How paid content that looks like editorial actually works in practice.

So you’ve been offered an advertorial and you’re not quite sure what you’re buying. Is it an advert or an article? The honest answer is that it’s an advert written in the style of an article, and knowing that from the start is what makes it work.

What an advertorial is

An advertorial is paid space in a magazine, filled with content that looks and reads like editorial: a headline, body text, pictures and sometimes quotes. The advertiser pays for the space and has a say over the content, which is the key difference from an independent article written by the publication’s own journalists.

How an advertorial has to be labelled

In the UK, the advertising code is clear. The CAP Code says marketers and publishers must make clear that advertorials are marketing, for example by heading them “advertisement feature” (rule 2.4). Publications usually add a label at the top of the page and often design the page slightly differently from the surrounding editorial so readers can tell it apart.

Some advertisers worry the label will put readers off. In practice, readers of trade titles are used to it. What puts them off is a page that reads like a brochure.

How advertorials are usually produced

There are two common routes. Either you supply the text and images and the publisher lays them out to fit the page, or the publisher’s team writes it for you, usually after a briefing call or interview. Some titles charge extra for writing. Either way you’ll normally see a proof before it goes to print.

Ask about word counts early. A page holds less than people think once a headline, a picture and a logo are in place, and cutting copy at proof stage is painful for everyone.

What makes an advertorial worth reading

The ones that work tell readers something they want to know. A project and what was learned from it, a problem your customers face and how it was solved, a change in regulation and what it means in practice: these give a professional reader a reason to keep going. Lists of product features and claims nobody can check do the opposite.

Specifics help. Real names, real places and real numbers you’re comfortable publishing are far more convincing than adjectives. A quote from a customer usually carries more weight than three from your own managing director.

Common pitfalls

The commonest mistake is writing for the board, not the reader, so the piece becomes a list of everything the company is proud of. Another is supplying too many words and too few usable images, which leaves the designer squeezing text into a crowded page. A third is late approval. If several people internally need to sign off, build that into your timetable.

Is an advertorial right for you?

If you have a genuine story and you’re prepared to tell it plainly, an advertorial can do something a display advert can’t: give readers a reason to understand your work. If your message fits in a headline and a logo, a full-page advert may serve you better. For how advertorials sit among the other print formats, see the print advertising guide, and for the online equivalent, read about native advertising.