Advertorials are written for the single purpose of getting specific response from the reader. The response could be to donate for a cause, download a PDF, subscribe to a newsletter or buy a product. An effective advertorial is one that captures readers’ attention and leads them to the logical conclusion – pointing in specific language to perform the call-to-action.
There are many copywriting companies that can create advertorials to meet your marketing and promotional requirements. However, if you wish to write an advertorial, these tips may help.
- Study the publication
Your advertorial may be published in a magazine or a website. You must study the context in which your advertorial will sit. Read through the magazines and websites to understand:
- The editorial conventions including headlines, blurbs, and bylines
- The design conventions like layout, typography, and column choice
- Study the headlines
Study the headlines to understand and match the style. The headlines could be news fragments or they may exhibit an inquisitive style, or they may be brief and dense.
3. Study the opening
Study the opening sentences of multiple articles to understand how the publication motivates readers to read their stories. Try to find answers to the following questions:
- Is that description in-depth or shallow?
- Do they describe a location?
- Do they describe a character?
- Are the opening sentences short and punchy, or longer and more detailed?
4. Study the body
- Does the publication use uniform blocks of text or irregular rows of dialog?
- Is the language casual or formal?
- Do they prefer short pieces or longer ones?
Your advertorial should match these elements identically to sit well in the context.
5. Study the audience
You may ask the publication to share demographic and psychographic report on their readers. This will help you understand:
- Who is the audience?
- What do they want?
You may also talk to the editor to share some insights on their readership.
6. Create a story
Collect your facts and also some quotes. Introduce and build the character. As a next step, introduce the conflict and be sure to add a plot with some twists and turns. Next, identify the reader’s pain and focus on atleast one emotion that you want to bring out in the reader. Then create the conflict and highlight who are what was behind the pain, for example, the employer who does not give you a well-deserved raise.
7. Provide a solution
Create an enemy that readers love to hate and they will listen to you. Once the reader is sufficiently drawn in, introduce the solution, for instance, how to negotiate for higher pay with the employer.
8. Substantiate the solution
Focus on the benefits of your products, services or solutions – or in other words, advantages that make the problem go away. Substantiate any claim you make about your product or service with facts, test results, and statistics.
9. Provide a happy ending
Be creative and conclude the advertorial with a happy ending. The advertorial must provide a solution that would add value to the life of the readers.
10. Add a call to action
If you have done a good job, your readers will be looking for ways to contact you whether it is to buy your products or hire your services.
The ultimate goal of a good advertorial is that it should not read as an advertisement. It should blend into the publication and inspire trust.
There is a very thin line between advertisements and advertorials. A well-written advertorial will communicate your business goals and attract potential buyers. If you would rather focus on the core activities of your business, you could hire the services of copywriting companies to create a good advertorial.