Blog
Selling ads, practically
How to price your inventory, handle advertiser enquiries, and sell placements directly without giving up what you already earn.
How to Sell Direct Ads Without a Sales Team
Almost everything people think of as ad sales is paperwork. The part that is actually selling takes about twenty minutes a week.
Read › 26 September 2026 · 6 minFlat Monthly Rates vs CPM: The Case for Selling Time
Guaranteeing impressions sounds professional until the month your traffic drops a fifth and you owe somebody a refund for weather.
Read › 25 September 2026 · 5 minWhy Advertisers Stop Replying After Your First Email
They did not lose interest. They lost the window in which they were interested, which is a different problem with a different fix.
Read › 23 September 2026 · 5 minWhere to Find Your First Advertiser
Everybody says the first advertiser is the hardest. It is mostly a research problem, and research problems have methods.
Read › 21 September 2026 · 3 minWhere Your First Ten Advertisers Actually Come From
The advice is usually to build a pipeline and start prospecting. For most publishers that is unnecessary, because the first ten advertisers are already within reach.
Read › 18 September 2026 · 5 minRun an Inventory Audit Before You Sell Anything
You cannot price what you have not counted, and almost nobody has counted. This is the hour that fixes it.
Read › 16 September 2026 · 3 minSelling Ads in a Vertical Mainstream Ad Tech Avoids
If you publish in a restricted category, you are not competing for the same demand as everyone else. That is a disadvantage in one direction and an advantage in another.
Read › 11 September 2026 · 2 minWhat to Say When an Advertiser Emails Asking for Rates
The enquiry arrives, you reply with a number, and often you never hear back. The reply is usually the problem.
Read › 7 September 2026 · 4 minHow to Sell Direct Without Giving Up Your Current Ad Revenue
The most common reason publishers never try direct sales is a fear of losing the revenue they already have. That fear is based on a misunderstanding of how ad serving works.
Read › 3 September 2026 · 3 minDirect Ad Sales vs Ad Networks: The Honest Comparison
This is usually written as though one option is obviously correct. It is not. The right answer depends on things about your site that a generic guide cannot know.
Read › 30 August 2026 · 4 minHow to Sell Ads Directly on Your Website
Most publishers never sell a single ad directly, not because nobody wants to buy, but because there is no way to complete the purchase.
Read › 30 August 2026 · 4 minHow to Price Your Ad Space Without Guessing
Almost every publisher prices ad space by picking a number that feels defensible and then discounting when challenged. Here is a method instead.
Read › 30 August 2026 · 4 minYour Advertise Here Page Is Losing You Money
The average Advertise With Us page is a contact form and a promise to get back to you. It is the most expensive page on most publisher websites.
Read ›Stop being the bottleneck in your own ad sales
Every hour between an advertiser deciding to buy and being able to pay is an hour you can lose the deal. Give them a portal instead of your inbox.
Start free trial14 days free. Your existing ads keep running. Cancel anytime.