Top 22 Blogs About Ad Tech, Programmatic, and Digital Advertising

Ad tech evolves faster than humanity. New programmatic platforms arrive in no time. Existing ones launch an upgrade after upgrade, trying to keep up with rising trends. The process never stops, so how do you catch up with the machines? Read digital advertising blogs. Learn. Implement.

Did you know that online advertising was born in 1994? The first banner ever is likely younger than you. Today, the average person sees at least 64 banner ads per day, while the avg. demand-side platform (DSP) processes 5.7 million impressions per second.

Those are huge numbers that indicate the rapid growth of the industry. Ad tech advances year by year, and if you want to stand firm in your advertising business, you'll need to become geeky about ad tech news, in a good way. We prepared the list of 22 top-grade digital advertising blogs and media to draw up your daily read.

1. Ad Age

Ad Age is the “founding father” of modern digital advertising blogs. Launched in 1930 as a Chicago newspaper, it evolved into a prominent online publication about advertising as a whole. Nowadays, it's oriented more on the creative side of the industry, yet you'll find ad tech news and data insights there as well.

2. Digiday

Digiday is the home to attention-grabbing headlines and confessions coming from digital advertising insiders. The digital ads blog hosts over 250 events and runs weekly podcast series with speakers like Bloomberg Media CEO Justin Smith and Pinterest's CMO Andrea Mallard. There is also a paid Digiday+ membership with access to independent research and data.

3. Single Grain

Being a full-stack advertising agency by nature, Single Grain summoned the power of content marketing and built a formidable community around its services. The company can be called the second Hubspot but among online advertising blogs. You can expect one in-depth post every two days, which may cover any marketing-related topic from SEO to programmatic.

4. Martech Series

Martech Series has a granular focus on the tech side of the advertising industry, unveiling the secrets of B2B marketing platforms and publishing your daily dose of key ad tech news. It can't be called a digital advertising blog, but rather a full-fledged media with C-level executive interview series and inspiring guest columns.

5. Epom Ad Server

I proudly include Epom digital advertising blog in this solid list. We dismantle the myth that being an ad tech brand means to be boring. No way! We write about what we love: that's why our articles emit crisp enjoyment and are so simple to read. On the other hand, we favor practical advice and in-depth analysis, getting to the heart of the topic in each piece. Check out our best stuff — join Epom community below.

6. Bannerflow

Bannerflow belongs to the rare breed of SaaS companies that feature both excellent products and page-turner blog posts. Their digital advertising blog is a gold mine of actionable advice on your display campaign optimization. Case studies, step-by-step guides, best examples of banner ads — all advertiser's favorite stuff is packed in here.

7. Smart Insights

“Become a free member — build your knowledge — grow a business.” — That's the latest slogan of Smart Insights digital advertising blog. Every weekday, they publish 2-3 articles with a thematic focus. The blog consists of 35+ categories, each dedicated to the specific marketing niche. Aside from the articles, there are 10 free toolkits to help you refine your digital advertising strategy.

8. MarTech Today

The next portion of martech news for you flows directly from MarTech Today. It's the one of the sister-site triad, which also includes Marketing Land and Search Engine Land. That's a wise move that made this website the best programmatic blog to get robust knowledge about ad tech instead of looking for the related articles hiding behind more general pieces.

9. Ad Exchanger

Ad Exchanger is not a resource to learn about advertising technology for neophytes. This media site features highly sophisticated articles based on thorough studies and industry leader opinions on the latest ad tech news. If you already have hands-on experience in programmatic technology, that's the best place to broaden your horizons even more.

10. HeaderBidding

Automatad, a managed header bidding provider runs the blog named (surprise!) HeaderBidding. They share actionable advice, ad revenue optimization strategies, and insider tips to help publishers stay ahead of the ad tech curve. Other than regular articles, Automatad runs weekly roundups (focused on the sell-side of the ecosystem) and publishes enlightening guides & long-form content.

11. MonetizeMore

MonetizeMore's brand name has already made it obvious: this digital advertising blog is for publishers. All posts here are aimed at increasing your website or app revenue. The blog is their secondary venture, though. The major one is the professional tools for publishers like header bidder management and discrepancy optimization.

12. Clearcode

Clearcode is a software development company that specializes solely in ad tech products. They created an analytics suite Piwik PRO, developed CDP for Isoskele, and some custom DSPs for top-tier clients. They regularly publish tutorials on what's inside ad tech platforms and how do they work. Clearcode's programmatic advertising blog is the best place to learn more about the tech side of advertising.

13. AdPushup

The next-gen tool for publishers, AdPushup helps them utilize machine learning to deliver the best results while running digital ad campaigns. Their blog about advertising is a one-stop-shop for supply partners and ad-tech lovers, who want to improve their knowledge with expert roundups, guides, and even free webinars.

14. AdPulp

AdPulp blog is positioning itself as a “The Chronicle of Bright Ideas”. You won't find ad tech news or digital advertising tips here, yet its pages are full of creative inspiration and thoughtful articles on the societal impact of modern advertising. Blog posts are released 2-3 times per week.

15. More About Advertising

More About Advertising brings the most exciting industry events on the surface. Advertising bloggers gather gripping stories here, weed out topical ad tech news, and interview Fortune 500 C-level executives. If you're from the UK and your brain craves more food, check out their book store with the best advertising titles for sale.

16. Video Ad News

Some of today's heroes are quite generalistic, but not Video Ad News. This display advertising blog is a haven for video marketers of all breeds: video programmatic, connected TV, social video, and other trends are covered here. Want to increase your ad conversions by 200-300%? Embrace video ad serving and read Video Ad News.

17. AdRoll

AdRoll is a growth marketing platform with a crafty digital advertising blog. Very handy: learn how to create personalized cross-channel experiences and become one of 37,000+ young brands to implement them right away. Featured topics include general advertising stuff seasoned with growth hacking and D2C marketing techniques.

18. AdEspresso

AdEspresso goes one step further conventional blogs about digital marketing: it organized the whole academy, where you can learn more about Google & Facebook advertising. The Academy includes educational tools, guides, e-books, and blog articles for sure. Sometimes they also provide some tips on Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram marketing.

19. MediaPost

MediaPost is a credible advertising insider created to empower marketing & advertising professionals. There are thousands of articles about data, ad tech, programmatic news, mobile & video advertising, and more. MediaPost hosts 30+ annually events in the US and gives out awards to the best agencies and companies in the niche.

20. ExchangeWire

ExchangeWire is a collection of the most relevant ad tech news and programmatic advertising insights. It delves deep into the essence of advertising technology and is by no means an entry-level programmatic advertising blog. Highly recommended for industry business owners and programmatic experts.

21. Mobile Marketer

Mobile Marketer is probably the most entertaining digital advertising blog on our list. It's impossible to get tired of reading the pieces about marketing with memes, TikTok top 100 viral videos, and voice-driven holiday season. But not all the materials boil down to fun: the media also explores AI, VR, and innovation role in the future of mobile advertising.

22. AdMonsters

AdMonsters is your concentrated digest to stay in the loop of what's happening in ad tech. You got to admire their tagging system: thanks to it, you can find the articles laser-focused on GDPR, IAB news, data management, or ad fraud in one click. The advertising blog also features “Monstership” with access to exclusive RTB Supply Path Benchmarking research and event summaries.