While the rest of the industry is  going crazy over  what publishers will  do about ad blocking, the Parse.ly team  is already looking toward potential solutions. We know that traditional display ads are slowly driving readers crazy; and, many publishers believe that native advertising can help. So we’ve gone ahead  and  figured out how to create the perfect native ad.

[Parse.ly pats itself on the back.]

Let’s face it, you have to make money to make money (see what we did there?!). And  digital publishers make most of their money — which they use to create more great content —  when you see their  ads. So how can they show you ads in the least annoying way possible? By catering to your specific “native ad personality type,” of course.

We’ll explain: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has defined six core types of native ad formats in its Native Advertising Playbook — ranging from paid search units to recommendation widgets.  And although there is no clear indication of what type of native ads will resonate best with readers as a whole, the Parse.ly team put together the following quiz* to help you determine what type of native advertising might work best for you, personally.

Understanding different types of native advertising and connecting these with how your audience engages with your content will help digital publishers to make informed decisions about where and how to distribute native ads.

Here’s an overview of the six IAB-categorized native ad formats:

• In-feed units, which appear on news outlets and social networks in the form of labeled “sponsor content” or what’s been liked or picked as a favorite by a connection
• Paid search units, in which an advertiser pays to be listed at the top of search engine results for certain keywords
• Recommendation widgets, which pull related content from “around the Web” based on topics and keywords, then list them on the side or bottom of a media outlet’s website
• Promoted listings, which function similarly to paid search units but appear on e-commerce marketplaces like Etsy and Amazon
• In-ad with native element units, which are placed alongside editorial content based on contextually relevant topics and keywords, but link to an offsite page
• Custom units, which are extremely platform-specific, such as customized playlists on Spotify and Pandora

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FOR PUBLISHERS: There’s no better way to engage with your audience (and to make money) than by matching the  personalities of your readers to these ad formats. You’re welcome, for that tidbit!

And now that Parse.ly has solved the problem of how content  will be paid for over the next few years, we give you permission to  get on with your day. Before you do, let us know  your “native ad personality type” on Twitter by tagging @parsely in your tweet.

*This quiz is for entertainment purposes only. But, you just might learn something!