Since the 1940s, advertorials have been quite commonplace in magazines.

They can be informative, enticing, and could turn visitors into buyers. Instead of an outright advertisement for a specific brand or item, advertorials seem more like informative articles that provide truthful information about the product type.

 

There is a reason advertorials have been around for more than 60 years – they work.

Advertorials have a way of making a potential buyer believe they are reading about a generalized product, when actually it is an advertisement for a particular company. Some view this form of advertising as deceptive, but it couldn’t be farther from the truth. As long as the content is informative and relevant to what the potential customer is considering, how is it deceptive?

 

There is nothing wrong with a shameless plug at the end of an informative piece in order to help generate revenue as long as it is based in fact.

 

What do you need to consider when writing an advertorial for your products or services?

Be objective and write in third-person

When writing an advertorial, you want to keep the content written in third-person. You want to stay away from terms like “you” and “I” for then it sounds more like an endorsement for the product, defeating the purpose of writing it.

For example:

“you can, as a retiree, enjoy all the benefits of year round sunshine….”

OR as in an advertorial… (third party)

“many retired persons now enjoy all the benefits of year round sunshine…..”

Do you see the subtle difference, and agree that the latter is much more pleasurable and interesting to read?

 

Be anonymous throughout with a call to action at the end or elsewhere

In the body of the article, you don’t want to use a brand or company name. Instead, you want the article to seem more like an informative piece about the subject matter. For instance, if you sell cat scratching-posts, your content body should reflect as to “why a scratching-post is beneficial for the home and why cats like to use them”. A good and catchy title for the topic might be..”Is Your Darling Kitty Trashing Your Furnishings?”

Only in the final paragraph, plug in your company name with a call-to-action by saying something like, “Visit Bob’s Cat Scratch Post Emporium to see the many different styles available.”

 

Be informative, expressing knowledge and creating trust

The more informative an article appears, the less of an advertisement it seems to be. People are more responsive after reading factual information about a product and why they should need one. It can hit closer to home than you realize and makes for excellent content.

The more facts you can plug into an advertorial, but again keeping it as third party without the “YOU” , the more a potential customer trusts the content.

 

Don’t make outrageous and unsubstantiated claims

One example practice of using advertorials that had given them a bad name is their use in Make Money From Home schemes. People would make outlandish claims of how you could implement their plans for success and never have to work again. This entire article could fill up a web or magazine page with a “pay me for my secrets” order form at the end. However, these forms of advertorials use unsubstantiated evidence and so-called “proof” that the system works.

Always base your content on facts, not hypothetical or theoretical evidence that can’t be supported.

 

Empower you reader to make an informed decision

The best and most effective advertorials are those written in such a manner that it doesn’t seem to be an advertisement at all. Many buyers will simply view it as useful information supplied by an expert in the field of study. Sharing knowledge empowers your potential customer to make him or her feel like they are making an informed decision on purchasing the product or service.

Your best clients or customers will come from those who feel they are already wanting, and are more than happy to invest in your products or services. Your advertorial has already PRESOLD to them.

 

 

Author Bio:

Ken Myers is the founder of http://www.longhornleads.com/ & has learned over the years the importance of focusing on what the customer is looking for and literally serving it to them. He doesn’t try to create a need; instead he tries to satisfy the existing demand for information on products and services.

 

 

 

 

 

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