If you've ever read any article from a popular website online, chances are you have also clicked on another interesting article recommended to you. The articles shown to you are part of an advertising format called content discovery, which is called such simply because new content is "discovered" by the user based on recommendations. This ad type falls under Native Advertising.
Native ads are said to be one of the most effective types of ads available as the interest level is high. Hence, click-thru rates and conversion rates are also pretty high. If these qualities encourage you to try using native ads to promote your offers, one popular and reliable provider to look into is
Outbrain.
Established in 2006, Outbrain has become one of the longest-running content discovery networks today. The company works with international brands to help advertisers connect to more than a billion people all over the globe.
Outbrain Features
High Traffic Volume
Billions of people around the world consume content on a daily basis, hence advertisers can be guaranteed that there is no shortage of traffic. Outbrain has access to more than one billion user profiles and provides 275 billion ad impressions per month.
Premium Publishers
Being among the first native ad providers, Outbrain was able to partner with premium publishers for their ads. Some of the most popular websites under Outbrain are Fortune, ABC News, CNN, Time, The Washington Post, BBC, MSN, The Guardian and Wired.
Better User Engagement
As compared to traditional banner ads, native ads have a higher user engagement rate. It is said that native ads' engagement rate is 40% better. The time the user spends on the recommended article or page is also three times longer.
Native SmartAds
Outbrain's algorithm allows it to display brand-safe ads in an optimized system. Their algorithm captures and analyzes the user's behavior and content consumption pattern, creating a unique user profile. The advertiser's ads are then displayed to users showing interest in the ad’s category. Furthermore, the ads are delivered at the right time to invoke the right emotional response. Amidst all these, the user's experience is prioritized in order to receive better ad engagement.
Video SmartAds
Video is said to be one of the most consumed content online. Advertisers can boost their storytelling by using Outbrain's video ads that have a reach of one billion views per month. This is possible through this platform's direct publishers, topped up with major video DSPs.
The video ad also uses Outbrain's SmartAd algorithm to display the ad to users highly likely to engage with it. Also, it is non-intrusive so as not to disrupt the user experience.
The platform has an average video viewability rate of 60%, and an average completion rate of 50%.
Enhanced Targeting
Outbrain's sophisticated targeting capacity allows advertisers to target the right users based on real interest. The user's interest is analyzed based on their content consumption, and not just their social sharing or search behavior.
Advertisers can also target lookalikes to increase their ad's reach, while at the same time maintaining the quality of the traffic. According to their findings, advertisers see a 45% increase in conversion rate when utilizing lookalikes.
Multiple Campaign Objectives
Choosing the right objective will help you get not just more traffic at an affordable price, but also allows you to display your ads to the right people. This means your ad will be shown to people most likely to fulfill your campaign objectives, based on their user profile.
Campaign Objectives can be chosen during the campaign creation process. These objectives are as follows:
- Awareness
- Traffic
- App Installs
- Conversions
Outbrain Pricing, Billing and Payments
Outbrain uses the Cost per Click payment model, with a minimum CPC bid of $0.03. The minimum daily budget for every campaign is $20.
An account holder is charged once he reaches the account threshold, which varies and depends on the account activity. The threshold will automatically increase based on usage.
The only accepted payment method is via credit card (American Express, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover). The card must also come from any of their 30 listed countries. An account holder can move to monthly invoicing once his campaigns spend at least $10,000 per month for three consecutive months.