How Does “Advertising” Work on Strava?

Strava is an ad-free platform, but it’s not a brand free platform.

We don't do advertising. But we do help brands reach active people better than anywhere else - and we’ll break down why that’s a good thing.

On Strava, brands don’t interrupt the experience, they become part of it. And in a world where movement, fitness, and community are central to how people live and connect, that kind of authentic engagement goes a long way.
So how does advertising work on Strava?

Strava is the world’s largest sports community. With over 150 million athletes globally, it’s where people go to track their runs, rides, swims, hikes (and about 50 other activities), set goals, and cheer each other on.

But what makes Strava unique isn’t just scale - it’s intent. Everyone on the platform has opted in to be active. Whether it’s a morning run or a weekend ride, our users are moving with purpose. And that gives brands a powerful opportunity to meet people in moments of motivation, achievement, and pride - not distraction.

We’ve all seen the numbers: traditional digital advertising is facing a wall. Banner blindness, ad blockers, and short attention spans mean most ads are skipped, scrolled past, or ignored entirely. The numbers say it all: “In 1997, one banner ad had a click-through rate of 44%. By 2023, that number dropped below 0.1%. Why? Overexposure,” as this piece in ASTRAD points out. According to GWI survey data, a third of all internet users say they use ad-blockers regularly and almost a fifth of say they try to avoid all advertising, full stop. Chances are if someone is using the internet they’re encountering on average 4,000 - 10,000 ads per day, says ASTRAD.

As our piece in Adweek points out, people don’t want to be sold to. They want brands to add something to their experience. That’s exactly how Strava works.

Strava is about movement, so we partner with brands to engage with our audience. Our brand activations are built into the core experience, designed to motivate people, and aligned with how they already use the platform. They’re part of the movement, not a pause in it. And this style of promotion is picking up. Per AnyRoad, 51% of marketers plan to increase their spend on experiential marketing between now and 2026.

We’ve intentionally avoided building a product that runs standard, programmatic ads or interruptive brand content that clutters your feed. Instead, we offer two powerful tools that let brands show up in a way that feels natural, motivational, and rewarding.

Sponsored Challenges

Sponsored Challenges are goal-driven experiences that encourage athletes to complete a certain distance, elevation, or activity over a set time period. Brands can customize the challenge theme, creative, and rewards - offering discounts, giveaways, or kudos for completion.

When a user joins a Sponsored Challenge, they’re opting into a brand experience that’s aligned with their personal goals. They’ll see the brand name each time they track their progress, and often share their achievement with friends, multiplying the reach organically.

And it works. Sponsored Challenges consistently drive:

• High engagement rates – with around 30% of those that complete Challenges claiming their reward on a partner’s landing page

• Up to x2 brand recall

• Genuine connection between a brand and an individual’s achievements

• Product consideration and conversion
  

Sponsored Segments

Segments are specific portions of a route - like a popular hill, trail, or stretch of road - where athletes can compete for personal records or leaderboards. With Sponsored Segments, brands can claim ownership of those moments.

Think of it like digital real estate on a real-world route. When someone runs or rides a Sponsored Segment, they’ll see your brand’s message in their activity feed, on the map, and even as part of their performance stats.

It’s an innovative way to activate in the real world and in the app, making it especially effective for location-based brands, events, or retailers.

Offering rewards or the chance to win big prizes through user challenges is a proven gamification tactic, as noted by Adweek. It’s a strategy that continues to gain momentum with marketers, and it’s fueling rapid growth: the global gamification market is projected to surge to $48.72 billion by 2029 - more than triple its size in 2024, according to Mordor Intelligence.

Fitness and sport aren’t niche anymore - they’re global habits. Per Strava’s 2024 Year in Sport report, last year saw a 59% increase in running club participation globally. And that’s just one example of a boost in sports trends. Whether it’s running clubs in the UK, gravel cycling in the US, or more women hitting the weights in the gym in every city, movement is how millions of people connect, unwind, and express who they are.

For brands, that means marketing through movement is essential. If we’re not showing up in those moments of motivation and achievement, we’re missing a huge opportunity to be relevant.

And because at Strava we have evolved our platform around athletes first, your brand gets to show up in a way that feels earned, not forced.

Our platform is designed for active engagement, not just passive consumption. And for brands who want to connect with people in moments of passion, pride, and progress, that’s a powerful difference.