outbrain search feed provider search arbitrage

$100M Annual Spend on Native Ads (Outbrain) Step-By-Step Playbook

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The key to continued success on Native Ads is Creativity and Focus.

Native ads can be the single most powerful cold user acquisition channel at scale, but most people don’t use it correctly. Like Google, Facebook and TikTok, Native ads need their own custom approach.

The Native Ads Funnel


The Ad -> Landing Page -> Offer Page

Creative strategists are considered the “new” media buyers. Automated campaign management can now be performed by AI based on analyzing and reacting to data sets. The biggest difference between campaigns and competitors is Creativity.

Content lets you build demand. The click out from the landing page on Outbrain can equal to a branded Google search click – you just need to leverage it correctly.

Outbrain traffic = Google Traffic

Tried and Tested Advertorial Landing Page Layout Structure

  • Catchy Title
  • Relevant Image
  • Introduction to Problem
  • Introduction to Solution
  • FOMO
  • CTA
  • Testimonials

Alternative Content Layouts

  • Short Advertorial Pre-VSL
  • Direct to Form Lead Generation
  • Short Advertorial With Quiz
  • CPMs dropped approximately 10% year over year
  • Rise in E-Commerce competition
  • Whitelists Died – Longtail For The WIN (FTW)
  • Search arbitrage and lead generation are growing and increasing popular

What Does This Mean For Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate Marketing = a form of arbitrage

Arbitrage is a condition where you can simultaneously buy ads at the same or similar service or product or asset at different prices, resulting in a relatively risk-free profit.

Essentially, the creation of Value through marketing.

Just because what was working last year, isn’t this year – doesn’t mean everything is not working. Switch or pivot to something else. Get out of your comfort zone and test on native ad networks.

What’s the most exciting opportunity? Search Arbitrage

Native ad supply traditionally peaks in November and December. Subsequently after this period, there is a HUGE opportunity to make profit.

THE WINNING FORMULA

  1. Build Your Ads
  2. Choose Your Content
  3. Create a Compelling Offer Funnel
Ads – Winning Formula

The Headline. Who do you want to reach?

The Thumbnail. Get people to give you ad attention

Iterate and Test.

You want to be above the CPM benchmark – higher in the native ad feed. The lower on the feed you are, the lower the click value is going to be.

Content – Winning Formula

The landing page and advertorial layouts have been perfected. Focus on content.

  1. Fast loading times
  2. Responsive layout
  3. Gamify CTA (up to 100% higher CTR)
  4. Use ChatGPT or other AI tools to draft, then edit yourself

Common ways to structure content:

  • Headline matching ad-headline
  • Seasonal hero image
  • Introduction to problem with data
  • Introduction of solution with 3-4 key takeaways
  • Check if you qualify + CTA
Funnel – Winning Formula

Iterate on your funnel and integrate with your tracking software or network. Create variations to split test

Longevity Through Quality

  • 2-4x the value of each click through CTR optimization
  • Optimizing on post-click traffic and data can help scale a campaign from $250K in monthly ad spend to $1M in monthly ad spend
  • The higher the quality of click traffic, the longer the search arbitrage campaigns will run

Affiliate Winning Formula on Outbrain

  • no (real) limit to the number of campaigns
  • duplicate and iterate

On Outbrain – Ad CTR is the single most important metric when scaling campaigns

Other Longtail and Publisher Traffic Types

  • Local news and journals
  • OEMs (Iron Source, Digital Turbine, etc.)
  • Push
  • Email
  • Newsletter

Adjust your ads per traffic type. The same ads that are winning on the top premium publishers do not work on the long-tail publishers. Breaking your campaigns out into different approaches per traffic type is the way to go.

OEM Traffic Funnel:

  • High-CTR Ad
  • 90% reduction of text vs landing page

Push Traffic Funnel:

  • High Ad-Rotation
  • Direct Ads
  • Send to Landing Page

Long-Tail News & Journal

  • Lower Ad-Rotation
  • Segment in the Ad (don’t sell)
  • Send to Landing Page
  • High Number of Campaigns at Lower Budgets

Top Geographies on Outbrain:
1) USA
2) Germany
3) France
4) Japan

Find which geos make the most sense and take advantage of the low CPMs in international countries.

Native ad platforms including Outbrain continue to be a top traffic source for quality search arbitrage feeds and campaigns. Consider increasing your ad spend and campaign efforts to drive more native traffic and yield more revenue and search arb profits!