Great, thanks - i'm glad we are on the same wavelength here ;)
there are several ways the ads could be integrated, from a sidebar through to being inserted into the main list of posts at key points. I prefer the sidebar route as it is clear then that you are viewing promoted posts, plus they could be 'fixed' in the window and will not vanish as the page is scrolled.
RE: IMPROVING POST PROMOTION: Move 'promoted' posts to a vertical sidebar - so that they get more views.