| Spot type | How it's bought | Typical price | Lead time | Found selling it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On-site | ||||
Display ads Banner units on the site's pages — leaderboard, sidebar, in-article. Leaderboard · Sidebar ad · In-feed native ad 728×90 · 970×90 · 970×250 +12 → | Two doors: at auction through the exchanges the site's ads.txt declares, or direct from the seller for a fixed position. The volume buy. Auction needs no contact and scales across many sites; direct buys a fixed position the auction cannot promise. | $200 per month · median of 13 | Same day at auction; days when bought direct | 2,754 |
Featured listings A promoted position in a directory, marketplace or tools page. Featured listing · Directory listing · Homepage feature 250×250 · 200×200 · 300×250 → | Direct, usually self-serve on the site itself. High intent: the reader is already comparing options in your category. Small audiences, unusually good conversion economics. | $75 per month · median of 16 | Same day — usually self-serve | |
Takeovers Every unit on the page — or the whole site — for a day or a week. Homepage takeover · Takeover skin / wallpaper · Category sponsorship 970×250 → | Direct, calendar-based: one advertiser at a time by definition. Exclusivity is the product: no competing message anywhere on the page. The launch-day format. | $350 per month · median of 6 | Calendar-based — one buyer at a time, book ahead | |
Job listings A posting on the site's job board. Listing placement | Self-serve on the board, flat rate per posting. Only reaches people already looking — the targeting is the format. Judge the board by its niche, not its size. | No published price Priced flat per listing | Same day, self-serve | |
In-app ads Inventory inside the publisher's mobile app, declared in app-ads.txt. Mobile Interstitial · Interstitial ad 320×480 · 320×50 · 320×100 → | At auction through the app networks the file authorises. Separate inventory from the website with its own file and its own exchanges — a site with both sells two audiences. | No published price Priced cpm / cpi | Same day at auction | |
Direct, per send — where offered at all. Interruptive by nature: instant delivery, spent goodwill. Fits time-boxed offers, not brand campaigns. | No published price Priced per send | Days | Not detected yet | |
Native placements A unit styled like the site's own content, in the feed or between articles. In-feed native ad · Recommended-for-you unit · Native roadblock 300×250 · 336×280 → | Direct for a fixed position, or through the native exchanges the site's ads.txt declares. Buys attention display has stopped getting, at the cost of looking like editorial — the disclosure label is not optional. | No published price Priced cpm, or flat per month direct | Days — the creative has to match the site's own style | |
| Editorial | ||||
Paid posts An article about you, on their site, marked as paid. Sponsored article · Comparison feature · Tutorial or how-to | Direct. The publisher writes or you supply; it must carry rel="sponsored" links — which is exactly how our crawler catches them. Outlives the campaign: it keeps ranking and referring after the flight ends. Judge it on the site's authority, not its traffic. | No published price Priced flat per post | Days to weeks — drafting and editorial review | |
Product reviews The publisher tries your product and writes it up. Product review · Unboxing · Case study | Direct, and the honest ones will not promise a verdict. Third-party credibility display cannot buy — worth most from a site whose readers already trust its judgement in your category. | No published price Priced flat per review | Weeks — the honest ones use the product first | |
Branded content The publisher's own studio produces the piece — writers, photographers, video. Brand Studio programme · Sponsored data study | Direct with their studio team, scoped like an agency project. You are buying their newsroom's craft and distribution, not just space. The most expensive editorial format and the one that reads least like an ad. | No published price Priced flat per programme | Weeks to months — it is a production | |
Newsletter spots A slot inside an issue — primary, inline, or classified. Newsletter primary · Newsletter inline ad · Newsletter classified 600×200 · 600×300 · 300×250 → | Direct: contact the publisher or book on their advertise page, per send or per bundle of sends. Opted-in attention: everyone who sees it chose to receive the email. The strongest format per reader, priced accordingly. | $185 per month · median of 9 | Books days to weeks out — issues fill up | 166 |
Dedicated email The whole send — one email, entirely your message, to their list. Dedicated email 600×200 · 300×250 → | Direct only, and rationed: most publishers cap how many they will send. The maximum-attention format and the easiest to burn a list with — best for one big announcement, not a drumbeat. | No published price Priced per send | Rationed — often weeks out | |
| Audio & video | ||||
Podcast reads Pre-, mid- or post-roll — strongest when the host reads it. Podcast host-read ad · Podcast mid-roll · Podcast dedicated episode | Direct with the show, or through a podcast network. The host's voice is the product: a host-read carries borrowed trust no produced spot matches. Mid-roll survives skipping best. | No published price Priced cpm per download | Weeks — recording schedules run ahead | |
Video spots Pre-roll, outstream, or an integration inside a creator's video. YouTube integration · YouTube pre-roll · Outstream video 1920×1080 · 1080×1920 · 1080×1920 → | Integrations direct with the channel; pre-roll at auction. Integrations become part of the content and outlive the flight; pre-roll is reach you rent by the view. | $69 per month · median of 3 | Weeks — production time | |
Livestream spots A mention, overlay or segment inside a live broadcast. Twitch stream sponsor · Twitch overlay · Shopping livestream 1920×1080 → | Direct with the streamer or their agency, per stream or per series. Live and unrepeatable: the host reacts to your product in real time, which is either the best endorsement you will get or a risk you cannot edit out. | No published price Priced flat per stream | Days to weeks — slots book against a schedule | Not detected yet |
| Social & creators | ||||
Social posts A post, story or thread on the publisher's own handles. Instagram story · X thread · TikTok integration 1080×1920 · 1080×1350 · 1080×1080 +5 → | Direct — the handle is separate inventory from the site, sold at separate rates. Buys the audience where it actually follows the publisher. Short-lived by design; sequence several rather than buying one. | No published price Priced per post | Days | |
Community placements A slot in their Discord, Slack, Telegram or forum. Discord announcement · Slack community post · Telegram channel post | Direct with the operator; often informal. The smallest audiences and the highest trust per reader. Get the tone wrong and the community will say so, publicly. | No published price Priced per post or flat monthly | Days — often informal | Not detected yet |
Creator posts A post from an individual creator's own account, not a publisher's brand handle. Instagram collab post · TikTok integration · Xiaohongshu sponsored note 1080×1920 · 1080×1920 · 1080×1350 +2 → | Direct or through an agency; usage rights for paid amplification are negotiated separately. Buys a person's relationship with their audience. Agree the usage rights up front — running it as an ad afterwards costs extra and is the most common dispute. | No published price Priced flat per post; more for usage rights | Days to weeks | Not detected yet |
Messaging spots A placement inside a messaging platform's account or channel — a sponsored article or broadcast. WeChat Official Account article · Moments ad · LINE broadcast 1080×1080 · 600×200 → | Direct with the account operator or the platform's ad console, depending on the market. Enormous in markets where messaging is the web — a WeChat Official Account article reaches a subscribed audience no open-web crawler can see. | No published price Priced flat per article or per send | Days to weeks | Not detected yet |
| Commerce & search | ||||
Retail media Sponsored positions inside a marketplace or store's own search and category pages. Sponsored product · Category takeover · Brand store 250×250 · 300×250 → | Self-serve auction in the marketplace's ad console. The closest format to the transaction: the shopper is already at the checkout end of the journey. Intent is maximal, discovery is nil. | No published price Priced cpc | Same day, self-serve | Not detected yet |
Search placements A paid position against a search term — on a search engine or a site's own search. Search results placement · Brand zone | Auction, self-serve, bid per keyword. You buy the question, not the audience. Unbeatable when demand already exists; useless for creating it. | No published price Priced cpc | Same day | Not detected yet |
Affiliate deals The publisher links your product and takes a cut of what it sells. Affiliate link · Revenue-share partnership | Through an affiliate network, or direct with a tracked link and agreed rate. No money changes hands until something sells — the only zero-risk format, and the reason publishers push whatever converts rather than whatever is best. | No published price Priced revenue share or cost per action | Days — mostly paperwork | |
| Events | ||||
Event spots Your name on their webinar, meetup or conference. Event sponsorship · Webinar sponsorship · Workshop slot | Direct, tiered packages, booked well ahead. The only format that produces conversations rather than clicks — worth it when one customer is worth thousands, not before. | No published price Priced flat per event | Months ahead | |
Webinars A live online session the publisher hosts and promotes to its audience. Webinar sponsorship · Virtual roundtable | Direct, as a package: their promotion, your speaker, shared registrations. The lead-generation format: attendees hand over contact details to attend. Judge it on the registration list you keep, not the view count. | No published price Priced flat per webinar, often with a lead guarantee | Weeks — promotion needs a run-up | |
Speaking slots A seat on stage at their event — panel, keynote or fireside. On-stage opportunity · Panel seat · Fireside chat | Direct, usually bundled into an event sponsorship tier. Credibility rather than reach: a room of a few hundred, and a recording that outlives the day. Only works if your speaker is genuinely good. | No published price Priced flat, inside a sponsorship package | Months — programmes are set early | Not detected yet |
| Offline | ||||
Out-of-home Physical inventory — billboards, transit, elevator and in-store screens, posters. Elevator screen · Metro panel · Billboard 970×250 · 300×1050 → | Direct with the operator or through an OOH network, booked by site and period. Bought by location, not audience: the question is who walks past, not who follows. Elevator and in-store screens dominate several Asian markets the open web never indexes. | No published price Priced flat per panel per period | Weeks — printing and installation | Not detected yet |
Print ads A page, half page or classified in a printed magazine, newspaper or zine. Full page · Half page · Classified | Direct with the publication, booked against an issue date on a published rate card. The format with the longest shelf life and the least measurement. Buy it where the readership is a membership — trade titles, alumni magazines, scene zines — and not for reach. | $45 per month · median of 8 | Weeks to months — print schedules close early | Not detected yet |
Direct mail Something physical posted to a list — a postcard, a letter, a catalogue. Postcard drop · Catalogue insert · Letterbox distribution | Direct with a list owner or a mailing house, priced per thousand pieces plus production. The one channel with no inbox competition and no ad blocker. It earns its cost where the offer is worth an envelope: high-value, local, or to a list that already bought once. | No published price Priced cost per thousand delivered, plus print | Weeks — design, print, mailing house, post | Not detected yet |
Cinema ads A spot in the reel before the film, or the foyer screens and standees around it. Pre-show spot · Foyer screen · Standee 970×250 → | Through the cinema chain's ad contractor, bought by screen, film certificate or region. A captive room with the lights down — the highest attention per impression money can buy, and the least targetable. Buy the film, not the audience. | No published price Priced cost per thousand admissions, or flat per screen per week | Weeks — the reel is assembled ahead of the release | Not detected yet |
Radio & TV spots Airtime on a station or channel — read live, pre-recorded, or run as a video spot. Local radio spot · Live read · CTV spot | Direct with the station, through a rep firm, or programmatically where the channel is streamed. Local radio is the cheapest live-read endorsement in advertising and nobody looks at it. Connected TV is the same inventory bought like display — check which one a seller is actually quoting. | $99 per month · median of 8 | Days on local radio; weeks on national television | Not detected yet |
Venue & team sponsorship Your name on a team, a venue, a festival stage or a community club. Shirt sponsor · Stadium board · Festival stage 970×250 → | Direct with the club or venue, as a season or year package. Bought for standing rather than response. At local scale it is the cheapest way for a business to be seen as part of a place — a shirt on a Sunday-league side costs less than a week of display. | $149 per month · median of 7 | Months — seasons are sold ahead | Not detected yet |
| Guerrilla | ||||
Street & ambient Advertising put into the street itself — stickers, pasted posters, chalk, projections. Wild posting · Sticker campaign · Wall projection 300×1050 → | Through a wild-posting crew or a street-media agency, bought by city and postering cycle. Nothing here is sold by the people who own the wall. The cheapest way to look bigger than you are in one neighbourhood, and the format most likely to be illegal — flyposting is a fineable offence in most cities, and a legal crew charges more precisely because it has the sites. Ask which yours are. | No published price Priced flat per crew per cycle, or per hundred sites | Days to a week — print and a night's work | Not detected yet |
Flyers & street teams People handing something to people — flyers, cards, samples, at a place and a time you choose. Flyer distribution · Brand ambassadors · Leaflet drop | Through a field-marketing agency or hired directly, priced by staff hour plus print. Buys a location the media owners have not carved up yet: a queue, a station exit, the pavement outside an event you are not sponsoring. Response is poor per piece and excellent per pound in the right doorway. | No published price Priced per person per hour, plus production | Days | Not detected yet |
Stunts & activations A built thing in a public place — a pop-up, an installation, a vehicle, a stunt. Pop-up shop · Brand stunt · Roadshow | Scoped and quoted by an experiential agency, or built yourself and permitted with the landowner. You are not buying the people who walk past; you are buying the footage and the coverage of it. Budget for the film crew or do not do it at all. | No published price Priced negotiated per activation, plus permits and staff | Weeks to months — build, permits, insurance | Not detected yet |
Sampling & giveaways The product itself, put in someone's hand — in the street, at an event, or in a bag. Street sampling · Goodie bag insert · Product seeding | Direct with an event or venue for the right to sample, or through a sampling agency. The only format where the ad is the product. It works where trial is the barrier and fails where it is not — nobody was ever converted to a mortgage by a free one. | No published price Priced per thousand samples placed, plus the goods | Weeks — stock, permissions and staff | Not detected yet |
Parcel inserts & packaging A card in somebody else's parcel, or your brand on the outside of the box. Parcel insert · Subscription box card · On-pack promotion | Direct with a retailer or subscription box, priced per thousand parcels. Reaches a person who has just bought something, holding a box, in a good mood — the best-qualified moment in retail, and one that the brand whose parcel it is gets to sell. | No published price Priced cost per thousand inserts, plus print | Weeks — print and delivery to the fulfilment centre | Not detected yet |
| Packages | ||||
Custom packages Several formats sold together as one negotiated programme. Custom sponsorship · Multi-channel programme · Annual partnership | Direct with their sales team, scoped and quoted per buyer. Where the real discounts live: publishers bundle unsold inventory into these. Ask what is in it individually before judging the price. | No published price Priced negotiated, flat per programme | Weeks — it is a negotiation | |
Counts come from each site's own advertise page, ads.txt and app-ads.txt. Prices are the median of rates sellers published themselves, attributed by reading their rate card — never estimated, and omitted where too few sellers disclose one. "Not detected yet" means the crawler has no evidence of it, which is not the same as nobody selling it.
The 1,611 platforms a spot can be bought through, each one read from a publisher's own ads.txt, with the number of published listings that name it. Nobody wrote this list — it grows every time the crawler reads another file.
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1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
162
7
6
5
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
15
2,552
1,239
1,090
185
162
126
100
33
32
32
23
12
6
4
1
11
499
480
364
318
94
36
26
18
14
1
1
10
1,951
1,398
999
869
235
46
34
3
2
1
5
32
31
24
7
1
4
1,144
606
20
1
4
3
2
1
1
2
199
182
1
100
1
1
1
8
1
4
1
1