When you’re starting in affiliate marketing, choosing the right traffic source can help you optimize the performance of your campaigns. Among the popular traffic types, push ads vs native ads are the most used by publishers today. But which format will yield better results for your affiliate offers?
In this article, Adsnextgen will break down the differences between push and native ads, explore the performance metrics outlined in the white paper, and help you determine which ad format is best suited for your niche, goals, and budget. Read on!
Contents
What Are Push Ads?
Push ads are a form of paid advertising that allows marketers to deliver clickable messages directly to a user’s device—either desktop or mobile—even when the user is not actively browsing the web. These messages appear much like system or app notifications and are designed to grab attention quickly.
The primary purpose of push advertising is to reach users in real time with a high-visibility, permission-based ad format. This allows advertisers to achieve strong engagement, especially in high-volume, time-sensitive campaigns.
How Push Ads Work
To receive traditional push ads, users must opt in to notifications on a website or app. Once opted in, advertisers can send notifications that appear on the user’s screen, even if they’re not currently visiting the site. There are two core types of push ads:
- Classic Push Notifications: Delivered to subscribed users via browsers or mobile OS-level push services. These require prior consent.
- In-Page Push Ads: A newer, more flexible format that resembles traditional push notifications but appears within the webpage itself. These can reach users without requiring a subscription, including iOS users.
Push ad platforms typically allow targeting by geo-location, device, language, user interests, and browsing behavior. Bidding is often CPC (cost per click), with dynamic pricing based on demand.
Advantages of Push Ads
- High Visibility: Delivered directly to a user’s screen, capturing immediate attention.
- Real-Time Delivery: Great for time-sensitive or urgent offers.
- Wide Reach: Especially when using in-page push that doesn’t require opt-in.
- Low Entry Cost: Usually lower CPC compared to other traffic types.
- Ease of Use: Simple setup makes it ideal for beginners and volume testing.
Common Use Cases for Push Traffic
Push Ads are commonly used in CPA and affiliate marketing verticals that benefit from impulse actions or instant conversions, including:
- Sweepstakes and giveaways
- Antivirus and VPN offers
- Mobile app installs
- Dating and adult offers
- Utility and software downloads
What Are Native Ads? Definition and Purpose
Native advertising is a type of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of the user experience in which it is placed. Unlike banners or pop-ups, native ads blend seamlessly into the content of a platform, making them feel less intrusive and more like organic content.
The goal of native ads is to create a non-disruptive user experience that aligns with the platform’s look and tone, leading to higher engagement and trust. This format is particularly effective for storytelling, educating, and soft-selling users.
How Native Ads Work
Native ads typically appear in content feeds or recommendation widgets on websites, often labeled as “sponsored” or “recommended.” These ads use a combination of headlines, images, and landing pages to drive traffic and conversions.
Native ads are bought programmatically through content discovery networks or native ad exchanges. They allow for detailed targeting by user behavior, demographics, interests, device type, and content category.
Examples of Native Placements
- Sponsored articles in online news outlets
- “Recommended for you” sections on blogs or news sites
- Branded content within video or podcast platforms
- Product placement within editorial content
Advantages of Native Ads
- High Engagement: Users are more likely to engage with content that feels natural.
- Trust Building: Better suited for long-form storytelling and education.
- Brand Safe: Usually placed in high-quality editorial environments.
- Adaptable: Works for a range of goals—leads, sales, or branding.
Common Use Cases for Native Traffic
Native ads are typically used for the following types of offers:
- Financial products and services
- Health and wellness supplements
- E-commerce brands
- High-ticket or complex offers
- Educational lead-gen funnels
What is the difference between push ads vs native ads?
Choosing the type of traffic should be relevant to the campaigns you are running. So, when choosing whether to use push or native traffic, you need to consider your website goals, audience, and get the best results. Here are just a few key comparisons between push and native to help you optimize your source traffic.
| Feature | Push Ads | Native Ads |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility | High (direct notification) | Medium (blends into content) |
| Engagement Type | Interruptive | Passive, content-aligned |
| User Intent | Low to medium | Medium to high |
| CTR | 0.5% – 2.5% | 0.3% – 1% |
| Top Verticals | Dating, sweeps, utilities | Finance, health, eCom |
| Ad Fatigue | High without rotation | Lower, especially with storytelling |
| Cost | Low CPC | Medium to high CPC |
Performance comparison between push and native:
- Click-Through Rate (CTR): Push ads often get higher CTRs due to their visibility. However, CTR doesn’t always translate to conversion.
- Conversion Rate (CR): Native ads, especially in long-form content, can yield higher conversion rates due to better-qualified clicks.
- ROI and CPA: Push ads are good for offers that need to be fast and high volume. As for native ad traffic, it is better to choose the ROI type, because over time, users need to trust the target audience better. Therefore, native ads bring higher conversion rates than push ads.
>>>> See also: Top finance affiliate programs for 2025: high-paying & free options for publishers
When to Use Push Ads
Push ads are especially effective in situations where quick engagement, budget efficiency, and mobile reach are key priorities:
- Testing new verticals: The low-cost nature and immediate delivery of push traffic makes it ideal for A/B testing across multiple CPA offers or affiliate segments, especially offers like scan, dating, or widgets where impulsive actions are common.
- Offers that need to drive traffic quickly: Push notifications appear on pages with real-time users, readers will see limited-time promotions or launch offers that need immediate attention.
- Budget campaigns: Push ads are known for their low CPC rates, allowing affiliates and new marketers with limited budgets to drive significant volume without a large initial investment.
- Targeting mobile-first users: With the rise of mobile usage, push ads, especially in-page formats, can reach large audiences on mobile, even in areas where traditional ads struggle to load quickly or bypass ad blockers.
When to Use Native Ads
Native ads are best for campaigns focused on education, brand authority, and long-term monetization. They’re best for content-relevant audiences that directly land on your landing page. Native ads are often used for the following offers:
- High ROI campaigns: For well-optimized channels and authority offers, native ads offer highly targeted reach that converts well.
- Build trust with content: Native formats are less obtrusive and adapt to editorial environments, making them great for educational ads, reviews, and long-form landing pages that appeal to your target audience.
- Branding and longevity: Unlike push ads, native content has longevity—great for product or service positioning, as users have a high level of trust in the content over time.
- High-priced or complex products: When advertising financial services, health supplements, or SaaS tools, native advertising allows for storytelling, analysis, and reviews using content users love and trust before delivering a CTA.
Read now the traffic sources for CPA offers to help you make thousands of dollars from affiliate marketing.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using Push Ads vs. Native Ads
Mistakes to Avoid with Push Ads:
- Not Segmenting Traffic by Device, GEO, or Time Zone: Not tailoring push campaigns to specific user groups will result in wasted impressions and poor CTR. Push traffic responds very quickly to granular targeting.
- Running the Same Creative for Too Long: Push ads quickly become “annoying” to users. Without rotating creative or refreshing ad copy, engagement will drop significantly after a few days.
- Direct Links Without a Landing Page First: Many push ad platforms have low user intent. Offer links sent directly to the offer page without content that matches the ad will result in low conversion rates. Use bridge pages to improve the context and relevance of the offer to the pages where the ads are placed.
- Lack of frequency capping: Overexposing users to the same push notification too often can annoy recipients and reduce trust.
- Neglecting whitelist/blacklist optimization: Not analyzing location, region, or publisher IDs can lead to costly traffic sources.
Things to avoid when using Native Ads:
- Writing overly sensational or misleading headlines: Using catchy headlines can drive traffic; however, using overly sensational or misleading headlines will cause users to lose trust, mismatch between ad and landing page will increase bounce rate, and reduce trust.
- Neglecting appropriate targeting settings: Broad targeting often leads to irrelevant clicks that do not convert.
- Using generic or low-quality ad copy: Native ads rely heavily on images. Poor image selection leads to weak CTR and low engagement.
- Not linking offers to content channels: Many marketers fail when using short ads for complex products. Native works best when combined with informational, trust-building content.
- Ignoring mobile optimization: Native traffic is primarily mobile. Landing pages that don’t load quickly and are not mobile-friendly will quickly lose potential customers.
>>>> Learn more: FTC Affiliate Compliance: Functions, Requirements and Rules
FAQs: Push Ads vs Native Ads
- What is the difference between native and sponsored ads?
Sponsored ads are a type of native ad that is labeled as “sponsored,” but not all native ads are labeled.
- Are push ads good for beginners?
Yes, because they are low-cost and easy to set up. But creativity and rotation are important.
- Can I use both push and native traffic in one campaign?
Yes, many affiliates use push for retargeting or combine both at the funnel stages.
- What are in-page push ads?
In-page push ads are displayed within a website without registration—ideal for iOS and at scale.
- Do native ads always require long-form content?
Native ad copy doesn’t have to be long, but it works better when it’s contextual or includes storytelling, in-depth analysis, and a focus on the needs of the audience at hand.
If you are running a fast, low-budget campaign with urgent offers, push ads offer high volume and quick testing. For long-term growth, better targeting and higher purchase intent, native ads are the better choice.
Ultimately, your choice between push and native ads should depend on: offer type, budget, audience behavior, and campaign goals. With the above sharing, hopefully, you have a clear understanding of native and push ads, helping you choose the most suitable advertising type for you.
>>> Get started with the top CPA networks and discover exclusive offers tailored to your chosen traffic type
We are a group of people currently working for Adsnextgen company. This is a place that provides marketing solutions and is a solution provider for CPA traffic, a CPA affiliate network with the best offers. Adsnextgen’s team has more than 5 years of experience in the profession, along with a high sense of responsibility, bringing the audience the latest and newest knowledge. Adsnextgen team is not only a place to share news, tips, and in-depth guides with you but also a place to help you have ideas to make money on affiliate networks effectively.