I was looking for the BuddyPress Ads plugin. Where did it go?

It is being folded into WB Ad Manager. The free WB Ad Manager covers everything the standalone plugin did in the activity stream, and adds the members and groups directories, ad rotation, scheduling, geo-targeting and frequency capping that it never had. One plugin to install and one to keep updated.

Do I have to pay to put ads in BuddyPress?

No. The BuddyPress module is in the free edition, alongside bbPress and Jetonomy. Pro exists for selling ad space to other people, not for unlocking placements.

Where exactly can an ad appear in a community?

Between activity entries on the sitewide, member or group feed, above or below the members directory loop, above or below the groups directory loop, and in a sidebar widget. Outside BuddyPress you also get header, footer, in-content, after a chosen paragraph, archives, popup, sticky, comments and a shortcode.

Will an ad appear after every single post in the feed?

Only if you want that. The activity placement repeats on an interval you set, so an ad can appear after every third or every tenth entry rather than after each one.

Can I hide ads from members who are signed in, or paying?

Yes. Targeting includes user role, so you can exclude a members-only or subscriber role. There is also device targeting for desktop, tablet and mobile, geo-targeting by country and region, scheduling by date, day and time, and a frequency cap on impressions.

What kinds of ads can I run?

Image, HTML or raw code, AdSense, and rich content built in the WordPress editor. There is no network lock-in: anything that gives you a code snippet, including AdSense, goes into the HTML and code type.

Does it slow the activity stream down?

Ads render through the same template hooks BuddyPress already fires, so no extra queries are added to the activity loop itself.

What does Pro actually add?

A self-service side: advertisers register, submit ads, top up a wallet and pay through WooCommerce, Stripe or PayPal on a CPM, CPC or flat rate. It also adds CTR and revenue reporting, geo and device analytics, A/B testing with statistics, CSV export, classified listings, keyword auto-linking and priority support.

BuddyPress · Free plugin · Ad placements

Your community has the traffic. It has nowhere to put an ad.

BuddyPress renders its feed and directories through its own templates, so most ad plugins cannot reach them. WB Ad Manager has a BuddyPress module that can, and it is free.

Get WB Ad Manager free See the placements

Replaces the standalone BuddyPress Ads plugin. Everything it did, plus the directories, rotation and targeting it never had.

Sitewide activity

Priya M. Just finished the onboarding module. Anyone up for a study call?

Ad · after every 3 activities Your sponsor goes here

Tomas L. Posted a new resource in the Designers group.

Placements

Five places a community actually gets looked at.

The module binds only when BuddyPress is active, and the plugin tells you in the admin when it is not. Nothing here needs a template edit.

Activity stream

Between entries on the sitewide, member or group feed. Repeat it every few activities so one ad fills the scroll.

bp_after_activity_entry
Members directory

Above or below the members loop, where people browse rather than scroll past.

bp_before_members / bp_after_members
Groups directory

Same two positions on the groups loop.

bp_before_groups / bp_after_groups
Sidebars

A widget, so ads can sit in whatever sidebar your community theme exposes.

BP widgets
Forums and Q&A

bbPress and Jetonomy modules ship too, so forums and Q&A use the same ad.

bbPress + Jetonomy modules

Beyond BuddyPress it also covers header, footer, in-content, archives, popup, sticky, comments and a shortcode.

Editions

Everything a community needs is in the free plugin.

Pro is not a better version of the same thing. It turns the plugin into a marketplace where other people buy the slots and pay you for them. If you are selling the space yourself, free is the whole product.

Free

WB Ad Manager

BuddyPress, bbPress and Jetonomy placements
16+ placements including header, footer, in-content, popup, sticky, comments and shortcode
Image, HTML and code, AdSense, and rich content ads
Device targeting for desktop, tablet and mobile
Geo-targeting by country and region
Scheduling by date, day and time
User role targeting
Frequency control to cap impressions
Ad rotation with weighted priority
Link cloaking, click tracking, link categories, broken link detection
Email capture forms
REST API access

Get it free

Pro adds

WB Ad Manager Pro

Advertisers register and submit their own ads
Advertiser dashboard, wallet and prepaid credits
Campaigns, packages, and an ad review queue
WooCommerce, Stripe and PayPal billing, CPM, CPC or flat rate
CTR and revenue reports, geo and device analytics
A/B testing with statistics, share of voice, CSV export
Classified listings with categories, galleries and paid bumps
Keyword auto-linking and a link scanner
Audit logs and priority support

See Pro pricing

Questions community owners ask.

01

I was looking for the BuddyPress Ads plugin. Where did it go?

It is being folded into WB Ad Manager. The free WB Ad Manager covers everything the standalone plugin did in the activity stream, and adds the members and groups directories, ad rotation, scheduling, geo-targeting and frequency capping that it never had. One plugin to install and one to keep updated.
02

Do I have to pay to put ads in BuddyPress?

No. The BuddyPress module is in the free edition, alongside bbPress and Jetonomy. Pro exists for selling ad space to other people, not for unlocking placements.
03

Where exactly can an ad appear in a community?

Between activity entries on the sitewide, member or group feed, above or below the members directory loop, above or below the groups directory loop, and in a sidebar widget. Outside BuddyPress you also get header, footer, in-content, after a chosen paragraph, archives, popup, sticky, comments and a shortcode.
04

Will an ad appear after every single post in the feed?

Only if you want that. The activity placement repeats on an interval you set, so an ad can appear after every third or every tenth entry rather than after each one.
05

Can I hide ads from members who are signed in, or paying?

Yes. Targeting includes user role, so you can exclude a members-only or subscriber role. There is also device targeting for desktop, tablet and mobile, geo-targeting by country and region, scheduling by date, day and time, and a frequency cap on impressions.
06

What kinds of ads can I run?

Image, HTML or raw code, AdSense, and rich content built in the WordPress editor. There is no network lock-in: anything that gives you a code snippet, including AdSense, goes into the HTML and code type.
07

Does it work if I am not running BuddyPress?

Yes. The BuddyPress module only binds when BuddyPress is active, and the plugin tells you in the admin when it is not. Everything else keeps working on a plain WordPress site.
08

Does it slow the activity stream down?

Ads render through the same template hooks BuddyPress already fires, so no extra queries are added to the activity loop itself.
09

What does Pro actually add?

A self-service side: advertisers register, submit ads, top up a wallet and pay through WooCommerce, Stripe or PayPal on a CPM, CPC or flat rate. It also adds CTR and revenue reporting, geo and device analytics, A/B testing with statistics, CSV export, classified listings, keyword auto-linking and priority support.