Try the advertorial format
Studies have revealed promising results for the advertorial style of print advertising. Not sure what an advertorial is?
Advertorials, or advertisements written in the style of editorials or articles, allow brands to tell their story in a credible way by placing it alongside trusted publisher content.
When done right, advertorials help marketers form authentic connections with their target audiences.
But writing a great advertorial requires a delicate balancing act between informative and sales content.
The strongest advertorials always share six characteristics.
Write like the publisher
Every publication has its own voice. The New Yorker is high-brow, Vice is gritty, The Economist is perceptive, and Rolling Stone is bold.
Before writing an advertorial, you should get familiar with the publication’s content to learn how it speaks to its readers.
Writing an advertorial using a similar tone to the publisher’s allows readers to have a seamless transition from the publisher’s content to the advertorial, and makes them more receptive to a sponsored message.
Throughout the piece, avoid using “we” or “our” language, which comes across as sales-y instead of helpful. A great advertorial will sound like a trusted publisher informing readers about a product rather than a straight-up sales pitch.
Pick the right format
Mirroring a publisher’s preferred story structure is just as important as writing in its voice.
Before writing an advertorial, scroll through the publisher’s website to see what types of content are most common.
The most successful advertorials tell a brand’s story in a format that audiences enjoy and expect from a publisher.
Tell a story
Regardless of the chosen format, marketers should focus on telling a story through advertorials rather than making a hard sell.
Great advertorials don’t read like ads. Instead, they make targeted customers feel something through strong copywriting and storytelling.
Move beyond a sales pitch
Advertorials give marketers an opportunity to provide valuable content to an audience while also promoting a product or service. Balancing the two is key to gaining credibility with the target audience.
Good advertorials focus on benefits, not features. Communicate the human impact behind the product instead of reciting an elevator pitch.
Lead with a great headline
Once the body content is written, marketers need to turn their attention to the headline. The strongest advertorials begin with a headline that speaks directly to a publisher’s audience and begs to be clicked.
Close with an action
While a headline is the first impression to get clicks, the call to action is the kicker that inspires readers to take action. An effective advertorial always ends with a clear next step for interested users to learn more about a product.
Strong calls to action create urgency or need and reinforce a product or service’s value to undecided users.
