The Challenge: Falling Ad Revenues for Recipe Publishers
Let’s be honest. Traditional display ads aren’t what they used to be. After a short-lived COVID-era boom, publishers are now dealing with shrinking demand for banner ads, declining ad performance, and shorter attention spans driven by platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
Some have responded by stuffing their sites with more ads, but that only frustrates users and pushes them away from the open web.
We’ve seen this firsthand. We run content sites ourselves and speak with bloggers every day. But what if there was a better way to monetise recipe content?
The Publisher: Bonvivani.sk, A Beloved Slovak Recipe Blog
Bonvivani.sk is a passion project run by an independent blogger who’s been publishing traditional Slovak recipes for years. The content is top-notch, complete with original photos and cooking videos. Readers can support the project by buying her cookbook or becoming a member, which also removes ads from the site.
However, the majority of site traffic comes from organic Google searches, users looking for a quick dinner fix, not necessarily loyal fans. This segment was ideal for testing something new.
The Solution: Content Lockers Powered by Rewarded Ads
We implemented a Content Locker powered by Rewarded Ads. Here’s how it works:
When users land on a recipe, a key section (like the ingredients or full recipe) is temporarily locked. To unlock it, they watch a short, 5 second long ad. After that, the content is revealed instantly. No login, no payment, just a moment of attention.
Initial Revenue Per User Has Tripled 🚀🚀🚀
Within just 1–2 days, the impact was obvious. Both revenue per session (ARPU) and eCPM skyrocketed.
The Final Results: 2x Higher Programmatic Revenue
- Rewarded Ads delivered eCPMs 10–30x higher than standard banner ads.
- Overall ad revenue increased by over 100%.
- The majority of users happily watched the ad to access the content.
Publisher Feedback: A Game Changer for Independent Creators
“These extra earnings allow me to publish more recipes and fund the release of a new cookbook. And the best part? My loyal readers don’t even see the ads since they’re logged in,” says the blog owner of Bonvivani.sk.
No SEO or Engagement Drop-Off
You might expect a content lock to negatively affect Average Engagement Time or SEO traffic. It didn’t.
- Organic search traffic remained stable, even during peak Easter season.
- Average engagement time wasn’t impacted.
- UX remained smooth thanks to smart ad triggering (only shown when a valuable ad impression is available).
Watch a video example
Why This Works: The Smart Side of Rewarded Ads
Rewarded Ads (like our Content Lockers) work because they:
- Maximise revenue through high-value impressions.
- Respect UX by triggering only when a premium ad is available.
- Avoid annoying regular readers by targeting fly-by traffic.
- Can support additional goals, like book sales, registrations, or subscriptions.
What’s Next for Bonvivani.sk?
Emilia plans to use the new revenue to promote her book and distribute it to new readers. Her cookbook is among the most successful debut culinary publications in Slovakia and was also strongly supported through crowdfunding. We're proud to have been part of her journey for the past years.
Conclusion: There’s Still Hope for the Open Web
This case study proves that monetizing recipe content doesn’t have to be challenging at all. With the right tools, even small independent publishers can thrive.
Rewarded Ads through Content Lockers offer a fair trade: users get the content they want, and creators get paid fairly.
Interested in applying this to your own recipe site or blog?
Let’s talk, we’re happy to share more data and help you get started.
