Monday, 19 August 2013

Changes to Passionfruit Ads

   I got an email recently about changes to Passionfruit Ads. I'm a little unclear on some details, and despite reading the website and email over and over, and emailing Jason directly, to which he has yet to reply, as far as I can see it is no longer a free service. Please correct me if I'm wrong, because I don't want to stop using it.
   There's constant use of the phrase 'unlimited access' if you pay the monthly fee, but they've not made any mention of what 'limited access' is. 'Unlimited' implies 'limited' is also an option. There's lots of new features coming, too, so I assume that if you don't pay the fee, you have no access to these features.
   The monthly fee is only $9, but when you sell no ads, that's $9 a month you're losing.

   I implemented Passionfruit Ads because everyone else was using it, and it seemed convenient for both the blogger and the person buying the ad space. They don't have to get in contact with me to find out if there are any ad spots available, and I don't have to worry about adding the code for a new ad to my sidebar, and removing it when it expires. I've only ever had two people purchase an ad from me, and one of those was a mistake! But I've kept Passionfruit because I figure if someone wants to sponsor my blog at any point, they can very easily. But after using it for about a year (or however long it's actually been available) and having only had one advertiser buy a space, I would lose $9 a month, and I cannot guarantee ads to start selling just because I pay that fee. Chances are I'd lose a year's worth of $9 a month before I sell a single ad for even $5.
   If anyone has any idea whether or not 'limited' means I can still sell ads, but not use the new features that I can clearly do without, I'd appreciate being told so that I can stick with them. Otherwise, between now and the beginning of September I'm going to be changing it to paypal buttons. 'Limited' either means I can use the functions that have always been available in the same manner they have been, or it means that I can only buy ads.

   Answers would be appreciated! No, adding the simple codes for the ads to my sidebar myself isn't any real trouble, and if an ad ends up running a week or so longer than it's supposed to, I'm definitely not going to cry about it (and I doubt the advertiser would, either). It's just that once you get used to convenience, it's a bit irritating to get used to not using it, and I'd like to know before I get charged that $9 so I can opt out if need be.


  1. Hi Kim - Randomly stumbled upon your blog and I figured I'd answer your question :) To use any and all features on Passionfruit you will have to sign up for the new program which allows you to sell as many ads/giveaways/sponsored posts as you please for one monthly price. I believe if you sign up before Sept you'll get a year of service for $50.

    Sarah //

    1. So if I don't pay the fee I can't use Passionfruit at all? It seems a bit silly since they keep using the phrase 'unlimited access'. Thank you so much for your response, however, I'm sure it will help others too ^^ x

  2. ADPROVAL. It is so much better, works just like PassionFruit DID and they totally walk you through the setup. Passionfruit blows.

    1. That looks amazing! Unfortunately it seems you need a US bank account so that kind of sucks, but thanks for bringing that to everyone's attention - I'm sure they'll get more business now, and bloggers can keep doing ads they way they have been.

  3. Hey Kim!
    If you're still looking for a way to easily run ads on your blog, I am in the process of setting up a new ad platform called Adlet. We're based in the UK, with all payments being handled through Paypal and there is no set up fee or monthly charge!
    We should be launching at the start of March, but you can check out or drop me an email ( if you would like some more information :)

