You can make money with pop up ads in two ways: as an advertiser, buying traffic from networks to promote offers like gambling, dating, finance, or utilities and earning from conversions by optimizing with tools such as AI bidding, CPA Goal, and Micro Bidding on platforms like ROIads; or as a publisher, monetizing your site by showing pop ups and getting paid per impression or click on CPM or CPC models.
In 2025, pop up advertising is profitable because of cheap, massive traffic and strong conversion potential — especially when campaigns are optimized for quality sources and high-paying offers.
At ROIads ad network, we work with thousands of affiliate marketers and media buyers worldwide and we know firsthand which ad formats bring real profit in 2025. One of the most overlooked — yet highly effective — formats is pop up advertising.
While social, native and push notifications get most of the attention, pop up ads are a massive source of affordable, high-volume traffic. They can drive clicks at scale, deliver strong conversions across verticals and help both advertisers and publishers generate consistent revenue.
In this expert guide, we’ll cover:
- What are popups and how they differ from popunders
- The main ways to make money with pop ups
- How to choose the right pop up ad networks and scale your campaigns profitably
- The latest strategies in pop up monetization, including optimization tips, budgeting and AI powered solutions
This guide is for affiliate marketers, publishers and advertisers who want practical, up-to-date strategies to make the most of pop up traffic in 2025.
What Are Pop Up Ads?
Pop up ads are a type of pop traffic that opens in a new browser window or tab, usually triggered when a user interacts with a website (e.g. by clicking somewhere on the page). The key characteristic is visibility: the ad “pops up” directly in front of the user, in their face.
There are two types of pop traffic:
- Popups (pop up ads): these open on top of the current page. They interrupt the browsing experience by showing the advertiser’s page directly in the user’s view.
- Popunders (popunder ads): these load behind the active browser window. The user often sees the ad later, once they close or minimize their current tab.
Both types ultimately look like a webpage with some kind of offer. The difference between popunder and popup ads lies only in how they appear on the user’s device.
In most pop up ad networks, traffic is sold as a mix of popups and popunders. That’s why when you buy pop up ads, you’re usually accessing both formats under the same inventory. For advertisers, this provides huge traffic volumes and different user engagement patterns; for publishers, it means broader opportunities for monetization.
Why This Distinction Matters
- Pop up ads are more intrusive but deliver faster clicks and often higher CTR.
- Popunders are less disruptive, typically leading to better user experience and sometimes higher-quality conversions, since the user interacts with the ad later on their own terms.
In short, popups are a proven way to reach large audiences quickly. Whether you’re looking to earn money with pop ups as a publisher or to scale pop up campaigns as an advertiser, understanding these two formats is the foundation for building profitable strategies.
Core Elements of an Effective Pop-Up Ad
A page that serves as a pop ad looks like this: strong headline, clear offer with price and discount, minimal form with CTAs (“Buy Now” and “Download Free Trial”), and eye-catching design with engaging image.
Main Advantages of Pop-up Ads
Popups are one of the largest sources of paid traffic available today. Because almost any website can run website pop up ads, the global supply is huge. For affiliates, this means endless opportunities to test offers across multiple geos without running out of impressions.
1. Massive Traffic Volumes
Popups are one of the largest sources of paid traffic available today. Because almost any website can run website pop up ads, the global supply is huge. For affiliates, this means endless opportunities to test offers across multiple geos without running out of impressions.
2. Low Entry Budget
Unlike video or native, you don’t need a big budget to start. With CPM rates as low as a few cents in Tier 2–3 geos, advertisers can test pop up campaigns with small budgets. Perfect for beginners and experienced affiliates looking to scale.
3. Versatility Across Vertical Offers
From gambling and betting to dating, finance, software, and sweepstakes — popups can drive conversions in almost any niche. Affiliates can find high paying pop up ads that match their target offers and maximize ROI.
4. Strong Conversion Potential
Because pop up ads grab attention instantly, they tend to have higher CTR than banner or other ads. When combined with optimized landing pages and targeting, they can generate revenue at scale.
5. Publisher-Friendly Monetization
For website owners, pop up monetization is one of the fastest ways to start earning. Each click or impression adds to revenue, and premium pop up ad networks help maximize payouts through optimized CPM models.
Roya, Emotional Damage Officer & Supreme AI Arbitragist at ROIads
How to Earn Money With Pop Ups: Main Models
There are two ways to make money with pop ups in 2025 — as a publisher or as an advertiser/affiliate. Both ways use pop up ad networks but the mechanics and revenue streams are different.
1. Publishers: Pop Up Monetization
If you have a website you can integrate website pop up ads and start making money from your traffic. Here’s how it works:
- A user visits your site and triggers a popup or popunder.
- The ad network delivers a paid offer in that window.
- You earn money based on CPM (cost per thousand impressions) or sometimes per click.
This is called pop up monetization and it’s a simple way for publishers to turn traffic into money. The higher the CTR and the better the user engagement the more money you can make.
2. Advertisers/Affiliates: Running Pop Up Campaigns
For affiliates and media buyers the model is different:
- You buy pop up ads from an ad network.
- Run pop up campaigns to your landing page or pre-landing.
- Earn when users convert on the offer (e.g. registration, deposit, install, lead form).
Because popups are cheap and scalable, they allow advertisers to test many offers quickly, find what works and then scale up with bigger budgets. When optimized, high–paying pop up ads in verticals like gambling, betting, dating and finance can deliver serious ROI.
3. Hybrid Models
Some affiliates operate both as publishers and advertisers — monetizing their own sites with pop up ads and also running paid campaigns. This hybrid approach increases overall revenue streams and gives more control over traffic sources.
Running Profitable Pop Up Campaigns for Advertisers
For affiliates and media buyers, the main way to make money with pop ups is by launching and optimizing pop up campaigns through ad networks. Unlike publishers who focus on monetizing their own sites, advertisers invest budgets into pop up traffic to drive users to converting offers.
Why Advertisers Choose Popups
- High traffic availability: Millions of daily impressions across Tier 1, 2 and 3 geos.
- Low CPMs: Test with small budget before scaling — for example, in ROIads CPM for popup ads start from $0.005.
- Fast results: Popups deliver immediate clicks and user actions.
- Flexible verticals: High paying pop up ads work in niches like gambling, betting, dating, finance, software and sweepstakes.
How Campaigns Work
- You buy pop up ads from a chosen pop up ad network.
- Set up your campaigns (geos, devices, targeting, frequency caps).
- Drive traffic to a pre-landing or landing page.
- Earn revenue when users convert on your offers (e.g. registration, FTD, lead form).
Key Metrics to Track
- CTR (Click-Through Rate): How engaging are your creatives and pre-landers?
- CPM (Cost per Mille): How much are you paying for 1,000 impressions?
- Conversion Rate: How effective is your traffic?
- ROI: The ultimate campaign success metric.
Example Workflow
- Start with a $50-$100 daily budget.
- Monitor clicks, CPM, CTR, and conversions.
- Whitelist/blacklist optimization to keep only high-performing sources.
- Scale campaigns with increased budget once profitability is proven.
Choosing the Right Pop Up Ad Networks
Success of any pop up campaign depends heavily on the network you choose. Quality of traffic, range of targeting and level of support can make the difference between wasted budget and steady revenue.
ROIads: Premium Source of Pop Traffic
At ROIads, we specialize in push and pop traffic, with a strong focus on delivering high-quality traffic to affiliates. For pop up campaigns the platform offers:
- Global coverage in 150+ geos with billions of daily impressions
- Affordable CPM rates to test with smaller budgets and scale profitably
- AI bidding technology that automatically adjusts traffic sources for the best conversion potential
- CPA Goal optimization, so affiliates can focus on ROI rather than manual tweaking
- Micro bidding to optimize on the source level — cutting out low performers and scaling premium placements
- Personal account managers for deposits starting from $500, who provide tailored advice and even custom creatives
CPM at ROIads starts from $0.005, and here you can see our minimum and average CPM rates for pops in our top geos:
For affiliates serious about scaling in 2025, ROIads offers one of the most balanced ecosystem of traffic, optimization and support in the pop up advertising space.
Quick Comparison Table
| Factor | ROIads Advantage |
| Traffic Volume | 900M+ daily impressions, only premium sources |
| Pricing (CPM/CPA) | Competitive rates with smart bidding |
| Optimization Features | AI bidding technology + CPA Goal + Micro bidding |
| Geo Coverage | 150+ geos worldwide |
| Support | Dedicated manager at $500+ deposit |
Budgeting and Optimization Strategies
Launching pop up campaigns in 2025 requires a balance between smart budgeting and constant optimization. Because pop up traffic is high-volume and affordable, advertisers can start small — but scaling profitably demands data-driven decisions.
Setting the Right Budget
- Test Phase: Start with $50-$100 per day to gather enough clicks and impressions for analysis.
- Scaling Phase: Increase budget gradually once you find converting offers. Sudden jumps can mess up the data and waste traffic.
- Geo Strategy: Allocate smaller budgets to Tier 2-3 countries with cheap CPM, and higher ones to Tier 1 geos where high paying pop up ads deliver more valuable conversions.
Optimization Essentials
- Track Everything: Use a postback tracking to monitor CTR, CPM, conversions, ROI by source.
- Whitelist/Blacklist: Cut underperforming placements and focus budget on proven sources.
- Frequency Capping: Limit impressions per user to prevent banner blindness and improve efficiency.
- Pre-landings & Creatives: Test variations — even small changes in headlines or layouts can increase conversion rates.
By combining smart budgeting with automated optimization features, affiliates can turn cheap pop up ads into a steady stream of income.
Risks and Challenges of Pop Up Advertising
While pop up ads are one of the best ways to drive cheap, scalable traffic, affiliates should also be aware of the downsides and risks. Ignoring them can quickly blow a budget and hurt long-term profitability.
- Ad Blockers and Browser Restrictions
Modern browsers and ad-blocking tools are limiting the visibility of popups. This reduces overall traffic in some geos and forces advertisers to use networks with anti-adblock technology.
- Quality of Traffic
Not all pop up ad networks deliver the same level of traffic. Some sources can generate fake clicks or low intent users, lowering CTR and conversion rates. Choosing networks with premium traffic like ROIads minimizes this issue.
- Compliance and Offer Restrictions
Some offers (e.g. gambling or adult) are restricted in certain geos or by advertisers themselves. Affiliates must ensure their campaigns comply with the network policies and local regulations to avoid bans or wasted spend.
- Balancing Monetization and User Experience
For publishers, aggressive pop up monetization can scare users away. For advertisers, irrelevant or misleading pop up campaigns can result in low engagement and CTR. Long-term success is all about finding the balance between profit and user trust.
Future of Pop Up Advertising
Even with the constant changes in digital marketing, pop up ads are evolving not disappearing. In 2025, they will still be an essential tool for affiliates and advertisers but the way they are used will change.
- Smarter Automation
AI driven optimization is the new standard. Features like AI bidding technology and CPA Goal in networks like ROIads allow affiliates to focus less on manual tweaks and more on scaling profitable campaigns. This will only get stronger.
- Strict Compliance
As regulations tighten up across regions, pop up ad networks are adapting with better compliance filters and cleaner traffic. Affiliates who work with reliable partners can expect safer and more stable monetization opportunities.
- Focus on High-intent Traffic
Not all impressions are equal. The future of pop up advertising is in segmenting traffic more precisely, cutting out low quality sources and maximizing ROI from high-paying pop up ads.
- Integration With Other Formats
While popups are powerful on their own, combining them with push traffic or retargeting campaigns can increase conversions. Cross format strategies will be the go to method for advanced affiliates.
- Long-term Profitability
Despite ad blockers and changing user behavior, the sheer volume of available pop up traffic ensures it will be profitable. Affiliates who master budgeting, optimization and scaling will continue to earn money with pop ups in 2025 and beyond.
Conclusion
Pop up advertising in 2025 is still proving its worth for affiliates and media buyers. With massive traffic volumes, low entry budgets and high CTR and conversion rates it’s one of the fastest ways to scale performance campaigns.
The key is to choose the right pop up ad network and apply smart budgeting and optimization strategies. By using tools like AI bidding technology, CPA Goal and Micro bidding inside ROIads, you can turn cheap clicks into steady revenue streams.
Affiliates looking to earn money with high paying pop up ads have a lot to work with. Those who treat pop up campaigns as a data driven process — testing, refining and scaling — will continue to earn money with pop ups long-term.
In short: with the right offers, network and optimization tactics, popups are still one of the most profitable formats in digital marketing.
FAQ: Pop Up Advertising in 2025
❓What are pop up ads and how do they work?
Pop up ads are a type of pop traffic that opens in a new browser window or tab when a user interacts with a site. They grab attention instantly and drive clicks to an advertiser’s landing page or offer.
❓How can I make money with pop up advertising?
You can earn by buying pop up traffic from ad networks and running campaigns for offers or by monetizing your website with popups and getting paid per impression or click.
❓Which pop up ad networks pay the most?
Premium networks like ROIads deliver high-paying pop up ads with global traffic, advanced optimization tools and strong CPM/CPA rates for affiliates.
❓Are pop up ads effective for website monetization?
Yes. Website owners can integrate popups to make money fast. Earnings depend on traffic quality, CTR and CPM payouts from the network.
❓How to optimize pop up campaigns for higher revenue?
Track CTR, CPM and conversions, use whitelist/blacklist optimization, apply frequency caps and use tools like AI bidding or Micro bidding to focus budget on the best traffic sources.
