Manage revenue share on multi-author blogs – ads per author

A popular feature request has been for us to implement a revenue share setup into Advanced Ads. This concept aims to allow authors to earn more from their successful posts and incentivize them to attract attention to their content.

After careful consideration, we have decided not to introduce a dedicated feature. The reason is that Advanced Ads already provides a Display Condition that enables the display of ads exclusively on posts by a particular author.

This tutorial will guide you through seamlessly integrating a revenue share system on your multi-author WordPress blog using the Advanced Ads plugin.

Why implement a revenue share setup

By offering a revenue share arrangement, you create a compelling incentive for authors to produce high-quality, engaging content that drives traffic and generates revenue. They will be motivated to go above and beyond, knowing their efforts will be financially rewarded.

For instance, you can allocate a portion of the ad positions within posts to display the author’s ads while the remaining amount is dedicated to advertisements from you, the publisher. This setup can even include AdSense ads assigned to different Google accounts on the same website! Such an approach allows authors to receive an adequate share of the advertising revenue generated by their content.

Create ad units

To establish a revenue share setup with authors, create dedicated ad units for each author and source them from your ad networks, such as Google AdSense, Amazon, or any other program you utilize. Alternatively, if authors have their own ad accounts, incorporate their ads into the revenue-sharing system.

Creating ads that generate income for you as a publisher is also essential. That is because these ads will be part of the revenue-sharing arrangement, complementing the ad units assigned to individual authors.

This comprehensive approach ensures that both the publisher and the authors can benefit from the revenue generated by the website’s ads.

Step-by-step guide

  1. Navigate to Dashboard > Advanced Ads > Ads and click “New Ad”. This will take you to the ad edit view.
  2. Begin by defining a title for your ad unit. Use descriptive titles that make it easy to identify the ad later on. For example, you can use a title like “Author 1 | Leaderboard | Header” to provide specific information about the ad.
  3. Next, select the appropriate ad type for your unit. You can choose from various ad types, such as image ads, rich content ads, or AdSense ads. 
  4. Once you have configured all the necessary settings for your ad unit, publish it by clicking the “Publish” button. Remember that even after publishing, you still have the flexibility to change the ad settings as needed.

Repeat these steps for every ad unit required. If you must create many ads simultaneously, a fantastic time-saving feature of Advanced Ads is at your disposal: Duplicate Ads. With this handy method, you can significantly reduce the time and effort required by quickly duplicating existing ads.

Apply the ads to your authors

Now, you need to utilize the Author Display Condition to ensure a specific ad is associated with a particular author. By adding the Display Condition in the Targeting meta box, you can handpick the author to whom this ad “belongs”. As a result, the ad will exclusively appear on posts authored by that specific user.

Setting the Author Display Condition
This ad would only show on posts written by Andrew

You can modify the assignment of ads to specific authors through the Display Condition settings whenever you desire. Additionally, you can include them in existing ads to expand an ongoing revenue share model. Conversely, if needed, you can exclude your publisher ads from appearing on other authors’ pages. These options empower you to tailor the revenue share to your preferences and optimize the ad appearance across your website.

Define the revenue share model

Now, it’s time to establish the sharing model. Begin by creating an ad group and opt for the Random ads group mode. Within this ad group, you’ll include both: the ad belonging to a particular author and your own publisher ad. Proceed by defining the ad weights. They determine the ratio of page views for which Advanced Ads will display these ads.

Let’s consider an example to illustrate this. Suppose you aim for a revenue-sharing ratio of 80:20. In this case, you would assign an ad weight of “8” to the author’s ad and “2” to your publisher’s ad. Naturally, you may also assign ad weights of “4” and “1”, respectively.

By configuring the ad weights, you have full control over how frequently each ad is served, ensuring that the revenue-sharing model aligns with your desired distribution.

Adjusting revenue share rate with ad weights
Use the ad weights to adjust your revenue-sharing model

Once you’ve saved the group settings, it’s time to integrate the ad group into your website. You have a couple of options for this. You can automatically insert the group into your content using a placement. Alternatively, you can manually add it using a shortcode or a dedicated block.

For convenience and flexibility, I recommend utilizing placements for this task. The group will seamlessly incorporate into your content without manual intervention, saving you time and effort in the long run.

Implement the publisher revenue share group into an existing ad setup

Integrating the revenue share ad group into an existing ad setup can present a slightly more complex challenge. This is particularly true when you aim to include multiple ads from different authors that rotate within the same spot on your web page. The crucial task is to bundle the revenue share ads.

Let’s break it down with an example. Suppose you want to establish an 80:20 revenue-sharing model with your author Andrew. To achieve this, you create a group called “Publisher Revenue Share: Andrew”. This group comprises Andrew’s ad and an AdSense ad contributing to your share. As mentioned earlier, the ad weights are set to “2” and “8” respectively, ensuring the desired 80:20 ratio of ad impressions.

Assign bundled groups and utilize shortcodes

The trickier part involves assigning this bundled group—that ensures accurate revenue sharing—to an existing placement where multiple ads organized within an ad group rotate. A plausible scenario is targeting your author ads to a header ad placement that appears in all posts.

Thankfully, Advanced Ads offers a helpful feature that comes to the rescue—executing shortcodes. Here’s how it works:

  1. Create an additional ad for each group.
  2. Choose the Plain text and code ad type and name it, e.g., “Revenue Share Andrew”.
  3. Make sure to activate the checkbox “Execute shortcodes”.
  4. Add the shortcode of the related group into the ad code field.
  5. Apply the specific author Display Condition, choose the author “Andrew”, and publish this ad unit.
Bundle revenue sharing ads
Create an additional intermediate ad unit to comfortably manage the ad bundle 

Now, you can use this intermediate ad to insert your group into another ad group, allowing you to create multiple revenue-sharing ads with different authors.

The display condition of the intermediate ad guarantees that Advanced Ads shows the group exclusively in Andrew’s content. Once loaded, the ad weights come into play, determining whether Andrew’s ad or yours take precedence when evaluated for display.

By leveraging this approach, you can seamlessly integrate the revenue share group into your existing ad setup, enabling the rotation of ads while ensuring accurate revenue distribution among authors.

Setting up the website rotation with other ads
Integrate the intermediate ad into your existing rotations

Conclusion

Through the use of Advanced Ads, you can seamlessly integrate a revenue share system into your WordPress blog. Creating dedicated ad units for each author and incorporating them into the revenue-sharing system ensures that authors can benefit from the advertising revenue generated by their content. Simultaneously, as a publisher, creating ads that generate income for you is crucial to achieve a balanced revenue-sharing arrangement.

Adopting these strategies allows you to establish a fair and profitable revenue-sharing system that motivates authors and maximizes revenue on your multi-author blog.

Subscribe to our newsletter and get 2 add-ons for free!

* indicates required

FAQ

What is revenue share in advertising?

Revenue share in advertising refers to the distribution of advertising revenue between publishers and other parties involved, such as content creators or platform owners. It allows publishers to share a portion of the revenue generated by displaying ads on their platforms, incentivizing them to produce quality content that attracts traffic and engagement. The specific revenue share percentage can vary depending on the agreement or on the platform’s policies.

What is a typical revenue share in advertising?

The typical revenue share in advertising can vary depending on the specific agreement between the parties involved. In many cases, revenue shares range from 50% to 70%, with publishers receiving most of the revenue. However, the actual percentage depends on various factors, such as the platform, the type of ads, and the value provided by the publishers.

What is the revenue share of Google AdSense? 

Google AdSense operates on a revenue share model, where publishers receive a significant portion of the advertising revenue. While Google does not publicly disclose the exact percentage, it is generally believed to be around 68% for AdSense for websites. This means publishers earn approximately 68% of the revenue from displaying ads, while Google retains the remaining percentage as its share. The revenue share percentage may vary for Google’s different ad formats and programs.

Can I use multiple AdSense accounts on one website?

You can use multiple AdSense accounts on the same website, provided each adheres to AdSense policies and guidelines. It is important to have this website approved for each account. Publishers are responsible for the content displayed there. AdSense has clear rules to ensure fair usage of multiple accounts, and if a website violates policies, all connected publishers will be promptly notified.

Make it better

Increase your ad management skills without spending more time.
Join over 150,000 publishers and AdOpts increasing their ad revenue.