How blocking AI bots works when creators act together  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Raptive News APRIL 8, 2026 By Emily Rose VP, Content Marketing Hi Raptive, You have more power than you think. Yes, the very rules of the internet are in flux. And yes, AI companies are training on your content without a care about permission or compensation. But there’s a real shift coming—and it starts with small, intentional actions. Publishers of all sizes are blocking AI bots to take back control and push for a better system. One site blocking AI bots? Great. Our entire network of creators and publishers doing it together? That’s leverage. That’s what we need to move the industry toward a future where you are recognized—and paid—for your content. You have a million decisions to make for your business. This could be one of the simplest, high-impact ones. Keep reading to learn why bot blocking paves the way for fair compensation and how to take action today. What’s new How blocking AI bots creates leverage for fair compensation AI companies continue to profit from your content—for free. In our new Blog post, Chief Strategy Officer Paul Bannister explains why blocking AI training bots is one of the most important steps creators and publishers can take. It’s not just about your own protection. The collective action of blocking AI bots creates the leverage needed to push for licensing and compensation models. Learn the ins and outs of AI bots and how to block the right ones effectively. Follow our bot-blocking strategy → It’s time to update your Raptive Ads plugin We’re updating our Ad Block Recovery integration and noticed that one or more of your sites are running an outdated version of the Raptive Ads plugin, prior to adthrive-ads-3.11.0. To ensure you’re fully optimized and recovering revenue from readers with ad blockers enabled, please: 1. Log in to WordPress 2. Update the Raptive Ads plugin to the latest version 3. Navigate to Raptive Ads → Ad Block Recovery and confirm the setting is enabled The Ad Block Recovery setting should remain enabled automatically after updating, but we recommend double-checking just in case. Once updated, the feature will serve a limited display ad layout to readers using ad blockers. Most sites see a 1–3% revenue lift from this setting. If you’re able to complete this within the next week, that’s great. Otherwise, if we have existing access, our team may update the plugin on your behalf to ensure everything is fully enabled. Top resource Optimize your images to drive greater visibility Images don’t just support your content, they are often the difference between getting seen or getting skipped. This new Resource Center guide shows how to choose and optimize your images—from hero shots to process photos—to improve click-through rates and perform better across search, Google Discover, and social. Make your images shine on every channel → Quick tip Design for silent scrollers “When it comes to video, design for sound-off scrolling since most views still happen while muted. Strong opening frames, clear captions, and visual cues matter a lot more than perfect audio.” Marcy Chu Art Director, Creator Solutions What we’re reading Catch up on news from around the industry • Local publishers hit by AI traffic drops collaborate for revenue relief (AdExchanger) • Microsoft takes on AI rivals with three new foundational models (TechCrunch) • The web can still be wonderful, and Flipboard’s Surf proves it (Fast Company) • Gemini overtakes Perplexity, becomes no. 2 bot referral to websites (MediaPost) Question of the week Based on the best practices above, how would you rate your site’s images? 💯 A Optimized visuals for every platform 👍 B Images look good, but can work harder across channels 😬 C Lots of inconsistencies across my site 🚨 D Starting over based on your recommendations! 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