An ad network is a company or platform that connects advertisers who want to show ads with publishers, the websites and apps that have space to show them. The network collects ad space from many publishers, sells it to advertisers in one place and handles delivery. In Meta ads, the ad network is Meta Audience Network.
How an ad network works
- A publisher, such as an app developer, joins the network and offers ad space.
- An advertiser creates an ad and chooses where it may run.
- The network matches the ad to space, usually through an auction, and shows it.
- The advertiser pays for the delivery, and the publisher earns a share of it.
The advertiser gets reach beyond one site, and the publisher gets paid for its traffic without selling ads itself.
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Try for Free ($0 Trial)Types of ad networks
| Type | What it offers | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Broad network | Space across a wide range of sites and apps | Display networks |
| Vertical network | Space on one topic or industry | Networks for gaming or news sites |
| Social platform network | The platform's own ad system reaching its partner apps | Meta Audience Network |
| Search network | Ads on search results and partner search sites | Search partner networks |
Ad networks differ from the larger exchanges used in programmatic advertising, which connect many networks and platforms through real-time auctions. The ad tech platform guide for programmatic advertising covers that side.
Meta Audience Network
Meta's Audience Network help page says Meta Audience Network "extends Meta's people-based advertising beyond the Facebook app" and that publishers can make money by showing ads from Meta advertisers in their apps. The ads come from Meta advertisers who choose to run on it.
For you as an advertiser, it is one of the ad placements you can run on. Meta's placements page lists it beside Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads, and says the available placements depend on your ad type and settings. Its formats include native, banner and interstitial ads in apps, plus rewarded videos that people watch in exchange for a reward in an app.
Meta recommends Advantage+ placements, which let its delivery system try to make the most of your budget across placements, Audience Network included. You can also choose placements by hand.
Judging an ad network placement
- Break results out by placement. Look at cost per mille, cost per result and conversions for each placement. A placement with cheap impressions but no results isn't cheap.
- Judge on your goal. A brand awareness campaign values cheap reach. A sales campaign values purchases.
- Remember the context. Ads in other publishers' apps appear in a different setting than a Facebook or Instagram feed, so creative that suits a feed may need adjusting.
- Test before cutting. Compare a run with the placement on and off over the same period before deciding.
Example. A language-learning app advertises on Meta with Advantage+ placements. In the placement breakdown, Audience Network shows a low cost per install, while Instagram Stories delivers the best-quality sign-ups. The team keeps both and moves some budget toward Stories after checking which users complete a first lesson.
In Madgicx. Madgicx Automation runs rules on Meta campaigns around the clock on conditions the advertiser sets, such as pausing an ad when its cost per result passes a limit.
FAQ
What is an ad network in simple terms?
It is a marketplace between advertisers and publishers. Advertisers buy ad space in one place, and the network places their ads across many sites or apps.
What is Meta Audience Network?
It is Meta's network of third-party apps that show ads from Meta advertisers. Meta says it extends its people-based advertising beyond the Facebook app.
Is Facebook an ad network?
Facebook is a social platform with its own ad system. Meta's ad network is Meta Audience Network, which places Meta ads in other publishers' apps.
What is the difference between an ad network and an ad exchange?
A network packages ad space from publishers and sells it to advertisers. An exchange is an open marketplace where many networks and buyers trade ad space in real-time auctions.
Can I turn off Audience Network?
Available placements depend on your ad type and settings. If you choose placements by hand instead of Advantage+ placements, you can pick which ones to run on.
Related
- Related terms: Ad placement, Ad tech, Walled garden, Cost per mille
- In depth: Ad tech platforms for programmatic advertising
Sources
- How Meta Audience Network works, Meta Business Help Center
- About ad placements across Meta technologies, Meta Business Help Center
