How Al Dente Diva Turned Existing Video Content Into a Higher-Earning Revenue Stream

The Publisher

Tara Ippolito already had the two things many publishers are working to build: an engaged audience and a growing library of video content.

She runs Al Dente Diva, a food site focused on fast, family-friendly weeknight cooking. A self-taught home cook and cookbook author published by Page Street Publishing in 2022, Tara has also appeared on Netflix’s Easy-Bake Battle. Her recipes have been featured by Newsweek, the Daily Mail, and The Kitchn.

Beyond her website, Tara has built an active video presence across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. A single live session for Pinterest’s Golden Recipe Contest reached 85,000 views.

Video was already part of Tara’s strategy. The opportunity was finding a better way to connect that content with her site’s monetization.

Before: A Video Library and a Player That Weren’t Connected

Before implementing Universal Player Plus, Al Dente Diva was already running Mediavine’s standard Universal Player. It served outstream video ads, generated strong revenue, and ranked as her second-highest-performing ad unit.

At the same time, Tara had a library of original video content on her site. However, those videos lived separately in click-to-play embeds, meaning they only monetized when a reader actively chose to watch them.

The player was generating video ad demand, but it wasn’t connected to Tara’s own content.

The opportunity wasn’t about creating more video. Tara already had the content. The opportunity was making the video she had already created work harder.

What Universal Player Plus Changed

Universal Player Plus connected Tara’s existing video library with her player, unlocking Accompanying Content ads a higher-value ad format that requires publisher video content to be present.

Why does that matter? Advertisers value context. A video ad running alongside a publisher’s own editorial content represents more meaningful opportunities. 

What This Means for Your Site

If you have video content sitting in click-to-play embeds, it may be worth more inside the player than on the page. Accompanying Content ads need one video to unlock.

Learn more about Universal Player Plus and how to opt in here