Creating Ad Slots
Ad slots are the advertising opportunities you offer to businesses. This guide explains how to create, configure, and manage ad slots for your newsletter.
What is an Ad Slot?
An ad slot represents a specific advertising placement within your newsletter. Each ad slot has:
A name and description
A format (type of ad placement)
A price per placement
Specifications for creative assets
Publishing day availability
You can create multiple ad slots with different formats and prices to offer advertisers various options.
Ad Slot Formats
adly.news supports several ad formats:
Featured Top Post
Premium placement at the very top of your newsletter
High-value sponsors wanting maximum visibility
Newsletter Post
Standard placement within your newsletter content
Most advertisers, general promotions
Banner
Visual banner advertisement
Brand awareness, visual campaigns
Sponsored Section
Dedicated sponsored content section
Longer-form sponsored content
Custom
Any custom format you define
Unique placement opportunities
Creating Your First Ad Slot
Step 1: Navigate to Ad Slots
Click Ad Slots in the sidebar
Click Create Ad Slot
Step 2: Basic Information
Fill in the basic details:
Name
A descriptive name for this placement
"Primary Sponsor Spot"
Description
What the advertiser gets with this placement
"Featured placement at the top of our weekly newsletter, reaching 10,000+ subscribers"
Tip: Be specific and compelling in your description. Help advertisers understand the value they're getting.
Step 3: Select Format
Choose the format that best describes this placement:
Featured Top Post — Prime real estate at the top
Newsletter Post — Integrated within content
Banner — Visual banner placement
Sponsored Section — Dedicated sponsored area
Custom — Define your own format
Step 4: Set Pricing
Configure your pricing:
Price
The standard booking price for this ad slot
Minimum Bid
(Optional) The lowest bid you'll accept
Pricing Tips:
Research what similar newsletters charge
Consider your subscriber count and engagement rates
Start competitive and adjust based on demand
If you enable bidding, set a minimum you're comfortable with
Step 5: Creative Specifications
Define what advertisers need to provide:
Image Specifications
Required
Whether an image is required
Yes/No
Max Width
Maximum image width in pixels
600px
Max Height
Maximum image height in pixels
300px
Formats
Accepted file formats
JPG, PNG, GIF
Copy Specifications
Required
Whether copy text is required
Yes/No
Min Characters
Minimum copy length
50 characters
Max Characters
Maximum copy length
280 characters
CTA (Call-to-Action) Specifications
Required
Whether a CTA button is required
Yes/No
Max Text Length
Maximum button text length
25 characters
Step 6: Publishing Days
Select which days of the week your newsletter publishes:
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Advertisers will only be able to book on days you've selected.
Step 7: Save
Click Create Ad Slot to publish your ad slot.
Managing Existing Ad Slots
Viewing Your Ad Slots
Navigate to Ad Slots to see all your ad slots with:
Name and format
Price
Status (Active, Paused, Archived)
Number of bookings
Editing an Ad Slot
Go to Ad Slots
Find the ad slot you want to edit
Click Edit
Make your changes
Click Save Changes
Note: Editing an ad slot doesn't affect existing bookings. Changes apply to future bookings only.
Previewing Your Public Page
To see how your ad slots appear to advertisers:
Go to Ad Slots
Click Preview on any ad slot
Your public newsletter page opens in a new tab
Share this link with potential advertisers or include it in your media kit.
Archiving an Ad Slot
If you no longer want to offer an ad slot:
Go to Ad Slots
Find the ad slot
Click Archive
Confirm the action
Archived ad slots:
No longer appear to advertisers
Don't affect existing bookings
Can be viewed in your archived slots
Cannot be unarchived (create a new one instead)
Ad Slot Statuses
Active
Visible to advertisers, accepting bookings
Paused
Temporarily hidden from advertisers
Archived
Permanently removed from listings
Best Practices
Create Multiple Options
Offer different ad slots at different price points:
Premium Slot — Top placement, highest price
Standard Slot — Regular placement, mid-price
Value Slot — Smaller placement, lower price
This gives advertisers options and captures more budget ranges.
Write Compelling Descriptions
Good description example:
"Our Primary Sponsor Spot appears at the very top of our weekly newsletter, above all other content. With a 45% average open rate and 10,000+ engaged subscribers in the tech industry, your message gets prime visibility. Includes custom headline, 150-word description, and prominent CTA button."
Avoid generic descriptions like:
"Ad placement in newsletter."
Set Realistic Specifications
Match your actual newsletter format
Don't require specifications you can't use
Consider what advertisers typically have available
Price Competitively
Research comparable newsletters:
Similar subscriber count
Similar niche/audience
Similar engagement rates
Start at or slightly below market rate to attract initial advertisers, then adjust based on demand.
Update Publishing Days
Keep your publishing days current:
If you change your newsletter schedule, update the ad slot
Advertisers rely on this for planning
Multiple Newsletters
If you have multiple newsletters connected:
Each newsletter can have its own ad slots
When creating an ad slot, select which newsletter it belongs to
Ad slots are managed separately for each newsletter
Common Questions
Can I change the price of an existing ad slot?
Yes. Edit the ad slot and update the price. The new price applies to future bookings only.
Can I create unlimited ad slots?
Yes. Create as many ad slots as make sense for your newsletter format.
What if I want to pause bookings temporarily?
You can pause individual ad slots. They won't appear to advertisers but existing bookings remain unaffected.
Can advertisers see my other ad slots?
Yes. When viewing your newsletter, advertisers see all your active ad slots and can choose which to book.
Next Steps
Now that you've created ad slots:
Set up payments to receive earnings
Learn about managing bids when advertisers negotiate
Understand how to manage bookings when advertisers book
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