Better "Ads"

You won't find any external or 3rd party ads on Things.mn.

We could use Google Adsense or any of the dozens of other services out there. But they are full of junk and track everything you do so they can recommend you purchase another plunger even though you just got one?

So instead, we're doing it the hard way.

Better ads for users (that's you)

Ads are ruining the internet. We'll make our own.

Minnesota Only

Like everything else, only Minnesota-based companies are allowed to advertise. Although unlike the rest of the site, limited large companies and chains are allowed to advertise. We'd take your money, Medtronic.

No algorithms

Ads will be relevant — based on content you're currently viewing, not your private data we secretly gathered in the background (we don't do that). For example, maybe we'll show you a promoted post for a local skate shop if you're looking for skate parks.

Not ugly

Ads will blend into the site, but also be clearly marked as sponsored. No auto-play videos, no AI slop or gross pimple-popping photos, and no clickbait headlines.

No little X

We'll never show you a popup ad that blocks everything else. But even if we did, we'd at least make the X easy to find and hit.

Nothing automated

Every ad will be reviewed and approved before being published. No spam, clickbait, questionable medical information, or other junk will be approved.

Better ads for businesses (is that you?)

We're building some tools to help businesses promote themselves and create other custom ads to reach actual Minnesotans.

We will get an example ad display/preview up soon to help you get a better idea of what our ads look like.

Also prices will be added soon(ish)

Section Sponsor

$???/day or $???/week

One primary spot available for each section (places, events, news, etc).

A custom banner for your business will appear towards the top of the section home page (ie things.mn/events), and various other spots while users are viewing results or browsing recommendations.

Newsletter Sponsor

$???/email

Sponsor any of our weekly or monthly newsletters with a logo and some copy and/or a banner image at the top.

Page Promo

$? for 1000 views

Promote your page and give it a little boost. For $?, your page will be shown to 1000 users. Business pages, events, and job postings can currently be promoted.

Your page will appear in various relevant places, marked with a little ad badge, until it has been seen 1000 times.

There are a few controls you can adjust to determine when and how your ad is shown - distance, entire state, categories, etc - but we do not do any targeted advertising based on user demographics.

Prices will increase as we grow.