What is an advertorial? Structure a useful advertising article
Explain the product through a question people have before buying. Make it clear who's advertising and give the reader a useful next step.
See how a publisher identifies commercial article content
An entry ad and an article have different jobs
This David image is a product ad rather than an advertorial. Use it to think about the headline that could lead someone into a longer explanation. The Guardian advertiser-content link below is the article-format example.
What to look for: What question should the destination answer after the entry headline?
Try this: Keep the commercial identity clear and make the article fulfill the entry promise.
An advertorial is an ad written in an article format. It gives you room to explain a buying question, compare options and introduce the product. Start with the question the reader needs answered, and make it clear who paid for the article.
Distinguish the format from the distribution
An advertorial is a form of advertising content. Native advertising is a broader description of advertising that resembles the surrounding medium, and can include other formats. A product page usually leads with the offer. An advertorial can spend more time explaining the problem and the choices behind it.
None of those labels makes the content independent editorial. The Guardian example is labelled advertiser content and identifies the advertiser as its supplier. Use that visible separation as a reference. The main exercise here is an original layout, not a reconstruction of the publisher’s article.
Choose a buying question the article can answer
A useful starting point is a practical buying question: will this fit, what should I compare, which trade-off matters, or what does using it involve? “Why our product is amazing” supplies the writer’s conclusion before establishing the reader’s problem. A focused question creates a reason for the article to exist.
For an under-sink organizer, start with the pipes. Show what space is left around them, where the door opens and how someone reaches the products at the back. Then explain where the organizer fits and when a different setup would make more sense.
Make the commercial relationship clear at the entry
The FTC’s US native-advertising guidance considers the overall impression of content, including whether people can recognize its commercial nature. Where disclosure is needed, it should be clear and prominent. The guidance also considers the entry point and the page reached after clicking, rather than treating a buried footer as the whole answer.
For the exercise, put “Advertisement from [brand]” beside the article introduction and identify who is speaking. Do not invent a newsroom, reviewer or independent testing authority. The reader can receive useful advice while knowing that the seller paid for and controls the piece.
Explain the problem before presenting the product
An article about under-sink storage can begin by asking readers to inspect the pipework, door hinges and items they need to reach. Explain why outside cabinet measurements are not the same as usable internal space. A simple original diagram can make the obstruction easier to understand than a long introductory story.
Keep the explanation connected to the eventual decision. Give readers an inspection sequence: open the doors, identify the obstructions, measure the remaining space and consider how items will be removed.
Compare approaches with the same criteria
Use the same questions to compare each option. For the organizer exercise, check clearance around pipes, whether you can see the contents and how you reach the back. Compare fixed shelves, separate bins and adjustable tiers against those same needs.
Do not make competing options fail by using different conditions. A fixed shelf may suit a clear cabinet. Separate bins may suit an irregular space. If the advertised organizer needs clearance that the reader does not have, say so. The comparison should clarify suitability rather than manufacture an automatic winner.
Connect the offer to evidence and a practical next step
Introduce the product after the article has established the selection criteria. Show the actual configuration, supplied components and relevant dimensions. Link a statement about adjustability to a visible adjustment or a verified specification. Keep customer quotations attributed, and do not invent first-person experience to make the article feel more persuasive.
The next step should continue the same task. A dimension guide or configuration page makes sense after a fit explanation. If the piece introduces a price, promotion or guarantee, keep its terms next to the offer.
Exercise: build a page outline before writing the lead
Sketch the under-sink article before writing it: disclosure, headline, cabinet diagram, comparison, product demo and next step. Beside each section, write the question it answers and what you need to show. Cut sections that repeat an answer or add no useful information.
Then write the opening paragraph without calling the product revolutionary, essential or perfect. Give the reader a concrete reason to continue. Ask a reviewer to identify the sponsor and summarize the buying question after seeing only the top of the page. If either is unclear, revise that opening before expanding the article.
Use the worksheet
The completed example separates what we can see in the ads from our own plan. Use the blank worksheet for your product details, supporting sources and the people reviewing the work.
Start with the blank worksheet, or read the filled-in example to see how to use it. You can copy either one.