The amount of money spent on native ads is expected to grow to $21 billion by the end of this year. If you’re in affiliate marketing and not currently using native ads as a traffic source, that statistic is probably causing you a fear of missing out, right now.

Luckily for you, it’s far from ‘too late’ to be earning money through native ads in affiliate marketing. There are hundreds of campaigns at MaxBounty that allow native as a traffic source, and it’s a relatively easy traffic source to set up if you have a bit of money to play with.

We’re going to provide you with five tips that will help you set up native ad campaigns that engage and convert.

Before we do that, let’s talk a little bit about why you should be using native ads as a traffic source in the first place.

Why is Native Advertising So Effective?

Native ads continue to rise in popularity as a traffic source because they work.

There is a significant amount of data that proves that users are more likely to engage with native ads than traditional display ads.

In fact, projections have native advertising accounting for nearly 60% of all display ad spending in the US by the end of 2018.

This impact can be attributed to how native advertising aims to match both the form and function of the platform in which it’s found. Ads are non-disruptive, ensuring users are less likely to recognize them as a targeted marketing tactic. This is why they are becoming more and more popular in affiliate marketing.

Most of the global population doesn’t want their screen and senses pummelled by a site covered in non-content related ads from one side of their screen to the other. The seemingly organic appearance of native ads helps combat this disdain, creating an environment where the user is more likely to look at and read your ad. They’re also featured on a lot of trusted main-stream websites, which can help improve their reputation among users.

Native ads have much potential for continued growth as ad networks find new and creative ways to integrate them with actual content.

1. Be Willing to Spend

If you’re still a beginner in affiliate marketing, it’s important to know that you will likely need a budget to find success with native ads.

The larger the website you want your ads on, the more you’ll have to pay, outbidding other affiliates in the process. Sometimes this can result in a lower ROI but increased overall earnings. However, to reach a high level of volume, you will need to be comfortable spending and adjusting your budget when necessary.

The types of verticals, offers, and countries you promote in will also play a significant role in how much you’ll have to spend.

2. Choose the Right Native Ad Network

To make money by combining CPA offers with native advertising, you’ll need to decide which native ad network you’ll use as your traffic source.

These networks allow you to take a CPA offer from MaxBounty, create an ad that’s placed on a mainstream website, and have that ad direct to the campaign.

MaxBounty currently has ongoing partnerships with two of the world’s biggest native advertising networks, Taboola, and MGID. Go to any mainstream content-driven site, and you’re likely to find sponsored posts from one of these two networks.

Although both offer similar features and functionality, they can differ in their website usage and popularity in geographical regions. This means you may find more success with one over the other, depending on where you live and what offers you decide to promote.

Our MGID partnership rewards you with a 25% bonus on an initial deposit of $1000 or more if you sign up through us. Just log in to your MaxBounty account and click the ‘Learn More’ link on our Resources Page here.

Our Taboola partnership rewards you with a $100 bonus to your Taboola account if you spend at least $100. Log in to MaxBounty and click here to sign up to MGID on our Resources Page.

3. Select CPA Offers That Convert as Native Ads

Not every campaign is going to do well when promoted through native advertising. This is partly because not every product or service works well in the native format, and that lead gen offers with low CPA rates will keep your ROI too low.

Try to choose offers with:

• Moderate to high payouts
• A broad appeal/target audience
• Products/services that can be promoted with an angle that evokes urgency

In addition to those, obviously make sure you’re only promoting offers from MaxBounty that permit native ads as a traffic source.

From there, you can break things down further by ensuring you promote within certain niches.

Some niches that convert well for our affiliates when they promote through native ads are:

Health

Products that can improve a user’s health or physical appearance do great on native. This is because they can trigger an emotional response.

You’ve undoubtedly come across a native ad with a before and after picture that features a person’s skin looking dramatically younger in the ‘after picture’. This is a common approach for promoting skin or de-aging creams.

Gaming

These offers can effectively target a user’s impulsive urges. If they feel like they’re missing out on a new addictive game that everyone else is playing, they’ll quickly try to change that.

Lottery/Gambling

These work well because they appeal to a mass audience. Everybody loves free money and it’s easy to create ads that revolve around that notion.

Tech Products

Like gaming, new tech gadgets can be enticing to early adopters if advertised the right way. It’s a type of product that people want before others, and these offers generally have high payouts.

Background Checks 

This niche works well because there’s so many different angles you can use in your promotion. You can try to attract users who are dating somebody new, who just hired a new employee, or who need a background check for themselves.

 

4. Write Compelling Ad Copy

Effective copy writing is important in any type of advertising, and for native ads, it’s going to play a huge role in determining the success of your campaigns.

Your image captions need to entice users. You want to spark their curiosity with an image and then ignite it into a full-on inferno once they’ve read your copy.

Here are a few general rules to follow to ensure your copy will attract users.

Keep it concise

Don’t overstay your welcome when your ad will be competing with others. Make your point and get out.

Sound journalistic

Your copy is more likely to attract users if it sounds like you’re reporting something. You want your ad to seem newsworthy. Eg. “New Weightloss Product is Changing the Lives of Moms”

Be incomplete

Ensure the users needs to click your ad to find out more important information. Don’t give away everything in your copy. Eg. “Find out Why this [Tech Gadget] is Selling Out Everywhere!”

5. Utilize a Custom Landing Page

Custom landing pages can be a great tool to have in your arsenal when using native ads. If a user clicks on a link but is directed to a sales page with too much information on it, the experience can quickly become a confusing one.

A custom landing page can also be angled to match your specific strategy for promoting the offer. Users can be turned off if the image and copy you use in your native ad doesn’t match the sales page of the campaign. Thus, you can use utilize a landing page that helps bridge the gap between the two.

This also creates the opportunity to use additional tracking analytics to enable testing and optimization.

Conclusion

Native ads are proven to engage users better than traditional display ads. As long as that remains a fact, there will be money to be made in native advertising.

Use the tips above to ensure you’re doing what you can to improve your chances of generating conversions, and tweak your campaigns as you learn what works best.