I wanted to document how I wasted my time – partly as a personal reminder, partly in case it helps someone else in a similar situation. Below is a copy/paste of my email exchange with Raptive (formerly AdThrive), with the personal name removed for privacy.
Raptive / AdThrive’s pitch email
Why the world’s top creators choose Raptive for ad management
Hi Relja,
I hope you’re having a fantastic June! I’m reaching out to see if now may be a good time to explore a partnership with Raptive (formerly AdThrive) — the largest ad management company built exclusively for top creators and publishers.
BikeGremlin comment: note that it is a tracking link used in email marketing (clicking it sends info back to Raptive – e.g. time clicked, IP, email tied to click, etc.).
We rank in Comscore’s top 10 for U.S. digital reach and our scale drives real results — often outperforming major media networks like Hearst, Dotdash Meredith, and USA Today Network.
We offer a 75/25 revenue share with no term contracts — no pressure, no lock-ins. We earn your business every day by maximizing RPMs and helping you grow. While others may advertise a higher revenue share, it’s often just a bigger cut of a smaller pie. With Raptive, it’s about earning more overall.
Here’s what else sets us apart:
- A 40-person direct sales team securing premium campaigns others can’t access
- Proprietary and continuously engineered ad tech that optimizes every impression
- Built-in traffic growth through exclusive SEO insights and partnerships (like our new one with Pinterest)
- Access to brand deals that often pay 2–3x higher than standard programmatic
You’d be in good company — our partners include RecipeTin Eats, Sally’s Baking, MacRumors, Instant Street View, Quordle, Inspired Taste, ClutchPoints, AZ Animals, BroBible, League of Graphs, Try Hard Guides, and many more.
I’d love to share a custom RPM guarantee based on BikeGremlin’s audience and traffic. Let me know if you’d like to see what we can offer. Others have been blown away by this offer.
My best, [Name redacted]
[First & Last Name redacted]
Vice President, Strategic Accounts
My (BikeGremlin) reply (I did include the photo)
Hi [Name redacted],
Thank you for the offer.
Briefly: I am interested in giving Raptive a try, as I’ve heard good feedback about AdThrive (your former brand).
In more detail:
1. My “stuff”
These are my resources/sites:
https://www.bikegremlin.com/start-here/
As you can see, I’m running:
– WordPress websites: on bikegremlin.com subdomains – sorted by their general topic (cycling, computers, philosophy etc.);
– XenForo forum: on bikegremlin.net.
2. “Content” (hate that word 🙂 )
Website articles are mostly expert written explanations and how-tos (tutorials).
I write 99.99% of the website articles (next to no guest posts, unless it really is an expert in the field wishing to share – no SEO link-building for better or for worse).
Forum is a Q&A knowledge base.
Of course, the forum has user generated posts to a greater degree, but it is very heavily moderated with next to no off topic chat.
It is all educational stuff and mostly evergreen – no clickbait or trendy stuff.
3. Current advertising setup
I am currently with Mediavine for the websites, and Google AdSense for the forum.
Mediavine is very good, with good support – but they insist on exclusivity (either all bikegremlin.com subdomains or none) and will not touch any forums.
Google AdSense has drastically improved, but I would argue that Mediavine offers a superior user experience (in addition to higher revenue per visitor).
Mediavine won’t let me adjust smartphone advert density to 10% and a max. of 4 ads per page (as they do for the desktop version).
AdSense offers no hard limits (so, worse in terms of user experience).
4. My goals and priorities
My primary criteria is user experience.
A very close second is being able to set-and-forget (I run sites as a hobby, and try to save my time for writing).
Revenue is third, behind those two.
In case you hadn’t seen where this is going from the start, the safest way for me to try Raptive would be to start with the forum. 🙂
Would that work for you – to start with the XenForo forum monetization and see how it goes?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Regards,
Relja BrevityIsNotMyVirtue Novović
PS: Here’s my editor-in-chief looking over my shoulder, making sure the UX stays purrfect:
Raptive’s first response – “do apply”
XenForo & Raptive
Hi Relja,
Thank you for your detailed note. I think there is a lot of potential here.
Raptive reviews each site we work with to ensure fit with our ad partners. We monetize monitored forums that contain brand-safe content, and would love to review XenForo.
Please complete our no-obligation application here. Once you submit it, let me know so I can expedite the review.
BikeGremlin comment: note that it is a tracking link (clicking it sends info back to Raptive – e.g. time clicked, IP, email tied to click, etc.)..
My best, [Name redacted]
[Name & Last Name redacted]
VP, Strategic Accounts
My reply to Raptive’s first response
Hi [Name redacted],
I’ve applied with the bikegremlin.net forum.
Regards,
Relja
Raptive’s 2nd response – “go 50K or go home!”
Re: XenForo & Raptive
Hi Relja,
I see your application in the system, but I am only seeing 21K monthly pageviews. Is that correct for the forum?
We require 50K minimum.
Let me know.
[Name redacted]
[Name & Last Name redacted]
VP, Strategic Accounts
My reply to Raptive’s 2nd response
Hi [Name redacted],
Yes, that is correct.
Though it is growing, unlike website traffic since the Google HCU, it is still not at 50 K.
BikeGremlin comment: Google HCU explained – this link is for the reader convenience. I presumed Raptive staff already know what that is.
I would suggest editing your email proposal template to include that info – it would have saved us both the time.
Relja
Conclusion: don’t waste your time below 50K
Raptive’s pitch was polished, but the process was typical corporate ad ops: vague, impersonal, and ultimately dismissive if your traffic doesn’t meet a hard threshold – which they don’t disclose upfront.
I responded seriously, transparently, and in good faith.
Their reply chain confirms that unless you’re bringing 50K+ monthly pageviews, you’re not worth their time, no matter what their outreach says.
This post isn’t meant as a grudge. It’s a reminder:
- Ask questions before applying.
- Don’t assume the marketing pitch matches real policy.
- And if you’re under their threshold, don’t bother applying – it will waste your time.
- Apparently, Raptive might accept forums for monetization – which is awesome! 🙂
Mediavine, for all its limitations, has at least been clear and consistent. That matters.
Feedback from Raptive
After publishing this article, I reached out to the company offering space for a clarification or reply – because I believe that’s only fair. Below is the exact exchange (unedited, with names anonymised) for full transparency:
My email
Hi [Name redacted],
I’ve written a short article documenting my experience with Raptive’s outreach and application process – as a way to help others set realistic expectations.
You can read it here:
https://io.bikegremlin.com/38102/raptive-adthrive-onboarding/
If you or your team would like to offer any clarifications or responses, I’d be happy to add an update or a postscript.
Best regards,
Relja
Reply from Raptive
Hi Relja,
I am very sorry to have wasted your time. That is never my intent.
In fairness, I contacted you about running ads on bikegremlin.com (not the forum). We use SimilarWeb to ensure that sites we reach out to have plenty of pageviews to qualify, and we even review site content to ensure your chances of being accepted are high.
If you agree that my intent to increase earnings and not waste time is valid, it would be great if your post reflected that sentiment. I hope the time will come quickly when all of your sites meet our pageview requirements.
My best, [Name redacted]
[Name & Last Name redacted]
VP, Strategic Accounts
[Screenshot attached:]
*Note for clarity:
In my original email (see above), I explicitly mentioned the forum “bikegremlin.net” as the proposed starting point. That domain was even bolded for clarity (as published in this article), along with a clear question about starting with forum monetization.Despite that, Raptive’s reply encouraged the application.
The 50K requirement was only revealed after application.
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