An ongoing trend in advertising is to blur the lines between editorial content and advertisements, which is why you’ve been hearing phrases such as “content marketing” and “native advertising” for some time now. The reason this trend is not only persisting, but gaining momentum, is because it’s working. How can you make it work for you? Try a sponsored article.

Sponsored Articles Defined

A sponsored article is a long-copy advertisement that is written and presented like an objective editorial article. It contains components of an advertisement, but they are typically well-hidden.

Why Sponsored Articles

Sponsored articles can be more effective than a traditional advertisement because they warrant a higher level of credibility and can even portray thought leadership. If you’re looking to showcase a key person from your company or announce a new innovation, or if you simply need to present more information up front in your marketing process, then an advertorial is ideal.

Where Sponsored Articles Appear

Anywhere an article can appear would be a good place for a sponsored article. They are common in print magazines, ranging from one page to several, and they are also quite popular online, masquerading as news articles with clever links and display ads drawing readers from real news sites, social media and more.

The Writing Process

The process of writing a sponsored article incorporates both the full ad writing process and the full article writing process. On the ad side of things, you need to first identify your goals. Is this for branding? For lead generation? Who is your target audience? Next, make sure your goals and audience are achievable in the location where you plan to advertise. Research the magazine or website and see what content seems to be resonating and how it’s presented. As far as the sponsored article itself, of course you’ll want to showcase your new product or service, but the entire article can’t be just about that. Think of something that matters to your target audience. What problem or need can you help them with? Then position your new widget as part of the story. For example, you can use a problem/solution approach, where you address a resonating problem and then present your product, service or company as the solution. Or you could use a “how to” approach, offering an implementable step-by-step process that can help your audience achieve more success, and insert your product as an integral part of the process. The format itself can be either Q&A, featuring an interview with an expert (ideally someone from your company, or even you!) or just straight article style. And remember, this is supposed to look like a real article, so have fun with it. Add sidebars with additional, related content. Support your story with images, graphics or charts.

Making It Work for You

If you’ve written a helpful, informative sponsored article, then the “article” is doing its job for the audience. Now you’ve got to make sure you’re getting what you need out of it, which is that initial goal you established. What was it again? Get the word out about a new service? Recruit health agents? By the time they’ve read the article, you should have not only captured their attention, but also made a solid start at positioning what you’re trying to sell. But now it’s time to think like an ad writer again, as you must tell your audience what to do next. Have a call to action. “Learn more” is a standard, but a call to action is much stronger if you have an offer. Perhaps a white paper to continue the story. Maybe a sales kit featuring information and consumer materials for the product you’re promoting. Or it could be a discount code or incentive. Tell them where to go online to get the offer and/or what phone number to call. As you create your call to action, keep in mind how important it is to track your results. Set up a custom URL with a landing page with a lead capture form. Use a trackable phone number. You’ll want to know if and how well your advertorial is working for you.

Play by the Rules

Be aware that any sponsored article will need to be denoted as an ad. Depending on the publication’s guidelines, you’ll probably have to include something at the top such as “sponsored content” or “advertisement.” While you can mimic the publication’s fonts and layout, you cannot use exact matches, as publications care to protect their own editorial integrity. Finally, don’t forget to use the same internal compliance processes you’d follow with any other advertisement.