How push notification ads work
People subscribe to notifications from websites and apps. Ad networks and publishers then send sponsored notifications to those subscribers. Advertisers usually pay per click or per thousand impressions, and can target by country, city, device, operating system and time of day.
Formats
- Web push: notifications delivered through the browser on desktop and Android devices
- In-page push: ads styled as notifications that appear inside the web page, reaching devices where web push is not available
- In-app push: sponsored notifications inside partner apps
When push works well
- Promotions with a deadline: flash sales, limited offers, event registrations
- App installs and sign-ups
- Re-engaging people who subscribed on your own website
- Low-cost reach as part of a wider performance marketing mix
Quality control
Push inventory varies a lot in quality. We control it with source-level reporting, blocking of low-quality sources, frequency caps and conversion tracking. We only run offers that are clear about what the user gets, and we do not run formats that imitate system warnings.
Questions we're often asked
Do people have to opt in to receive push ads?
Web push and in-app push are only sent to people who have subscribed. In-page push appears inside websites and does not need a subscription.
Is push advertising good for brand awareness?
It is mainly a direct-response channel. For awareness we usually recommend programmatic video, OTT or out-of-home instead.
How is push advertising priced?
Most push inventory is bought per click or per thousand impressions. We recommend a test budget and a target cost per result before scaling up.