Looking for an ad format that is impossible to ignore? Interstitial advertising delivers full-screen ads at natural transition points, capturing attention at the exact moment a user is most receptive.
This guide covers everything you need to know about interstitial ads: what they are, how they work on Mondiad, which verticals they suit, how they stack up against other formats, and the best practices for running them profitably.
TL;DR
- Interstitial ads are full-screen overlays shown between content pages or at natural transition points.
- On Mondiad they display centred over a darkened background, with a close button, on both desktop and mobile.
- They deliver high visibility with no banner blindness, and suit app installs, sweepstakes, nutra, dating, and brand awareness.
- You can run them on CPM or CPC, and TargetCPA bidding is available across the Mondiad network.
- Versus push, native, banner, and popunder, interstitials win on same-screen impact for hot, mobile-heavy traffic.
Where interstitial ads came from
Interstitial ads began to gain popularity in the early 2000s, (at a time when banners were popular), as a response to the growing need for more engaging forms of online advertising. Early examples show that interstitial ads gain popularity with the rise in mobile apps and mobile browsing, their strategic timing and placement being a sought solution to banner blindness.
Since their introduction, interstitial ads have evolved greatly, being able to adapt to changes in technology, user behaviour and advertising trends and continue to be a high-rewarding ad format for both advertisers and ad publishers.
What’s an interstitial ad?
Interstitial ads are full-screen digital advertisements that appear between two content pages or during natural transition points within a website such as when a user finishes reading an article, completes a level in a game, or navigates between sections within an app.
In Mondiad, interstitial ads will be displayed in the centre of a website’s screen with a darkened background around it and a close button with which the user closes the ad and returns to their current session.
The Mondiad interstitial ad format is made of either a 900 x 600 ad creative composed of a title, a description and a static/dynamic creative, or a landing page URL.
Interstitial ads work like any other ad format. Some may say interstitial ads are similar to pop ads since they are shown in full-screen, right in your face. However, in this case, interstitials do not open in a new window but show as a full-screen overlay in the current window.
Fun fact: the term “interstitial” is used as a reference to “in-between” since it sits between a referenced page and the page which references it, hence it is in between two pages.
Interstitial ad pricing: CPM vs CPC
When setting up interstitial ad campaigns, before choosing your bidding model, it’s best to take into consideration your goals, budget and target audience. Currently, in out network, you can choose to work either via CPM or CPC models.
| CPM | If the primary goal of your interstitial ad campaigns is increasing your brand visibility towards your ideal audience, then the CPM model is just right for you. |
| CPC | For campaigns aimed to drive traffic or generate leads for your business, the CPC model ensure you pay only for clicks, making it the most cost-effective choice. |
For volumes and average bids you can always check our real-time traffic inventory on our website. 🌟
When to use interstitial ads
You want high visibility. The full-screen, centred display ensures maximum exposure with no banner blindness.
You want strong engagement. The placement and timing encourage high click-through rates.
You want creative flexibility. Use static images, dynamic creatives, or a landing page URL.
You want cross-device reach. Interstitials are desktop and mobile friendly, so you can target users across devices.
You want a versatile format. Interstitials fit many niches, goals, and budgets.
Best verticals for interstitial ads
The effectiveness of interstitial ads, like any other ad format, depends on the advertiser’s goals, budget and target audience, as previously mentioned. In this sense, there are no limits when it comes to ad verticals as well, however, we can recommend some niches that tend to perform particularly well with interstitial ads.
As previously mentioned, interstitials are super versatile. By continuous display of messages, brands can successfully raise brand awareness and recognition, placing them ahead of competition. At the same time, interstitial ads are also a great choice to generate leads and boost sales. Advertisers can easily encourage engagement with their offers while its strategic display ensures 100% visibility.
Interstitials can take various forms, including statics or dynamic content, thus they are commonly preferred in promoting app installs, and promotional content, to collect user information (such as email addresses or sign-up for newsletters) as well as to advertise various special discounts.
Think of niches like mobile apps, sweepstakes, nutra, adult games, or dating.
Interstitials are one of several formats on Mondiad, alongside classic push, in-page push, native, banner, and popunder. Each suits a different funnel stage and traffic type. Here is how interstitials compare.
| Format | How it appears | Best use cases | Intrusiveness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interstitial | Full-screen overlay in the current window, centred over a darkened background, closed with a button. | App installs, sweepstakes, nutra, dating, brand awareness. | High |
| Classic push | Browser or system notification delivered after opt-in, can reach users even off-site. | Direct response, retargeting, urgency-driven offers. | Low to medium |
| In-page push | Notification-style ad shown inside the webpage, no opt-in required, works on all devices. | Broad reach, mobile traffic, colder audiences. | Low |
| Native | Blends into the page like recommended or sponsored content. | Finance, health, insurance, high-ticket e-commerce, longer funnels. | Very low |
| Banner | Static or animated display ad placed within the page layout. | Branding, retargeting, supporting other formats. | Low |
| Popunder | Loads your page in a separate tab behind the active window. | High-volume campaigns, sweepstakes, gambling, utilities. | Medium |
A few practical distinctions:
- Interstitial vs popunder: both are high-impact, but an interstitial overlays the current window and is dismissed in place, while a popunder loads your page in a separate tab behind the active window.
- Interstitial vs banner: banners sit inside the page layout and can suffer from banner blindness, whereas interstitials take the full screen and are hard to ignore.
- Interstitial vs native: native ads blend into content for trust-led, longer funnels, while interstitials prioritise immediate, high-visibility impact.
Which format should you pick?
| Your scenario | Formats to consider |
|---|---|
| Hot traffic that is ready to convert | Popunder, push, interstitial |
| Mobile-heavy traffic | Push, interstitial, native |
| App installs, sweepstakes, or dating offers | Interstitial |
| Maximum same-screen visibility | Interstitial |
| Brand awareness on a tight budget | Banner, popunder |
| Trust-based verticals (finance, health) | Native |
For a full breakdown across the whole format mix, see the Mondiad ad formats comparison guide.
Best practices for interstitial campaigns
- The right timing and frequency of interstitial ads are significant for efficiency. A good rule of thumb is to think of natural display intervals that feel non-intrusive towards the ad viewer.
- As with any ad format, the ads displayed must be customized to fit the target audience personas and the countries themselves.
- Design visually appealing ad creatives, that communicate a clear message as well as a clear call-to-action to engage users. Remember, you can also use a landing page link as a creative, which is another great benefit and perk if you want to simply your process.
- Like with any other ad, using FOMO(fear of missing out) should be a great incentive to make people engage with your offer. Show your audience that they will miss something valuable.
- Make sure your ads are optimised for both mobile and desktop environments.
- And perhaps the most important tip, monitor your campaign performance and optimize when needed.
- Use ad tracking to track more info about your campaigns performance. You can try a free tool like our event tracker or use a third party tracking tool with more complex filters, but at additional costs. As our advertiser, you’ll get exlucusive deals from our partners in our dedicated section.
FAQ
What is an interstitial ad?
An interstitial ad is a full-screen advertisement shown between two content pages or at a natural transition point, such as finishing an article or moving between app sections.
How are Mondiad interstitial ads displayed?
On Mondiad, interstitials appear centred on the screen over a darkened background, with a close button that returns the user to their session.
What is the Mondiad interstitial creative size?
A Mondiad interstitial uses a 900 x 600 creative, made of a title, a description, and a static or dynamic image, or a landing page URL instead.
Which bidding models can I use for interstitials?
You can run interstitial campaigns on CPM or CPC. TargetCPA bidding is also available across the Mondiad network.
What is the difference between an interstitial and a popunder?
An interstitial overlays the current window and is closed in place, while a popunder loads your page in a separate tab behind the active window.
Which verticals work best with interstitials?
Interstitials tend to perform well for mobile apps, sweepstakes, nutra, adult games, and dating, and for brand awareness, lead generation, and sales goals.
Create your first interstitial campaign on Mondiad in under 10 minutes.
