One month left to reach $100 and lock in a boosted rate

The First $100 Boost program closes September 30. If you haven’t reached the $100 approved-revenue milestone yet, this is the point where it stops being “something to get around to” and starts being a real deadline.

Here’s what’s actually at stake, and what to do with the time that’s left.

The mechanic, in one paragraph

Reach $100 in approved revenue, apply for a boosted rate on up to 5 new advertisers, and — once approved — that boosted rate runs for 6 months. The 6 months start when your boost activates, not when the program ends, so reaching the milestone in the next 30 days still gets you the full 6 months of higher rates afterward. Waiting doesn’t just risk missing the program — it shortens nothing on the back end if you make it in time, but it’s zero if you don’t.

What this has actually looked like for two publishers

A media buyer tested three advertisers they hadn’t run before — NordVPN, Surfshark, and Zebra US — at rates 20% higher than standard. Result: an extra €4,310 in approved revenue in 30 days.

A coupon and deals publisher tested a single new advertiser, Staysure Insurance UK, at a 10% higher rate. Result: an extra €350 in approved monthly revenue, from that one advertiser alone.

Neither of these required new traffic or a content overhaul. Both came from testing something they hadn’t already been running, at a rate that made the test worth the time.

Why 30 days is enough

$100 in approved revenue is a low bar by design — it’s meant to be reachable by testing a handful of offers, not by overhauling how you monetize. If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines because it felt like a bigger commitment than it is, the two examples above are what it actually took: a few new advertisers, not a new strategy.

What to do this week

1. Check your current approved revenue against the $100 mark.
2. If you’re close, pick 1–2 advertisers you haven’t tried and get them live — most of the gap gets closed by testing, not waiting.
3. If you’re not sure where to start, the advertisers in the two examples above are a reasonable place to look.

The deadline, plainly

September 30. After that, new applications for this program close. If you’re already in progress, finish it — the difference between reaching $100 on September 29 and missing it isn’t a rounding error, it’s the difference between 6 months of boosted rates and none.

Check your progress and apply for your boost →