One of the biggest challenges of being a blogger is finding a trustworthy ad network. Most of us are aware of networks like AdSense and Media.net that show quality ads and also pay over time. However, it takes a lot of hit and trial to find a trustworthy ad network to serve ads on the blog. A reliable ad network is one that serves both the advertisers and publishers equally and takes a commission for the service.
To ease the pain of hunting for a reliable ad network for your blog, I keep testing new networks to find good ad platforms for bloggers and warn against any scam ad networks at the same time.
This review of Propeller Ads media is part of our ad network review series. This is one of the most popular and the fastest growing ad networks among bloggers who are known for timely payouts.
I have reviewed other ad networks in the past. In case you haven’t read those, here are the links:
Propeller Ads is a perfect solution for bloggers looking to monetize their blog or network of blogs. Propeller Ads offer various ad types:
- PopUnder
- Native Direct Ads
- Interstitial mobile ads
- Dialogue ads/Push up ads for mobile
- Banner advertising for all standard size
- Push notification ads
Depending on the type of blog/website you have, you can pick the right ad type to monetize your blog with Propeller Ads. I will walk you through the setup part also some tips to make the most out of this ad network.
Note: Propeller Ads is compatible with Google AdSense.
Read: When Should A New Blog Start Adding Advertisements For Making Money?
How to get started with Propeller Ads: A Beginner’s Guide
The Propeller Ads interface is easy to use, even for a newbie. However, don’t underestimate its simplicity, for what you get inside the dashboard is powerful enough to help you generate the money you deserve from your blog. Let us look at how to get started with Propeller Ads.
- Go ahead and register for an account (Tip: Sign up as a publisher)
- Once you have registered and activated your account, log in to Propeller Ads dashboard.
- Click on Site > Add new site
Verify the domain ownership
Next step is to verify the ownership of the domain you have just added. You can do this using either of the two methods listed below.
- Add a verification tag to your website
- Upload the verification file to your root folder via FTP
Once the domain ownership is verified, you can start using Propeller Ads right away.
It is important for you to know various kinds of ads on offered so that you can pick the right ad type and make maximum money. In the section below, I have outlined the different ad types and their essential pointers. Take a look.
Some of the high performing ad types from Propeller Ads
Pop under ads:
The type of ads that pop in another window behind your original website. Such ads are common on viral websites or used by people who drive paid traffic to their website.
Propell Ads has also developed an anti-adblocking technology, and to mitigate the risk of Adblocker, you can enable this feature for the Pop-under ad type. See screenshot below for a better understanding:
Native Direct Ads:
This is another popular ad type on Propeller where you make money from directing traffic to a link. You can drive traffic using any possible method – buy traffic, in-house pop-under, social media traffic, place link on your site or another site – and so on. The eCPM can go as high as $15, depending on your geo, device and other factors.
Here are some placement ideas for direct native ads from Propeller Ads. Some of the ideas are taken directly from the official site and fall into the category of grey hat practice.
- Put the direct ad on an intermediate page with a “Skip to content” button between your main page and the page with content.
- If your site contains any downloadable content (software, mobile apps, photos, etc.), put the direct link on a “call-to-action” button (graphic or text-based) above or below the content.
- For video sites, it is a good idea to place a fake player, with a static or animated image, that is linked to direct ads, above your real player.
I am sure most of us have seen the ‘Skip to content’ ads a lot of times, even on big publishers like Forbes. No doubt this kind of ad generates a lot of revenue.
Web push notifications:
With display ads becoming tougher to be used with Adblocker, and Chrome integrating a native ad blocker, every ad network has to innovate and adapt to the latest technology to serve the publishers and advertisers. Web push notification is one such technology, and Propeller Ads is one of the very few ad networks that offer web-push notifications as an advertising option.
Minimum payout and payment options:
Minimum payout should always be one of the deciding factors while picking an ad network. You don’t want to be stuck with money in your account and not be able to cash out due to high minimum payout. With Propeller Ads, you don’t have to worry about it considering the minimum payout is a meager $25.
I have configured Payoneer instead of PayPal to receive payment. If you are wondering why, you can read my earlier case study here. Also, I hope they add the Bitcoin withdrawal option sometime soon, a feature many other ad networks have already started offering.
Read: Propeller Ads Minimum Payout Is Now $25 For New Publishers
Conclusion: Propeller Ads looks rock solid
I often keep hunting for high-quality ad networks which work and help us generate revenue. Even though most of my monetization is via affiliate marketing and eBooks, I often test out new ad networks simply out of curiosity. I have been testing Propeller Ads for a while, and I must say this is an ad network you can use without any issue.
However, you need to be smart when it comes to placing the ads. Some of the ad types like pop-unders generate great revenue but also hinder user experience in the process. For certain kinds of websites, such ads may be useful, but for a content-rich website, it is hazardous. You should test out different advertisement options and see which one works best for you.
Sign up for PropellerAds
Do let me know your choice of ad networks and also your experience with using other ad networks. Also, if you are an existing Propeller Ads user, share your review and feedback with the ShoutMeLoud community using the comment section below.