How to Run Nutra from Native Ads: What Budget You Need, What's the Deal with CTR, Bidding, Blacklists, and Much More!

In our previous article, where we discussed nutra trends, we mentioned that amid tightening moderation, teaser/native networks have risen to the TOP by traffic volume in OMNI CPA. Google ranks second, while FB rounds out the top three.

With that in mind, we decided to take a closer look at working with the #1 traffic source for nutra and asked our friends at native network AdsKeeper a whole lot of tough questions.

👉 The piece turned out to be a substantial one, packed with useful insights you can analyze and apply to your own cases. There's also a small bonus inside for those who decide to run test campaigns. Let's get into it! 🚀

What do affiliates run in native/teaser networks, and what do modern approaches look like?

— Hi! Let's get straight to the point: what are nutra affiliates running in native networks? Is it still the same old teaser-style creatives with lemon slices and garlic to spark curiosity? Or have the approaches evolved somehow?

— Hi! Nutra native is definitely evolving, but the core principles remain the same: grab attention, trigger an emotional response, and warm up the user before the purchase. Yes, the old tricks no longer work — moderation has gotten stricter — but new approaches are delivering great results too. A few I'd highlight specifically:

• News-style teasers. People trust news, so if the creative looks like a report or a study, the click-through rate goes up. Headlines like "Eat a banana for 7 days — and you'll be amazed by the result" or "Experts reveal how lard affects the body" work well. The key is to avoid logos of well-known media outlets and references to doctors or celebrities, otherwise some placements may reject the creative.

• The "SHOCK" approach. That is, an unexpected or emotionally charged message paired with a strong visual. For example, a photo of a 90-year-old man with the caption "Blood vessels like a 30-year-old!" or a dirty kettle with the text "This is what's happening inside your blood vessels." The key is not to go overboard with graphic elements (pus, ulcers, dismemberment), or moderation won't let the creative through.

A few examples of current funnels

• Success stories. Headlines like "How an ordinary woman lost 30 kg without dieting" or "The doctor was shocked: my cholesterol dropped without pills" grab attention — especially when the pre-lander features testimonials. The visuals need to look realistic: before/after photos, highlighted problem areas of the body, folk remedies, real photos of people, and video formats.

• Expert recommendations. A photo of a doctor in a white coat, charts, diagrams, and mentions of herbs and natural remedies create a sense of proof and build trust.

What no longer works? The classic teaser network staples — lemon, garlic, a teaspoon, a finger with vaseline. Bold promises haven't been passing moderation for a long time. Graphic disease imagery also irritates audiences, so platforms reject that too.

— When it comes to nutra verticals specifically, what performs best in native networks? As I understand it, younger audiences don't hang around on native ad placements, so when choosing an offer you need to focus on a 45+ target audience?

— That's right, the core audience in native networks is 45+, so the offers need to match. What performs well: weight loss, joints, ear/throat, circulation, prostatitis, hair loss, diabetes, vision, smoking cessation, papillomas, anti-aging, varicose veins.

But the list of relevant verticals always depends on the specific GEO. For example, weight loss is performing well in Italy right now, while joint offers convert better in Germany. To avoid missing the mark, it's best to check spy tools for the target GEO and consult with managers who can point you to the right categories and help you find a working bundle.

It's also important to factor in seasonality and local conditions. Political or economic events can affect demand — especially for diabetes, hypertension, and other health-related offers. So when choosing a GEO and an offer, we always analyze trends and regional demand.

A few examples of current funnels

— I think it's worth clarifying here — what can you actually run, and what's off the table? When it comes to nutra, do you allow adult offers? If so, how do they need to be "packaged" to avoid issues?

— We work exclusively with mainstream traffic and native ad formats, so we follow strict moderation rules. You can run nutra, e-com, finance, and iGaming. Within nutra specifically — that means weight loss products, personal care items (anti-aging, skin, hair), and health products (potency, joints, vision, parasites, hypertension, prostatitis, diabetes, varicose veins, fungus).

What's prohibited? Adult offers in any explicit form — erotic goods and services, 18+ content, shocking imagery, sexual undertones, violence, and gore. Also banned is clickbait and deceptive content:

• bold promises ("100% results in 3 days");
• false medical claims ("doctor-approved");
• mentions of public figures (permitted only on a limited number of sites).

How to package an offer to pass moderation? If an offer is borderline acceptable (e.g., potency, breast enhancement), it can be adapted. It's best to contact your manager in advance so they can advise on what needs to be changed on the landing page.

Images must be high quality, free of watermarks, distortions, and unnecessary graphic elements (red circles, arrows). Headlines must not use capitalization for attention-grabbing purposes, false claims, contact details, or profanity.

Every offer goes through individual moderation. If in doubt — clarify with your AdsKeeper manager before launching.

Metrics and Finding a Working Funnel

— What CTR on creatives in native ads is considered decent?
— A good, stable CTR takes shape after 100+ clicks. Before that, the sample size is too small, and even if the system is already factoring in CTR, it won't be objective. To get reasonably relevant data, a teaser needs at least 10,000 impressions and 50–60 clicks, ideally more.

CTR varies significantly by vertical. For example, teasers for sexual health typically show a CTR of 1.2%+, while offers for joints or weight loss tend to land around 0.5–0.7%. The higher the CTR, the lower the average bid at auction, and vice versa.

When it comes to nutra in Germany, for instance, anti-aging offers have the lowest CTR — 0.3% — which drives the average CPC in that vertical up to $0.27.

A few examples of current funnels

— How many impressions/clicks do you need to run in native ads to determine whether a creative/pre-lander is working or not?
— It all depends on the vertical and GEO, but the minimum test budget per campaign is $100. Spending $50 or less will yield too little data for an objective assessment. If a teaser has accumulated clicks equal to the cost of a target conversion +20–30% (e.g., the cost of a sale or registration) but hasn't delivered results, it's worth pausing and testing a new one. Also, if after 2–3 days you can't bring the conversion cost down to an acceptable level, it's better to replace the teaser.

The same logic applies to placements: if a placement has spent a budget equal to your maximum target conversion cost (CPL/CPA) without delivering results, it gets paused. If traffic is flowing but the conversion cost is too high and doesn't decrease with optimization, the placement is also cut.

To determine whether a pre-lander is working, you need to look at the metrics in your tracker. If users are bouncing quickly, or reading but not completing the target action, the pre-lander isn't doing its job — and you should either revise it or run split tests.

— What targeting settings are available in your network? Say, if I need to run traffic for joints 40+ — is that possible, or is it broad audience only?
— AdsKeeper offers a range of targeting options: you can select devices (desktop, mobile, tablet), GEO, cities, regions, time of day, browser, language, OS (Android, iOS), IP, phone price segment, retargeting, premium sites (MSN traffic), and work with whitelists (WL) and blacklists (BL).

If you need a 40+ audience, the best approach is to combine several methods:

1. Localize the funnel as specifically as possible for the target GEO.
2. Work with creatives and headlines to filter out irrelevant users. For example, teasers that address "pain points" (age, health, doctor recommendations) tend to attract an older audience more effectively.
3. Launch campaigns on a narrow WL, using placements that have already performed well in similar campaigns.
4. Filter the BL by excluding sites that don't align with a 40+ audience.

You can also test video creatives. It's a relatively new option in native, but it's already showing high CTR in nutra. It's best to split-test both static and video from the start to determine what performs better on a specific offer.

Budget, Bids, and Optimization 

— How does the bid relate to a successful campaign? What should you keep in mind when setting a bid? Should you go with the recommended bid? How do you determine a good bid in the first place? How do you know when you've landed on a working bid? Does it make sense to start with a low bid and gradually increase it if the budget is limited?
— There are three main strategies: starting with minimum bids ("slow and steady wins the race"), targeting the system's average bid, or going in at +20% above average to capture the highest-quality traffic. All three approaches work, but the choice depends on your budget, payout level, and willingness to test.

We recommend not setting a bid below the average — otherwise the campaign simply won't break through on high-competition placements. The first 2–4 days will give you a sense of reach and show at what price level you can scale to the next volume tier. The system automatically calculates and suggests an optimal bid in the dashboard, but the key reference point is the traffic you actually win and your conversion results.

If even minimum bids generate enough clicks but the affiliate program is capping the number of registrations/sales, there's no point in raising the price. The same goes for conversions — if increasing the bid doesn't improve CPL or CPA, it's better to bring the price back down.

A working bid is a balance of CTR, CPC, and the placement coefficient. When these parameters are dialed in correctly, you get optimal daily traffic volume and the best conversion cost.

The "Apply CPC for all regions" option means the specified bid will be applied to all GEO targets.

— How much spend is needed to build black/whitelists? Do blacklists and whitelists differ for desktop and mobile? What other optimization options are available in native networks? 

— We typically provide clients with ready-made blacklists to start with. Many begin from those and then build a whitelist based on their own campaign data. This approach works better because the whitelist is formed around a specific funnel and offer. To build one, you need to spend $500 or more, and it's important not to pause the campaign during that time. High-performing widgets should be identified immediately and added to a separate whitelist campaign.

Blacklists and whitelists differ for desktop and mobile. Many sites are oriented toward mobile devices, while desktop traffic is less common. Currently, 65–75% of all traffic comes from mobile, so that should be your primary focus.

Optimization in native networks depends on the GEO and accumulated statistics. In Germany, for example, a browser language filter works well. After a few days of running traffic, you can analyze phone version, region, and browser, then disable underperforming segments. However, keep in mind that each new filter reduces the available traffic volume, so sometimes it's worth slightly increasing the CPC to avoid losing positions.

One more thing — teasers burn out quickly. If you don't refresh creatives, CTR starts to drop, so it's important to periodically add new variations into rotation.

— Minimum budget to get started. What strategy for working with your ad network would you recommend? 

— As mentioned earlier, the minimum entry into the system is $100, but to get additional support with campaign and creative setup, it's recommended to start with $500.

It's important to factor in the GEO, offer, and target payout, as these determine the minimum test budget. If the offer is complex and the GEO is highly competitive, a $500 test may not be enough — you'll need 3–5 days of running traffic with different teasers to collect relevant data.

If the target payout per sale is $80–100+, you should allocate a larger budget — otherwise the test may not be representative. With a payout of $50+, we recommend setting a daily budget of around $150 and running traffic for 3–5 days to gather sufficient data volume.

And to make it easier for new webmasters to get started with the source, let's give them a small bonus for testing 😉.

You can sign up via the link: AdsKeeper Signup.

☝️P.S. If you're running traffic to OMNI CPA, use promo code "OMNI25" (mention the code to your manager) to get +5% on any first payout! And if you spend $1,000 — you'll get +10% to your payout (up to $5,000 max).

— How does the ad platform work? Are there any "smart algorithms," optimization features, and how does the auction work? 

— Optimization is available not only at the creative level but also at the placement level. In the dashboard, you can set up auto-optimization — for example, automatically blocking placements that exceeded the spend limit without delivering conversions (as mentioned above).

This is an example of an advanced settings configuration. The simplest option is 1 blocking rule: if a widget spent more than the desired target without hitting it. There are also more advanced methods that can be configured manually or by connecting an external optimizer via API.

Auto-rules in AdsKeeper allow you to immediately exclude underperforming placements.

As for the auction, all new creatives initially receive a small priority in delivery while they accumulate their CTR (approximately during the first day). After that, the auction takes two factors into account — the bid price (SPC) and CTR. The better the balance between these metrics, the higher the chances of a teaser receiving impressions and clicks.

We recommend keeping the SPC at a golden mean or slightly above average. The highest bid isn't always the best option, as it can lead to an increase in the cost per lead or purchase.

If anything is unclear or you'd like to dive deeper into the settings, we have guides available at: help.adskeeper.com.

Additional guides on the AdsKeeper website

— There's a common take: "Native ads are more about modest ROI but high volumes." Can you comment on that? What ROI do your clients/media buyers typically show, adjusted for costs? 

— Native traffic is really more about volume and a long-term game rather than quick x10 ROI like on FB. But with a solid strategy and optimization, ROI in native can consistently hold at +50–80% over the long run.

At the start, ROI is often negative or weak, but after optimizing funnels, testing creatives and placements, you can reach a stable +40–80% and beyond. The long lifecycle of funnels allows you to scale without sharp cost spikes, but that requires testing a lot and testing different things. To reach confident profit, it's important to:

• Work with affiliate networks that have a wide offer pool and negotiate increased payouts for volume.
• Test different native networks, compare performance metrics, and scale winning funnels.
• Run split tests on creatives, landing pages, and funnels and analyze the news cycle in your target GEO.
• Stay in touch with your native network manager — they'll share current volume data, pricing, and other nuances that help make tests successful.

Choosing a Native Network and Working with AdsKeeper

— What's the difference between the main native networks? Say a webmaster is choosing between several native networks: what metrics and tools should they pay attention to? Or is it purely a matter of testing?

The difference between the main native networks comes down to traffic type, moderation policies, targeting tools, minimum entry requirements, and the level of webmaster support.

There's a common view that Taboola and Outbrain are expensive premium traffic for white-hat offers, while AdsKeeper offers a broader range of approaches, including tests with grey-hat and aggressive creatives.

In reality, AdsKeeper also works with large sites, but the key differentiator is access to smaller local placements where competition is lower, CPC is cheaper, and there's more freedom for testing. On top of that, manager support here is significantly stronger.

Key features of AdsKeeper:

• Native traffic with a strong presence in EU, LatAm, Tier-1, and Asia.
• Lenient moderation that's open to reviewing borderline cases. Through your manager, you can pre-check a landing page, get creative recommendations, and even see examples of acceptable alternatives.
• Broad targeting options: devices (desktop, mobile, tablet), GEO, region, time, browser, language, OS, IP, phone price segment, and retargeting.
• Access to premium placements (MSN traffic) and sites where more aggressive approaches (black-hat landers) can be advertised — for example, potency offers.
• Ability to test creatives across the full spectrum from white-hat to grey-hat (PG → B).

It's also worth paying attention to auto-optimization tools. In AdsKeeper's case, that means working with whitelists/blacklists, A/B testing across different site categories, and tracker integration via postback.

We also help with GEO selection, offer matching, and building a funnel that passes moderation without issues. We provide recommendations on traffic volume and CPC, help launch the first campaign and creatives for webmasters who deposit from $500. We also assist with tracker setup so you can monitor key metrics and receive optimization recommendations.

— A question that's bound to come up: how is bot traffic tracked in native networks? How can a webmaster tell they paid for a pool of bot clicks — aside from the absence of conversions?

All networks try to minimize bot traffic, but it's important to understand that "bots" can mean not only automated click fraud, but also irrelevant clicks from real users via VPN, as well as technical bots (for example, Google crawlers checking content relevance to keywords).

The main indicator for a webmaster is user behavior on the landing page. If out of 100 clicks there are zero transitions to the offer page, it means the traffic is either low quality or the placement is problematic. In such cases, it's worth pausing it immediately and flagging it for additional review.

We use Forensic, Anura, and internal algorithms that detect and block suspicious sources. Non-compliant publishers are penalized, and placements with anomalous activity are excluded. If you suspect bot traffic, reach out to us — we're equally invested in traffic quality and will run an additional check.

Conclusion

Native networks have long outgrown the role of just an "additional source" and have become a fully-fledged channel with real scaling potential and stable profits. They don't deliver instant x10 ROI, but with the right strategy they allow you to achieve +50–80% over the long run, thanks to volume and the long lifecycle of funnels.

If you want to test AdsKeeper, get additional support from managers and a bonus on your first deposit, follow the link and sign up. Test, optimize, scale! 🚀Also, don't forget to register at OMNI CPA, follow us on social media in Telegram & Instagram, reach out to our managers — Dima, Jane, Emily, and start running traffic today!