EMail Advertising Network Update

For advertisers setting up newsletter ads, we've completely revamped the ad setup code to be a more friendly, simplified sequence of screens. It's much easier to get started now, and we've added help along the way where early feedback showed it was necessary. So, go on - give it a try! You can set up a targeted ad campaign in less than five minutes. We've also updated the advertiser FAQs to make things clearer.

We've also improved our ad targeting algorithms, with today being the first full day of use. The net result is that advertisers should see improved CTR (click through rates) and better average ad positions while spending slightly less per day. Seems to be working too: Across the whole ad network, average CTR is up 40%, but the effective CPC (cost per click) is down nearly 20%. The whole thing just became more effective and even better value.

Meanwhile, what are the earning opportunities for bloggers and newsletter publishers? At the moment, if your blog or newsletter covers sport, outdoor activities or travel, we have a lot of activity in these categories and you should opt in to the network to make the most of it.

For advertisers, the US is starting to getting more crowded, but if you want to target subscribers in Latin America, Australia or India, a basic minimum $1 bid will still get you into the top two slots if you start now (otherwise someone else will beat you to it and you'll have to outbid them to get the leading spaces).

Finally, we have added a new set of email alerts for advertisers. Advertisers will get an email when:

• Their ad falls to a position of 4 or worse (on average, across all newsletters)
• Your ad slips a whole position (e.g. from a 2.x average to a 3.y average)

A worse position (as indicated by the average position, position 1 is the best) means that your ad became a little less likely to be read or clicked on. So if you get one of these, review your reports and decide whether you need to alter your bid.

We have also added an email alert for advertisers who haven't completed campaign configuration. You'll get an alert the day after you started the process, and then just one more a few days later if you're still not done. After that we consider the ad abandoned.