A closer look at outstream ads and how they work for publishers

Video ads have become an increasingly attractive revenue stream for publishers of all sizes. But not every site has video content, and not every publisher wants to create it just to access video ad budgets.

That’s where outstream ads come in. This video format doesn’t require you to host or embed any videos of your own. Instead, it allows publishers to display standalone video ads directly within their content or layout, like between paragraphs, in sidebars, or even in floating containers.

In this article, we’ll take a closer look at how outstream ads work, what makes them different from other formats, and how publishers like us are using them to monetize non-video content. We’ll also share our experience setting up an outstream ad unit through MonetizeMore’s platform as an example.

What are outstream ads?

Outstream ads are a type of video ad that appears outside of traditional video players. They don’t require any accompanying video content and are usually placed directly within the layout of a web page: inside an article, in a sidebar, or as a floating container that follows the user while scrolling.

Unlike in-stream ads, which play before or during actual video content within the same player (like a YouTube pre-roll), outstream ads function independently. Most of them play automatically when they come into view, pause or collapse when scrolled past, and are often muted by default unless the user interacts with them.

This makes outstream ads a flexible solution for publishers who don’t produce video content themselves but still want to benefit from video ad budgets. They’re particularly useful for content-heavy sites where readers already spend time scrolling through text, images, or other embedded media.

Why publishers use outstream ads

Outstream ads are an easy way for publishers to earn video ad revenue without having to produce, host, or embed their own video content. That alone makes them attractive to a wide range of websites, including blogs, news sites, and niche content platforms.

They’re also designed to work well on mobile devices, where vertical scrolling and fullscreen layouts dominate. Many outstream formats will automatically adjust to smaller screens or appear as sticky video players, keeping viewability high without disrupting the user experience.

Outstream ads work especially well on content-heavy sites with strong scroll depth, where users are already engaged and likely to view inline ad formats.

Because outstream ads only play when they’re in view, they tend to perform better on viewability metrics than traditional display banners. Combined with their flexible placement options, this makes them a useful format for sites that already monetize with display ads and want to add a new revenue stream without changing their content strategy.

How to prepare your site for outstream video ads

While outstream ads are relatively easy to implement, a few technical and strategic factors are worth considering before you get started.

Most importantly, think about where the ad will appear on the page. A single, well-placed outstream unit usually performs better than multiple placements. Some providers also limit how many outstream ads you can display per page.

Many publishers choose to display just one outstream ad per page to protect user experience and keep performance strong.

Outstream ads rely on browser support and often autoplay when in view, but playback behavior can be affected by user settings or consent requirements. You may need to test how the format behaves under different conditions, especially on mobile or in countries with stricter privacy rules.

Page speed is another factor. Although most video units load asynchronously, they still add weight to the page. Floating or sticky formats can also overlap with other ad placements or interactive elements, so it’s a good idea to test them within your layout before going live.

Some networks may also ask you to update your ads.txt file during the application or approval process. This step helps authorize video inventory and is common with managed ad services. If you’re using Advanced Ads, there’s built-in support for managing your ads.txt entries directly from your WordPress dashboard, making this part of the setup much easier.

How to choose a video ad network

Once you’ve decided to add outstream ads to your site, the next step is choosing a provider. There are plenty of networks that offer video formats, but not all of them are equally well suited for outstream placements, especially if you’re working with standard content pages rather than video platforms.

Some ad networks offer self-serve access to outstream tags, while others work on an application basis and include compliance checks, performance management, and curated demand partners. Both approaches have their place, depending on how much control and support you want.

As a publisher, it helps to ask a few key questions early on:

• Does the provider support the formats you want to use, e.g., inline, sticky, floating?
• Are there any limits on how many placements you can run per page?
• What kind of setup is required: through a script, an iframe, or a tag manager?
• Will you get access to a reporting dashboard or need to integrate third-party tools?
• Is the network experienced with privacy compliance and responsive layouts?

In our case, we opted for a managed solution that handled network relationships and gave us access to a simple ad tag. The provider we chose was MonetizeMore, and we’ll explore them in the next section.

Our experience with MonetizeMore’s Outstream Ads

To see how a managed outstream solution would work in practice, we decided to test MonetizeMore’s Outstream Ads product. The goal was to implement a single video placement on a standard content page and observe how the setup process, support, and reporting performed in a real-world setting.

Step 1: The application

MonetizeMore grants access to multiple video demand sources, including mobile-friendly formats and sticky placements, but operates on an application basis. After submitting basic site information through their application form, we were told that the domain we indicated would automatically go through a short compliance check to ensure ad quality and traffic eligibility. This step required no further action from us.

As part of this process, the network sets certain eligibility thresholds. At the time of writing, applicants are expected to have at least around 300k monthly page views and $1k or more in existing ad revenue, as well as comply with Google’s publisher policies. These checks help ensure that the ad placements perform well for both publishers and advertisers.

Step 2: Amending the ads.txt

After our application went through and the compliance check came back fine, we received an email from the MonetizeMore team asking us to add some lines to our ads.txt file to authorize the networks involved. Thanks to Advanced Ads’ built-in support for managing ads.txt entries, that step was straightforward. Here’s what we needed to do:

1. Go to Advanced Ads > Settings > General > ads.txt
2. Make sure that the radio button is set to ‘enabled,’ paste the entries provided by MonetizeMore in the text area field, and save the settings page.

Learn how to manage your ads.txt’s content in Advanced Ads.

Step 3: Injecting the ad tag

As part of the onboarding, we received a small ad tag that we could embed directly using Advanced Ads. This made it easy to control placement and targeting without relying on third-party code injections or custom templates.

This small piece of code takes care of everything: loading the video player, serving and rotating ads, and sending performance data to the tracking interface. What makes it stand out is how little effort it requires from the publisher. With just one tag in place, you can add video ads to your site without extra tools or complex setup.

We chose to follow MonetizeMore’s advice and injected the ad tag through a Content placement after the first <p> paragraph. Here’s the rundown:

1. Create a new ad, give it a clear name, and select the Plain Text and Code ad type.
2. Paste the ad tag provided by MonetizeMore into the Ad Parameters, and publish the ad.
3. Create a new placement, give it a clear name, and select the Content placement type.
4. Assign the ad with the tag, set it to inject after the first paragraph, and publish the placement.
5. Refresh your frontend and check your posts.

There’ll be plenty of opportunity for us to fine-tune this basic setup, for example, by targeting specific segments or restricting the ad to certain posts. But for now, this is all we needed to do to serve our very first outstream video ad!

Learn how to inject network-provided ad tags on your site with Advanced Ads.

Step 4: Viewing reports in PubGuru

Roughly 48 hours after approval, we gained access to PubGuru, MonetizeMore’s reporting platform. It gave us visibility into impressions, earnings, and viewability metrics for the video unit, which helped us monitor performance over time.

Finally, we should note that MonetizeMore currently allows just one outstream video ad per page. While this might seem like a limitation, it actually encourages more thoughtful placement and helps avoid cluttering the user experience.

How outstream ads fit into a modern ad setup

Outstream video ads offer a practical way to tap into video ad budgets without needing to host or produce any video content yourself. They’re flexible, widely supported, and well suited for content-heavy sites with consistent traffic.

With the right setup, outstream units can integrate neatly into your layout, deliver strong viewability, and open up a new revenue stream alongside your existing ad formats. And with providers like MonetizeMore handling the compliance and network logistics, adding video ads to your monetization mix is more accessible than ever.

If you’re curious to try outstream ads on your own site, the next section includes everything you need to get started.

Try MonetizeMore’s Outstream Ads

If you’d like to add video monetization to your site without investing in video content, MonetizeMore’s Outstream Ads is a strong option. It’s designed for publishers who want access to premium video demand and a simple setup process, without managing their own ad server or video player.

Whether you’re running a blog, a news site, or another content-focused platform, a single well-placed outstream ad can complement your display strategy and generate incremental revenue. The team at MonetizeMore handles approvals, compliance, and reporting, so you can focus on your content.

Visit their site to learn more about the format and submit your application.