Beefree blog

A Publisher’s Guide to Email Advertising

Beefree team
Beefree team
Nov 4, 2015
A Publisher’s Guide to Email Advertising
A Publisher’s Guide to Email Advertising

Advertising revenue continues to be the bread and butter for many publishers. Over the last years, advertising revenue has changed its form, moving from traditional media to digital, mobile and beyond.Following this digital shift, many publishers are using advertising in their email newsletter publications to generate a steady revenue source. In some cases, email advertising accounts for over 20% of total ad revenue!In this blog post we'll shine a light into how ads in email are used by a number of publishers and provide you with a snapshot of how they're incorporating ads in their email newsletter publications — including which email ad types are being used and what's the technology behind.

Email advertising commonly accounts for over 20% of total ad revenue.

In This Guide

  • Email Ad Types
  • How Top Publishers Use Ads in Emails
  • How Top Tech Publications Use Ads in Emails
  • How Newsletter-Only Companies Use Ads in Emails
  • How Mid-sized Publishers Use Ads in Emails
  • Ad Technology Providers & Ad Networks
  • Best Practices for Email Ad Design

Email Ad Types

The way ads appear in emails differs from brand to brand and publisher to publisher, but they tend to fall into three main categories: display ads, native ads and sponsored emails.

1. Display/Banner Ads

Display advertisements, also known as banner ads, are a form of ads embedded into a website — or in this case, into an email — that typically include static or animated images, a video and/or text that communicates a marketing message.You’ve seen them before. Check out this example from PureWow, a digital publication featuring women’s lifestyle content. The newsletter included a Forever21 display ad at the bottom of the message:

advertisement in email newsletter

Display ads have been around pretty much since the internet has existed, and that means they’re in our email inboxes, too. But these days, banner ads are often considered outdated eyesores that people have learned to tune out. Click-through rates on banner ads have reportedly fallen to a meager 0.06% (way down from 78% on the first banner ad ever in 1994).However, despite fears of “banner blindness,” brands still use them. As you’ll see in our section on Display Ads in detail, advertisers and designers strive to be increasingly creative and clever with banner ads — so you can count on continuing to see banner ads in emails.Many display ads you see in your browser while surfing the web are targeted, interest-based ads that are displayed based on your browsing history. These ads can be based on the content of the page you’re visiting or the registration information you provide. They could also be shown based on predictions about your interests generated from your visits to other websites (via cookies).You’ve probably seen the AdChoices logo in the corner of a display ad. AdChoices gives readers some control over the content of these targeted ads:

adchoices logo

The AdChoices program has been around since 2011 and is managed by the Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA). Its stated goal is to provide consumers with information about how online advertising works and the choices you have. Click on an ad with the AdChoices logo, and you can control whether you receive interest-based advertising and from which companies.This type of display ads exist in email, too. Some publishers use a separate platform (like LiveIntent, which we'll revisit in the Ad Networks & Tech Providers section) designed to place real-time advertising in email. The moment an email newsletter is opened, a user-interest ad populates via HTML code.Here’s an example from email newsletter Cut. See the “Recommended by PowerInbox” text? PowerInbox helps publishers and brands provide personalized ads that subscribers are more likely to engage with.

sponsored email ad

2. Native Ads

Native advertising — we’re sure you’ve heard the term. But if you’ve wondered what exactly it means, you’re not alone. Native ads can look different for different publishers. Essentially, native ads are ad content that fits seamlessly into the existing content of the brand or publisher.The IAB describes it this way: “Native advertising is paid ads that are so cohesive with the page content, assimilated into the design, and consistent with the platform behavior that the viewer simply feels that they belong.” It’s emerged more prominently in the last few years as a way for marketers to engage with consumers on a new level — a way to connect with a built-in audience by providing quality content that could already be there, making it feel like a “native” or natural experience.Because there is no “standard” in native advertising, the approach has faced a lot of controversy. Readers have, at times, felt fooled by native ads that appeared to be “pure” journalism or regular site content only to find out what they’re reading is a paid advertisement.That’s why it’s become critical for native ads to be easily distinguished if brands want to maintain readership and consumer trust and loyalty.The Interactive Advertising Bureau advocates that, for paid native ad units, clarity and prominence of the disclosure is paramount. The disclosure must:

  1. Use language that conveys that the advertising has been paid for, thus making it an advertising unit, even if that unit does not contain traditional promotional advertising messages.
  2. Be large and visible enough for a consumer to notice it in the context of a given page and/or relative to the device that the ad is being viewed on.

Simply put: Regardless of context, a reader should be able to distinguish between what’s paid advertising and what’s publisher editorial content.Here’s what a native ad looks like in the OZY Weekender (see: “Reap the benefits of a sustainable closet”). OZY let you know at the beginning of the message that the email was sponsored by Cariuma.

email advertising best practices

An oft-cited benefit of native ads — when they're transparent and not “sneaky” — is that they're way more relevant for a target audience than traditional ads. The same holds true for interest-based display ads. The more an advertiser understands a person's interests and behaviors, the more targeted the ads can be. In theory, this benefits both parties.Plus, native ads are less in-your-face than typical banner ads. The approach forces brands to create content that many readers perceive as higher quality than traditional ads, making native advertising a particularly exciting and appealing advertising method for many publishers right now.

3. Sponsored Content and Sponsored Emails

Sponsorships through email can take multiple forms. One common approach is to allow a third party to sponsor your content in exchange for an advertisement or endorsement in your email. Here’s that approach in practice from Product Hunt Daily. Check out the section at the bottom from Zendesk Suite:

email newsletter with sponsored content

The sponsorship approach allows Product Hunt Daily to make money through advertising while maintaining control and trust with their readership. They accomplish this by keeping the ad on-brand (see how the ad looks similar to the “Yesterday’s Top Hunts” section?). Like a native ad, this sponsorship fits in with Product Hunt’s content.Another sponsorship approach is to send out an entire email to your audience from a third-party sponsor. It’s kind of like you’ve rented out your email list in that you’re accepting payment from another organization in exchange for sending a promo email to your list. It’s a common practice among publishers.Below is an example from Listings Project, a weekly curated email of real estate and opportunities listings for artists and creative communities. In this case, to maintain that trust and transparency with readers, Listings Project does two things: 1) They’re upfront about what they’re doing. At the close of each sponsored email, they include this statement: “In addition to our regular weekly newsletters, we send out occasional dedicated email offers and promotions from our sponsors.”And 2) They clearly label sponsored emails in the subject line, so readers understand what they’re getting even before they click to open.

How Top Publishers Use Ads in Emails

With the decline in print media advertising thanks to the internet, the publishing industry has faced a sink-or-swim environment in which publishers have had to reinvent how they reach their audiences, create content and sustain themselves, with effective advertising playing a critical part. Let’s take a look at how some of the top publishers use ads in emails.

New York Times

Leading header display ad followed by two larger ads

Let’s take a look at this email from the New York Times. This newsletter includes three ads total: one display ad at the top (Cariuma), another large ad (Gilt) in the middle and a second Gilt ad near the bottom. The ads are spaced out throughout the email so you can browse through the headlines without being interrupted too often.

email advertising example

Lit Hub Daily

Display ad

In this newsletter from Lit Hub Daily, a display ad for Castro is featured near the bottom. Take a look:

email advertising

Right away, we noticed there’s no banner ad at the top. It’s easy to get straight to the meat of the content, which is what readers are looking for.

Key takeaways from how top publishers use ads in emails:

  • Major publishers tend to use more interest-based display ads than other types. Depending on the publisher, it could be because certain ad slots were not sold to major sponsors, and interest-based ads provide more revenue than typical remnant ads.
  • Ads are evenly distributed throughout an email with at least three stories or headlines between ads. Some are placed in breaks between sections.

Remember to consider:

  • First impressions. Think about how readers might feel when they open your email to see an ad at the top, first thing.
  • Space. Balance content with ads. Top publishers dedicate 60%+ of email real estate to content and the rest to ads.
  • Placement. Are ads eyesores in the middle of your content, or are they well-integrated with the design of your newsletter?

How Top Tech Publishers Use Ads in Emails

The major technology publications treat advertising similarly to the top publications we reviewed above. They may be cutting edge when it comes to covering the latest technology news and innovations, but are very traditional when it comes to how they use ads in email. Let's look at a couple of them.

Techcrunch

CNET

Targeted ad

CNET packs a lot of content into its daily dose of technology news. Here, you’ll notice an ad for Capital One Shipping in the bottom right column of this message. See the AdChoices logo? That means this is a targeted, interest-based ad.

advertising in email

Key takeaways from how top tech publishers use ads in emails:

  • Top tech publishers advertise in emails just like other publishers, using multiple approaches including sponsored content and interest-based display ads.
  • Tech publishers tend to avoid placing banner ads at the top or header of an email, but aren't afraid to place multiple ads within an email.

Remember to consider:

  • Transparency. Sponsored content and native ads need to be clearly distinguished with text and design elements like background color and/or labeling.
  • Layout. Using multiple columns in an email, where ads distract and clutter along the side, is not a best practice. Use a single column layout that's easier to read, better for mobile viewing and doesn't make the email — including ads — feel cluttered.

How Newsletter-Only Companies Use Ads in Emails

The past few years have seen the emergence of a new kind of publisher: the email-only newsletter. The Skimm, Thrillist and the now-defunct Daily Candy are all examples of this type of publisher. Though they may republish their content online, the purpose of these publications is to reach people by email. That means doing in-email sponsorship right is even more important — these publishers don’t necessarily have a website to rely on for their “real” advertising revenue.These publishers tend to feature well-integrated advertising sponsorships with content and ad placements throughout the email to maximize revenue. Take a look at how two of these companies handle these sponsorships successfully.

Inside Deals

Inside Deals curates the best deals from around the web and delivers them straight to your inbox. The newsletter is presented by IBM Watson and there are two ads included throughout the email (clearly earmarked with text reading, “A message from IBM Watson”).(This image no longer exists)

The ads don’t include images or take up too much space. If you aren’t interested, it’s easy to just keep scrolling. But if you do want to check it out, it’s easy to do that, too.

Morning Brew

Morning Brew is a daily newsletter with a goal of helping you become smarter in just 5 minutes. This recent newsletter was presented by AthleticGreens and we see one sponsored ad that’s presented in the same format as the other news items in the email.(This image no longer exists)

Key takeaways from how newsletter-only publishers treat advertising:

  • Sponsorships and advertising are even more important for email-only publishers, since they don’t have additional advertising revenue from a website to rely on.
  • Email-only publishers can be especially innovative with their advertising campaigns, with integrated email headers, atypical banner sizes and color choices.

Remember to consider:

  • Full sponsorships. Email takeovers and fully integrated sponsorships from one brand work best for this type of publisher.
  • Labels. Label sponsored content appropriately, and use visual cues to demonstrate that it’s a different type of content, such as a different color background or a different color CTA button.

How Mid-sized Publishers Use Ads in Emails

The mid-sized publishers whose newsletters we pulled for this analysis use a variety of ad types. But in general, fewer ads appear in emails compared to the bigger, top-tier publishers we looked at earlier.

Practical Ecommerce

Sponsored ads throughoutPractical Ecommerce sends a daily roundup of down-to-earth articles and commentary for ecommerce businesses. In this recent example, we see two total ads, both sponsored: “A message from Wynter” at the beginning of the message and “A message from Zentail” in the middle.

email ad design

Key Takeaways from How Mid-Sized Publishers Use Ads in emails:

  • Unlike top publishers, mid-sized publishers tend to avoid interest-based display ads. Because the mid-sized publishers we featured here are more niche publications, they may have niche advertisers and rely less on ad networks to fill their ad inventory.
  • Mid-sized publishers use fewer ads in emails than top publishers — typically about two — even if they’re sending just as much content as bigger publishers.

Remember to consider:

  • Readers. With a smaller readership comes fewer ads. In order to build up your audience, it’s wise to focus on content first.
  • Size. If an ad is the first thing readers see in your email, consider making it a narrower, less obtrusive ad.
  • Format. Avoid putting a display ad right next to a story headline without a barrier between the two. Always be clear and transparent.

Email Ad Networks and Technology Providers

If you're looking to implement email advertising in your email newsletter publication, we've listed a few resources and providers to take a look at.First, check out an email ad network. Email ad networks connect publishers and advertisers so that publishers can easily monetize emails. For publishers without existing advertiser connections, it’s an opportunity to generate revenue through email. The advantage for advertisers is that emails provide a unique opportunity to get exposure to an audience through an established brand trusted by readers who have opted-in to receive content.

LiveIntent

LiveIntent is one of the most well-known companies operating in this space. LiveIntent targets well-established brands: They require three million monthly ad impressions (emails opened) to use their service. Publishers that do use LiveIntent simply place static HTML tags into their email templates, and the ads populate.

Gold Lasso

Gold Lasso specializes in native ad monetization. Like LiveIntent, the company provides code, but it’s customized to match the template and format of your newsletter.

PowerInbox

PowerInbox specializes in animated product displays and real-time tickers, helping to make ad content stand out. They also offer an option to use “personalized content” — in other words, interest-based ads that populate upon opens.

Wrap-up: Email ad design tips

Ready to start designing? First, take a look at these email ad design tips:

  • Ads should never make up the bulk of your email. Use them sparingly, to properly balance the content and advertising space allotments.
  • Consider your readers. If you’re going to include ads, strive to make them relevant. Don’t put an ad for kitchenware in your email newsletter for car mechanics.
  • Be transparent. Native ads need to use language that conveys it’s been paid for (think: “advertisement,” “sponsored,” etc.) that’s large and easy to read. Use design tactics to make your native ad look different from the rest of your content, like a different background color or a special icon or label.
  • Design still matters. Consider the size and format of ads you choose, if you have control over it.
  • Remember placement. If an ad is the first thing readers see in your email, consider making it a narrower, less obtrusive ad.
  • The current standard format for most interest-based or square display ads is bulky, with lots of padding surrounding each display. Consider the real estate they’ll take up in your email and use them sparingly.

Use the BEE email editor to build emails that incorporate ads in the best way possible to engage your readers and earn more revenue!

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Design made easy:

According to HubSpot, well-designed emails can drive open rates as high as 30%. Maybe you’re following up with leads from a recent webinar or you want to reach potential clients after a product launch. But you're finding yourself stuck because crafting professional emails and landing pages that capture attention is no easy feat.

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Maybe you’re following up with leads from a recent webinar or you want to reach potential clients after a product launch. With Beefree’s templates, you can get those messages out quickly and make sure your brand stays top-of-mind for your audience.
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Increased engagement:

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Getting started with Beefree templates

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1. Choose your template

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2. Personalize

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When using a template, customization is key to making your emails and landing pages feel unique and relevant. With Beefree’s drag-and-drop editor, you can easily tweak templates to align with your branding. Adjust colors, fonts, and layouts, or add personalized content such as recipient names and company details. The flexibility ensures that your final output is as distinctive as your brand’s voice.

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1. Export

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For user these spam filters help ensure a smooth email experience, free of spammy and fishy emails. However, as email marketers, these filters lead us to be overly cautious out of fear that our emails are not accidentally filtered out.

Whether you’re employing a lifecycle email marketing strategy or simply confirming an order, we’ve outlined the basics of how spam prevention works, why it matters, and how to avoid running afoul of some commonly used triggers.

Why you need to avoid email spam triggers

Whether you’re an ESG reporting software or a travel company email spam triggers can email marketing performance and in turn hurt your business. For one, there’s the obvious reason that if your emails get sent to the spam folder, they probably won’t be seen. That's time and effort wasted.

Beyond that, being sent to the spam folder too many times delegitimizes your email marketing, which damages what’s known as your sender reputation. When just starting out, this reputation is effectively neutral. But if it gets too low, it could damage your marketing performance and even result in being blocklisted.

How email spam filtering works

As mentioned above, spam filters are implemented as a form of quality assurance and protection for end-users. Here's how ESPs determine content to be spam:

  • Sender reputation analysis: ESPs check sender reputation based on authentication, user complaints, bounce rates and sending patterns. They’ll also check the reputations of your IP address and web domain.

  • Content analysis: Content filtering uses triggers like keywords, formatting and error detection to distinguish spam from legitimate email marketing.

  • Blacklists: Along with sender reputation metrics, ESPs also cross-reference email senders against any of several blacklist databases. Being on even one of these means you’ll struggle to climb out of the spam folder at all.

8 common email spam triggers and how to avoid them

Now let's get to the good stuff. Prevention is generally the best strategy when it comes to avoiding email spam triggers. Here are seven factors commonly used by ESPs to filter spam emails, and the simplest solutions for dealing with them.

1. Lack of authentication

Missing authentication is one of the first red flags an ESP will pick up on. Authentication shows you’ve taken certain steps to establish legitimacy. It’s also used to prevent fraudsters from impersonating your brand online. There are three commonly used forms of email authentication:

  • Sender Policy Framework (SPF): This means publishing a list of mail servers and IPs with permission to send messages using your domain. This is one reason it’s important to conduct email marketing through a branded business email, rather than a personal account.

  • Domain Keys Identified Mail (DKIM): A cryptographic signature which shows a message’s original content has not been altered during sending. Think of it like the tamper-proof seal on a bottle of milk.

  • Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC): A way for you to establish how you want receiving platforms to handle authentication failures related to your domain.

2. Shady linking practices

Link placement and presentation play an important role in email marketing. Aside from engaging recipients and securing click-throughs, using links appropriately helps avoid your emails looking like spam.

Questionable linking practices include:

  • Links to domains with poor reputations
  • Excessive numbers of in-email links
  • Compressed, modified or obscured links, particularly when generic link shorteners are used

Only link to your own authenticated domain. Also, use an unlimited bandwidth VPS to help ensure your website access speed is always stable and fast. This will give visitors the assurance that your site is legitimate.

Don’t forget to make the purpose of any in-email link absolutely clear.  

3. Content

Although the reason for an email landing in a spam folder is often related to authentication, reputation, or poor formatting, content can at times be the culprit. Here are elements that you should look at if you suspect that your content is why your emails are not reaching their recipients:

  • Typos
  • Irrelevant content that doesn’t foster positive engagement
  • Poorly translated text
  • Partner content with poor reputation
  • Possibly offensive content
  • URLs or images with poor reputation

Another thing to note is language detection filters. Various words, phrases and tone choices have strong associations with scam emails. This includes certain buzzwords, vague or exaggerated claims, or excessive sales jargon. However, this is only really an issue when you already have a bad reputation.

Nevertheless, let’s say you’re beginning to build your reputation back up and are conducting Black Friday email marketing. While it’s important to use engaging language and strong CTAs, you should avoid terms like:

  • Limited time only
  • 100% free
  • Make money from home
  • Avoid bankruptcy
  • You have won

4. Bounce rates

A ‘bounce’ is when an email doesn’t arrive in the recipient’s inbox. This could be due to it being sent to a fake email address, an out-of-date email that is no longer in use, a full inbox, etc.

When a sender frequently experiences high bounce rates for their emails, this damages their reputation with ESPs.

But how do you improve bounce rates and, therefore, your reputation? The best way is to have good segmentation practices to ensure the right content goes out to the right people. You should also keep your list clean by regularly evaluating it and removing hard-bounce email addresses as well as inactive subscribers.

Moreover, ensure you send relevant messages that your audience actually wants to receive. Of course, always be mindful of the rest of the triggers on this list to make sure you’re protecting your sender reputation.

5. Misleading email subjects

Even if you’re not trying to do anything malicious, misleading subject lines can trigger email spam filters. For example, an email might claim to promote educational B2B content about internal audit controls. Then, instead, link the user to a landing page to sell them a product.

Always set clear topic sentences as email subject lines. Try to summarize the content and intent of the email. If you’re sending a welcome email for customer retention or promoting, say, a product or sale, make it obvious before the recipient clicks on it.

6. Poorly written and formatted emails

Poor formatting and low-quality writing are other important email spam triggers. Common writing triggers include:

  • Overly vague language lacking personal detail
  • Typos and spelling errors
  • Being too brief

A marketing email can trigger spam filters if it lacks formatting of any kind, or if there are inconsistencies. It’s also suspicious when marketing emails lack branded color schemes, imagery or the correct logo design.
Avoiding these email triggers is simply a matter of emphasizing professional communication standards in email marketing.

7. Poor engagement

Low engagement manifests itself through a lack of interaction with your emails from the recipients—low open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates, as well as low subscriber count are all indications. 

Consistently low engagement will likely result in your emails being filtered into spam. To combat this, you should strive to deliver good and captivating content tailored to your audience. More specifically, you can:

  • Use segmentation to personalize your emails and craft the most compelling content for each segment.
  • Put together attractive subject lines
  • Make use of solid and clear CTAs

8. Getting blacklisted

Improving your sender reputation, also means you don’t run the risk of being blacklisted. Blacklists are a useful prevention tool, but if you end up on one of these lists, your email marketing is more or less guaranteed to end up in spam folders.

Aim for prevention with email security and compliance training, and don’t send unsolicited marketing emails. You can also use a blacklist checking tool to make sure your sender emails haven’t been compromised.

Maintaining your sender reputation is essential

Email spam triggers aren’t all bad, they ensure that your well crafted messages aren’t drowned out and that users are able to easily see the emails they’re interested in. 

To reap these benefits, you need to keep an eye on these triggers and protect your sender reputation. Don’t worry, though. It’s easy to deliver marketing copy that avoids email spam triggers once you know what they’re looking for.

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