Reviewing ads before they post
By default, an ad that matches your channel is posted automatically — inside the content level you chose, and inside every limit the exchange applies. For most hosts that is the right setting: it earns credits without asking anything of you.
If you would rather see every ad first, turn on Review ads for that channel. From then on, nothing posts in it without you saying yes.
Review is switched on for one channel at a time, not for your whole account. You can run one channel on automatic and another on review.
Turning review on
- On the exchange page, open My channels.
- Find the channel and click the Review ads: Off button on its row.
- The button flips to Review ads: On, and a Review on badge appears next to the channel's name.
That is the whole change. It takes effect for the next ad matched to that channel — anything already live in the channel finishes its 24 hours as normal.
To turn it off again, click Review ads: On. The channel returns to posting automatically.
What happens once review is on
- The matcher pairs an ad with your channel, exactly as before.
- Instead of posting it, the exchange holds it and notifies you.
- An Ads waiting for your review card appears at the top of the exchange page, above everything else.
- You approve or decline each held ad.
Your review queue
Each held ad on the Ads waiting for your review card shows you everything you need to decide, and nothing that would identify the advertiser:
- The channel the ad is waiting for (useful when you host on several).
- Its content level and topic.
- A preview of the ad's content — the text, or the media type if there is no text.
- A decide by deadline.
Two buttons sit beside each entry:
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Approve | Releases the ad. The exchange confirms "Approved — it'll post shortly," and the bot posts it in your channel within a few minutes. From that point it behaves like any other placement: up for 24 hours, then removed automatically. |
| Decline | Refuses the ad. You are asked to confirm — "Decline this ad? It won't be placed in this channel — now or later." The exchange replies "Declined — it won't be placed in this channel." |
What declining actually does
Declining is stronger than "not now". It does two things at once:
- The held placement is dropped — it is never posted.
- That specific ad is blocked from your channel permanently. It will not be offered to that channel again, in this cycle or any future one.
It is scoped to that one ad, not to the advertiser. Their other campaigns can still be matched with your channel in future.
The advertiser is never told which host declined them. They see only that a placement did not land.
No reliability penalty, no strike, no effect on your standing. Refusing content you do not want in your channel is your right as a host, and the exchange treats it as a normal outcome.
The deadline
Held ads do not wait forever. Each card shows a decide by time — currently 24 hours from the moment the ad was held.
If you do not decide before that time, the ad is skipped for your channel. It is not posted, and there is no penalty. Meanwhile the ad is free to go to other channels, so the advertiser is not stuck waiting on you either.
An expired hold is a placement your channel never carried — so no credits. If you regularly miss the window, either check the exchange page more often or switch that channel back to automatic and use Refusing an ad for the occasional one you don't want.
Outcomes at a glance
| Your action | The ad | Your channel | Credits | Penalty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approve | Posts within minutes, stays up 24 hours | Carries it normally | Earned when it completes its term | None |
| Decline | Never posts; blocked from this channel forever | Unaffected | None — nothing ran | None |
| No decision in 24 hours | Skipped for this channel | Unaffected | None — nothing ran | None |
Rules and edge cases
- A held ad that you approve still obeys every other limit. It will not post inside your channel's 20-hour gap, and it counts toward the channel's weekly limit like any other placement.
- You cannot approve an ad twice. If a held ad is no longer pending — because it expired, or you already decided, or the advertiser cancelled the campaign — the exchange answers "That review is no longer pending."
- Cancelled campaigns clear from your queue. If an advertiser cancels a campaign while one of its placements is held for you, the held placement is dropped so it can never post.
- Review does not change what you can be offered. It changes whether it posts automatically. Your content level ceiling is still the thing that decides what may be matched to your channel at all — see Hosting ads.
- The card only appears when you have holds. If none are waiting, the Ads waiting for your review section is simply not shown.
FAQ
Is review available on every plan?
Yes. Per-ad approval is a host protection, not a paid feature — every member can turn it on for any of their channels.
Does having review on mean my channel gets fewer ads?
It can, indirectly: every hold you let expire is a placement your channel didn't carry. Ads you approve promptly are unaffected.
Can I see who wrote the ad I'm reviewing?
No. You see the creative, its level and its topic — never the advertiser. Host and advertiser anonymity is one of the exchange's core promises, and it protects you in the other direction too.
I approved something by mistake. Can I undo it?
If it hasn't posted yet, there is no undo button — but once it is live you can remove it penalty-free with Hosted ads → Refuse on the channel row. See Refusing an ad.
Should I use review, or just refuse the occasional ad?
Use review when your audience is sensitive and you want a hard gate. Use refusal when you are generally happy to host and only occasionally want something gone. Review costs you attention; refusal costs you nothing but happens after the fact.
I want to stop hosting for a while — is turning review on the right way?
It works (nothing posts without your approval), but if you simply want a break, it is cleaner to leave the channel and re-enrol later. Leaving keeps your settings, and anything live finishes its 24 hours first. See Hosting ads.
Next: Refusing an ad — the other half of host control: getting one specific ad out of your channel after it has already posted.