Plus, programmatic shifts and other trends media leaders are watching  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Raptive News MARCH 18, 2026 By Emily Rose VP, Content Marketing Hi Raptive, Despite the many macroeconomic shifts worldwide, RPMs at Raptive remain strong—thanks to the continuous work our team does to improve our ad code, expand direct sales, and strengthen ad partnerships. In this state of constant change, we spend a lot of time making sense of what’s happening across the industry so you don’t have to. That means digging into data, tracking the latest news, attending events like last week’s dinner with The Rebooting (more below!), and working with some of the smartest people in the space to answer a few key questions: What’s happening now? What’s next? And how can you prepare? Those insights on performance, partnerships, and advocacy are what we bring back to you. In today’s newsletter: • The latest trends in programmatic advertising • New expert insights and tools to help you grow • An exclusive AI webinar with Paul Bannister (tomorrow!) What’s new Raptive and The Rebooting gather media leaders to talk what’s next Last week, Chief Growth Officer Marc McCollum (left) and Chief Strategy Officer Paul Bannister (right) partnered with the founder of The Rebooting, Brian Morrissey (center), to host TRB Private Table—a gathering of top media executives for candid conversation about where the industry is going and how to build durable revenue strategies. Themes of the evening included the crucial role of email, how to engage “fandoms, not randoms,” and how AI is supporting business growth behind the scenes. “It’s encouraging that publishers across the board are focused on the same challenges: AI scraping, shifting traffic sources, and building more resilient businesses. But there are also key opportunities unique to your site—engaging and finding your true audience, standing behind your brand, and using AI to create ‘derivative content’ that helps you expand and grow.” Paul Bannister Top resource What is authority, and why does it matter for SEO? Why do some sites bounce back from Google updates while others struggle? One of the biggest drivers of SEO success is authority. This new guide in the Resource Center explains how authority works in modern SEO, how signals like branded search and backlinks contribute to it, and how you can build it over time. Invest in your authority → Inside the SEO Workbook: Catch the webinar recording Last week, Eddie Mercado, VP of SEO Solutions, walked through the SEO Workbook, which uses your site’s own data to help you quickly see which posts to update first and where new growth opportunities exist. If you missed the live session, watch the webinar recording to get a closer look at how the tool works, how recommendations are prioritized, and how to build a repeatable SEO workflow using this new feature in your dashboard. Watch the replay → Quick tip Try out Instagram’s new ‘Link a Reel’ feature “You can now add links to a Reel that goes to another Reel, or profile, to drive deeper engagement to your own content. Here are a few ways to try it out: Link to a series: Create a Reel collage with links to showcase a series. Or, link previous Reels in newer episodes. Use CTAs: Include more calls to action in your Reels to connect related content. Boost your best content: Consistently promote the Reels that drive the highest auto-DMs or conversions for you.” Sharon Profis VP, Audience Innovation Don’t miss Last call to join tomorrow’s AI webinar With AI reshaping content creation, discovery, and monetization, our goal is to be at the forefront of these changes and lead in an AI-first world. Join us tomorrow for a webinar with Chief Strategy Officer Paul Bannister. He’ll give an important update on the: • Impact of AI on our network traffic • New approaches to digital content monetization • Tools we’re creating to help you succeed in an AI future • Lawsuits and regulations to protect content creators and publishers We’ll have a live Q&A, but please share your questions in advance when you register. Can’t make it live? Register anyway, and we’ll send you the recording so you don’t miss these important updates. Register now → In the news Raptive creators are leading the fight against AI scraping Food creators Sarah Leung of The Woks of Life and Gina Homolka of Skinnytaste were recently featured in a Blog Herald piece about becoming your own “digital immune system.” Like many in our network, they’re protecting their work using tools like our WordPress plugin to block AI bot traffic and adding Terms of Content Use to their sites. Read the full story → In case you missed it Key trends shaping programmatic advertising in 2026 Programmatic advertising started the year slower than expected, but there are strong reasons to stay optimistic. In our latest Blog post, we break down the macro trends shaping ad spend—from major sporting events and retail media growth to shifting DSP priorities and the rise of AI-driven advertising. See more predictions → What we’re reading Catch up on news from around the industry • Breaking! News thrives in the age of AI (Define Media Group) • Facebook makes it easier for creators to report impersonators (TechCrunch) • AI CEOs are scaring America (Axios) Question of the week Where are you focusing most of your time this year to build stronger audience relationships? 📧 Email Own the audience, not the algo 📱 Social platforms Show up where the scroll never stops 💬 Other communities Take conversations beyond the feed 🗺️ Somewhere else Plot a new path as playbooks change 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