Plus, a Kit discount, image wins, and where ad buyers are focused  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Raptive News APRIL 15, 2026 By Courtney Kahn Content Marketing Hi Raptive, The way ad dollars are spent is changing. Instead of spreading budgets across thousands of sites at hundreds of networks, buyers are focusing more on a smaller group of high-quality ad networks like Raptive. This puts more emphasis on the collective work we’re doing around site performance, user experience, and how your audiences consume content. This week’s updates are built with that in mind. With industry insights and practical ways to improve page speed and engagement, we’re designing tools and solutions to stay aligned with the industry and continue to help you grow. What’s new A simpler video setup to improve performance We’re streamlining our video experience by removing the sticky Related Player and moving to a simpler setup with sticky Playlist Player and stationary Related Player. No action needed on your end, but here’s what’s changing: • The sticky Related Player will be removed over the coming weeks • Existing sticky Related Players will automatically switch to stationary Related Players and appear where you added the embed code • Any videos you embed moving forward will also be stationary Related Players What to expect In most cases, there’s no impact on earnings. Sticky Playlist will continue to play your embedded video first, and revenue will shift there. If you weren’t using Sticky Related, nothing changes. Why we made this change This update focuses on the video setup that drives the best results. Sticky Playlist and Stationary Related work together to improve engagement, simplify your setup, and support better long-term performance. Your SEO workflow just got an upgrade The new SEO Workbook is now live in your dashboard. It brings everything you need into one place to decide what to update next and drive more traffic. With the SEO Workbook, you can: • Find the pages worth updating right now • Track how your updates impact traffic over time • Build a consistent SEO workflow without the guesswork The SEO Workbook helps you stay consistent with high-impact updates. Creators using it update content 11% more often—and that consistency is linked to 60–100% more pageviews on average. Learn more Start with your highest-impact pages today. Watch the webinar recording for a deeper dive, or visit the Resource Center for a quick, step-by-step guide and start putting it to work right away. Try the new SEO Workbook → Exclusive Kit discount for Raptive creators Email continues to be one of the most reliable ways to grow your business—but the right setup matters. Through our partnership with Kit, Raptive creators and publishers get an exclusive discount: 50% off your first 3 months, or 20% off an annual plan. Kit is built to grow your audience and manage email more efficiently. And if you need help getting started or troubleshooting, you can use the chatbox right inside the Kit app. Get your exclusive discount: 50% off your first 3 months → 20% off an annual plan → Top resource How to optimize images for faster pages and better ad performance Images drive engagement, but they can also slow your pages, hurt Core Web Vitals, and lower RPM if they aren’t optimized. This guide breaks down simple, practical steps to keep your pages fast, stable, and ready to earn. Learn how to size, compress, and deliver images the right way, and avoid common mistakes that can cost you traffic. Improve site performance now → Quick tip What to prioritize as programmatic shifts “We learned at the recent SPO Summit that ad buyers are no longer bidding everywhere—they’re focusing on a curated set of premium publishers (like Raptive). That makes it more important for creators to invest in site quality, user experience, and long-term trust, since those factors increasingly influence where ad spend goes.” Ryan Maynard SVP, Programmatic Sales Operations Don’t miss Stay in the loop on the latest updates You can now DM your most active followers all at once Grocers List just launched Broadcast DM, which lets you message recent engagers directly to share updates, promote content (like cookbooks, affiliates, or new series), and boost reach on Instagram and Facebook (available now on the Pro plan). Try Broadcast DM → The AI scraping problem is getting worse In Digiday, Raptive Chief Strategy Officer Paul Bannister weighs in on the rise of third-party scrapers—companies collecting and reselling publisher content to AI firms without paying creators. As blocking improves, these workarounds are becoming more common, adding to the challenges publishers already face. Read the (gated) article → How to use AI bot-blocking to push for change Related to the above, blocking AI training bots is one of the simplest, highest-impact steps you can take to protect your content and push toward fair compensation. Learn how it works and how to do it effectively. Follow our bot blocking strategy → What we’re reading Catch up on news from around the industry • Google confirms March 2026 core update is complete (Search Engine Journal) • OpenAI projects $100 billion in ad revenue by 2030 (Axios | Gated) • Creators are powering AI ecosystems (IAB) Question of the week Somehow it’s already Q2! What’s an area you’re working to improve this quarter? 📈 Boosting performance Site speed and overall performance ✉️ Owning inboxes Email and audience ownership ✏️ Dusting off your fave pen Content quality and consistency 🤔 It’s already Q2? Still figuring it out! Thanks for reading! Was this email helpful? You’re receiving this email because you help manage a site that works with Raptive. To ensure our emails reach your inbox, add hello@email.raptive.com to your email contacts. Want to stop receiving Raptive News emails? You can update your preferences anytime. 1411 Broadway, 27th Floor New York, NY, 10018, US © 2026 Raptive. All rights reserved. Unsubscribe | View online