Outbrain ad spy: research Outbrain ads with the Teads guidelines in view

Use the guidelines as your research checklist

Outbrain’s guidelines prohibit headlines that do not accurately describe the content, “too good to be true” promises, and sensational wording. They also limit health claims and before-and-after thumbnails.

When you study an Outbrain ad, check each element against those rules before treating it as a model. A headline you saw may not pass review for your offer.

Official sources: Outbrain (Teads): Advertising guidelines

Inspect disclosure and the landing page

Outbrain accepts advertorials only with a clear “Advertisement” or “Advertorial” label at the top of the page. Its review page also asks for a working contact section, a privacy policy, functional links, and required disclaimers in the footer.

These rules give you a concrete page audit. They also show what your own page needs before you launch.

1. Record the headline, thumbnail, and publisher page.
2. Open the landing page and check for a disclosure label at the top.
3. Find the contact details and the privacy policy.
4. Note any health or financial disclaimer and where it appears.
5. Write how the page keeps or breaks the headline’s promise.
6. Turn any failed check into a fix list for your own page before launch.

Official sources: Outbrain Help: How is Outbrain content reviewed?

Illustrative example: article first, product second

Imagine a meal-planning app promoted with a headline about weeknight dinners for families. The click leads to a disclosed advertorial with three recipes and an app download link at the end. The research note is the value-first structure: the reader gets something useful before the ask.

Your test could compare that structure with a direct app page, keeping the same headline and accurate description.

Keep Outbrain research apart from Taboola research

Outbrain and Taboola units can look alike on a publisher page, but they are separate networks with separate review rules. Record a network only when a widget label or another source shows it. If you plan to run on both, write one brief per network and check each against its own guidelines.

SwipeHarbor does not capture Outbrain today. The closest available workflow is captured NewsBreak native research, plus the free brief tool for your own Outbrain observations.