review Platforms
You can connect with brands looking for paid reviews through dedicated platforms:
- SponsoredReviews – Enables bloggers to get paid to write reviews.
- PayPerPost – Bloggers can access paid reviews through this network.
- Tomoson – Influencers and bloggers can find paid review opportunities.
- BzzAgent – Provides free products for bloggers to review.
| Platform | Payment Minimum | Payment Method |
| SponsoredReviews | $20 | PayPal |
| PayPerPost | $5 | Check |
| Tomoson | None | Free Products |
| BzzAgent | None | Free Products |
Done right, paid reviews allow you to how to make money with ads while providing authentic value. Just focus on transparency.
Direct Ad Sales
For publishers willing to take on more work, direct ad sales provide the highest potential earnings. With this approach, you sell advertising directly to brands instead of using an ad network as an intermediary.
How Direct Sales Work
The direct ad sales process involves:
- Creating an advertising rate sheet and media kit.
- Prospecting and reaching out to potential advertisers.
- Developing proposals customized to each advertiser’s needs.
- Closing the sale and signing contracts.
- Fulfilling ad placements and campaigns.
- Billing clients and collecting payments.
While more labor intensive, this method allows you to set your own rates and keep 100% of the revenue, minus your costs.
Tips for Success
Follow these tips to maximize success with direct ad sales:
Create professional media kits – Showcase your audience and value proposition.
Offer high-impact ad placements – Sponsorships, branded content, email ads, etc.
Provide reporting and optimization – Show results and continuously improve performance.
Develop strong sales skills – Persistence and relationship-building are key.
Use automation tools – Streamline outreach, proposals, billing, fulfillment, and more.
Have a legal contract – Protect yourself and set expectations.
Direct Sales Tools
Tools that help streamline direct ad sales include:
- CRMs – Manage outreach and automate follow-ups.
- Proposal software – Create proposals and generate contracts.
- Ad servers – Serve, target, and track ads.
- Reporting dashboards – Provide performance data to clients.
- Billing systems – Automate invoicing and payment collection.
Tool Examples
Pricing CRM HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho $25+/month Proposals PandaDoc, Honeybook, Better Proposals $15+/month Ad Servers Google Ad Manager, AdPlugg Free – $100+/month Reporting Google Data Studio, Klipfolio Free – $25+/month Billing InvoiceNinja, PayPal Invoicing Free – $10+/month
With some determination and sales skills, direct ad sales allow you to fully how to make money with ads you have built.
Conclusion
As you have seen throughout this guide, content publishers and creators have many options to how to make money with ads. The key is finding the right approach (or combination of approaches) that matches your goals and resources.
Final Thoughts
Here are some final recommendations as you move forward with monetizing your platform using advertising:
Analyze your assets – Audit your website, podcast, newsletter, etc. Look at traffic, engagement metrics, audience demographics.
Set monetization goals – Determine your ideal income level and effort commitment. Gauge if goals are realistic.
Pick ideal strategies – Based on your analysis and goals, select suitable monetization models like ad networks, affiliate marketing, etc.
Diversify revenue streams – Use multiple monetization methods to hedge risk and maximize income. Don’t rely solely on ads.
Test continuously – Try new ad formats, placements, creatives. Analyze performance and optimize over time.
Provide value – Regardless of monetization method, keep your audience’s experience and interests top of mind.
Monitor trends – As technology evolves, new creative ad approaches will emerge. Keep testing innovations.
Some key points to remember:
Ad networks – Easy but lower earnings per ad. Good to start.
Direct sales – More work but highest earnings. Better for established creators.
Sponsored posts – Highly valued by brands if you have a loyal audience.
Diversify – Use a mix of models – ads, affiliates, memberships, events, etc. Don’t just rely on ads.
Experiment – Keep testing new ad formats, placements, and approaches.
With some creativity and persistence, you can absolutely how to make money with ads on your website or content platform. The advertising models presented in this guide will provide fuel to power your online business and creative passion.
Wishing you the best of luck monetizing your content!
Website Services and Our Mission
Bigfourth.com specializes in providing publishers and website owners with customized services to boost your earnings from Google AdSense and other ad networks. Our team of experts will thoroughly audit your website to identify opportunities to enhance layout, speed, and content to create an optimal user experience. This results in higher click-through rates and more ad revenue from how to make money with ads. Bigfourth’s consultants also help configure your Google AdSense settings for maximum RPM based on your site’s niche, traffic sources, and other factors. Our hands-on management service fine-tunes your ad placements, ad types, color palettes, and other parameters over time to continually improve performance.
In addition, Bigfourth LTD offers advanced header bidding solutions to help publishers maximize demand for your ad inventory across networks. This exposes your ad space to more potential buyers. With Bigfourth’s header bidding expertise and ad operations management, publishers see dramatic lifts in CPM rates and total advertising revenue.
So if you want to move beyond basic ad networks and take your website’s ad earnings to the next level, connect with the experts at Bigfourth.com. Our specialized Google AdSense optimization and management services can help any publisher or website owner realize the full monetization potential of your content and traffic.
Contact Bigfourth LTD
Website: https://bigfourth.com/
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