With affiliate marketing, there are so many ways to monetize your content.
You can add links that earn you commissions from CPA, CPS, or CPL offers.
But what if there was a type of online advertising where you got paid every time an ad on your site was viewed?
Because that’s exactly what Pay per View (PPV) affiliate networks offer.
Relax…this doesn’t mean those awful flashing banner ads from 1998.
It’s a bit more nuanced than that.
So we decided to do a roundup of the most popular PPV networks for your viewing pleasure.
Best PPV Networks
- Propel Media
- RTX Platform
- Zeropark
- Google Ads
- CPV Marketplace
Let’s get to it…after a quick definition.
What Is PPV
So how does PPV fit into the world of online advertising?
Pay per View is the placement of an online advert on a web page via a pop-up, full-page size ads, a new browser tab, or text link. These networks pay out every time an ad is viewed – the ad doesn’t actually need to be clicked i.e. you get paid for delivering impressions.
The next thing to deal with is terminology.
PPV and Cost per View (CPV) mean the same thing – one is used by advertisers and the other by affiliates.
That’s it.
Apart from that, the ads are usually served in some form of pop-in, pop-under, or a whole page takeover.
This varies from network to network.
Are there any other differences between PPV networks and typical affiliate networks?
Volume is the key difference – you need to know that a PPV network has a good balance of affiliates and advertisers.
Because if there aren’t enough high-quality publishers offering billions of potential clicks each month, there’s nothing to convince advertisers to stick around.
Now let’s get to the networks themselves.
Propel Media
So let’s kick off our roundup of PPV advertising networks with Propel Media, a network that’s been around since 2006.
Propel Media was formerly known as TrafficVance.
One of the most respected and trusted PPV networks on the Internet marketing scene.
It’s always a bonus if the affiliate network you plan on working with has been around for longer than your average Netflix binge.
This CPV network has a portfolio of premium clients.
Unfortunately, they don’t list any of them on their site, but that’s probably at the advertiser’s request.
What does stand out about their network is their focus on matching ads to search intent.
This should encourage a higher CTR = you have more money.
What they do well
Their reputation proceeds them – they have a whole stack of premium advertisers for the right affiliates to work with.
And apparently, more than enough volume to make decent money from displaying their ads on your site.
Their focus on matching ads to search intent via text ads is also a nice touch.
As is their move to take PPV advertising beyond just the typical pop-up or pop-under with their new ‘Lightbox’ ad unit.
Existing users have said a lot of good things about their customer care – services like this do actually matter.
What they don’t do well
They don’t tell you what to include in your application, which is done by email.
But at this level, it’s probably more of a “letter of introduction” than explaining your next marketing campaign to them.
Most suited to
Affiliates in very specific niches and/or who are at the top of their PPV traffic game.
This is quite possibly the very best PPV network out there – in terms of traffic quality, how much you get paid etc.
Signup URL: Propelmedia
RTX Platform
RTX Platform is another ad network worth considering if you want to diversify your affiliate income.
Or you operate in niches where PPV offers make more sense.
RTX Platform has worked with affiliates since 2008, so they obviously know what they’re doing.
In terms of how they can help you monetize your blog posts, this is done through any of the following:
- Push ads – but not the usual overwhelming type
- Fullscreen – for making an impact
- Native ads – seamlessly integrate with your web page/site
- Custom search – your “site search” functionality will include text ads
So it’s pretty typical of what you would expect from a network like this, although it would be nice to see a contextual text link ad unit on offer.
RTX Platform is happy to work with typical website owners and digital publishers.
And that’s across multiple online advertising niches ranging from health, finance, and travel to dating, games, and education.
But they also work with software developers.
So if you’re developing a new browser extension or toolbar, they’re not opposed to talking shop with you.
Their advertiser catalog is pretty impressive too – it includes companies like eBay, Norton, Quicken Loans, and Santander
What they do well
RTX has a reputation among affiliate marketers for making implementing their ad code as easy as possible.
You also get a number of big-name advertisers to work with.
And if anything goes wrong, their customer service team also has a solid reputation for getting problems sorted promptly.
What they don’t do well
They don’t have as much volume as some of the larger networks.
Which has led to a number of affiliates complaining about lack of results.
Most suited to
Mid-level affiliates and/or software developers.
Signup URL: RTX Platform
Zeropark
Zeropark isn’t a name that instantly springs to mind when talking about CPV or PPV networks.
Even though they’ve been in the game for a decade now.
Publishers get to choose from Push ads, popovers/interstitials, or domain redirects/parked domains.
And across a number of the most popular and profitable verticals e.g. gambling, crypto, dating, trading, and nutraceuticals.
Their anti-fraud features let affiliates know they’re not swimming with sharks.
And advertisers can stay in control of their cost per click.
Something that makes Zeropark stand out from the ad network crowd is they offer a lot of “value” before you become a publisher or advertiser.
You can sign up for a free weekly newsletter, watch webinars, etc. without ever setting up an account.
Whereas the average CPV network wants you to sign up and start making them money ASAP.
Or make your minimum deposit, if you’re an advertiser.
What they do well
In a world of PPV networks that do the bare minimum to attract clients, Zeropark goes that extra mile.
Basically, their free stuff indicates that they probably treat their paying clients better than most of their PPV advertising competitors.
Oh, and they also provide dedicated account managers.
What they don’t do well
It would be nice to know exactly what advertisers they work with so you could frame that around your niche.
Most suited to
Any affiliate who has enough traffic to qualify for a typical PPV network.
Signup URL: Zeropark
Google Ads
Wait…Google Ads is a Pay per View network?
Yup.
The ads that play before, during, or after a YouTube video are based on Cost per View bids made by advertisers on Google Ads.
So although Google might not be a typical PPV network, it is a PPV traffic source.
It’s also how a surprising number of YouTubers make millions per year.
You can monetize your videos with those same ads.
Or use those ads to push PPV traffic towards your affiliate products, if you’re operating at scale.
But we’re not going to spend a lot of time here talking about Google.
What they do well
It’s Google, so you get the tried and tested Google Ads platform and advertiser interface.
This has also recently gotten a total overhaul, so it’s that bit slicker than it was.
You even get real-time bidding thrown in.
And most importantly, they have the financial resources to maintain their platform through economic highs and lows.
Something which can’t really be said of most other PPV networks.
What they don’t do well
Google apparently pays publishers 68% of what the advertiser spends.
The problem is that this is rarely reflected in how much affiliates actually make from displaying Google Ads, in any format.
You’re also never going to find Google offering a pop-under ad service- break their ToS once and you’ll be shown the door.
Most suited to
Complete newbies who don’t have very high expectations.
Signup URL: Google Ads
CPV Marketplace
And now we come to the final Cost per View network in this roundup – CPV Marketplace.
Okay, first things first – their website is a mess.
It does not look like the type of website you’d trust with your money.
But their PPV traffic has been shown to deliver above-average conversions, based on decent volume, in a third party test.
The only real downside to them appears to be the cost involved.
This is not a cheap PPV traffic source for your internet advertising needs.
But they could be worth running a small online marketing test on, based, on potentially high conversions.
Just watch your ROI like a hawk.
What they do well
So how does this ad network fare?
Their traffic would appear to convert pretty well, so you know it’s not all bots.
And you get enough volume to allow you to test offers in a given vertical.
Just be prepared to make your minimum deposit to get started.
What they don’t do well
An archaic interface and website combined with no way for publishers to take part on their network.
You’re quite possibly in “banner ads” territory here and/or a pretty high cost per click.
Most suited to
Marketers who are desperate for new sources of traffic.
Signup URL: CPV Marketplace
Bruh…my favorite network is missing
Yup, I have no doubt it is.
Because what became immediately apparent when I started researching this article was that a lot of older PPV networks have either:
- Gone out of business
- Plain ol’ vanished
Then there were the other networks that we couldn’t list because:
- They install malware via ads
- They have a reputation for burning affiliates and advertisers
Conclusion
What did we learn today, folks?
That good PPV/CPV ad networks are rare.
So rare, in fact, that we could only track down five of them actually worth listing – the rest have gone bust or missing.
But also that the better PPV networks are becoming more refined – the contextual text link isn’t just for display ads these days.
Is it worth adding PPV ads to your site to monetize it?
You might not have many other choices in certain niches e.g. adult.
These networks exist for a reason.
But do bear in mind that PPV networks are volatile, so don’t make them your primary source of income, or traffic.
Smart affiliates diversify their income.
They learn the basics and then scale up.
If you want to learn the basics of putting together your first affiliate website then why not check out our training class on Authority Hacker Training?
You’ll learn about choosing a domain and hosting, niche and keyword research, and a bunch more.
How much will it cost you?
Zero.
So you literally have nothing to lose by attending.
