Ads in RSS can help you reach more users through your RSS feeds 

In case you missed it or you’re new to the network, we launched the beta of our Yahoo! Ads in RSS product back in November, 2005.Yahoo! Ads in RSS allows you to place Content Match ads directly into your outgoing RSS feeds, so that your end users will see them in their RSS readers and have the opportunity to click on them, earning revenue for you.

Typical Yahoo! Ads in RSS look like this:

I use a Bloglines.com reader, but the ads will appear in most readers as long as they’re not blocked by the end user (a few readers have that capability).

If you’re new to RSS, or are not sure how to use it and want to learn more, check out our open-access Publisher’s Guide to RSS.

The nickel tour goes like this: “RSS” is an abbreviation that stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and it’s an XML-based technology that allows webmasters to syndicate (distribute) their content to users to it subscribe using an RSS reader, such as the Web-based Bloglines.com reader pictured here. Other popular RSS readers include:

NewsGator
FireFox Live Bookmarks
SafariRSS
SharpReader
While most readers are Web-based, a few, like SharpReader, are downloadable client apps, most are free. Also, FeedBurner offers services that can help you track and understand your RSS traffic.

Your My Yahoo! page has a built-in RSS reader, and the new Yahoo! Mail beta also acts as an RSS reader.  You can add an RSS feed from any website displaying the Add to My Yahoo! button, which looks like this:

While your ads will not show up in your users’ My Yahoo! pages, they will see them in the Yahoo! Mail beta RSS reader. The reason for this is that at present My Yahoo! is considered more of a traffic driver; people who subscribe to your feeds will be able to see your ads once they have clicked over to your site from their My Yahoo! pages. 

You can also put an Add to My Yahoo! button on your site to syndicate your content out to My Yahoo! users. It’s free and only takes a few minutes to set up.

If you frequently add content to your site, you should definitely look into creating an RSS feed, and using Yahoo! Ads in RSS to earn extra revenue. If you’re in our network, you have access to Ads in RSS tools, when logged into your account, under the Ad Setup tab. 

Getting started with RSS is pretty straightforward, although it is a wee bit trickier than setting up our Web-based Content Match product. As with the Content Match ads on your website, Yahoo! Ads in RSS are compatible with both Moveable Type and WordPress publishing platforms. Also, like Content Match ads, you install Ads in RSS by cutting and pasting code we provide into your website.

For instructions, consult our handy RSS Setup Guide. (Sorry, but only current publishers registered with Yahoo! Publisher Network can view the RSS Setup Guide.)

— Michael Mattis, Blog Editor