Start running ads in 6 steps.
Running ads is one of the simplest ways of making money from your newsletter—and our built-in ads feature in Kit makes the process even simpler still.
Here's how to set up Kit Ads:
Setup process
Navigate to the ads feature by clicking Earn in the top navigation, followed by Ads.
Click the Get started → button on the next page:
Then, follow these six steps.
1. Update your domain settings
You'll need your own website domain, such as yourdomain.com, to serve ads on your Kit emails.
If you don't already have one, buy one from domain providers like Bluehost, Namecheap, and HostGator first.
Once you have a domain for serving ads from, add it as a custom domain to Kit.
If you've previously set up the same domain as a verified sending domain, you'll see an additional option for updating your verified sending domain records.
NOTE: Setting up a verified sending domain is not a requirement for running ads. But if you've previously set one up and are using the same domain as your custom domain, you'll need to update its records so we can serve your ads properly.
Check out our separate guide to updating your domain settings for Kit Ads to learn exactly what you need to do depending on your current domain settings.
NOTE: If you chose a subdomain that is prefixed with cksn., it will be chosen by default to serve Kit Ads.
2. Connect to Stripe payments
We use Stripe to pay you the revenue you make from your ads. 💰
Click the Set up payments option to launch Stripe in a separate browser tab and connect your Kit account to Stripe.
NOTE: If you've already connected your Kit account to Stripe previously (e.g., as part of setting up digital product payments), you'll see a message confirming this and can skip this step.
Or, if you'd like, you can click View Stripe dashboard to review and update your Stripe billing settings.
3. Select your preferred brands
The next step is to choose the brands whose programmatic ads you want (or don't want) to run on your emails.
All the available brands have been grouped into categories. Click these categories to view the specific brands in them.
All the brands are also selected by default, and you can de-select:
Any specific brand(s) to prevent its ads from appearing in your emails, or
Any brand category to avoid showing ads from all brands in that category.
You'll need to select at least one brand, but we recommend selecting at least 20 brands to increase the chances of you filling your ad slots and making meaningful revenue from ads.
4. Accept advertising terms and conditions
Next, you'll need to accept the terms and conditions for running ads in your emails.
Click Kit Ads Terms & Conditions, and they will pop up on the screen. Read the terms and conditions and click I agree at the bottom of them.
NOTE: You need to scroll to the end of the terms and conditions for the I agree button to be clickable.
With that, click the Enable ads button at the bottom of the screen to enable Kit Ads.
5. Wait for approval
We'll review your account to ensure it's suitable for running ads. This process may take up to 48 business hours. If it's taking longer than that, reach out to our support team for help.
Once we've approved your account, you will receive an email notification from us saying you've successfully enabled the Ads feature for it.
6. Turn on ads
Enabling Kit Ads doesn't automatically mean your subscribers will start seeing ads in your emails—you'll need to turn the ads on first.
So, go back to your Ads dashboard and click the Turn on ads button.
With that, the ad setup process is complete. You can then start adding ads to your emails. Learn how here:
Let your readers know
When running ads, it may be a good idea to let your subscribers know. This can help reduce pushback (and unsubscribes) from subscribers who dislike seeing ads in your emails.
For example, you could explain to your subscribers that running ads helps you keep your content free for them.
You could even set up a paid newsletter for subscribers who want to receive an ad-free version of your newsletter. Learn how to create a paid newsletter here.