Sponsored article - how to write it and what should it look like?

Sponsored articles have conquered the content market, becoming one of the most important ways of promotion in the virtual world. Their popularity is due to their effectiveness, which is incomparable to other forms of advertising. Read what a sponsored article is, what benefits it can bring to your business and the ins and outs of creating this type of content.

What exactly is a sponsored article?

About advertisement is a lever of trade, hardly anyone needs convincing. However, in order for it to be effective and thus for business to generate revenue, it is necessary to reconcile the needs of the company with the expectations of current and future consumers. It should be borne in mind that, nowadays, over-saturation with advertisements can lead to dissatisfaction among users or potential customers. The way to avoid such a scenario is precisely through marketing in the form of sponsored articles.

The effectiveness of sponsored articles stems from the chance to capture the interest of readers. The publication of such a text is primarily aimed at providing the recipient with an answer to the question typed into the search engine. Substantive, a sponsored article of value to the internet user also contains advertising presented in a non-intrusive way. In such a text, a mention of a specific product or service is sufficient. You can also include a link referring the reader to the proposed offer, a graphic or the logo of the advertised brand.

What is the reasoning behind choosing this particular form of promoting one's business? To understand this, it is necessary to refer to other methods of promoting products and services. Advertising banners, short films displayed on websites or sponsored posts on social networks are increasingly being resented by the public. The main reason is, of course, their quantity. However, not only does this matter, but also the low information value of such adverts. As a result, internet users often ignore them, and thus the company that has purchased space on the site in question loses money. Advertising activities should therefore be carried out by specialists.

The phenomenon known as banner blindness is exacerbated by browser plug-ins that block image and video adverts. The publication of sponsored articles mitigates this risk. Moreover, they positively influence the perception of the advertised brand by internet users. They provide potential customers with what they expect from the web, namely the ability to read valuable content . At the same time, they contribute to an increase in traffic to the company's website, which in turn translates into increased sales of its products or services.

What must a sponsored article contain?

Sponsored articles are usually written by SEO copywriters, i.e. people who specialise in creating valuable content that also takes into account search engine positioning. Almost 100% of this applies to the most popular of these, Google. For this reason the key is to weave into the text the words that internet users type in to find information on the topic they are interested in .

The message itself, even though it is a sponsored advertisement, must not be over-saturated with a presentation of the advantages of the subject of the promotion. What is important here is moderation and emphasis on writing a factual article explaining all possible doubts of the recipient. In this way, the person reading the text will get the impression that the company advertising its product or service, in addition to selling, also really wants to help.

The language of the message should go hand in hand with the form. An attractive graphic form is an incentive to read the text. A sponsored ad should be divided into clear, not too long paragraphs. This will the reader will find it much easier to find his way around the content of the and, if necessary, return to previously read passages. Additional help is provided by bolding the most important information and issues relating to the subject matter.

The written word should be enriched with visual elements. Photographs, in particular, make publications more attractive. In many cases infographics also work well . In diagrams, it is easier to explain certain complexities or present statistics. Videos are an excellent development of the SEO sponsored article form. They become particularly important, among others, in texts in which it is necessary to explain the operation of a given item or show how to use the promoted service.

Where to start when writing a sponsored article?

The answer to the question of how to write a sponsored article cannot go without considering customer satisfaction. In this case, however, it is no longer about the reader, but about the person or company commissioned to write the text on a given topic. Find out what the brand image is supposed to be and who the target audience for the products or services are . Very helpful in this task are the guidelines for the sponsored article, which are sometimes provided by the entity commissioning the text.

Why is this so important? Because no one other than the company commissioning the text knows the customers looking for the goods in question so well. What is more, it is aware of which pages consumers may be looking for information on. This allows adapt the language and style of the message . This creates an effective strategy that has the potential to increase the number of hits on the principal's website and maximise profits from the sale of his services or products.

However, it is important to remember that even the best text promoting a noteworthy item will be of no use if its beginning does not encourage the recipient to continue reading. This is why you need interesting introduction . At the outset, it is useful to write down what questions the sponsored article is answering. The presentation of the subject matter is best combined with the benefit that will result from reading the text. This gives a good chance that the reader will want to check it out and read what is underneath the introduction.

How do you plan the content of a sponsored article?

The structure of a sponsored article is somewhat similar to a school essay. Thus, there is a division into an introduction, a development and a conclusion. For such publications, however, the elements that are important both from the reader's point of view and from the point of view of SEO principles are important. First of all, attention should be paid to the title. It should consist of the words that internet users type into a search engine when they are trying to find information on a topic of interest.

The appropriate construction of the title also immediately adds information value, reassuring the viewer that they have arrived at the right page. This becomes particularly important further down the page, in the introduction. The lead completes the title and tells the recipient more precisely what they will learn from the article . This is a key element of the content. The way in which the issue is presented and the demonstration of what the reader will gain from reading the rest of the text determines whether they will spend any time reading at all.

A good sponsored article cannot do without a clear breakdown of the development. There is nothing worse than publishing a uniform sequence of characters. For this reason, care should be taken to divide the individual paragraphs. Ideally, each successive one should contain a specific thought and it should not be illogically divided between blocks of text. Longer passages should be specified with the help of mid-headings.

A table of contents that makes it easier to find your way around the text is also a good addition. In contrast to the scheme known from paper books, it should be at the beginning of the text, under or before the lead. Ideally, all sub-headings should be internal links . This way, people who want to find a particular section of an article will not have to scroll the page to the point of interest.

The space between consecutive blocks of text provides room for photographs, graphics and information graphs. They make the sponsored article more attractive and carry additional information value. Tables, bullet lists and boxes repeating or paraphrasing key ideas are also within the scope of clear text structure. The latter, like words and sentences from the rest of the text can be further bolded .

The ending acts as a summary. It takes the form of a continuous block of text or of subsections with short sentences. However, it is worth bearing in mind that this element is not always present in the text. Particularly in short texts, a punch line summarising the most important facts is sometimes unnecessary. Within a few minutes, it is unlikely that the reader will have forgotten them.

How do you choose where to publish a sponsored article?

It is useful to know not only how to write a sponsored article, but also where to place it in order to intensify the sales of the promoted items. The place of publication depends on the target customer group . In many cases, the message is directed at everyone. In such cases, information about a product or service is published on various, often completely unrelated websites. The reason for this is the assumption that potential consumers can be found anywhere.

The situation is different when promoting goods to a more specific customer group. The easiest way to reach them is to publish a sponsored article on the portals they visit. A great place for such content is news sites and blogs by people passionate about a particular topic . The local press is also proving its worth as an advertising medium, which is now thriving on the Internet.

Sponsored article, a way to get a link to your website

Sponsored articles are a great tool for link building, i.e. acquiring links to other sites in order to promote one's own website. This is worth taking care of because of the rules introduced and improved by Google. Thanks to such texts, you can increase the authority of your own company website. Many links to your website are a sign to search engine algorithms that your website is trustworthy.

What do these measures achieve? A higher position in the organic search results. In other words, this way, the most important page, i.e. the client company's website, has a chance to be found at the top of the search results . This is of colossal importance for the success of the business. After all, the greatest earning potential lies with those who are visible online.

What should be kept in mind when creating a sponsored article?

One of the most important rules for writing sponsored articles is to adapt your vocabulary skilfully. In most cases, you should opt for plain language . It gives the creator of the text greater confidence that the reader will fully understand the message. Of course, it must also not be simplistic or even slang.

Importantly, when choosing words, it is not about treating the recipient with preconceived notions. However, not everyone needs to be an expert in the field being described and familiar with the jargon used. A professional vocabulary only works if the text is to be written for professionals. In expert content, the opposite rule must be applied. A specialised vocabulary shows that the author actually knows the subject being described.

In addition remember to check the information carefully . It is also unacceptable to omit relevant facts, even if they show defects in the thing advertised. It is also bad practice to use half-truths. On the other hand Advantages should be presented in a factual manner . A sponsored article cannot be a paean extolling benefits that the customer will never actually experience.

It is against good practice and, furthermore, against the law to compare one's own offer with the products or services of a competitor indicated by name. An advertising text is a place to promote your offer, but not to criticise someone else's proposals. Adhering to this rule will avoid writing a correction or apology. Moreover, the online publisher would probably refuse to publish such an article anyway.

Sponsored article - when is it worth using a copywriter?

Writing sponsored articles is a skill that anyone can master. In many situations, however, it is better to enlist the help of people who are professionally involved in internet marketing . Copywriters are just that - copywriters. What speaks for engaging them or contacting a content agency that employs such people? Saving the time it takes to create sponsored content.

The effectiveness of an advertising campaign depends not only on the quality, but also on the number of texts. In order to reach the widest possible range of consumers, you need a large number of them. At the same time, each of them should be original. The work of copywriters eliminates the need to involve the company's own employees. This allows them to perform their duties full-time. It also saves a lot of money compared to how much a sponsored article costs.

Not only are sponsored articles a good way to advertise! Discover what InPost has to offer

The plethora of advertising forces the search for ever new forms of promotion. Our offer will also help to increase their sales . For companies in any industry and of any size, we offer:

• Use the Parcel Machine® as a space for sticking advertising material;
• display of promotional banners on the screens of our vending machines (choice of presenting the banner before, during and after the collection process);
• sampling, i.e. including free product samples with orders;
• sending PUSH notifications to people using InPost Mobile;
• distribution of the newsletter to customers' e-mail addresses;
• publication of advertising banners on our websites.

Advantages of a sponsored article at a glance

Considering the advantages and disadvantages of a sponsored article leads to the conclusion that it is an excellent tool to promote your business, product or service . A substantive text reaches its audience like no other marketing message. What is more, this type of content helps to improve the visibility of a company's website on the Internet.

Just keep in mind a few rules for creating promotional articles and good practices and you will undoubtedly succeed in creating an effective and interesting promotional message. It is also a good idea to hire people who specialise in creating such content. This way, even the largest campaign will not consume the valuable time of the company's employees.

It is still worth taking advantage of the promotional opportunities offered by our offer. The parcel machine, the InPost app and website, as well as e-mail communication allow you to increase sales and be many steps ahead of your competitors. What is more, it is only up to you which specific form of advertising you decide on, and thus how much you spend on a promotional campaign.