Which Ad Network Should You Use? A Deep Dive

Monetizing your website or newsletter usually means teaming up with an ad network – a service that connects publishers (like you) with advertisers and takes care of placing ads automatically. 

But not all ad networks are created equal. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the fundamentals: how ad networks work, the most common revenue models (CPC, CPM, affiliate marketing, etc.),and what to watch out for when it comes to customization and getting paid. We’ll also compare a few top choices: beehiiv’s Ad Network, Google AdSense, Mediavine, Ezoic, and BuySellAds. 

By the end, you’ll have a clear sense of which solution best fits your content and audience.

Ad Network Basics: How They Work

At its core, an ad network is a marketplace. Advertisers bring the ads (along with budgets and targeting preferences), and publishers offer up ad space (on websites, blogs, newsletters — you name it). The ad network steps in to match the two, showing the right ads to the right audience. You get paid whenever someone views or clicks an ad.

Take Google AdSense: it’s one of the biggest ad networks for websites. You add their code to your site, and ads start showing automatically; no need to deal with advertisers directly. Google’s algorithm handles everything from auctions to delivery then shares a cut of the revenue with you. It’s simple, which is why so many sites use it.

Ad networks support all kinds of formats: banner ads, image and text ads, native ads, video, and more. 

beehiiv’s Ad Network, is built for newsletters, connecting you with advertisers or other newsletter creators in the same space.

Some ad networks are generalists. AdSense works across almost any niche. Others are more specialized. Mediavine, for example, focuses on content-heavy lifestyle blogs and handles everything from placement to optimization — but you’ll need to hit their traffic and quality benchmarks first. 

No matter which network you consider, there are a few foundational elements to keep in mind:

• Approval process: Most networks have entry requirements. That might include original content, minimum traffic or subscriber numbers, and quality standards. Mediavine, for instance, asks for at least 50,000 sessions/month. AdSense is more accessible, with no hard traffic minimum, but you still need to meet their content and policy guidelines.
• Revenue share: Networks take a percentage of what advertisers spend. With AdSense, publishers typically get 68% of the ad revenue. Others, like BuySellAds, may take a 25% cut from direct ad sales. Each platform has its own model. depending on the different revenue shares, publishers will choose to work with an ad network that pays them the most.
• Ad serving and reporting: The tech behind the scenes handles ad delivery and performance tracking. Most networks give you a dashboard to monitor earnings, fill rates, impressions, and clicks.

Now let’s dig into how the money actually gets made — starting with revenue models.

Revenue Models: CPC, CPM, and Affiliate Explained

There are a few common ways ad networks pay publishers. Let’s break them down:

CPC (Cost Per Click)

With CPC, you earn money each time someone clicks on an ad. Advertisers pay for the click, and you get a cut. Google AdSense runs mostly on this model. It’s a pay-per-click system at its core, though impressions play a role in its algorithm, too.

CPC works well if your audience is engaged and likely to click. Rates vary depending on your niche. Finance or insurance clicks might pay dollars, while hobby blog clicks could earn cents. CPC is great for newsletters just starting out as it doesn’t require thousands of subscribers to earn.

beehiiv offers CPC campaigns as part of its Ad Network. This is especially effective for newsletters with a smaller but highly engaged reader base. If your audience trusts your recommendations and takes action (clicks), CPC ads can generate consistent income even with lower subscriber counts.

CPM (Cost Per Mille)

“Mille” means thousand, so CPM means you get paid per 1,000 ad views — whether anyone clicks or not. This model is great for high-traffic websites. Networks like Mediavine and Ezoic often focus on maximizing revenue per 1,000 pageviews (also called RPM, or Revenue Per Mille).

CPM campaigns are popular with advertisers focused on brand awareness. Rates depend on factors like geography, seasonality (Q4 is big), and ad quality. A site with strong traffic can do well with CPM even if clicks are low.

beehiiv’s Ad Network also supports CPM campaigns. These are perfect if you consistently hit high open and view counts. You get paid simply for having your ad seen, making it ideal for newsletters with strong deliverability and high readership even if CTRs are modest.

Affiliate (CPA – Cost Per Action)

Affiliate (or CPA) means you only get paid when someone takes a specific action — like making a purchase or signing up for a service. It’s not a traditional ad network setup, but it’s a common revenue stream. Think of Amazon’s Affiliate Program: you share a product link and earn a commission on any sale that follows.

BuySellAds may offer affiliate-like sponsorships, and some networks (like ShareASale or CJ) are built entirely around affiliate offers. That’s CPA in action.

In Practice: Most Networks Use a Mix

• Google AdSense leans heavily on CPC, but optimizes for eCPM (effective cost per mille) to maximize total revenue.
  Mediavine & Ezoic blend CPM with viewability and performance metrics, reporting to you in terms of RPM.
• beehiiv’s Ad Network pays per click or impression.
• BuySellAds can vary — CPC, CPM, or even flat-rate sponsorships depending on how your ad space is sold.

Picking What Works for You

• Got lots of traffic but few clicks? Look into CPM networks.
• Have a smaller but highly engaged audience? CPC or affiliate marketing might win.
• Running a newsletter? CPA or flat-rate sponsorships usually make more sense. Email impressions are harder to track reliably, so payment is often tied to clicks or results.

The key is aligning your revenue model with your audience’s behavior.

Ad Customization and Control

One thing that often gets overlooked when choosing an ad network? How much control you actually have over what shows up. It matters — for brand safety, audience trust, and overall user experience.

Ad Format and Placement Control

Some networks give you more flexibility than others. For instance:

• With Google AdSense, you can choose from different sizes (leaderboard, rectangle, etc.) and place them where you want — but within the limits of Google’s code. You can tweak the look of text ads a bit (colors, fonts), but display ads come as-is.
• Mediavine, being a managed solution, takes a more hands-on approach. Their tech handles ad insertion to optimize for performance and speed, and they’ll work with you on placements — think in-content, sidebar, or sticky footer ads.
• On beehiiv, ad placements are tied to specific newsletter sections — like sponsor blocks. The structure keeps your email design consistent and clean giving you the ability to place the ads anywhere you would like.

Quality and Relevancy Control

Most ad networks let you filter what appears.

• AdSense allows category blocking (e.g., gambling, sensitive topics) and URL-level filtering.
• BuySellAds offers full control: you approve or reject each sponsorship request before anything goes live.
• Mediavine and Ezoic adhere to industry brand safety standards and let you block categories as needed.
• With affiliate marketing or direct sponsorships, you control everything from partner selection to copy.
• beehiiv’s Ad Network gives you the option to accept or reject incoming ad opportunities, giving you full control over which advertisers show up in your newsletter

Visual Design Customization

On the web, most ad formats aren’t super customizable. They’re often served via iframes or scripts. That said, AdSense offers native ads that can adapt to your site’s look, and Ezoic uses AI to test layouts for better results.

If design is a priority, direct sponsorships give you the most freedom; you can craft the ad yourself, or work with the brand to match your aesthetic.

BuySellAds for newsletters usually runs as text-based spots or clean banners that you format yourself.

Impact on User Experience

Let’s be real — annoying or irrelevant ads can tank your UX.

• Mediavine aims for high viewability (with formats like sticky ads), but some publishers feel it clutters the reading experience. They try to keep it balanced with performance in mind.
• AdSense leaves placement entirely up to you — which can be good or bad, depending on how disciplined you are with layout.
• Ezoic tests multiple formats and lets you set limits (like how many ads per page).

With newsletters, it’s all about subtlety. One sponsor box? Totally fine. Multiple jarring promos? Readers might bounce.

beehiiv’s edge is relevancy and clean formatting. Sponsored content blends into your email’s native structure, which helps with trust and retention.

If you care about controlling who advertises and how it looks, lean toward networks that offer manual approvals or custom sponsorships  like BuySellAds or beehiiv’s Ad Network.

If you’re fine with automation and prefer a hands-off setup, platforms like AdSense, Ezoic, or beehiiv’s programmatic matching work too — just be ready to monitor and filter if needed.

Payout Terms and Requirements

Let’s talk about money. Every ad network has different rules for when and how you get paid, and what it takes to stay eligible.

Payment Thresholds & Schedules

• AdSense: $100 minimum, paid monthly (usually around the 21st for the previous month).
• Mediavine: $25 minimum (if using direct deposit), paid Net 65 (meaning you get paid ~65 days after each month ends).
• Ezoic: $20 minimum, pays Net 30.
• BuySellAds: Known for fast payouts. Some campaigns pay out when completed, others pay monthly. Thresholds can be as low as $1 depending on method.
• beehiiv Ad Network: Pays around the 20th of each month for the prior month’s campaigns.

If cash flow matters to you, pay attention to thresholds and schedules. Faster payouts = easier budgeting.

Traffic or Subscriber Requirements

• AdSense: No formal traffic minimum, but your site must meet content quality standards. Great for beginners.
• Mediavine: Requires ~50K sessions/month (verified via Google Analytics), mostly U.S.-based traffic, and solid content. Best for established sites.
• Ezoic: No hard traffic minimum; they offer an “Access Now” program for small sites.
  BuySellAds: Historically preferred 50K+ pageviews/month, but will work with smaller, high-quality, niche audiences.
• beehiiv Ad Network: Available to anyone on beehiiv paid plans with an active newsletter.

Also worth noting — beehiiv’s monetization features are only available on paid plans.

Policy Compliance

All networks have rules:

• AdSense: Strict policies — no invalid clicks, no encouraging clicks, no prohibited content.
• Mediavine: Follows Google’s policies and requires family-friendly content.
• Ezoic: Same — they connect to Google’s ad exchange, so compliance matters.
• beehiiv: You’ll need to maintain strong email practices (no spammy content, decent open/click rates, etc.) to stay appealing to advertisers and to adhere to beehiiv’s Acceptable Use Policy (AUP).

Some networks require exclusivity (like Mediavine or AdThrive). Others, like AdSense and beehiiv, don’t — though beehiiv might discourage conflicting sponsored content in the same issue.

Finally, check payout methods:

• AdSense, Mediavine, Ezoic: Pay via EFT, PayPal, or check.
• BuySellAds: PayPal is easy.
• beehiiv: Uses Stripe, so payment goes straight to your bank.

Comparing Top Ad Network Options

Now, let’s compare the specific networks in focus:

Choosing the Right Ad Network for You

The best monetization strategy depends on your format, audience size, niche, and how hands-on you want to be. Here’s how to think through your options:

Your Platform and Format

Are you running a website, a newsletter, or both?

• For websites, AdSense, Ezoic, and Mediavine are all strong options (depending on your traffic).
• For newsletters, you’ll want to focus on sponsorships, affiliate offers, or platforms built for email — like beehiiv’s Ad Network or BuySellAds.

If you’re using beehiiv, you’ve got a built-in edge: the Ad Network offers simple, platform-native ways to monetize without any outside tools.

Audience Size and Traffic

Under 10K pageviews or just a few hundred subs? Focus on growth.

• Start simple: AdSense for sites, or the occasional affiliate link in emails.
• Once you hit thresholds — 50K sessions for Mediavine — you can level up to better-paying options.

Your Niche and Engagement

Some networks shine in certain niches:

• Tech and dev audiences? Text-based ads like Carbon via BuySellAds perform well.
• Lifestyle blogs? Mediavine/AdThrive typically earn more.
• B2B newsletters? Direct sponsorships can be incredibly lucrative.

Know your audience. If they trust your recommendations, a few handpicked offers might outperform generic display ads.

Control vs. Automation

How involved do you want to be?

• Hands-off: Use AdSense, Ezoic, or beehiiv’s Ad Network. You’ll get consistent revenue with minimal upkeep.
• Hands-on: Direct deals (through BuySellAds or your own network) give you more control and higher potential earnings — but they require effort.

beehiiv hits a nice middle ground: you can approve Ad Network offers, but you don’t need to manage outreach or billing. More advanced users can create a Direct Sponsorship advertising storefront to take a hands-on approach, and for maximum earning potential, you can use all three. 

User Experience

More ads = more risk to UX.

• On websites, Mediavine and Ezoic have tools to balance speed with earnings.
• In newsletters, less is more. One sponsor block or a tasteful Boost keeps things clean.

beehiiv’s formats are built for emails, so your monetization won’t feel tacked on or intrusive.

Payouts and Support

• AdSense is reliable but faceless.
• Mediavine and Ezoic offer more support if you need guidance.
• beehiiv gives you direct access to monetization tools, plus help if you need it — all inside your existing dashboard.

Pro Tip: Mix and Match

You don’t have to stick to one thing.

• Use AdSense to fill web ad slots, and also run direct sponsorships.
• On beehiiv, combine Boosts, paid subscriptions, and custom sponsor deals through the Ad Network or Direct Sponsorship storefronts.

Test what works, monitor performance, and always keep an eye on how your audience is responding. Monetization should enhance your content business; not distract from it.

In short:

• Starting out? Use AdSense or beehiiv Ad Network to dip your toe in.
• Growing fast? Step up to Mediavine or curated sponsor deals.
• Running a newsletter on beehiiv? Lean into the built-in monetization tools — they’re made for you and integrate seamlessly with your content. Sign up for a free trial to try out the features, completely risk-free. 

Make the choice that’s best for you and your business, and for best results, use multiple revenue streams to accelerate your earning potential.