About WHYY

WHYY is Philadelphia’s leading public media organization, providing trusted journalism, compelling storytelling, and lifelong learning through television, radio, and digital platforms. As the region’s PBS and NPR affiliate, WHYY serves millions of viewers and listeners with news, arts, education, and cultural programming.

As a nonprofit, WHYY relies on community support, including donations, to fund its programming and mission.

The Challenge

Before partnering with Level Up Digital, WHYY wasn’t getting the full value out of their Google Grant. The account lacked structure, quality scores were low, and many campaigns weren’t spending their available budget.

They needed a partner who could not only optimize the account to meet Google’s strict grant requirements, but also align campaigns with meaningful goals—like increasing website traffic, driving newsletter signups, and ultimately boosting donations.

Strategy

We began with a complete rebuild of the account to bring it into full compliance with Google Ad Grants policies—while also aligning it with WHYY’s broader goals around engagement, audience growth, and fundraising.

Key steps included:

• Campaign Restructure: We organized campaigns around key content categories—news, radio programs, events, and donation appeals—ensuring relevance and better quality scores.

• Keyword Optimization: We focused on high-quality, mission-aligned keywords that met the grant’s 5% CTR requirement while still attracting relevant users.

• Ad Copy Testing: We developed and tested ad variations for different goals, from promoting on-demand content to encouraging donations and newsletter signups.

• Smart Budget Allocation: We prioritized high-performing campaigns to ensure WHYY was using as much of their $10,000/month grant as possible.

• Ongoing Monitoring & Optimization: We maintained compliance, improved CTR, and expanded reach by regularly reviewing performance and making data-driven adjustments.

By combining technical compliance with creative strategy, we helped turn the Google Grant into a powerful tool for engagement and growth.

The Results

With a smarter structure aligned to WHYY’s website content—including current events, articles, and podcasts—and consistent optimization, WHYY has seen major improvements in their Google Grant performance. Highlights include:

• Over 97% of the monthly grant now being utilized—compared to a fraction before

• 3x increase in monthly clicks to key content and donation pages

• Consistent 17%+ click-through rate, keeping the account in strong standing with Google

• 20% increased donations and newsletter signups driven by targeted campaigns

• Stronger visibility for WHYY’s journalism, radio programming, and community initiatives

• The Google Grant is now a reliable and cost-free source of traffic, awareness, and donor engagement.