Why do you need native advertising platforms?

If you’re looking for new ways to reach your target audience, native advertising is a great option.

These ads are less intrusive than other forms of advertising, so your audience is more likely to engage with them.

Native advertising platforms allow you to place your ad on sites where it will be seen by people who are already interested in what you have to offer.

To help you get started with native advertising, we’ve compiled a list of the 7 best native advertising platforms. These platforms offer a variety of features, so you can find the one that best suits your needs.

But first, let’s understand what native advertising is all about and its benefits.

How We Chose the Best Native Advertising Platforms

  • Targeting Capabilities: Our preference is for tools that allow precise targeting of native ads based on audience demographics, location, and interests. The best native advertising platforms offer granular targeting options enabling brands to maximize their marketing results.
  • Content and Media Formats: The essence of native advertising is in its creatives and content that allow the ads to seamlessly blend with the environment they are placed in. This is why we have focused on picking tools that offer different ad formats (video, carousel, story ads) and tools to optimize ad design.
  • Analytics: We picked platforms that offer in-depth data analytics on a range of useful metrics, including ad views, clicks, keywords, and ad groups. In addition, the tools offer easy ways to export data.
  • Publisher Network: One of the key factors we’ve considered is the platform's ability to manage affiliates effectively. Tools listed here have direct integrations with leading publishers, such as NASDAQ, Microsoft, CBS, ESPN, and so on.
  • Custom Reports and Recommendations: Another key factor we have evaluated when picking the best native advertising platforms is their ability to offer insights and custom content recommendations. The tools listed use advanced technology to enable marketers to achieve their ad objectives.
  • Quality Policy: We have prioritized the native advertising platforms that are known for their stringent quality policy for ads and publishers, facilitating the creation of high-quality native ads.

What is Native Advertising?

Native advertising is a form of online advertising that matches the look and feel of the website or app it appears on. Native ads are often less intrusive than other types of online advertising, making them a good choice for publishers who want to keep their readers happy.

Here’s a popular example of native advertising from Allbirds, a sustainable clothing company. Their article on how climate change is affecting birds was published in the New York Times as a paid post.

New York Times

Image via New York Times

It looks just like any other piece of content on the website, when in reality it was a paid post. That’s the beauty of native advertising—it looks and feels like the native content of a platform.

Types of Native Advertising

Native ads are essentially designed to appear as part of the environment they are in. Yet, there are different ways to display native ads that we have discussed here.

In-Feed Ads

In-feed ads are a type of native advertising that appears within the content feed of a social media platform, a website, or an app.

These are designed to blend in with the surrounding content and can take many different forms, such as article placements, product recommendations, or even sponsored posts.

While the content is marked as a ‘sponsored post,’ its format is similar to the content in the publication.

Here’s an example of an in-feed ad by Statista on Instagram that looks like a regular Instagram post.

Instagram

Image via Instagram

Promoted Listings and Search Ads

These ads are designed to integrate with users’ browsing experiences on ecommerce platforms. They display sponsored products that resemble those on the page the user is viewing.

Here is an example of promoted product listings from Amazon. The first image shows the product that is being viewed, while the second image shows the promoted listings.

Amazon

Amazon

Image via Amazon

While search ads are similar to promoted listings, they appear on the top of your search results. These types of native ads promote businesses based on the preferences or the current location of the searcher.

Content Recommendations

You might have encountered ‘You may also like’ or “Recommended for you” sections when you finish reading an article or blog on some websites. These content recommendations can also be classified as native ads. Here’s an example from the BBC.

BBC

Image via BBC

Branded Content

Branded content goes beyond just sticking your brand logo on content. It's about creating high-quality SEO content that resonates with the publisher’s target audience while subtly promoting your brand.

About 43% of consumers trust in brand content when it's crafted by experts. 42% trust it even more when it clearly states who it's created by.

You can create articles, videos, infographics, or other multimedia content, to inform or entertain while still promoting your products or services. Branded content helps you build trust, brand awareness and credibility with your potential customers.

Jeep sponsors some of National Geographic's documentaries and articles showcasing breathtaking landscapes and remote destinations.

Jeep Sponsors NatGeo

Image via YouTube

Native Advertising Formats to Pay Attention to in 2025

Native ads take many forms and choosing the right ones is crucial for your native advertising campaigns. Here are some advertising formats to pay attention to in 2025.

Short-Form Video

Video continues to reign, with short-form content leading the pack. You can use platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to capture your audience’s attention with quick, engaging video ads. Be sure to use the best video editing software to create polished and professional-looking content.

Interactive Ads

Tactile interstitial ads continue to gain popularity as they provide a more engaging experience. These full-screen mobile ads, often triggered during page transitions, use a combination of video, image, and text to deliver a more engaging experience than static banners.

Voice-Search Ads

As voice assistants become more common, optimizing your advertising for voice search is crucial.

This means using natural language patterns in your ad copy and focusing on local search to ensure your offerings appear in relevant voice queries. Utilize SEO best practices to enhance your website and ad visibility.

AR and VR Ads

Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) are becoming more accessible, enabling immersive native advertising experiences. You can create interactive AR filters or VR simulations to showcase your products or tell compelling stories.

Shoppable Ads

Shoppable native ads allow your customers to purchase products directly within the ad unit, streamlining the shopping experience. Whether through social media platforms, influencer marketing partnerships, or dedicated shoppable ad formats, this trend is reshaping native advertising.

Benefits of Native Ads Over Traditional Ads

Before we list the top native advertising platforms, let’s understand why native ads are better than traditional ads and should be a part of your marketing strategy.

Less Intrusive

Ad fatigue is inevitable, with thousands of ads popping up across various digital channels. Unsurprisingly, 50% of the world’s internet users use some kind of ad blocker or anti-tracking system to access ad-free content.

Native ads are less intrusive than other types of ads, such as pop-ups. This means that people are less likely to be annoyed by them and more likely to engage with them.

More Trustworthy

Native advertisements are more effective than traditional ads, because they appear more trustworthy.

According to the 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer report 71% of users agree that they need to trust a brand before they buy products. Gen Z places an even greater emphasis on brand trust, as 79% say it's important to them.

More Engaging

Native ads are more engaging than traditional display ads because they blend in with the content around them.

The fact that these ads use a trust-based approach minus the annoying hard-sell attracts higher engagement.

This trust-based, less intrusive approach has a much higher CTR (click-through-rate) than a harder conversion-based approach.

Outbrain

Image via Outbrain

That’s not all. Native ads increase purchase intent by 18%.

Better Targeted

Native ads can be better targeted than other types of ads because they can be matched with specific content topics.

For example, if you sell hiking gear, your ad might appear on a website or blog about hiking and camping. This ensures that your ad is being seen by people who are interested in what you have to offer.

Higher ROI

Native advertising is generally more affordable than other types of advertising, given the ROI it can deliver. This makes it a great option for small businesses or businesses with limited budgets for marketing and advertising.

You might now be wondering how to create native ads that blend in with their surroundings and promote them on the right channels. This is where native advertising platforms come into the picture.

It’s time to look at the top 6 native advertising platforms that help you run targeted native ad campaigns.

Best Practices for a Solid Native Advertising Strategy

Native ads are considered to be more trustworthy and impactful than traditional ads. When your ad campaigns are more relevant and targeted, your audience will likely engage with them and take the desired action.

Let’s take a quick look at the best practices for crafting a solid native advertising strategy that yields higher ROI.

Prioritize Content Quality

Quality content is the core of a successful native advertising plan. Step into your audience’s shoes to identify the content that is valuable to them. Invest in creating content that is rich in information and easy to process.

Say no to click baits and craft ad content that will capture the reader’s attention. Connect with your audience emotionally, whether you provide a tip or a light-hearted video ad.

Test Different Formats

Move away from the conventional native advertising formats and test creative approaches to enhance your brand's visibility. Rigorous testing is necessary to understand what works with your audience.

When testing different native advertising platforms, always try their latest formats. They will add freshness to your ads and help you stand out in the crowd.

Use Natural Language

The use of robotic and technical language in your ads may turn off your audience. Instead, use a friendly, inviting, and conversational tone to encourage your readers to check out your offerings.

The headline, ad copy and CTA should all flow like a conversation. Present value to the readers and nudge them to visit your landing pages to explore your products or services. However, avoid slang or casual language and always maintain your brand voice.

Personalize Based on Demographics

Focus on creating targeted, personalized native advertising based on region, audience age, and cultural influence. This personalization will make your ads unique and help the readers connect better with your content.

Now that we have a good overview of native advertising, it’s time to look at the top seven native advertising platforms that help you run targeted native ad campaigns.

The Top 7 Native Ad Platforms

These native advertising platforms connect advertisers with leading publishers who already have a large user base. They also give users a range of tools to discover content, create ads, and track their ads’ performance.

Here are our top seven picks for the best native advertising platforms.

1. Nativo

Nativo

Image via Nativo

Nativo is one of the most reliable native advertising platforms that help brands reach their audiences through native ads.

By leveraging Nativo’s native ad networks, brands can create and publish beautiful, engaging ads that blend in seamlessly with the look and feel of a website or app, making them more likely to be seen and interacted with by users.

Key Features

  • Proprietary Native Article allows your content to appear on-site and in-feed with publisher branding.
  • Canvas helps tell your brand story in creative ways.
  • Scroll-to-play and click-to-play videos and stories format to capture the attention of mobile users
  • NativoIQ™, the content intelligence platform analyzes five billion data points to help you optimize your native advertising strategy.
  • Native has a native ad network featuring direct integrations with over 3000 popular publishers, allowing you to reach your audience where they are most active.

Pros

  • One of the easiest-to-use native advertising platforms
  • Good customer support
  • Insightful reports
  • Content creation support

Cons

  • No option to filter data by campaign
  • Creative storytelling takes time

Pricing

  • Most native advertising platforms use a Cost-Per-Click (CPC) model of payment and Nativo is no exception.

Tool Level 

  • Intermediate

Usability 

  • Easy to use

Pro Tip: Leverage Nativo's data analytics platform provides valuable insights that you can use to improve your campaigns.

2. Outbrain

Outbrain

Image via Outbrain

If you are looking for the best native advertising platforms that help marketers reach their target audiences with relevant content, you can’t go wrong with Outbrain.

As one of the best programmatic native advertising platforms, it provides a suite of tools to help marketers plan, create, and measure the performance of their native advertising campaigns.

The native advertising platform only accepts publishers who get million-plus visits per month, which is one of the reasons behind the high volume of daily views and clicks the platform delivers.

Additionally, Outbrain leverages advanced advertising technology to provide insights and guidance to help marketers optimize their campaigns for maximum impact.

Key Features

  • As one of the best native advertising networks, Outbrain partners with the top publisher sites in the world offering optimum exposure to your campaigns.
  • With Outbrain Amplify, advertisers can choose the budget and pay for clicks till they reach their cap.
  • Flexible native advertising formats including standard, carousal, opt-in videos, clip ads, and Outstream ads.
  • Onboarding kit and resources for advertisers.
  • Zemanta, Outbrain's native DSP (Demand Side Platform), helps brands target and deliver their message to the right people at the right time

Pros

  • User-friendly interface
  • Diverse targeting options
  • Extensive outreach with top publishers and leading niches
  • Stringent quality policy for publishers and ads
  • Custom recommendations on creatives

Cons

  • Ad formats are not as customizable as other native advertising platforms

Pricing

  • Like most native advertising platforms, Outbrain offers a CPC pricing model where you will pay for the number of clicks per campaign based on your budget.

Tool Level 

  • Intermediate

Usability

  • Easy to use

Pro Tip: Use Zemanta for strategic delivery: Zemanta, Outbrain's DSP, can help you target audiences across different platforms.

3. Adsterra

Adsterra

Image via Adsterra

Adsterra is one of the best native advertising platforms for marketing your brand to the masses. It is a great choice for brands, affiliates, agencies, and SSP or DSP partners. Adsterra partners with over 35,000 publishers, generating over 35 billion impressions monthly.

The platform provides three-layer security for advertisers and publishers. Using advanced filters, you can estimate traffic and explore new markets.

Key Features 

  • Adsterra Self Service platform allows you to purchase traffic without the assistance of a manager
  • Provides access to ad optimization tools, competitive intelligence, and targeting options
  • 20+ targeting settings help reach the audience you want to impress
  • Advanced tracking helps monitor campaigns at a deeper level

Pros 

  • Responsive and flexible native ad formats to help you create impressive ads
  • Custom reporting helps analyze data to fine-tune your campaigns
  • Round-the-clock customer support to help you run your campaigns effortlessly

Cons 

  • You can’t test a campaign for free. You are required to deposit a minimum of $100 to get your campaign live and test it.

Pricing 

Adsterra offers different pricing models like CPA, CPC, and CPM. Pricing will be fixed based on your native advertising requirements.

Tool Level

  • Intermediate/ Expert

Usability 

  • This feature-rich platform has a learning curve.

Pro Tip: Adsterra provides two free courses to help you learn about SEO and affiliate marketing. Enrol today for free and get access to lectures and resources prepared by experts.

4. Sharethrough

Sharethrough

Image via Sharethrough

Next up in this list of the best native advertising platforms is Sharethrough. The platform helps brands reach consumers through native ads on high-quality sites and apps.

With Sharethrough, brands can target specific audiences with relevant content, and measure the performance of their ads with detailed analytics.

Let’s see how it compares to other native advertising platforms.

Key Features

  • Sharethrough’s ad network and direct publisher integrations help ensure high-quality native ad experiences.
  • Place banner ads and video ads on premium environments across verticals.
  • Go beyond regular devices to target consumers on the street and on Connected TV.
  • Direct publisher integrations help reduce the cost of native ads by removing reseller fees.
  • Better match rates compared to other networks that depend on resold inventory.

Pros

  • Responsive customer support
  • GreenPMPs to reduce carbon footprint
  • Connects advertisers to premium publishers

Cons

  • Lacks audience segmentation capabilities that other native advertising platforms offer.
  • Data export features need improvement.

Pricing

  • The pricing is based on the number of clicks and your advertising budget.

Tool Level

  • Intermediate

Usability 

  • Relatively easy to use

Pro Tip: Explore data integration options: Since data export features are limited, explore potential workarounds for integrating Sharethrough data with your marketing and web analytics tools.

5. Taboola

Taboola

Image via Taboola

As a leading native advertising platform, Taboola allows brands to reach new audiences through its extensive ad network. Taboola's native ads are served to users in the form of recommended content and can be customized to match the look and feel of a brand's site.

Taboola's native ads are effective because they are highly visible and relevant to the users. When a user is reading an article on a website, they will see recommended articles from Taboola at the bottom of the page.

These content recommendations are based on the user's interests, and allow brands to reach new audiences who may be interested in their product or service.

Native advertising on Taboola is a cost-effective way to reach new audiences and can be customized to match the look and feel of a brand's site.

Key Features

  • Taboola's native ads are truly native, blending in seamlessly with the content around them, and don't look like traditional ads.
  • A wide range of ad formats to choose from including standard banner ads, carousel ads, video ads, and more.
  • Taboola helps you target your ads to specific audiences, based on interests, demographics, and even location through its native advertising network.
  • Add-on creative services to source, create, and optimize creative materials.
  • Detailed reports on your native ad performance.

Pros

  • A strong ad network based on partnerships with top publishers
  • Responsive customer support
  • Premium ad and video placements

Cons

  • User interface needs improvement
  • Ad creation can be a little slow

Pricing

  • Taboola is one of the native ad platforms that has a Cost Per Click payment model.

Tool Level

  • Beginner/Intermediate

Usability 

  • Moderately easy to use

Pro Tip: Optimize your creatives: While Taboola offers creative services, consider creating high-quality ad copy and visuals in-house.

6. RevContent

RevContent

Image via RevContent

Next up on our list of the best native advertising platforms is RevContent. Featuring an intuitive platform, RevContent promises high-quality ads and authentic results.

Apart from a fully automated process of native ad placement, the native ad platform offers deep insights to help you tweak your marketing campaigns.

Let’s look at the native advertising platform’s features.

Key Features

  • Native ads integrate with the publishers’ content seamlessly to drive high-quality traffic.
  • Direct and exclusive partnerships with leading media such as CBS, Microsoft, History.com, and NASDAQ.
  • Granular targeting options help brands reach their target audiences to achieve optimum results.
  • Dedicated account management to help you make the most of your native ad campaigns.

Pros

  • Real-time insights on native ad campaigns
  • One of the easy-to-use native advertising platforms
  • Responsive customer support

Cons

  • The platform requires a minimum daily budget
  •  Scaling up your ad campaign can be difficult

Pricing

  • Like most other native ad platforms, RevContent uses a Cost Per Click payment model.

Tool Level 

  • Beginner

Usability 

  • Easy to use

Pro Tip: Leverage account management: Take advantage of RevContent’s dedicated account management to get expert advice and guidance on campaign optimization.

7. TripleLift

TripleLift

Image via TripleLift

In an increasingly crowded digital advertising landscape, TripleLift has emerged as one of the best native advertising platforms. It provides an effective and user-friendly interface to connect advertisers and publishers.

Not only does the platform ensure that ads blend seamlessly into the content, but it also prioritizes the quality and aesthetics of the ad creative. TripleLift places a strong emphasis on visual storytelling, enabling brands to deliver impactful messages.

The best part is that TripleLift uses advanced computer vision technology, dynamic templating, and predictive modeling to help advertisers optimize the results of native advertising.

Take a look at the features, pros, and cons to know if it’s the right choice for your business.

Key Features

  • Computer vision technology scans ads to assess the most important elements and generates tailored native placement to keep the focus on these elements.
  • Advanced predictive modeling allows deeper insights into the audience by filling attribute gaps and helping create targeted audience segments.
  • Dynamic templating renders native ads in real time to ensure they blend seamlessly with their environment.
  • Allows integration of 2D, 3D, and video ads in addition to brand overlays.
  • Partners with top DSPs and publishers, such as CNN, USA Today, The New York Times, BBC, eBay, Verizon Media, Adobe, and more.

Pros

  • Easy to navigate
  • Previews of native ads
  • Ads formatted perfectly for all devices
  • An extensive network of publishers and DSPs

Cons

  • The analytics offered are not as comprehensive as compared to the other native advertising platforms

Pricing

  • Like most native advertising platforms, TripleLift offers a CPC-based pricing model where advertisers pay for the number of clicks per campaign.

Tool Level 

  • Intermediate-Advanced

Usability 

  • Relatively complex

Pro Tip: Utilize computer vision technology: Leverage TripleLift's computer vision to optimize ad creatives for placement and maximize impact.

FAQ

Q1. What are native advertising platforms?

A. Native advertising platforms help marketers design and run targeted native ads campaigns.

Native ads are online advertisements that are designed to blend in with the content on the website where they are displayed.

They can take many different forms, such as articles, videos, or images, and are typically labeled as “sponsored content” or “promoted posts.”

Q2. What is an example of native advertising?

A. One example of native advertising is how Netflix promoted “Narcos,” a show on drugs by creating a portal in collaboration with Wall Street Journal. The interactive map on the portal traces the international drug trade’s history and the cartel featured in Narcos.

Q3. What are native ads in advertising?

A. Native advertising is a type of advertising that is designed to blend in with the surrounding content on a website or app. This means that native ads are less intrusive than other types of ads and can provide a better user experience.

Q4. What are the various types of native advertising?

A. There popular types of native advertising are search advertising, social advertising, and content recommendations. Search ads are those that appear in search results and social (or in-feed) ads are those that appear on social platforms.

Content recommendations appear on websites and apps as recommended content.

Q5. What are the best native advertising platforms?

A. The native advertising platforms that we recommend are Nativo, Outbrain, Taboola, Sharethrough, RevContent, TripleLift, and Adsterra.

These native advertising platforms offer a variety of features, such as campaign management, reporting, and optimization tools. These can help marketers get the most out of their campaigns.

Q6. What is the most effective platform for advertising?

A. There is no particular most effective platform for advertising. The best platform depends on your specific marketing goals, target audience, and budget. However, native advertising platforms are a great place to start.

Q7. What is the future of native advertising?

A. The future of native advertising looks bright. As consumers become increasingly accustomed to blocking traditional ads, native advertising is expected to continue growing in popularity. Native advertising platforms will likely offer advertisers more sophisticated native ad technology to create engaging ad experiences.

Q8. Are native ads profitable?

A. Native ads can be very profitable for your brand when implemented correctly. Since they are less disruptive and more relevant to user interests, native ads often generate higher click-through rates and conversion rates compared to traditional display ads.

Q9. How do I start native advertising?

A. Here is how you can get started with native advertising:

  • Define your goals and target audience
  • Choose a native advertising platform
  • Set your budget and bidding strategy
  • Create compelling content
  • Track and analyze your campaign’s performance

Q10. How can I improve my native ads?

A. To improve your native advertising, consider the following strategies:

  • Refine your targeting
  • Craft ad copy that resonates with your target audience
  • Test different ad formats (articles, videos, interactive content)
  • Utilize data and analytics to track key performance metrics

Choose the Right Platform for Native Advertising Campaigns

We hope that this guide has given you a better understanding of what native advertising is and which native advertising platforms will help you reach your target audience.

Whichever platform you choose, make sure to test it out and see how it performs before committing to it long-term.

To get the most out of your native advertising campaign, get in touch with Attrock's digital marketing team. We will work with you to develop a comprehensive solution that meets your specific needs.