Mediavine Review: Pros, Cons, Features & Final Recommendation

Overview: Mediavine is an advertising management platform that allows bloggers to monetize their content.

It’s a free service that takes a share of your site’s ad revenue each time a user clicks an ad.

Founded in 2004, Mediavine has several websites, including The Hollywood Gossip, TV Fanatic, and Food Fanatic.

Price: Free to sign up, then a 75/25 revenue split

Discounts Available: N/A

Lifetime Plan: N/A

Mediavine Pros:

• High-quality ads
• Excellent customer service
• Flexible settings

Mediavine Cons:

• Limited reporting options
• Prohibits other ads on your site
• High minimum traffic level to join

As a blogger, monetizing your content is probably one of your biggest goals.

However, to make money doing what you love, you need to do affiliate marketing or place ads on your website.

If you’ve decided to run ads on your site, you’ll need to choose an ad platform.

But with all the options available, choosing the right ad platform can be tricky.

Fortunately, if you’re looking for a solid ad platform, Mediavine can help as we’ll see in this Mediavine review.

Mediavine is a trustworthy and effective ad management platform that helps increase your website’s revenue.

If you’re interested in learning all about this popular platform, keep reading.

What Is Mediavine?

Mediavine is a full-service ad management service for digital content creators who want to monetize their sites.

The company pays bloggers and web publishers to place ads on their websites for a high ROI.

In addition, users have access to an advanced reporting system that outlines which ads perform best and which might need adjustments.  

Mediavine History

Mediavine was founded in 2004 by a four-person, highly experienced content creation team.

The founders’ goal was to provide web creators with the tools they needed to create a sustainable business.

In addition to providing ad content for publishers, Mediavine owns The Hollywood Gossip, TV Fanatic, and Food Fanatic.

Its expertise is based on experience, which is why so many bloggers gravitate toward the service.

Mediavine Requirements

As with other advertising platforms, Mediavine has minimum requirements for publishers.

The most important requirement is that you have a minimum of 50,000 sessions each month on your site.

Mediavine uses sessions instead of page views as a metric because sessions better indicate your traffic’s value.

Unfortunately, this high session requirement can be prohibitive for smaller bloggers.

In addition to a high session requirement, you’ll also need good standing with Google Adsense.

Mediavine also wants bloggers’ content to be long-form and engaging.

There aren’t any restrictions on content type.

However, most often, bloggers and websites fall into the following categories:

• Food & Drink
• Travel
• Family & Parenting
• Hobbies & Interests
• Home & Garden
• Health & Fitness
• Personal Finance
• Education
• Style, Shopping & Fashion
• Arts & Entertainment

If you’ve met the minimum session requirement and write in one of the above categories, you’ll need to fill out an application form.

It only takes a few minutes to fill out, but it could take up to a month to get a response.

Pros and Cons of Mediavine

As with any website partner, there are plenty of things users love about Mediavine and other things they don’t care for.

Here’s a bit more information on what you can expect with Mediavine.

Pros of Mediavine

• High-quality customer service with rapid turnaround time
• Offers high-value ads
• Transparent reporting interface
• Test ads on their blogs and sites first
• User-friendly dashboard

Cons of Mediavine

• High minimum session requirements can be prohibitive
• Shows a lot of ads on one page
• Ads are more effective on posts over 1,000 words
• Ads include Mediavine branding
• You can’t use other ad platforms

How Much Does Mediavine Improve Ad Revenue?

The critical thing to remember about Mediavine is that there’s never a 100% guarantee you’ll see a massive increase in ad revenue.

This is because your earnings are strictly based on your website traffic, which dictates how often an ad appears on your site.

Mediavine publishers each make a percentage share of ad revenue.

So as your site traffic increases, so do your share of profits.

Everyone starts at 75%, but publishers get rewarded with a higher share when their sessions reach a certain threshold.

How Much Does Mediavine Cost?

Publishers don’t have to pay a fee or subscription cost to use Mediavine.

However, once you create an account and start using Mediavine’s platform, the company will take a portion of your ad revenue.

You’ll receive 75% of your site’s ad revenue when you first start.

Mediavine will get the other 25%.

Over time, as your site traffic increases, your share will go up.

Is Mediavine Worth the Cost?

Since you don’t have to pay a subscription or service fee to use Mediavine, you aren’t losing out when you sign up for the platform.

Mediavine only makes money if you do, and your share of ad revenue is quite large compared to theirs.

Why Mediavine Is Worth the Cost

Many web partners or ad platforms cost publishers money and require a lot of legwork.

However, Mediavine takes the stress of ad placements away from you so you can focus your energy elsewhere.

Mediavine simplifies your advertising, boosts your SEO, and helps decrease your load time.

The Problem Mediavine Solves

Many web publishers struggle to juggle various ad platforms on their sites.

Since advertising and affiliate marketing are the best ways to monetize content, publishers can’t avoid placing ads on their sites.

Mediavine streamlines the monetization process by handling the ad placement for you.

It takes the stress of placing ads off your shoulders, allowing you to focus on what’s important–growing your business.

Why Would Somebody Want To Use Mediavine?

When you’re running multiple sites or want to increase ad revenue, a platform like Mediavine is necessary.

The main reason you should consider Mediavine is because they handle all the technical work for you.

Who is Mediavine Best For?

Mediavine is best for web publishers who publish lifestyle blog content.

Ideally, those publishers have websites that see high sessions and traffic.

Why Mediavine is Best for Lifestyle Bloggers

Lifestyle bloggers spend hours researching and writing each blog post.

Since blogging takes up a significant amount of time, a common goal is earning passive income while writing.

Passive income comes from advertising and affiliate marketing, which is where Mediavine comes in.

Who Should NOT Use Mediavine?

If you’re just starting as a blogger or don’t want multiple ads on each of your web pages, Mediavine might not be for you.

Of course, there are caveats to that rule.

However, in general, Mediavine is best for more established bloggers.

Why New Bloggers Should Not Use Mediavine

Mediavine is only available to established publishers who have more than 50,000 sessions per month.

New bloggers typically won’t see that kind of traffic for months, if not longer, after they start posting.

In addition, many bloggers don’t like having multiple ads on one page.

Many users feel the same, especially if those ads slow download time.

Although Mediavine boasts a fast load time, it’s still something to consider.

What To Think about Before Buying Mediavine

As with any paid service, there are a few things bloggers should consider before committing to Mediavine.

Cost

Even though there’s no subscription or service fee, Mediavine takes a commission from your ad revenue.

This is standard practice for ad platforms, but you should carefully research Mediavine’s competitors to find out which makes the most sense financially.

Facebook Group

Mediavine offers a Facebook group that allows users to troubleshoot their struggles with the platform.

The platform’s staff and other publishers are always present in the group, making it easy to understand and rectify problems.

Payment Method

Mediavine uses a Net65 payment model.

This means you’ll get your ad revenue 65 days after making your money.

This is a model similar to what many services use.

However, if you prefer to get your money immediately, you may want to look elsewhere.

Exclusivity Requirement

In addition to the minimum requirements listed above, Mediavine requires total exclusivity.

In other words, you can’t utilize multiple ad platforms on your site.

The only ads must be from Mediavine; otherwise, you won’t be allowed to use their service.

Other Mediavine Services

If you’re looking for a one-stop-shop platform, Mediavine might be worth a look.

It provides you with Create, Grows, and Trellis, which allow you to create content and reach a larger audience.

When you use these in conjunction with advertising, you can increase your chances of growth.

Features and Benefits of Mediavine

Mediavine currently serves thousands of publishers.

Bloggers who’ve opted to go with Mediavine did so because of the specific benefits it offers that you won’t find elsewhere.

Fast Load Times

One of the most frustrating aspects of running multiple ads on one page is load time.

Ads with certain graphics or videos can cause your page to lag, leading to a poor user experience.

Fortunately, Mediavine’s ads each run their scripts, which allows them to load separately from your page.

In addition, ads load as they appear on the screen instead of all at once.

Optimized for Core Web Vitals

Core web vitals are site criteria that are part of Google’s ad ranking algorithm.

These criteria include loading within 2.5 seconds, instantaneous response time, and shifting content.

Mediavine is optimized to meet all of these criteria.

Mediavine Ad Technology

Mediavine’s ad technology prioritizes SEO and site speed to ensure a positive experience.

In addition, they test all ads on their sites before placing them on blogging sites.

This allows Mediavine to ensure its ads are the best available.

Google Certified Publishing Partner

In 2017, Mediavine was accepted as a Google Certified Publishing Partner.

Google CPPs must meet rigorous requirements to qualify as a partner.

Mediavine demonstrated its expertise and quality customer service to meet Google’s strict standards.

Ad Placement Recommendations

Mediavine offers recommended ad placements that help your site grow.

Its recommendations are intended to increase your revenue, improve user experience, and allow you to spend as little time as possible with ads.

Built by Publishers

Mediavine’s founders started their careers as web publishers.

That background enables them to use their own experiences with monetization to better your experience.

As a result, you’ll never have to worry about inexperienced CEOs running your ads. Instead, you can rest assured your content is in good hands.

Mediavine Customer Service

Mediavine boasts some of the best customer service and tech support you can find.

Whether you need help putting ads on your site or need to troubleshoot site issues, its customer support is top-notch.

Does Mediavine Offer Customer Service?

Mediavine offers 24/7 customer service to all clients, regardless of income.

You usually get a response within 24 hours when you submit a support request.

However, Mediavine’s message center claims they typically respond within a few hours.

What Types of Customer Service Does Mediavine Offer?

Mediavine offers a few different methods for reaching customer support.

The easiest way to contact a customer service representative is by sending them a message online.

However, you can also access help using Mediavine’s Facebook group, which is open only to customers.

Finally, you can peruse Mediavine’s Help section to see if you can find answers in the FAQ.

Why Should You Trust Us?

At BloggingTips, we’ve studied the ins and outs of blogging.

Whether you’re looking to expand your content or dip into advertising, our well of knowledge runs deep.

We take time to carefully vet every program and service we offer to ensure we’re only recommending the best for our readers.

What Mediavine Users are Saying

If you’re unsure if you should take our word when it comes to Mediavine’s features, here are some testimonials highlighting the service.

Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen is a web publisher with 13 years of experience.

She’s used Mediavine for the past four years and couldn’t be happier.

She praises the company’s talent and care it displays for each customer.

Csaba of DIY & Crafts feels Mediavine’s best feature is its ability to evolve.

They think the ad platform provides everything a blogger needs to succeed while rapidly adjusting to the changing blogging and advertising landscapes.

Yaya and Lloyd of Hand Luggage Only consider Mediavine a fantastic partnership.

They praise Mediavine’s responsiveness and willingness to ensure each blogger succeeds.

In addition, they appreciate Mediavine’s team approach to problem-solving.

Mediavine Alternatives

Any good web publisher looking to advertise will vet multiple platforms before settling on one.

Although Mediavine is a trusted platform, it has some high-quality contenders you should look at, too.

Its three biggest competitors are Google Adsense, Adthrive, and Ezoic.

Google Adsense

Google Adsense is an ad platform that allows publishers to monetize their content.

These ads can be in the form of text or other media.

Each time a user clicks an advertisement, you’ll get a percentage of the revenue that click generates.

The ads are targeted, meaning readers are more likely to click on them.

How Does Google Adsense Differ From Mediavine?

Adsense has a few features that might sway bloggers in its favor.

First, Adsense has no minimum session requirement.

Whereas Mediavine requires bloggers to have a minimum of 50,000 sessions per month, Google Adsense is more flexible.

Second, Google Adsense doesn’t require exclusivity as Mediavine does.

You can run ads from multiple platforms with no issues.

So, if another brand wants to advertise on your site, you can do so while maintaining your relationship with Adsense.

Who is Google Adsense Best For?

Since Google Adsense doesn’t have a minimum traffic requirement, it’s best for small bloggers.

Whether you’re a small business or a long-established blogger, you can apply for Adsense.

There’s no guarantee Google will accept your application, but you won’t have restrictions on applying.

Google Adsense vs. Mediavine Comparison

• Adsense is hands-off vs. Mediavine is hands-on from the beginning of the application process
• Adsense only allows Google inventory vs. Mediavine works with other inventory providers as well
• Adsense is more about ad management vs. Mediavine also focuses on quality content

Adthrive

Adthrive is a popular advertising platform used most often by larger web publishers.

Founded in 2013, it hosts nearly 3,000 publishers and offers a quick, easy onboarding process.

Adthrive is geared toward larger businesses and bloggers with higher site visits per month.

How Does Adthrive Differ From Mediavine?

The two main differences between Adthrive and Mediavine are their payment schedules and page view requirements.

Mediavine uses a Net 65 payment schedule, where bloggers get paid 65 days after making revenue.

Adthrive pays bloggers on a 45-day schedule, allowing you to get your money more quickly.

However, Adthrive requires 100,000 page views per month to qualify for its service.

Whereas Mediavine requires 50,000 sessions, you’ll have to hit a higher threshold before Adthrive considers working with you.

Mediavine’s user dashboard is a bit more intuitive than Adthrive’s, which could be an issue for some users.

When you want to focus on content, fussing with an advertising dashboard can be frustrating.

Who is Adthrive Best For?

Since Adthrive has such a high page view requirement, it’s best for established bloggers and businesses.

It’s also ideal if you want something that pays out sooner than Mediavine.

Adthrive vs. Mediavine Comparison

• Adthrive’s publisher dashboard is slightly outdated vs. Mediavine’s publisher dashboard is state-of-the-art
• Adthrive only offers customer service Monday through Friday vs. Mediavine offers customer service seven days a week
• Adthrive offers limited interaction with publishers vs. Mediavine constantly communicates with publishers

Ezoic

Ezoic is an AI advertising platform designed for bloggers of all sizes.

It was founded in 2010 as a tool for optimizing site content and user experiences.

Ezoic’s creators were able to successfully incorporate machine learning into its model.

The result is an ad platform that allows publishers to efficiently streamline their sites.

How Does Ezoic Differ From Mediavine?

One of the most significant drawbacks of Mediavine is its 50,000 minimum session threshold.

This tends to bar smaller bloggers from using the service.

However, Ezoic only requires 10,000 monthly sessions to qualify.

Ezoic also has a lower payment threshold.

With Mediavine, your revenue has to reach $25 before you can get a payout.

Exoic’s model allows you to cash out at $20.

In addition, Ezoic has one of the lowest payment periods compared to other ad platforms.

It works on a Net 30 model, so you’ll get paid one month from when you make your revenue.  

Who is Ezoic Best For?

Ezoic is best for bloggers and businesses that are up-and-coming.

It has a low page view threshold, but you’ll still have to have a bit of internet clout to qualify.

And, like Mediavine, you’ll need to publish long-form content on your site that Ezoic considers high-quality.

Ezoic vs. Mediavine Comparison

• Ezoic gives users more control over ad placements vs. Mediavine offers limited control over ad placements
• Ezoic has no minimum traffic requirements vs. Mediavine requires 50,000 sessions at a minimum
• Ezoic’s approval process is under a week vs. Mediavine’s approval process can take a month

We encourage you to try out these alternatives for yourself and make your decision based on your findings!

Frequently Asked Questions

Advertising on your site can be complex, so it’s understandable if you want more information about one of the most popular ad platforms.

Here are the answers to a few common questions about Mediavine.

Wrapping Up

Mediavine is an excellent ad platform for publishers looking for a trusted and passive income source.

It’s easy to use, offers top-tier customer support, and provides a fair payout.

Since Mediavine doesn’t require subscription fees, you’ll only make money when Mediavine does.

In addition, Mediavine handles all ad placements, leaving you free to create content.

Have you ever worked with Mediavine?

We’d love to hear about your experience, so take a minute to tell us your story below.

Ready to try it out for yourself?

Click here to get started with Mediavine!

By Brett Helling

Brett has been starting, growing, and monetizing websites since 2014. While in college, he began to learn about digital marketing. After graduating, he continued to build a diverse portfolio of websites while working a full time job. After years of building the portfolio on the side, he made the jump to run his websites full time.