Today, we're going to review a popular new ad network that you see on many sites: Spoutable.
Spoutable has suddenly become one of the top ad networks on the Internet, both because of its ease of use, and its relatively high CPM payments.
2019 Update: Is Spoutable Still Good?
A lot of users have noticed a sharp drop in CPM rates from Spoutable.
Unfortunately, the significant lead it had over other networks seems to have narrowed. It may still be worth a try, but we would not expect to get any better CPM rates than you can get with other ad networks.
Instead of Spoutable, we suggest some of the more tried and true ad networks, like PropellerAds and RevenueHits.
Original review:
Spoutable Ad Network: Overview
What is Spoutable? Spoutable is a hot new ad network for web publishers.
Their mission is to "eate better ad experiences that help publishers increase their monetization, advertisers get more out of their ad spend, and site audiences to interact with ads that are more interesting and relevant." Spoutable has clients like Stitch Fix, Target, and Rolling Stone, and you can often see their ads on major sites all over the internet.
The network differs from other networks in that it mostly doesn't do banner ads.
Instead, it focuses on exit ads and interstitials, as well as sticky ads and in-page ads. The network claims to have a 90% fill on some sorts of ads.
You can sign up for Spoutable here.
Spoutable: The Good and The Bad
Our testers tested Spoutable with four different sites, in very different industries. They used all types of ads available through Spoutable, which are listed below:
Prestitial Ads
Spoutable provides prestitial ads, which are great for conversion. These ads pay really well, and our testers' eCPMs reached $2 or higher. However, there was an issue that some of our testers had with these ads.
Because of the new Google "Better Ads Standard", which we write about in depth here, there are sometimes issues with these ads.
Google is notoriously bad at identifying (and being consistent about) following violations of their standards. Some of our testers got violations for having this type of ad from Spoutable, while others did not.
Here it is (credit: Spoutable):
This is not a problem with Spoutable, which technically does adhere to the standard. However, Google can identify it as a failure, and you have essentially no recourse but to remove the ads if it does.
Poststitial/Exit Intent
Spoutable has poststitials as well. These pop up when someone has a page exit intent -- which is generally when someone moves their mouse up to the top of the page (where they will likely hit the back button).
The exit intent ads from Spoutable are much like similar ones from Content.ad and other companies, except that they are much more visually appealing. We love the look and feel of the exit intent from Spoutable.
Here it is (credit: Spoutable):
These also convert really well, and our testers have seen eCPMs of $4.00 or even higher. That's amazing, considering that we have generally seen eCPMs from comparable ad networks hover around the $0.50 mark.
That means you may see 8x the eCPMs that you have been seeing with other options. That's an amazing return!
But again, there are some issues with Google's Better Ads Standards.
One of our testers received a violation notice from Google, and in the attached video, Google's testers pointed out both the prestitial and the exit intent.
Even though both of these types of ads from Spoutable are technically compliant, Google doesn't seem to police their standards uniformly.
Most of our testers did not get complaints from Google (although not all were reviewed), so it seems like it's luck of the draw. You may have to remove these ads if Google gives you a violation.
Top Bar and Top Scroll Up
Another option available for Spoutable publishers are the top bar and top scroll up. The scroll up appears when your user scrolls up on the page to leave.
These also convert well, but they don't seem to get as high eCPMs as other types of ads.
Our testers found more standard CPMs of around $0.50 to $0.80. There is also a bit of a usability issue here, as some have complained that the scroll up type of ad is distracting to users.
Here it is (credit: Spoutable):
The top bar appears to be save for Google's Better Ad Standards, but the scroll up may cause some trouble. Again, we suggest that you try it, and then if you get a violation, you can remove it.
Bottom Bar and Bottom Scroll
The bottom bar is a standard sticky footer.
Our testers received an eCPM of $0.50 or less on average for this type of ad from Spoutable. This is in line with other sticky footers, and the footer is extremely well implemented and clean.
You should not have problems with Google's Better Ad Standards with the sticky footer, as it is commonly used and meets the 1/3 screen size requirements.
If you do not currently have a sticky footer on both desktop and mobile on your site, you should definitely implement this one.
If you do, you should compare your CPMs to Spoutable's, as Spoutable may beat your current CPM rates.
The bottom scroll ad is a footer that goes on your site. This one is definitely worth a try, as it really doesn't interfere with your users' activity on your site, and it shouldn't be a Better Ads problem.
The problem with the bottom scroll ad is the fill rate, which tends to be lower. Nevertheless, you can get a pretty high eCPM, and there's really no downside to adding these ads on your site.
How Does Spoutable Pay? CPM, CPC
Spoutable pays by CPM, although it appears that eCPMs are based on click through rates, among other things. You can expect eCPMs as high as $4.00 depending on the advertisement type.
Fill rates on Spoutable are extremely high, and most types of ads offer a nearly 100% fill. However, there are a few types of ads that don't quite fill at 100%.
Spoutable Proof of Payment
All of our testers have been paid in full as per the terms. There are no questions about payment -- this is a safe one used by countless large sites.
You can sign up for Spoutable here.
Spoutable Complaints
Aside from the Google Better Ads Standards issues below, we have heard no complaints about Spoutable. In fact, the comments we have received about the network have been uniformly excellent.
If we receive any complaints in the future, we will make a note of them here.
Spoutable Review
In all Spoutable is an excellent choice as a way to add additional revenue for your website. The CPMs are high, and can reach $4.00 or more, and the fill rates are great.
The ads work well in addition to standard banner ads providers, such as Adsense or Media.net. It's really easy to sign up for Spoutable, and they're not too picky about the sites that they allow.
The only issue we have seen was with Google and their Better Ads requirements.
Although all of Spoutable's ads should technically pass the requirements, Google's process is not uniform and some of our testers have received violations due to Spoutable ads.
We suggest that you try all of the Spoutable ads, and if Google gives you a warning or violation for one, just shut that one off in the Spoutable dashboard.
In all, you should definitely consider using Spoutable, as you'll definitely see a nice increase in your monthly revenue.
Spoutable
