The Ultimate Guide to Ad Formats in Affiliate Marketing

The Ultimate Guide to Ad Formats in Affiliate Marketing

Today we will discover the most unexpected features of the ad formats you use and see every day. Ad networks do not discuss this information. Dozens of experts have shared their knowledge for us to communicate with you.

OnClickA is a performance-driven global self-serve ad network. We

An ad network is where your dreams come true...or not. Ad networks are one of the tools

developed OnClickA to help

you can use to reach people, which is why

marketers reach new quality leads

choosing the right one is very important.

and get conversions worldwide.

We suggest:

Traffic worldwide in 240 GEOs

Premium traffic sources

4 B impressions every day

7 payment methods.

10 ad formats;

We would like you to ask yourself why one ad network is better than others. You may find the right answer only by comparing advantages and disadvantages.

We identified the key features that brought the most value

So, why us?

and assembled them into one advertising platform:

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Anti-fraud technology

Smart pricing Automation

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Thinking of which GEOs to target?

Here are the TOP 5 GEOs:

United States

India

United Kingdom

Canada

Germany

of America

For more detailed information about TOP GEOs and ad formats, please get in touch with your personal manager and our support team or subscribe to our telegram channel for weekly updates.

Now let us get back to ad formats. Which one do you prefer? - I bet we have it!

Run any of the 10+ most popular and convertible ad formats with OnClickA:

Popunder

Interstitial

Banner

In-page

Tab-direct Link

Notification widget

Video

Push

In-app

Native - Ad

Let’s consider each of them in detail:

Popunder

Popunder is a highly-efficient full-screen pop ad that appears behind the main browser window after clicking on the link. It is one of the most unobtrusive ad formats, which addresses ad blindness by showing up the landing page in an open browser window. Popunder advertising has a low entry threshold as there is no need to make a creative.

Strong points for popunder

1. It comprises easy-made formats suitable for both beginners and experienced advertisers

You don’t need to make any creatives for this format. The creative is in the form of a landing or a pre-landing page. That means you can still run ads in popunder even if you lack design skills.

There is no difficulty in creating a popunder ad. As it requires minimum skills in advertising, it can be used by rookie affiliate marketers and experts. This makes it the best format for training new advertisers.

2. High conversion rate to the advertised resource

The transition to the advertised resource occurs automatically when the user interacts with the site interface. Such mechanics guarantee the advertiser a conversion to the site.

3. High visibility

Popunder ads do not blend with the other website content as banners, in-page or push ads. They are impossible to ignore. As a separate browser window, popunder advertising networks address the issue of “banner blindness.” This makes users notice your ad with a higher probability.

4. There is a high volume of popunder traffic

The format is well-developed in terms of targeting. It is presented almost in every country and on most

websites. You can also create popunder campaigns in all the verticals (except for the illegal ones). This allows you to run pops worldwide with almost no limitations.

5. Popunder is very adaptive The conversion rate of popunder does not depend on the device type because no creative could limit its adaptive ability. Unlike banner advertising which can display differently depending on the device, popunders do not have this problem.

Popunder helps advertisers to test website entry points: to compare browsing depth for different pages and figure out those that convert better. You can analyze how a landing page, an advertised page, or an offer works in isolation from the creative.

Weak points for popunder 1. Popunder is aggressive Popunder doesn’t ask, it just appears. It does not matter if the user wants to see the ad or not – it displays at will. This sometimes annoys users, and they will probably close the ad and ignore its content altogether.

To avoid site audience dissatisfaction we advise you to identify a set of unique users for this ad settings.

2. Getting your target audience may be challenging The wide targeting opportunities of popunder can result in huge volumes of less relevant traffic. Since no creative acts as a filter for the audience, the popunder opens for all users. This means the audience is potentially uninterested in the offer advertised via this format after not clicking the certain ad they may be intrigued by.

The unique algorithms of high-quality function clean the traffic from all irrelevant sources and users. This reassures you receive the best possible traffic for your campaign and spend your advertising budget wisely.

In OnClickA we have a unique function - high-quality targeting which allows users to receive the most relevant traffic for their campaign.

3. Popunder depends on the browser’s updates and ad blockers Modern browsers tend to protect users from all kinds of intrusive ads. While some browsers block ads in their system, users can set up an ad blocker that will remove most ads. Nonetheless, there are special tools to bypass ad blockers.

Tips of using popunder

Upload more creative links In OnClickA you can upload a multicreo - multiple creatives that will rotate in a random or given probability. Upload several links: a link to the main page, a link to the page with bonuses, or a link to some catchy content on the website that will boost your conversions. It will also help you understand which landing works best for you.

Use a pre-lander page Pre-lander pages warm up the users’ interest in your product. Put the most captivating content and some special offers with a discount or a trial period on your pre-lander. Users are always interested in a profitable proposition. You can easily create a pre-land with the help of numerous website constructors. Use videos, GIFs, and any bright, interactive animation to catch their attention.

Use a tracker for your popunder campaign The advertising cabinet does not have popunder click tracking. This is why you need a tracker tool to analyze your campaign statistics and figure out which traffic sources or creatives work better.

Choose high-quality or premium resources To get the maximum benefit from popunder advertising, we advise that you target your ads on the most profitable traffic sources, using either high-quality targeting or premium websites.

Premium websites have the highest quality traffic by themselves, but if you want to target all websites, try high-quality targeting and get the most suitable traffic for your offer.

Separate desktop and mobile devices campaigns It is better to create different campaigns for desktop and mobile devices. The price of the desktop traffic is not the same as the mobile one.

The other reason for this differentiation is the conversion type, which is a device-dependent parameter.

Set up the impression frequency To avoid dissatisfaction among the site audience resulting from the aggressive characteristics of popunders, we advise you to set up unique users in the ad settings. On this note, setting 1 impression per unique user for a day will be optimal.

Imagine how a site visitor would feel after viewing several popunder ads in a few hours. It can become annoying and repulsive. Moreover, this can also spoil your CTR and conversion rate.

Interstitial is a full-page ad format that shows up above the main content of the device, either mobile or desktop. The user must close the ad to continue working with the site content. It usually appears between activities of transition from the pages or at the start of the session.

Interstitial is a popular ad format among advertisers due to its high CTR.

Strong points of interstitial 1. The format that people will easily notice Interstitial has high visibility as it is characterized by a big window that opens up above the main webpage.

Users cannot simply avoid watching it, even though they mostly close it.

2. Less aggressive Although interstitial ads cover the whole webpage, they are always very easy to close. This makes them less annoying to users when compared to popunders.

3. Video format adaptation It is possible to use an MP4 video as a creative for an interstitial ad. The video will appear on the entire device screen and surely capture the attention of visitors. You can always make your video bright, fun and interactive to get more clicks and higher CTR.

4. Interstitial is cheaper than popunder The average price of the interstitial ad is lower than the popunder variant. This makes interstitials more affordable for advertisers with different budgets and experiences.

Weak points of interstitial 1. Binding to size and format While push advertising adapt to variations in device size, interstitials don’t have such an option. There are only two sizes of interstitial ads: 1920x1080 for desktops and 900x1600 for mobile devices. Differences in dimensions across all devices make images potentially display incorrectly.

2. They can be annoying to the user Interstitial overlaps the main content of the site being visited. An aggressive creative may confuse the user and cause a negative reaction.

Tips

Make quality creatives Spend some time making thrilling creatives that capture the audience's attention. Think about video format or interactive GIFs with discounts or other promotional offers.

for using interstitial

Try different creatives It is always better to test various creatives. You will have more chances to satisfy your target audience by showing them visuals that they are more likely to click on. Moreover, using multiple creatives will help you identify the ones that convert more.

Mind the sizes of interstitial While making creatives for interstitial ads, remember that you have to fit in the ad sizes provided.

A Banner is one of the most popular ad formats placed in different places on a web page with a high traffic rate. It is traditionally widespread among advertisers. At OnclickA, we provide you with seven different banner formats to choose from.

Strong points of banner ads 1. Perfect for branding Advertisement banners are highly effective for advertisers that are interested in raising brand awareness.

A user can see the major brand identities on the banner image and remember them for a long time.

2. The banner warms up the audience Banners show offers that are capable of interesting users. The user initially sees the offer before attempting to proceed with the need that appeared at the moment of acquaintance with the banner. It also serves as an audience filter, which makes the traffic of the advertised site more targeted.

3. The cheapest ad format Traditionally, banner ads have the lowest prices on the market.

4. Suitable for both beginners and experienced affiliates It is easy to create a banner. Nearly everyone can create it using a computer or a smartphone. The lower price of banner ads makes it an optimal format for newbies in affiliate marketing.

5. Banners provide huge volumes of traffic The volumes of banner traffic are always high with OnClickA.

6. It is the most adaptive format There are 7 diverse banner sizes in OnClickA, and you can choose almost any possible. Moreover, banners support multiple file formats, including JPEG, PNG, GIF, MP4, and SVG. This makes it possible to develop any creative you can imagine with banners.

7. There is also a variety of banner placements Banner placement depends on the type of traffic you choose between high-quality, medium, or all traffic.

The banner can be displayed atop the webpage, in the middle, or at the bottom.

Weak points for banner ads 1. Sometimes banners are hard to notice This happens because of the banner placement choice. If the banner is displayed at the bottom of the webpage, the user may not reach the end of the page while visiting it.

2. Banner blindness It is a common notion that modern users face such a phenomenon as banner blindness. There are lots of ads on most websites. Visitors get tired of similar advertisements and no longer pay attention to them.

Tips for using banners

Use high-quality targeting To make banners more noticeable, put them on a high-quality target. By setting up this function your banner ad will be placed in the most clickable location. The best spot is identified by our special algorithm based on a neural network, which selects the most advantageous place on the webpage.

Be clear with your message Make your banners simple but catchy. Use call-to-action phrases to motivate visitors to click on your ad. Avoid non-readable fonts and congestion with elements. The image is the first thing that a user perceives. Then the user notices the text, but only if it is short and readable. If not, the user will not even notice it.

Push is a notification ad that appears as a notification while users visit a webpage or an app. The user receives a push notification advertisement at any time when their browser is open, whether they are familiar with the website or not. Push ads are actively used by advertisers due to their high opt-in rate and effective audience engagement.

Strong points for push ads 1. Higher CTR Push ad has a high-conversion format. Sending a push notification will enable you to reach real users that are subscribed to the push mailing. In this case, the audience is potentially interested in your offer, which is why the quality of traffic is usually high.

2. Noticeable format There is a small probability of missing a push. So the format has a high audience reach.

3. Huge traffic volume & targeting opportunities In OnClickA, we have numerous push traffic for all verticals and GEOs. Moreover, the prices of push traffic are relatively low.

Weak points for push ads 1. Push can easily be muted by the user If a user blocks push notifications from a website, they cannot be reached via push. In this case, you can try an in-page ad format, but this will more likely lead to a “colder” audience.

2. They may be intrusive Some advertisers use push ads to imitate the browser or system notifications by frightening the user with some system errors or viruses. People fear for their devices and click on such links, which may be harmful or simply misleading.

3. Short user interaction time with ads Because push notifications appear once in a period, and the user can close it fast, there is not much time to interact with the potential client. That is why an advertiser should use the minuscule chance to show the most catchy ad that the visitor will likely click.

Tips for using push ads

Use several creatives with different text and image That way you will have more chances to engage users and understand which creative converts more.

Work out your creative well Since there is a limited amount of time for user interaction, it's important to make the ad creative and engaging. Take the time to create visually appealing graphics and compelling text to attract your audience.

In OnClickA we have a unique function - high-quality targeting - which allows users to receive the most relevant traffic for their campaign.

An in-app banner is a type of advertisement that appears within the content of a mobile app. OnclickA offers a range of in-app advertising banner formats. These banners tend to have a high impression and click-through rate because they are presented to active users of the app interface.

Strong points for in-app 1. High-quality mainstream traffic We carefully select each of our application traffic sources.

2. Opportunity to see traffic sources up to the app rating in the personal interface The OnClickA’s personal interface comprises an app rating, which is the basis for users to choose their preferred traffic source.

3. Opportunity to choose your preferred in-app banner size There are five banner sizes for in-app format for advertisers to choose from, ranging from 300x250 to 728x90.

Weak points for in-app 1. The traffic is comparatively expensive The in-app campaign costs a little more than other formats and is compensated by the high quality of the traffic generated.

2. There is only mainstream traffic Unlike other formats, in-app permits only mainstream traffic, as other types of traffic will not be allowed by app marketplaces.

Tips

You can find all relevant tips on using the in-app format in the banners section

A video ad is one of the fast-growing formats today. These forms of ads show up at the beginning, in the middle or at the end of the main video content. Video ads notably engage users through their high viewability. Their effectiveness is distinguished by their high CTR and conversion rate.

Strong points for video ads 1. High conversion rate In-stream video ads immediately engage users’ attention. In fact, it is easier for people to perceive information via video. That is why a well-done video ad will increase your conversion rate several times over.

2. More opportunities to interest the user With video ads, advertisers have more opportunities to show offers and their benefits to users. Video ads can contain more information than any banner or push notification.

3. It raises brand awareness A strong visual impact on the user reinforces their ability to remember the brand.

4. High visibility The pre-roll video ad appears before the main content. That is why the visitor has to watch your ad before he can continue working on the website. He is motivated to watch till the end; hence, there is no doubt that your ad will be noticed.

Weak points for video ads Producing a creative is more challenging Unlike popunder, advertisers using video ads have to spend more time making catchy video creatives. This may require some skills in editing and animation.

Tips for using video ads

Work thoroughly on your video ad Video ads are not the cheapest ad format.

In order not to waste your budget, try to make the most interesting and enticing video for your campaign. A quality video will bring you more conversions.

In-page ad is a format that imitates a push notification. In fact, it is a popup banner that doesn’t require users to be subscribed to the push mailing list. Therefore, an in-page has wider coverage. This form of ad appears on the website page when users visit. They are also available for IOS devices, unlike push notifications.

Strong points for in-page ads 1. Ad properties are not connected to the browsers Unlike the push ad format, users don’t have to be subscribed to receive in-page notifications, and this attribute broadens the audience.

2. Adaptive skins depending on the offer and the vertical OnClickA provides special adaptive skins for ads in certain verticals. The advertiser has pre-made ad blanks to save time, not creating them from scratch on request.

3. They are available for IOS devices unlike push ads IOS devices do not allow push notifications but in-page ads are still active.

4. They provide the highest volume of mainstream traffic in OnClickA If you prefer mainstream traffic sources for your offer, in-page is a good choice!

5. Flexible in terms of creatives You are not limited to uploading pictures with text or only text. If you choose to upload only text, your ad will resemble a native notification on the device.

6. Cheaper than push ads In-page will cost an advertiser less when compared to push ads. That is why this format is available for users on different budgets.

Weak points for in-page ads 1. Probability of misclick As in all notification-type ads, there is a probability of misclicks that can lower your clicks-to-conversion rate.

The “Close” button zone in most of the in-page notifications is small.

With OnClickA, advertisers can choose high-quality targeting, which makes the “Close” button bigger and easier to click. As a consequence, you receive cleaner and more relevant traffic.

2. No subscription The absence of any notification subscription like in push ads gives you only one chance to interest a user.

Tips for using in-page

Use a unique users filter The unique user limit eliminates the irrelevant audience for your ad. If the ad is shown to users that do not need your product several times, they will eventually get annoyed and you will receive a higher bounce rate.

Choose RON There is no need for premium sources targeting in-page. Due to the high amount of mainstream traffic, it is better to test sources for some time before creating a blacklist or a whitelist of websites depending on which one converts more.

A notification widget is a textual banner that appears above the main website content, designed to imitate its system notifications.

The ad is characterized by two buttons, which allow users to click whether they are interested in the ad content or not. The special algorithm of the widget shows the ad to display only to engaged audiences. The format has an integrated anti-fraud system. Multiple levels of user verification help provide high-quality traffic for your campaign.

Strong points for notification widget 1. A new ad format with a low competition rate There are not many platforms for advertising that offer such a format. OnClickA is one of the few that develops notification widgets for its advertisers.

Due to low competition, advertisers are provided with more opportunities to get the audience’s attention.

2. Traffic of a high quality The traffic of the notification widget is carefully selected by OnClickA’s neuro algorithms.

3. Adaptive skins depending on the offer and the vertical There are special presets for the ads in notification widget format for certain verticals. These adaptive skins make your ad look more attractive and bright.

4. Huge traffic volume for Tier-1 OnClickA provides a notable traffic volume for Tier-1 countries. In notification widget format you can find clean and quality Tier-1 traffic for your offer.

Weak points for the notification widget It is more expensive than the other formats The notification widget is priced higher than most other formats. At the same time, the traffic quality is extremely good, which makes it worth it.

Tips

for using notification widget

Test different creatives Make from 5 to 10 various creatives for one campaign.

This will help raise your CTR and conversion rate.

Put your bid no lower than the recommended one As the price of a notification widget in the auction is usually higher than the other formats. It is better to watch out for the recommended bid in your personal interface. With this approach, you will always receive the traffic on time.

Native Advertising involves the use of paid ads that fit seamlessly into the media where they appear. This form of ad can be presented as a headline, image, body, app icon, call to action, etc. In this way, advertisers can post content that hooks viewers' attention by not being an obvious ad.

Strong points for native ads 1. There is a better chance for a high conversion rate if the offer fits the website content As native ads imitate organic website content, they will be interesting to the audience that knowingly visits the particular site. Therefore, if your ad thematically coincides with the content of the site, the traffic will be targeted and converted.

2. The price is low Like banners, native ads have a comparatively low price in OnClickA. That is why they are available to a wide range of advertisers.

3. It is possible to upload different image sizes When creating a native ad campaign you can use images of different sizes. This broadens your opportunity to test different creatives. However, the OnClickA team recommends a size of 300x250 to make your creative adaptable to most websites.

Weak points for native ads 1. It can go unnoticed It is possible for users to not see your ad due to its low placement on the website.

2. There is a need to properly develop and test the creatives Making creatives will take time. Moreover, you will need to test several creatives to find the most converting ones.

Tips for using native ads

Upload several creatives It is recommended that you choose 5 visuals for your campaign to get a higher CTR and conversion rate.

Optimize your traffic sources There is a need to optimize every campaign.

You can do a native ad campaign optimization through either premium sources or RON with blacklisting websites.

A Tab-direct Link is a tab on the website menu, supposed to look like a part of it.

This is one of the most native formats to promote your brand.

Strong points for tab-direct link 1. Exclusive ad format The direct link format is not available in most ad networks. This is a rare format accessible to OnClickA advertisers.

Consequently, there is no high competition in the niche, and you can easily access your audience.

2. This form of ad is easily noticed A direct link is placed in the navigation bar of a website. It remains there no matter what page a user visits, and the website interface stays the same on most pages.

3. Easy-made creatives All you need to do is write a short text and create a link. No visuals or videos are required.

4. Unobtrusive format A direct link doesn't annoy users by showing them content or websites they were not ready to see. It is just a text link in the interface.

5. Has a native look Because direct links imitate the website’s menu, they tend to look like a part of it. This increases trust in the link and a higher probability to click.

Weak points for tab-direct link

1. Spend time developing the landing page

The advertiser will have to work on the landing page (or a pre-lander) to motivate the user into taking conversive actions.

2. It may stay unnoticed

As the tab-direct link is a small interface button, users can unknowingly miss it while visiting the website.

3. Possibility of misclicks

Users perceive ads as part of the interface. They click, thinking they will go to another section of the site that interests them. When faced with another website, they may immediately close it - thus raising your bounce rate.

Tips for using tab-direct links

It is better to work on the landing page

(or a pre-lander) where the direct link would lead the users. The advertisers should create texts and engaging content for the web page to catch the audience’s attention.

Conclusion Today, we introduced you to the main features of advertising formats. We hope that this information will help you through the advertising format selection process and with the successful running of campaigns.

On the one hand, the modern world is filled with advertising.

People are already accustomed to seeing advertising and often do not pay attention to it or perceive it negatively as an attempt to impose an unnecessary product.

On the other hand, people have learned how to make high-quality advertising by focusing on what the audience will appreciate better. Advertisement is now considered a kind of skill. Many people enjoy watching good and unusual advertisements. Thanks to the development of social networks and blogging, advertising is now, to a greater degree, perceived natively and without negativity.

For advertisers, this is a great chance to find their converting audience.

Today, you must be creative and bold and

OnClickA suggests billions of high-quality

perfect the art of catching people’s attention in

traffic in an enormous variety of advertising

smart ways. That is what OnClickA was made

formats. Our experts have carefully selected

for. It is an ad network that collects the latest

each of the most converting formats through

technologies in the advertisement industry.

years of experience in affiliate marketing.

We invite you to try OnClickA and broaden your advertising skills with our service!

Do you have any questions about OnClickA? Contact us: support@onclicka.com