Summary
LiveIntent ads, which offer real-time advertising within emails, can significantly impact both email deliverability and user experience. While they present a monetization opportunity, integrating them requires careful consideration to avoid negative consequences on your sender reputation and subscriber engagement. The impact largely depends on factors such as ad quantity, placement, and the overall quality of the email content and sending practices. Proper implementation and a strong existing sender reputation can mitigate potential risks, as supported by experiences from publishers like Hearst Newspapers and insights from LiveIntent itself.
Key findings
- Deliverability Impact: LiveIntent ads typically do not directly cause deliverability issues if integrated properly and not excessively.
- Ad Quantity: Overloading newsletters with too many ad units can negatively affect deliverability and user perception.
- User Experience: While ads are generally not preferred by readers, seamless integration can minimize negative feedback and avoid increased unsubscribe or complaint rates.
- Technical Integration: Integrating LiveIntent ads often involves adding a simple HTML content block, making the development effort minimal.
- Reputation Matters: Publishers with strong existing sender reputations are better positioned to integrate ads without negative deliverability consequences.
Key considerations
- Balance Ads and Content: Prioritize valuable content over ad revenue to maintain subscriber trust and engagement. Too many images or interactive elements can affect deliverability of emails.
- Monitor Engagement: Continuously monitor unsubscribe rates and complaint metrics to catch any negative trends early. Issues with email going to spam can indicate problems.
- Ad Placement: Avoid hiding ad units in responsive layouts, as this can reduce viewability and ad quality.
- Long-Term Strategy: Consider the long-term impact on subscriber loyalty versus short-term revenue gains from ads.
What email marketers say
Email marketers often seek ways to monetize their newsletters, and LiveIntent (or similar ad services) can be an attractive option. Their experiences suggest that the direct impact on email deliverability is minimal, assuming best practices are followed. However, the effect on user experience and, consequently, engagement metrics like unsubscribes and complaints, remains a key concern for many. Marketers emphasize the importance of balancing ad integration with maintaining subscriber satisfaction.
Key opinions
- No Deliverability Issues: Many marketers report no noticeable impact on deliverability from using LiveIntent or competing ad services, as long as the ads are not overwhelming.
- User Perception: Subscribers generally do not like ads, but the impact on unsubscribes or complaints due to LiveIntent ads is often not explicitly tracked for direct causation.
- Ease of Integration: The technical effort for implementing LiveIntent ads is typically low, often just requiring the addition of an HTML content block.
- Monetization Opportunity: For publishers, LiveIntent offers a way to monetize email inventory efficiently without necessarily hard-coding ads, as noted by Campaign Monitor.
Key considerations
- Subscriber Feedback: It is challenging to attribute unsubscribes directly to ads without specific feedback mechanisms.
- Ad Volume Control: Publishers should avoid overloading their newsletters with ad units to prevent negative deliverability impacts.
- Revenue vs. Experience: The potential revenue from ads must be weighed against the potential impact on user experience and the long-term health of the email list. Overuse of tracking links could also affect user perception.
- Content Integration: Ensure ads blend seamlessly into templates to maintain a positive user experience, making them feel like a natural part of the content.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks indicates that they are unaware of LiveIntent ads causing any deliverability issues for their organization, Hearst Newspapers. They acknowledge that readers likely do not enjoy ads in general.
Marketer view
Email marketer from Email Geeks confirms that they do not specifically ask for unsubscribe reasons, making it difficult to determine if ads directly lead to subscribers opting out of emails.
What the experts say
Experts in email deliverability acknowledge the potential for ads to affect sender reputation and user perception. While LiveIntent's technology is designed to be email-friendly, the core principles of deliverability still apply: content relevance, user engagement, and avoiding spammy characteristics. Experts emphasize that the volume and nature of ads, rather than the mere presence of an ad service, dictate the impact on inbox placement and user experience. A strong foundational deliverability strategy is crucial when introducing any new content, including ads, into email streams.
Key opinions
- Volume is Key: Experts from LiveIntent confirm that they do not typically observe deliverability impacts from their ads, provided publishers do not overcrowd newsletters with ad units.
- Reputation Foundation: A good existing sender reputation is essential to integrate any third-party content, including ads, without significant deliverability risk.
- User Experience Overload: The potential for negative user experience (e.g., unsubscribes, complaints) increases if ads detract too much from the primary content.
- Dynamic Content Impact: The nature of dynamic ad content means it can sometimes behave differently than static content, potentially affecting renderability or tracking. Understanding email tracking pixels is important.
Key considerations
- Ad Format: Ensure ads are well-formatted and responsive, not impacting email layout or loading times negatively. This also applies to other content like GIFs in emails.
- Recipient Engagement: Maintain high engagement rates to signal positive sender reputation to ISPs, helping offset any minor friction from ads. This is crucial for deliverability improvements.
- Spam Traps and Blocklists: Ensure that the content of the ads themselves is not perceived as spammy, which could lead to blocklist appearances.
- Transparency: Be transparent with subscribers if your newsletters will contain ads to manage expectations.
Expert view
Deliverability expert from Email Geeks, and Director of Email for LiveIntent, states that they typically do not see an impact on deliverability with their ads, provided publishers do not overload newsletters with too many ad units.
Expert view
Deliverability expert from Email Geeks confirms that LiveIntent ads are still present in some New York Times newsletters, but not all of them, clarifying a previous observation.
What the documentation says
Official documentation and industry guides offer insights into best practices for integrating email advertising, including services like LiveIntent. They often highlight the technical aspects of ad unit placement, the importance of maintaining email integrity, and the balance between monetization and user experience. The emphasis is on seamless integration that does not disrupt the core message or compromise deliverability standards. Compliance with email design guidelines and ensuring ads do not trigger spam filters are recurring themes.
Key findings
- Viewability: LiveIntent documentation explicitly states that hiding ad units in responsive layouts will lower the quality and price of media by reducing viewability.
- Native Integration: The design of LiveIntent's platform allows for native ad units that blend seamlessly into email templates for a positive user experience.
- Inventory Management: Publishers can manage ad inventory efficiently across multiple campaigns and make quick edits without extensive development.
- Deliverability Focus: Industry resources underscore that successful email marketing hinges on deliverability, which directly impacts engagement and ROI, regardless of ad content. Factors like DMARC, SPF, and DKIM are always key.
Key considerations
- Template Design: Ensure that email templates are designed to properly accommodate ad units without disrupting the layout or user flow. This is similar to how email clipping can be an issue.
- Subscriber Opt-Outs: High opt-out rates, potentially influenced by excessive ads, can signal to ISPs that content is unwelcome, affecting future deliverability.
- Ad Quality: The quality and relevance of the ads themselves play a role in user acceptance. Poorly targeted or irrelevant ads can lead to negative feedback.
- Compliance: Adhere to all relevant email marketing best practices and regulations when including third-party ads to maintain compliance and sender trust.
Technical article
Documentation from LiveIntent Knowledge Base explicitly instructs against hiding LiveIntent ad units in responsive layouts. This practice is stated to lower the quality and price of media by significantly reducing viewability and engagement.
Technical article
Documentation from LiveIntent blog outlines how their native email ad units empower publishers to manage inventory more effectively across multiple campaigns. It also notes the ability to make quick edits without needing extensive development resources.
Related resources
5 resources
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