CPA Networks
Ad Networks
Affiliate Programs
Offer base
Adult advertising continues to be a vital source of income for affiliates in 2026, but not everyone can easily enter this niche. It demands a substantial budget and at least some background in affiliate marketing. Regardless, you can start by learning how to work with just one traffic source and monetize your ad experience shortly.
Today, AffRoom team will dive deeper into the world of generating 18+ traffic by focusing on a specific advertising network: HilltopAds. You’ll learn what this network is, what formats it offers, and how to run an Adult ad campaign on this platform.
AffRoom is a catalogue of affiliate marketing companies and a unique networking platform for both companies and affiliates. Here you can find and connect with iGaming leaders, solo affiliates, advertising, affiliate and CPA networks in one place. It’s also a free offer base, as well as a transparent listing with blunt, honest reviews.
Adult Advertising: Things to Keep in Mind
This article will cover some crucial aspects and guidelines that should be kept in mind when dealing with Adult advertising. Our insights into this dynamic market will help you navigate the niche.
Regulatory compliance
Before embarking on an Adult advertising campaign, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself with the relevant laws and regulations in your target regions. Adult content is subject to various legal limitations, such as age restrictions and countries’ laws. For example, many countries impose restrictions on pornography content in ads. Thus, you are likely to come across the same limitations on most ad platforms.
Creating compelling ad content
Compelling ad creatives is your ticket to success. Craft attention-grabbing headlines, use high-quality images or videos, and write concise yet persuasive ad copy. A/B testing different ad variations can help you determine what resonates best with your audience and fine-tune your campaigns accordingly.
Spy tools can help you create ads quickly. The top solutions are AdPlexity and Spy.House.
Traffic source
Traffic source is a key parameter that can already give affiliates a competitive edge by default. However, if you even choose a huge traffic source, you can encounter another challenge: prohibitions or limitations. This is why Google Ads, Facebook, and other social networks are already not so valuable as traffic sources. While it’s possible to advertise Adult content on these platforms, doing so without resorting to black-hat methods like cloaking can be tricky.
It is easier and more effective to use advertising networks for Adult campaign running. Some ad networks prohibit 18+ content, but many, including HilltopAds, are open to promoting such offers, fortunately.
Effective targeting strategies
Precise targeting is one of the key factors for building effective Adult ad strategies. Previously, we’ve discussed the fundamental principles of launching Adult advertising campaigns, shedding light on this niche’s intricacies within the affiliate marketing domain.
If you wish to gain a comprehensive insight into the world of 18+ advertising, click on the link to access our Adult guide.
Adult Advertising: Latest Pornhub Stats For Affiliates
Main Pornhub Stats 2025: Overview For Affiliates
Here is a concise summary of the most relevant Pornhub 2025 statistics (Year in Review) that affiliates promoting adult offers should know, based on the 2025 report and related industry data:
Traffic & User Trends
Top countries by traffic in 2025 (ranked) were led by the United States, Mexico, and the Philippines, followed by Brazil, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, and Canada — showing where the biggest audiences originate.
Engagement patterns indicate average watch time varies globally; Japan led with ~11:02 minutes per visit, with the U.S. around ~10:14 minutes — providing insight into content stickiness by market.
Content & Category Trends
Growth in category interest signals what users actively searched for throughout 2025:
- Rapid growth in non-traditional categories like podcasts (+327%), games (+283%), and music content (+62%), which could signal emerging topical content verticals.
- Traditional adult category trends include roleplay (+98%) and transgender content (+58%), with longer average viewing times in categories like Massage, Realistic, and Vintage.
- LGBTQ+ and diverse content saw notable upticks, with “lesbian” emerging as the most viewed category and strong growth in queer-related search terms.
User Demographics
- Female representation among users increased significantly; approximately 38% of visitors were women in 2025, up markedly over the past decade, with women constituting majorities in several countries.
- Age demographics shift slightly year-on-year, with some younger age groups decreasing average session time while older demographics increased engagement.
Platforms & Devices
- Mobile OS distribution favored Android (~67.7% of mobile traffic) over iOS, with corresponding shifts in browser usage (Chrome leading strongly).
- Windows dominated desktop traffic, while Linux saw strong relative growth — useful for affiliates considering device targeting.
- Console traffic was led by PlayStation 5 (~66% of console visits) with declining Xbox engagement.
Regulatory & Market Effects (Affiliate Considerations)
- New age-verification laws in multiple jurisdictions (e.g., UK and some U.S. states) reduced direct traffic, prompting increased use of VPNs and reshaped access patterns.
- Broader regulatory scrutiny, including EU investigations for compliance with the Digital Services Act, highlights evolving legal risks for adult traffic sources and CPA campaigns.
Content Volume & Platform Safety
- In H1 2025, ~1.29 million pieces of content were uploaded globally (combining videos and photos), reflecting ongoing platform activity levels.
- A large share of flagged potentially harmful content (including CSAM flags) was removed by internal moderation systems, relevant when considering ad quality and reputation management.
These headline metrics and trends give affiliates a data-driven snapshot of Pornhub’s audience behavior, content dynamics, and regulatory context for 2025 — crucial for planning traffic buys, creative focus, and geo-targeting adult offers.
HilltopAds: A Strong Choice for Adult Advertising
HilltopAds has been around since 2013 and has a lot of weight in the market. This marketing giant resides in the UK and exclusively partners with direct publishers who provide ad placements on their websites for both Mainstream and Adult offers. While you can run any 18+ offers on the HilltopAds platform, campaigns featuring explicit adult content won’t pass moderation.
The monthly ad coverage totals 73 billion impressions. Tier-1 countries largely generate incoming traffic in the ad network. Affiliates can choose from 3 models for purchasing Adult traffic: CPM, CPC and CPA.
Ad formats you can work at HilltopAds:
- Popunder and popup;
- In-page push notifications;
- VAST/VPAID video;
- Direct links.
If you are eager to learn more about the platform, read the HilltopAds review on our website.
Guide to Creating the Perfect Adult Ad Campaign on HilltopAds
We’ll cover everything from mastering the platform features to optimizing your campaigns for maximum ROI. So, let’s jump into the Adult marketing realm with HilltopAds, and discover how to navigate this evolving market with confidence and expertise.
Prior to anything else, make a deposit starting from $50 to join the platform. The company offers Bitcoin, Webmoney, PayPal, Capitalist, and other payment methods for replenishing the account.
Step 1. Create an ad campaign and choose the ad format
After funding the account, you can get started by creating an Adult campaign.
You can choose the ad format and platform (mobile/desktop) in a single click. If you dwell on the popunder or banners, you would pay for advertising at a CPM rate. In-page push and video are CPC-based formats.
In-page push is a new and promising format released by the team, however, popunder still remains the most popular choice for Adult ad promotion.
HilltopAds сase studies on promoting Adult with popunder traffic:
- From Launch to Profit: How we earned $1,036 with a Dating SOI offer on HilltopAds;
- How to get fans on OnlyFans.
Step 2. Identify the traffic channel and campaign details
Decide the category (Adult/Mainstream) and traffic segment after choosing the ad format.
Adult is a must for 18+ offers. When it comes to traffic segmentation, audiences are divided into activity levels: High, Medium and Low.
The remaining steps are naming the campaign and setting frequency capping (number of ad impressions per user).
HilltopAds best practices:
- Using the high-activity group is extremely beneficial to increase Adult traffic;
- You can associate a campaign name with an offer to simplify identification later on;
- A good practice for setting the frequency capping is 1 display per user every 24 hours.
Step 3. Choose campaign targetings
The network provides a wide range of campaign targeting options: GEO, browser, OS (including OS version), mobile carrier, connection type, language, IP range, brand mobile device, ISP, app, etc.
If desired, it is possible to discuss your campaign details with your assigned personal manager. Every offer is unique and demands a tailored approach; therefore, rely on our manager for a successful launch of your Adult ad traffic campaign.
Geo-targeting is the backbone of any ad campaign. The US, DE, RU, UA, and Scandinavian countries are inherently the top geos for Adult within the platform.
Many targeting parameters are advanced mobile characteristics. As a mobile-friendly platform, HilltopAds is a boon for non-mainstream offers. One of the obvious reasons is that 90.5% of Pornhub traffic came from smartphones in 2024. However, affiliates should consider for which platform the offer is designed. As for mobile applications, it’s necessary to take into account which versions of the mobile OS they support.
HilltopAds recommendations on setting up an Adult campaign:
- Choose Adult-centric GEOs to maximize your profits (US, DE, RU, UA, Scandinavian countries);
- Keep an eye on the estimated traffic volumes calculated as per ad format, geo-targeting and traffic channels you select;
- The more you narrow down your campaign targeting, the fewer impressions and conversions you might yield. As such, the primary recommendation here is to start with the RON campaign and fine-tune it during optimization.
Step 4. Set a schedule and campaign limits
Overspending can be prevented by setting limits, which is imperative for such a high-barrier niche as Adult. Nevertheless, whatever the budget, every advertiser can work under flexible spending conditions: ASAP or Evenly.
If you have solid funds and want to make the most of them, choose the ASAP option to get traffic at the best possible price. Alternatively, if your budget is limited, but you still want to test the best timing for your ads, select the Evenly option.
HilltopAds professional tips:
- Test all timing to build a powerful Adult ad strategy in the optimization stage;
- If you are looking for a cost-effective way to test your advertising campaign, you should run it after the workday ends since Adult content is less popular in the midday hours.
Step 5. Make creatives
Upload up to 5 creatives depending on your ad format.
Here is the look and feel of the creation form for making in-page ads.
You should make sure your creatives reflect the theme and nationality of the audience.
HilltopAds recommendations on effective Adult ads:
- Asian women are popular in the US;
- Creatives featuring LGBTQ+ individuals perform well in countries where it’s widely accepted, such as the US and Europe, but may yield significantly lower conversions elsewhere;
- In general, women with Slavic appearances are widely appreciated, but Indian, Brazilian, and Latino women tend to resonate more with their compatriots.
Step 6. Optimize your Adult campaign
To optimize the ad campaign at HilltopAds, make use of its statistics and employ Automatic Optimization, also known as automated rules. You can exclude low-performing sources that don’t meet the traffic requirements in terms of spending, impressions, conversions and eCPA (Revenue/Conversions).
Stay on top of your campaign results and keep your creatives fresh to avoid ad fatigue.
Before you run your campaign, set up tracking software to analyze its results over time. This way, you would be able to optimize the campaign wisely based on the statistics data.
Tracking solutions integrated with HilltopAds: BeMob, Keitaro, AdsBridge, AppsFlyer, Voluum, Redtrack, Binom and Peerclick.
Key Takeaways
HilltopAds is a fruitful traffic source for spicy offers, but not all ad formats fit this niche. The network hallmark is undoubtedly popunder, but nothing hinders testing perspective in-page push ad format reaching out to the solvent iOS audience. Handle the Automatic Optimization feature right from the start and get in touch with the manager while the ad campaign is setting up. Beyond manager assistance, take advantage of the tracking software and the in-house estimation tool to gain insight into traffic.
