It was only last week I reviewed WP text ads, now we have OIOpublisher Direct from Simon emery.
OIOpublisher is a WordPress plugin that allows you to sell paid reviews and text links from your blog without having to use a middle man. If you don’t have a Wordpress blog or a blog at all for that matter you can still use their hosted option where the technical bits are hosted on their OIOpublisher server.
How much does it cost?
The plugin and hosted options are free. There is also a marketplace where you can list your blog or site to let everyone know you accept advertising. The cost of a basic listing is free and there is an option of a featured listing which you have to pay for. After looking through the site it looks like you have to have a listing to use the hosted option. Whilst this is currently free the site doesn’t make it clear whether the regular listings will remain free.
Conclusion
Simon has done a great job in creating a service for publishers to allow them to sell ads directly. The Wordpress plugin offers the best option as you do not have to have a listing in the marketplace (which may be chargeable). Simon plans to make money by selling featured ads in the marketplace which has meant he can offer the actual plugin for free which does not have any limitations.
The only downsides I can see is that you will still have to actively promote the fact you are selling reviews and links on your blog. As I mentioned before there is a marketplace but it is still in it’s embronic stage and will take a while to become popular. Where as established services such as Text Link Ads have a massive established market place.
It looks like Simon may be onto a winner especially if the service takes off and the marketplace becomes more popular. Although the service is free I think the site needs to be a bit more transparent about any charges tied in with the marketplace.
