Native Ad Example: What Taboola Ads Look Like in Practice
- Feb 5
- 4 min read
When someone searches for a native ad example or a Taboola ad example, they usually want something concrete:
How does a native ad actually look?Where does it appear?And what elements make it work?
Before we dive into a real native ad example, it’s important to understand that Taboola does not offer just one single ad format.
Taboola provides multiple placements and products, each behaving differently and requiring its own strategy.
This article walks you through what Taboola ads look like in practice, how the different placements work, and what really matters when creating native creatives.
What Placements Do Taboola Ads Offer?
When most people think of Taboola Ads, they picture classic native ads on news websites. That’s correct, but it’s only part of the story.
Taboola offers several placement types, including:
Native ads integrated into editorial environments, typically below or within articles on publisher sites
Display-style placements in vertical or rectangular formats
In-mail placements, where ads appear directly inside email inboxes (for example Yahoo environments)
Mobile lockscreen placements, where ads are shown on a user’s phone lock screen
Push notifications delivered directly to devices
In this article, we touch on all placements briefly, but we intentionally focus primarily on native ads, since they are the most widely used and best-known format on the platform.
The Classic Taboola Native Ad Example
A typical Taboola native ad appears beneath an article on a news site or inside a “Recommended for you” content widget.
A user finishes reading an article and then sees a feed that mixes editorial recommendations with sponsored placements.
When done properly, a native ad does not feel like traditional advertising. It looks like another relevant piece of content, while still being clearly labeled as sponsored.
That balance is exactly what makes native advertising powerful.
What Elements Make Up a Taboola Native Ad?
A classic Taboola native ad consists of just a few components, but each one is critical:
Image or gif
Headline (title)
Optional short description, depending on placement (optional)
Brand Name
CTA (optional)
The image is usually the first thing users notice. It heavily influences whether someone clicks or scrolls past.
Image Format: Why 16:9 Is the Standard
On Taboola, creatives are uploaded in a 16:9 aspect ratio by default.
Taboola does not automatically adapt images perfectly across all placements.
Instead, the Realize Ads Manager provides a simple cropping tool that allows you to manually define which part of the image should be used for other formats (such as 1:1).
In addition, Taboola offers an AI-assisted image expansion feature. This can intelligently extend images that are initially too tight or poorly cropped, helping maintain visual consistency across placements.
This is especially useful when:
the original image is narrowly framed
important elements would otherwise be lost
you want to reuse creatives across multiple format
Still, best practice remains to start with well-composed images.
Image Best Practices
No text overlays
No logos inside the image
Main subject centered
Enough visual space for cropping
These guidelines help ensure professional and consistent delivery across placements.
Headlines: Context Beats Hard Selling
Native ad headlines should spark curiosity or address a specific problem.
They are not meant to close the sale.
Especially in prospecting campaigns, the headline’s job is to create a meaningful entry point. The actual selling typically happens later in the funnel.
👉🏼 Learn how to write good headlines in this article.
Other Placements: Not Everything Is “Native”
Beyond classic native ads, Taboola also supports:
In-mail placements that resemble new emails
Lockscreen placements on mobile devices
Push notifications
Each format has its own creative requirements. Assets that perform well as native ads rarely work automatically across these other environments.
One Strategy Per Placement
A common mistake is using the same creative everywhere.
Instead, ask for each placement:
What mindset is the user in right now?
Are they reading, browsing, or casually scrolling?
What visual style fits this moment?
What should happen after the click?
A native ad beneath a news article needs a very different approach than a lockscreen or inbox placement.
Where Should the Click Traffic Go?
For prospecting, sending users directly to product pages usually underperforms.
Instead, consider:
Advertorials
Listicles
Content-rich landing pages
These formats build trust and context before asking for a conversion.
Finding Inspiration: Taboola Trends (and Ad Spy Tools)
Many advertisers ask where they can see what’s currently working across the network.
Taboola provides Taboola Trends, a helpful resource that shows popular topics and content formats. It’s a great place to gather inspiration for headlines and angles.
Another common question:
Is there a Taboola Ad Library like Meta’s?
No. There is no official public ad library.
However, some advertisers use third-party spy tools like Anstrex or AdPlexity to research creatives across native networks. These tools can offer directional insights, but they never replace proper strategy and testing (but...these tools cost money).
Conclusion
A Taboola native ad example might look simple: image, headline, click.
But performance comes from understanding placement context, creative strategy, and what happens after the click.
Treating every placement the same leaves results on the table. A thoughtful, placement-specific approach unlocks significantly stronger performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a native ad example?
A native ad example shows how an advertisement blends into editorial environments, such as news websites. It typically includes an image and headline and feels like a content recommendation rather than traditional advertising.
What does a Taboola native ad look like?
A Taboola native ad usually appears below or within articles on publisher sites and consists of an image, headline, and sometimes a short description. It’s clearly labeled as sponsored but designed to match surrounding content.
Where are Taboola ads displayed?
Taboola ads appear across native widgets, display placements, inbox environments, lockscreen inventory, and push notifications.
Are native ads only for awareness?
No. Native ads are commonly used for mid- and low-funnel performance, including direct ecommerce sales and lead generation.
Is there a Taboola ad library?
No official ad library exists. Some advertisers use tools like Anstrex or AdPlexity to research native ads.
Should native ads send traffic directly to product pages?
For cold traffic, advertorials or content-rich landing pages usually perform better than direct product pages.
