What is an advertorial? (And why they're perfect for Christmas)
Posted by James, 27 November 2020 (5-6 minute read)
What is an advertorial? And why are they so perfect for Christmas? Both interesting questions. And both the focus of this week’s JW’s Thoughts of a Copywriter.
I happen to think that advertorials are one of the most interesting forms of advertising. They are clever, subtle and – when well written – highly effective.
So I thought I would talk today about all things advertorial. But also why advertorials are such a great advertising format for your business to use at Christmas time. Especially if you have a seasonal promotion or offer that you want to tell your customers about.
Okay… I’m interested. What's an advertorial?
Sometimes referred to as advertising features, advertorials are a blend of ‘adverts’ and ‘editorials’. And this blend is crucial, making advertorials a perfect example of ‘native advertising’.
Rather than looking like a traditional ad, an advertorial looks more like a feature or story written by a journalist. So if you were flicking through a newspaper / magazine and came across an advertorial, it should look like other news or feature pages from that same publication.
And this makes advertorials a very powerful marketing tool for any business. Because if potential customers are already looking through the magazine in which you place your advertorial, then they are very likely to read all about your business – or all about your latest offer!
As Mark Zuckerburg famously said, ‘advertising works most effectively when it’s in line with what people are already trying to do’. Advertorials certainly do that!
All this 'adverts' and 'editorials' stuff sounds complicated! Can't I just use a normal ad?
You could!
But wait…
A well written advertorial has a much greater chance of being read. More importantly, a well written advertorial has a much greater chance of being read properly.
Most of us are exposed to around 5,000 ads per day, ranging from the brilliant, to the good, to the not very good! Many are ignored. And most are glanced at for just a few seconds.
Crucially too, readers don’t tend to go looking for ads.
But because advertorials look and read more like a feature written by a journalist, readers don’t tend to see them as normal ads. And that works in your favour!
But if an advertorial is still an advert, could I be accused of misleading readers?
There’s nothing to worry about here.
To ensure that your advertorial meets guidelines set out by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the words ‘advertising feature’ (or ‘advertisement feature’) will always be required at the top of the page. This prevents readers from being unintentionally misled and avoids any trouble for your business.
No one is allowed to lie about the purpose of their writing. And rightly so.
Advertorials are still adverts. But make no mistake. Good ones will look and read as though they aren’t.
Now that we’ve covered the ‘what's an advertorial’ question, can I see a few examples?
Not a problem. Here are three examples of advertorials and why they’re so effective.
1. Key (Equity Release Firm)
At first glance, this advertorial from Key looks like a feature written by a journalist. You’ve got the classic headline, sub-headline combination, before a short column of copy formatted to look exactly like a feature piece in a newspaper. There’s even the clever use of ‘Continued on next page’ at the bottom of the column – a really nice touch!
The ‘advertising banner’ at the bottom of the page also looks like a newspaper publication, who often put actual adverts in similar places. Here, you find some of those classic advertising features, like a call to action (‘call’, ‘visit’) and a tagline (‘Is releasing cash from your home right for you?’).
And lastly, note the clear labelling of ‘advertisement feature’ to comply with ASA guidelines.
2. Joe’s Crab Shack (Food Service)
Joe’s Crab Shack uses a similar approach, even if the advertorial is written for a magazine.
The heading and subheading are clearly designed to attract a reader’s attention – the heading (‘Enjoy Good Food with Good People’) cleverly doubles as a tagline as well.
Underneath, there’s a short column of main body copy to explain why eating at Joe’s Crab Shack is worth your while! This even follows the traditional magazine formatting of indenting every paragraph after the first one…
The box on the right then forms a ‘magazine style’ FAQ section, detailing all the information you need for your visit.
3. The Happy Turkey Company (Food Supplier)
A shameless plug, but this advertorial was designed and written by me!
Again, heading and subheading are put together to mirror a magazine format. The first paragraph of the main body copy even begins like an article might: ‘Turkey at Christmas is a British tradition more popular than ever’.
I also incorporate a ‘tips section’, a common feature used in food magazines. These tips really help to humanise the company and its founders (Daisy and Jonathan), as well as providing inspiration for a much loved tradition: Christmas dinner!
Lastly, the more obvious advertising content is left until the bottom of the page. Just like the examples above, this advertorial expects its reader to get to the end of the feature before the product sale begins.
And you said advertorials were good for my Christmas promotions?
Absolutely.
Take the example above. The Happy Turkey Company have a promotional offer (10% off), which is subtly woven into the feature just before the call to action.
At first glance, it doesn’t look like a Christmas ad. But it is a Christmas ad. And it fully complies with ASA guidelines, stating clearly that it’s an ‘advertising feature’ and selling a company’s products!
To be honest, though, advertorials are perfect for any seasonal promotion. Like dogs, they too aren’t just for Christmas!
If you want brilliant copy for an advertorial this Christmas, then take a look at what JW Copywriting Services can offer! You can find out more about my specific advertising copy services here.
All you then have to do is contact me – I aim to reply to enquiries within 24 hours.
And if you want to ask any questions about my copywriting service or about advertorials more generally, then comment below. You can also get in touch with me on Twitter @JWCopywriting or over on my Facebook page.
By next week we’ll be into December… So I’ll be talking about 9 iconic Christmas ads that will never be forgotten!
Speak soon,
JW