Top 35 Digital Advertising Blogs About Ad Tech and Programmatic

Ad tech evolves faster than humanity. New programmatic platforms arrive in no time. Existing ones launch 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 average 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. So we prepared a list of 45 top-grade digital advertising blogs and media to draw up your daily read.

This one is a remastered version of our dusty article from 2019. Things have changed for advertising and us, and it would be a crime to leave the list as it was. Enjoy!

Table of Contents:

1. Epom Blog

I proudly include Epom digital advertising blog in this solid list. We dismantle the myth that being an ad tech brand means being 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 the Epom community below.

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2. Digiday

Digiday is the home to attention-grabbing headlines and confessions coming from digital advertising insiders.

This digital ads blog hosts over 250 events and runs a 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 advertising.

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 a full-fledged commerce media with C-level executive interview series and inspiring guest columns.

5. 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.

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 advertisers' favorite stuff is packed 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 a specific marketing niche. Aside from the articles, there are 10 free toolkits to help you refine your digital advertising strategy.

8. MarTech.org

The next portion of martech news for you flows directly from MarTech.org. It's 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 related articles hiding behind more general pieces.

9. Ad Exchanger

Ad Exchanger is not a resource to learn about advertising technology for neophytes. Instead, this media site features highly sophisticated articles based on thorough studies and industry leaders' 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.

Aside from 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 from consumers. The blog is their secondary venture, though. The major one is the professional tools for publishers, like header bidder management and discrepancy optimization.

12. 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.

13. AdPulp

AdPulp blog is positioning itself as “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.

14. More About Advertising

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

15. 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.

16. 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+ annual events in the US and gives out awards to the best agencies and companies in the niche.

17. 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.

18. 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 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.

Read our piece about 5 DSP tweaks to increase programmatic performance on AdMonsters.

19. Magnite

Magnite is also a blog platform targeted towards brands and site owners. What makes them stand out is that Magnite analyzes the best ad tech decisions and explains them entertainingly. Expert forecasts, handy advice, and many topics underlooked by others – you’ll find it all on Magnite. Plus, they have a great UI.

20. Roqad

Roqad is a pit stop for anyone dealing with digital advertising. They provide both entry guides for the basics of advertising and advanced tips for business owners in ad tech.

You won’t find a mountain of articles here, but all of them contain deep research that you won’t find anywhere else. And well, would you look at their website design – it’s pure style, no less.

21. OnAudience

As their name suggests, OnAudience is everything you need to know about audience data and more. It’s not just some overcomplicated data science stuff; these guys dive into current ad trends and teach how to use their data insights. Over the years, OnAudience has gathered a ton of useful material that is mostly relevant even today, so feel free to check it out.

22. ClickZ

ClickZ is a rich media resource that covers almost everything you could think of when it comes to ads. Emerging tech, customer data, analytics, marketing – you name it. What’s great is that despite the variety, they never fail to bring up trendy topics and provide a razor-sharp look at things.

23. AdTechExplained

Whether you’re new to digital advertising or simply want to refresh your knowledge, AdTechExplained is the place for you. This blog is one massive guide to ad tech that covers everything from the concept of SSPs and RTB bidding to IPv6's impact on ads and Google Privacy Sandbox.

Trey Titone (a single author of AdTechExplained) packs these articles with banger analytics while explaining complex tech and events in simple terms. Truly, a must-read for anyone in our industry.

24. MarketingDive

MarketingDive jumps to the exciting side of marketing and ad tech. Nissan’s TikTok, Roblox metaverse, the hype around generative AI – these guys just don’t pick dull topics. Their articles are easy to understand, even for newbies in the ad industry, and they never miss action-packed events. Marketing can be fun, and MarketingDive will always remind you about that.

25. Ad Tech Daily

We have a kink on self-explanatory names here, with Ad Tech Daily being no exception. Their articles aim at people who are more or less familiar with ad tech, so you won’t find basic guides and how-tos.

What you will find is a plethora of relevant content that dives into every possible aspect of advertising. From social media strategies to ad viewability, we don’t even try to count the number of news articles and tips.

Check it out for yourself; no matter what you’re doing in the ad business, Ad Tech Daily will provide useful info.

26. Martech Zone

Martech Zone’s goal is simple – to make your marketing better. They share insightful stuff on email practices, expanding your reach, and even content making. The amount of valuable tips for brands is almost overwhelming, and it’s not just some basic nonsense.

These guys know what they’re talking about and will gladly explain it. If you are an advertiser, this should go straight into your bookmarks.

27. IAB Tech Lab

IAB Tech Lab’s blog mostly consists of updates and nuances on their activities, which are mostly technical standards, coding, and implementation. But don’t take that as a drawback. Their articles are full of technical insights, detailed reports, and expert opinions on RTB and CTV tech as a whole. If you’re a product developer or simply a curious mind, don’t skip this one.

28. Xenoss

When you click on our countrymen resource Xenoss, you won’t find a myriad of different articles. But once you pick any of them, you’ll realize that “quality over quantity” is a lifestyle for these guys.

When they pick a mar-tech/ad tech-related topic, they really invest themselves in it. Xenoss articles are long, detailed, and full of graphs and information, with a level of quality that is hard to find anywhere else, even on our list.

29. ChiefMartec

ChiefMartec is about technology that changes marketing and marketing changing technology. This is no media for newbies. Here you’ll find complex market research along with insights and a bit of reflection from the author himself, Scott Brinker. If martech is your life as much as it is Scott’s, then welcome aboard.

30. Mountain (MNTN)

MNTN’s CCO is Ryan Reynolds, and if that fact is not enough, just check their blog yourself. You’ll find a heap of short-read articles that mainly focus on CTV and occasionally give advertising advice.

MNTN provides accessible and entertaining content with a consistent art style while packing it with statistics and research. Once again, if you’re into CTV advertising, don’t sleep on this blog.

31. AdvertisingWeek

From metaverse and gaming to data and brands – AdvertisingWeek is yet another resource that rides a hype train of content. Their articles are diverse, their outlook on things is fresh, and their site is simply a pleasure to navigate. Hell, they even got podcasts. Hands down, AdvertisingWeek is one of the blogs that we can recommend to anyone, even if they are hardly familiar with digital advertising.

32. The FirstPartyCapital Newsletter

We don’t know if the almost complete absence of visuals is a concept, but this simplicity suits The FirstPatyCapital NewsLetter. As these guys are active investors in ad tech and martech, their look at things is deep and insightful. Industry analytics, interesting points, tech nuances, and affection towards free Internet are why we firmly recommend this newsletter.

33. The Rebooting

The Rebooting feels like a reboot of media for publishers. A single person who travels around the world adds space images as headers and writes the whole blog as a reflection rather than a news digest. The personal touch makes the project feel like a breath of fresh air while being deeply informative and researched. If you are a publisher that wants a new outlook on publishing, you might accidentally fall in love with The Rebooting.

34. The Drum

The Drum is an ad tech media that pays attention to both “ad” and “tech.” Here you’ll find the best examples of creative ad placements and e-commerce next door to AI news and digitalization tips. The Drum creates a distinctive image of modern world advertising and shows you how to live and prosper in its future iterations.

35. MarTechCube

Finally, MarTechCube is a media with a wide (like really wide) spectrum of content for marketers. There is so much material it’s difficult to count, but once you’re there – expect regular news on advertising and data management, interviews, podcasts, guest articles, and infographics. If you’re a marketer that wants to keep up with the industry, MarTechCube is just the media for you to explore.

Conclusions

Now, that’s a lot of material for home reading, but even all these resources are not everything that advertising has to offer. So don’t get mad at us for not mentioning your favorite one!

We were delighted to find so many entertaining blogs, each unique to how they write, publish and focus on content. Being proud to be a part of all this digital madness, we hope this list will help you find some qualified and helpful content.

FAQ

• What does eCPM mean?

  eCPM means effective cost per mille, or cost per thousand impressions.

• What is eCPM?

  eCPM is a key metric for publishers. It allows you to calculate the revenue you can potentially receive from placing an ad on your website.

• How to calculate eCPM?

  For eCPM calculation:

  Divide the total ad revenue by the total number of impressions, then multiply by 1,000: eCPM = (total ad revenue / total impressions) x 1000

• What is a good eCPM?

  It depends on the context. Many factors impact the value of a good eCPM, including industry standards, geolocation, ad placement, the speed of your website, seasonality, ad format, and the quality of your audience.

• How to increase eCPM?

  To increase eCPM, you can try participating in several ad networks, improving traffic, experimenting with different ad formats, increasing viewability, enhancing user experience, and using other tactics.

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