Kindle with Special Offers
The Amazon Kindle is the most wished-for, most five-star-rated, most gifted, #1 best-selling product on Amazon. Now, advertisers can leverage the uniquely intimate Kindle experience with Kindle with Special Offers and Sponsored Screensavers.
Overview
Placements
Kindle with Special Offers is a unique advertising platform for advertisers. Ad packages include the following placements:
- Screen Saver — Full screen ad that appears when the device is in ‘sleep’ mode.
- Home Screen Ad — Ad that appears on the Kindle home screen.
- View All Ads — Landing page showing all active ads and special offers on the device.
- Ad Details — Cached landing page containing offer details or the ability to buy products from the device.
Branding, colors, and typography
All design elements should match the branding guidelines of the advertiser and not use any Amazon.com branding elements, buttons, etc., unless expressly approved by Amazon.com.
- All placements on Kindle are 16-color grayscale.
- The advertiser’s logo or name must be included in creative execution.
- For requirements regarding the use of Amazon.com’s customer star ratings, refer to the Customer Ratings section below.
Creative standards
Kindle users expect compelling, pixel-perfect ads worthy of their device’s high-quality screen. By aligning your creative with these expectations, your marketing campaigns have the power to deliver meaningful experiences. The following characteristics are guidelines for creating ads that connect with Kindle customers.
Balanced
- Design elements, product imagery, and text are well proportioned. Visual weight is equally dispersed.
- Messaging hierarchy is clear. Elements are laid out in order of importance (i.e. headline first, subhead second, body text third).
- Overall composition feels integrated. Focal points should dominate without sacrificing unity.
- Elements are justified and/or aligned on the same x- and y-axes. Use of symmetry or asymmetry appears deliberate and purposeful.
Amazon Kindle Ads vs No Ads: Full Comparison
When purchasing a Kindle, you will face an option: whether or not it should contain ads. This is a confusing question, as other similar devices do not give you this choice. Furthermore, when you purchase an e-reader or tablet, you likely expect it not to have ads.
However, Amazon is able to offer its Kindle devices at an exceptionally low price by offsetting part of the manufacturing cost with advertising on the device. Previously, the Kindle devices containing ads were called “special offers,” which made the choice even more confusing.
Don’t worry; we will break down everything you need to know about Kindle’s ad and ad-free versions, as well as how you can remove ads after purchase.
Amazon Kindle Ads vs No Ads: Side-by-Side Comparison
| No Ads | Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Devices | Kindle E-Readers, Fire, Kids | Kindle E-Readers, Fire |
| Price | $15-$20 More Expensive | $20 Cheaper |
| Lockscreen | Has Screensaver | Has Ad |
| Homescreen | Full Homescreen | Small Banner Ad at Bottom |
| Unlock | Just Press Button | Must Press Button Then Swipe |
| Ads While Unlocked | None | Ad at the bottom of the Homescreen |
Amazon Kindle Ads vs No Ads: What’s the Difference?
#1 Best Overall
- 300 PPI display (glare-free, paper-like)
- A single charge via USB-C lasts up to 6 weeks
- 16GB of storage
- Access to Kindle Unlimited with over 2 million titles
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10/12/2023 07:44 am GMT
Amazon offers its Kindle devices with or without ads, and while ads are annoying, these are not that bad. The first thing you will notice on a Kindle is a lock screen that is always on. This screen indicates that the device is in standby mode, but it does not use any power.
If you have a Kindle with ads, the lock screen will have an advertisement for either a book or another Amazon-branded product. This is in comparison to the ad-free version, which does not have this ad on the lock screen. Instead, you get to choose a screensaver for the lock screen. This is by far the biggest difference between the two devices.
The next difference you will notice is when you unlock the Kindle. The no-ads version just requires you to press the lock button. Whereas the ad-supported Kindle requires you to press the lock button and then swipe the screen. It is not a major inconvenience, simply an extra step.
The last difference between the ads vs no ads Kindle is the home screen. A banner on a Kindle with ads may appear at the bottom of the screen. The banner will cause the rest of the screen to shrink slightly. This banner will not be present on a Kindle without ads, so the home screen can take up the entire display.
The home screen size difference is minimal and the ads are not intrusive. Some of the newer Kindle devices do not have this banner on the home screen, so it may not be an issue, depending on the model you choose. Furthermore, the banner goes away when you choose a book, so it does not affect your reading experience.
Add or Remove Ads
One good thing about Amazon’s Kindle devices is that you can always remove ads later if you change your mind. The price for removing ads on most devices is $20, so it is the same price as if you paid extra initially. Therefore, you may want to purchase a Kindle with ads and remove them later if you find them annoying.
Similarly, you may want to know what you are missing out on or see recommended books when you turn on your Kindle. You can always turn ads back on if you purchase a Kindle without ads or pay to remove them. To turn ads back on, just go to settings and then device management. There will be an option to turn ads off or on.
How to Remove Ads from Kindle Readers
One of my favorite reading inventions ever is the Kindle ereader.
I love the ability to get library books without leaving my house, having an entire library at my fingertips while I’m at the playground and being able to take a dozen books with me on vacation without packing an extra bag.
I also love saving money, which is why I’ve always opted for the ad supported Kindle when I’ve purchased one (it’s usually a $20 difference).
Lots of people are annoyed at the idea of an ad supported Kindle, but it’s less intrusive than you’d guess – they’ll never show up while you’re in the middle of the book. They appear on the lock screen of your Kindle when you’re not reading, and I had an ad supported Kindle for years and it never bothered me for one second.
But plenty of people would prefer to remove the ads from their Kindle, whether it’s personal preference, they’re bothered by the books being suggested (they often are romance novels, with many a bare chested man on the front) or their child or teen is using their Kindle and they don’t want ads on it while it’s been used by someone else.
And the good news is that it’s VERY easy to get rid of the ads on your Kindle.
There are two ways to remove ads from your Kindle – here’s how to do it:
How to Remove Ads from Kindle Readers
First, you can just contact Amazon customer service, tell them you need the ads removed from your device (you can mention that the ads are inappropriate if you want, but I promise they don’t really care if you have a reason or not for wanting them off), and they’ll remove ads from your Kindle with a click of a button. It usually takes about 3 minutes total.
And the upside is that they’ll almost always do it for free!
Second, you can remove ads from your Kindle yourself (but it will likely cost you $15-20).
Log into your Amazon account and go to “Manage Your Content and Devices.”
Choose the “Devices” category (it’ll default to Content) and then select your Kindle devices.
Click on the Kindle you want to remove ads from and under “Details” you’ll see a box called “Special Offers.”
Click the button called “Remove Offers” and it’ll tell you if there is a charge (usually $20). If you’re okay with that charge, approve it and voila! You now have a Kindle without ads!
Have any questions about removing ads from a Kindle reader? Leave it in the comments and I’ll do my best to help!
if you liked this post about how to remove kindle ads, you might also like these other posts:
- How to Gift a Kindle Book
- How to get a library book on your Kindle
- The Best Kindle Unlimited ve Books
What are Amazon Ad-Supported Kindles and Fire tablets?
Best answer: Amazon’s devices with Special Offers (now called Ad-Supported devices) are products like the Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets that feature targeted lock screen ads, but come at a reduced price to the consumer.
Here’s what Ad-Supported devices like Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets entail
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You may have come to this article wondering just what Kindle and Fire tablet special offers, or Ad-Supported devices, are, so let’s take a minute to explain what this idea is. Amazon introduced the concept of devices with Special Offers a while back to reduce the entry cost into the Kindle, and then later, the Fire Tablet ecosystems.
Amazon has always offered relatively low-cost hardware, particularly during major shopping events like Black Friday or Prime Day, but it pitched the Special Offers as a way to offset those expenditures further. The devices with Special Offers, now called Ad-Supported devices, consist of lock screen/screensaver ads personalized to you based on your shopping preferences and browsing habits on Amazon.
Generally speaking, ordering an Ad-Supported Amazon device like one of the best Kindles or one of the best Fire tablets such as the high-end Kindle Oasis e-reader will save you around $15-$20 off the same product without those lock screen ads. That’s not insignificant, even on an already inexpensive media consumption device.
Amazon makes its money not from the sale of its devices, but rather the hook into its ecosystem of products and services. So the company (rightly) figures that if it gets as many devices as possible into the hands of its customers at a low price, they are far more likely to continue consuming Amazon’s content and order products from the e-commerce giant.
Lock screen ads are terrible, right? Not so fast.
Right off the bat, many automatically scoff at the idea of paying for a content consumption device with ads front and center. I’m not sure why that’s so objectionable, as we regularly and willingly pay for ad-supported media (directly or indirectly). Just look at that magazine on your coffee table or, heck, your favorite website! Ads regularly support and subsidize content delivery.
These lock screen ads aren’t that bad either. Most of the time, you’re not going to get ads for toilet paper or lentil soup. You’re far more likely to see ads for a book that Amazon’s algorithms think you’ll be interested in, or a new Prime Video series.
Not too objectionable in my book (pun intended), particularly because the media artwork is prominently displayed so that they don’t really look like ads. While you sometimes see ads for more traditional, physical products (mainly on the Fire Tablets), even those are personalized based on your shopping habits and browsing preferences from your Amazon account.
Editor-in-chief
Jeramy is the Editor-in-Chief of Android Central. He is proud to help *Keep Austin Weird* and loves hiking in the hill country of central Texas with a breakfast taco in each hand. You can follow him on Twitter at @jeramyutgw.