Premium-brand publishers, many of them household names, are driving their readers directly to startup competitors' sites for just pennies per click, by making outbound content recommendations (which should not be confused with internal content recirculation).

The native advertising industry is growing exponentially, with an expected 7.9 billion dollars in spending this year (according to a Business Insider study). Native advertising is often an extension of what publishers are already producing, so they welcome it for many reasons. Among them:

If the price paid for an advertisement is commensurate with its engagement, and all else held equal, publishers stand to make more money from a native ad in lieu of a banner ad. Of course, it isn't the case - at the moment - that every publisher can swap every banner ad out, move to native ads, and expect to make more money in absolute terms. Issues like liquidity, latent demand and technology infrastructure can still stand in the way. Given the above constraints, publishers need a guide to optimize for dollars and engagement.