Leite’s Culinaria Diversifies Revenue with Subscriptions and Adblock Recovery via Admiral

Publisher: Leite’s Culinaria

Leite’s Culinaria, a beloved food blog known for its trusted recipes and storytelling, was heavily reliant on advertising revenue when it first partnered with Admiral in 2020. As changing algorithms, privacy trends, and adblocking tools created monetization roadblocks, Leite’s sought a flexible, low-lift path to diversify revenue and give loyal readers more ways to support the site.

Challenge

As an independent publisher with limited internal resources, Leite’s Culinaria needed a monetization strategy that wouldn’t require a team of developers or a high-risk investment. They were already feeling the effects of:

• Adblocking tools reducing available impressions and revenue
  
  
• Algorithm shifts impacting traffic patterns
  
  
• A small team needing scalable solutions without technical complexity

On top of that, they were uncertain how readers would respond to a paid subscription model, especially in a space where content is often expected to be free.

 

Solution: Admiral Transact + Adblock Recovery

Leite’s Culinaria partnered with Admiral to implement both Transact (Admiral’s subscription and membership solution) and Adblock Recovery, unlocking dual revenue paths with a single platform. The partnership allowed Leite’s to:

• Recover lost ad revenue from adblock users with gentle, branded messaging
  
  
• Launch an ad-free subscription option initially offered to adblock users, then expanded to all visitors
  
  
• Deliver a true ad-free experience for subscribers through coordinated implementation with their ad provider
  
  
• Manage everything without dev resources, thanks to Admiral’s no-code dashboard and hands-on support

With Admiral acting as an extension of their team, Leite’s was able to move fast, test ideas, and find the right balance of monetization and user experience.

 

Campaign Evolution

Leite’s subscription model began with a simple value proposition for adblock users: If you’d like to continue using adblock, consider subscribing to support the site. As that model gained traction, Leite’s decided to expand the offer to all visitors—positioning subscriptions as a way to enjoy a cleaner, ad-free reading experience while supporting the content they love.

Working directly with Leite’s ad provider, Admiral helped implement logic that disables ads entirely for subscribed visitors, ensuring they receive the experience they were promised.

Results & Impact

Since their first year partnering with Admiral, Leite’s Culinaria has built a growing base of paid subscribers and added resilience to their revenue model:

• 51% pageview recovery rate
  
  
• 54% increase in subscription revenue
  
  
• 173% decrease in subscription churn rate

The dual approach of recovering ad revenue and offering an ad-free subscription tier has empowered Leite’s to engage a broader swath of their audience—without compromising user experience.

 

Founder David Leite created a personal, heartfelt video explaining why subscriptions matter to the future of his site: Watch the video.

"Admiral has become more than a vendor—they’re a trusted partner and an extension of our team. I know they’re always representing the best interests of my business, whether it's maximizing adblock recovery or opening up new revenue streams we hadn’t considered before."

– David Leite, Founder, Leite's Culinaria

 

Top 3 Things Leite’s Culinaria Loves About Admiral

• An Extension of Our Team
  The Admiral team acts like a true partner, handling technical implementation and providing strategic support.
  
  
• Flexible Monetization Paths
  From adblock recovery to fully ad-free subscriptions, Admiral made it easy to build a model that fits their brand and audience.
• Low-Lift, High-Impact
  With no need for developer resources, the Leite’s team could focus on content while Admiral handled the rest.

Looking Ahead

Leite’s Culinaria is exploring how to deepen engagement with its readers using Admiral’s Convert module—bringing journey shaping into the mix to guide visitors to content and experiences they’ll love.

As ad revenues continue to fluctuate, Leite’s remains committed to giving visitors more ways to support independent food journalism—and Admiral continues to be a key partner in that mission.