Design partner program
In developmentHelp shape how publishers get paid for value.
A small, invite-only pilot for publishers who want early access to ad-block recovery and AI-crawler monetization — and a direct line to what we build next.
Who it's for
Built for subscription and hybrid publishers.
Aimed at sites that already ask readers to pay in some form — a subscription, a paywall, or a mix of ads and membership — and want to see what else the same audience could be worth.
- You publish content people read, not just glance at.
- You already run a subscription, paywall or hybrid model alongside (or instead of) ads.
- You have enough real traffic to make measurement meaningful.
- You're willing to try something early, and tell us honestly when it doesn't work.
What you get
Three in-development features, early.
Blocked-share measurement
See what share of your traffic is running an ad blocker, reported next to your existing pageviews, sessions and scroll depth.
An allow-ads-or-subscribe nudge
A soft, dismissible prompt inviting ad-blocking visitors to allow your site — never a wall.
AI-crawler tolls
A payment challenge for AI crawlers that read your content, priced by what each page is worth.
What you keep
What stays yours.
- Your own ad stack and sales relationships, untouched.
- Your subscription or paywall, exactly as it is today.
- Full editorial control — Widgetail measures and prompts, it doesn't publish or gatekeep anything.
Widgetail sits alongside what you already run. Nothing here asks you to drop your ads or your subscription.
What we ask
What we need from you.
- One script tag on your site — the same install as any Widgetail user.
- A point of contact who can answer a few questions while we're testing.
- A real site with real traffic, not a staging property.
- Feedback, including when something is broken or not worth it.
Before you apply
Worth knowing.
- The nudge offers “allow ads” first. A pay option for ad-blocking visitors isn't built yet.
- Ad-blocker detection is off for visitors in the EU until an open legal question is resolved.
- AI-crawler tolls don't settle real payments yet — the flow has only been tested with simulated ones.
- Nothing here has a price, and there's no live customer we can point you to.
Apply
Tell us about your site.
We read every application ourselves — this isn't automatic, and it isn't fast.
Questions
Before you apply.
What does “design partner” actually mean?
A small, invite-only group of publishers who install Widgetail early, see the in-development features before anyone else, and tell us what's wrong with them. It's a two-way test, not a purchase.
Is there a cost?
No. Pricing hasn't been decided for any part of the product, and design partners aren't charged anything to participate.
What if my site doesn't fit the profile above?
Apply anyway and say so in the notes. The profile describes who this is built for first, not a hard requirement.
Not ready to apply?
Join the general early-access list instead, and use what's already live while you decide.