“As CPMs are being squeezed by untargeted ads, [with relevant ad placement] we can boost publisher revenue by giving them something that’s context sensitive,” Gross said.

After spending the last month testing its ad products with 100 ad partners and 100,000 products, ProRata has seen a nearly 250% increase in click-through rates with contextual matching, outperforming traditional run-of-site ads, said Gross. The company wouldn’t share specifics on its ad partners. ProRata Ads is now opening its ad tools to all brands.

Real-time interactive banner ads

ProRata is also introducing interactive ad banners that let users engage with brands in real time. These AI-powered display ads, which appear on publisher sites, feature a built-in search bar that lets users ask follow-up questions about the brand directly within the ad. The system surfaces relevant answers immediately, creating a more dynamic and engaging ad experience across publisher sites. Startups like Dappier have released interactive banner ad formats as well.

ProRata plans to share user queries from the interactive banners with advertisers, helping them better understand what people are searching for.

ProRata is also rolling out a slider feature, which lets advertisers set the percentage of ad-to-content relevance they want.

Gross sees ProRata Ads as an answer to privacy concerns, offering a way to target audiences without relying on traditional tracking methods.

“We don’t need to cookie you, track your demographics, or analyze your browsing history,” he said. “It’s all about what you’re reading right now. It’s a win-win-win—for readers, who get relevant content; for publishers, who make double the CPM; and for advertisers, who see a much higher ROI.”