Admonetize - Programmatic Ad Partner & Header Bidding Solution

November 5th might be the peak of the election season, but the campaign kicks off well in advance. Super Tuesday, when over a dozen states hold their primaries, falls on March 5th. By the end of March, more than half of the delegate-related events will be completed. Following that, the race for the 2024 presidential election will heat up, with nearly $13 billion projected to be spent on ads across broadcast, cable, streaming, and digital platforms.

Regarding the portion of that budget allocated to digital media, there are strategies to explore that can greatly influence the size of a publisher’s share.

Ad Revenue Strategies For Election Years

1. Reconsider Block Lists:

Publishers should reassess their blocklists. With a significant increase in advertising demand expected this year due to political candidates and organizations investing heavily in campaigns, it’s crucial for publishers to review their blocklists to fully leverage this surge in demand.

At Admonetize, we provide various blocklist options. Our default and standard blocklists do not block political ads. To address this, we enforce rigorous guidelines to ensure brand safety and identify misinformation or deceptive content, allowing publishers to benefit from increased revenue while prioritizing user experience.

Despite the additional safety measures in place, we advise offering users the option to flag inappropriate ads. This not only makes users feel heard and enables them to quickly address unwanted content, but also provides valuable insights for publishers to refine and improve ad selections.

2. Expand Ad Layouts:

Websites with conservative ad layouts can benefit from adding more ad units and formats. With the surge in demand, expanding the number of impressions available for sale is crucial. If your current ad strategy is conservative, especially if you're not utilizing video formats, making these adjustments during an election year can significantly boost your revenue.

While we prioritize audience engagement and a positive user experience over ad revenue, being close to the tipping point is ideal given the increased ad spend. Many of the world’s largest publishers employ this strategy during peak seasonal periods.

3. Create content relevant to key election dates and events:

Editorial direction can significantly impact revenue during an election year. With the decline of third-party cookies, contextual targeting will become a crucial strategy for political campaigns. Depending on your content niche, consider crafting articles with an election focus. While major news outlets like Reuters and Al Jazeera are at the forefront of political content, many niches can also address relevant political themes. Explore diverse content types beyond trending news, such as evergreen explainers, DIY guides, and opinion pieces.

Then, publish this content around the time of key races and events that will likely attract significant advertising attention.

4. Offer Political Ad Packages:

For publishers engaged in direct sales, consider developing political ad packages. If direct sales are part of your advertising strategy, creating specialized ad packages for political advertisers can be highly beneficial. These packages might feature a range of ad formats, placements, and targeting options tailored to political themes.

Create a mixture of fully dedicated sponsored posts, homepage takeovers, video impressions, and banners to give the advertiser variety in reaching their target audience.

5. Optimize for Viewability:

A key metric frequently discussed in political campaigns is ad viewability, which measures how visible ads are to users on a publisher’s site. To maximize viewability, optimize your site to feature premium ad placements with high visibility, such as homepage takeovers or exclusive sponsorships. Ensure that sidebar units remain sticky and verify that no ads overlap to enhance their effectiveness.

By adopting these strategies, publishers can secure a substantial share of the increased ad spending during political seasons and boost their overall revenue. If you're already working with Admonetize and want to maximize your revenue for the 2024 presidential election, contact your customer success manager today. If you're not yet a partner, please reach out to advertiser@admonetize.net to get started.