Advertorial vs. Editorial vs. Sponsored Content: the Key Points of the Difference

Deciding between editorial, advertorial, and sponsored content can feel tricky, especially if you’re new to PR and marketing. Each option can be a powerful tool for brands in the beauty, aesthetics, or wellness industries—if used the right way. As a business owner, it’s key to understand the differences so you know what you’re getting when you invest time and money into these marketing strategies.

What’s the difference between editorial, sponsored, and advertorial? How to choose the best option? In this article, you´ll find out all you need to make the right choice.

Firstly, let’s define what advertorial, editorial, and sponsored are.

Advertorial vs. Editorial vs. Sponsored Content 

Aspect	Advertorial	Editorial	Sponsored Content
Purpose	Promotional disguised as editorial	Non-commercial; informative/opinionated	Brand awareness through subtle promotion
Creator	Brand or sponsored publication staff	Editorial staff	Brand or sponsored publication staff
Disclosure	Labeled but often subtly	No label needed	Clearly marked as “Sponsored”
Tone	Informative but promotional	Neutral, informative, opinionated	Educational or entertaining, soft-sell

Advertorial Definition

An advertorial is a type of paid media where the business buying the space also has control over the content (within certain limits, of course).

Advertorials—essentially ads that look and feel like editorial content—are popular among marketers, especially in e-commerce. They offer a way to go beyond a basic ad by providing more detailed information that helps ease potential customers toward making a purchase.

Typically, advertorials are booked through the advertising department as a paid placement in either print or digital publications. The content is usually brand-controlled, though media staff might add some editorial touches. To make it clear that this content is sponsored, advertorials are often marked in a way that sets them apart from regular articles. Still, some publications might design advertorials to resemble standard editorial content, making the ad blend in more naturally with the rest of the publication.

You can order advertorial services from PRNEWS.io.

Key Features of Advertorial

• Funding: The brand pays the media outlet’s advertising department directly to secure placement.
• Visual Presentation: It’s styled to look like an ad and is kept separate from the publication’s regular articles and editorial content.
• Credibility: Advertorials don’t go through the same journalistic vetting as regular editorial pieces.
• Author/Byline: The content’s author is clearly listed as the brand or its representative.
• Creative Control: The company has full control over the development and final approval of the content.
• Imagery: Often includes promotional visuals, like branded photos or product shots.
• Legal Disclaimers: Advertorials might include symbols for copyright or trademark, footnotes, references, and other legal disclaimers.

Advertorial Examples

Good advertorials concentrate on benefits, not features. Marketers should appeal to the human needs and impact behind the product instead of reciting an elevator pitch.

Editorial Definition

Editorial content is free and crafted purely to inform, educate, or entertain readers, adding real value without any financial backing or sales pitch. Think of it as content that covers topics or shares insights that are valuable to the reader, like a blog post, news article, or feature piece written directly by the publisher or author. For example, a newspaper article on a local event counts as editorial content because it’s produced independently, without outside sponsorship.

Editorials tend to carry more credibility and reliability since they go through the publication’s editorial process. The purpose is genuine reader engagement, not sales or conversions.

While editorial content can lead to sales indirectly, that’s not the primary goal. By providing helpful information, you earn readers’ trust, which over time is more valuable than direct selling.

Key Features of Editorial

• Funding: Editorials are free, with no payments made to the media outlet for publishing. For this reason, the content must truly offer value to be included.
• Visual Presentation: Editorial content blends in with the publication’s regular articles.
• Credibility: Created by the publication’s editorial team, often backed by research and fact-checking, which boosts trustworthiness.
• Author/Byline: The author might be a journalist, editor, or even the publication’s editorial team.
• Creative Control: The editorial team has full control over development and final approval.
• Imagery: Photos are chosen to match the topic and are unbranded, with lifestyle images being a great choice.
• Legal Disclaimers: Editorials stick to the publication’s format, with no need for footnotes, references, or copyright symbols.

Editorial Examples

Credits: carminemastropierro

Advertorials vs. Editorials

Aspect	Advertorial	Editorial
Definition	Paid content styled like an article to promote a brand	Informative content by the publication’s staff, non-promotional
Purpose	To subtly market a product or service	To inform, analyze, or entertain without bias
Disclosure	Marked as “Advertorial” or “Sponsored”	No disclosure, as it’s independent content
Tone & Voice	Blends with editorial tone but has a promotional angle	Neutral or opinion-based, no hidden promotion
Brand Mentions	Directly mentions or links to the brand	Mentions brands only if relevant, without bias
Audience Perception	Recognized as an ad; may impact credibility	Trusted as unbiased content

Sponsored Content Definition

“Promoted”, “Paid post”, “Presented by”, “Sponsored by”, “Partnered with”, “Affiliated with”…

Remember it? These phrases are indicators of sponsored content. It means that a company has spent some effort and budget to show you its content.

Sponsored content is a form of advertising issued by publishers or social media influencers in a format and quality they are known for whether they be articles, photos, videos, or other executions. Brands co-create this content to generate conversations around their product category or even their product.

That is to say, sponsored content is an ad that looks like it’s supposed to be there. It gives a feeling of natural content for a platform, instead of an intrusive advertisement.

Sponsored content is a simple yet effective way to send your promotional message to new audiences.

When content is sponsored, it must be clearly marked as such to avoid misleading users. Google’s guidelines have, since 2005, required that paid links should not affect PageRank, the algorithm that ranks pages in search results. The reason behind this is to maintain a level playing field, allowing organic and unpaid content to rise on its merit alone.

Google’s Approach to Non-compliance

In recent years, Google has penalized several websites, particularly in the United Kingdom, for failing to disclose paid links adequately. Such penalties include removing the site’s content from Google News or reducing its visibility on search results. Non-compliance with Google’s policies creates distrust among readers and can lead to further scrutiny and potential legal action.

Key Features of Sponsored

• Funding: Payment also is made directly to the media outlet or marketing agency for placement.
• Visual presentation: Doesn´t look like an advertisement; sponsored information is included in the posts and editorial content.
• Credibility: Can go through the journalistic vetting process that editorial content must follow.
• Author/byline: The author of the piece is not identified as the brand or its representative.
• Creative control: Development and final control over content is not retained by the media outlet.
• Imagery: This may include a promotional image, such as a branded photograph or product shot.
• Legal disclaimers: These may include footnotes, references, and legal disclaimers. Can also include copyright and trademark symbols.

Sponsored content can increase reach your audience in a non-intrusive manner. Because it takes after editorial content, people are more likely to engage with it.

This can help you to:

• Raise brand awareness
• Inform your audience
• Gain trust and credibility
• Set up thought leadership

If users get value from your content, they’ll likely continue engaging with your business in the future and may even become customers.

Sponsored Examples

In the sponsored articles usually, you will find names of brands, and addresses of the restaurants, shops, etc. The overall information may be useful and interesting, but definitely, brands, companies, and services will be included there. 

Read more: What is Sponsored Content? Everything You Need To Know

Advertorials vs. Sponsored Content

Aspect	Advertorial	Sponsored Content
Definition	Ad content made to look like an article	Brand-funded content, designed to engage or inform
Purpose	To directly promote a product or brand	To build brand awareness with subtle promotion
Disclosure	Labeled as “Advertorial”	Clearly marked as “Sponsored”
Tone & Voice	Mimics editorial tone but more direct in promotion	Informative or entertaining, aligns with brand values
Brand Mentions	Frequently mentions and links to brand	Minimizes direct mentions; focus is on engagement
Audience Perception	Seen as promotional, may affect trust	Viewed as more credible and engaging

What Are Advertorials and Native Advertising?

Advertorials are paid pieces that resemble editorial content in style and format but are created with an underlying promotional intent. Native advertising follows a similar model but is generally less distinguishable from regular content, often placed within publications to blend in seamlessly with the platform’s tone and style. Both types of content can mislead readers if not clearly marked as advertisements, as they might appear to be impartial or independent.

Guidelines for Advertorials and Native Ads

To comply with search engine guidelines:

1. Do Not Pass PageRank: Any paid link within advertorials or native ads should be marked so that it does not affect Google’s PageRank algorithm.
2. Conspicuous Disclosure: Disclosure must be prominent and clear. Disclaimers should be easy to spot, avoiding small or hidden text that might obscure the fact that the content is paid.
3. Be Transparent with Readers: Readers should always be aware if what they’re reading is a result of a sponsorship or financial incentive.

How Can You Leverage Editorial from Paid Advertising?

There are a few ways you can try to leverage editorial in the publication you have advertised in, aside from simply asking the question in the first instance.

1. Themed articles: 

When you start the process of purchasing an advert, ask to see an editorial calendar and look out for themed publications. It may be a summer travel special, an autumn fashion issue, or a Christmas gift guide.

A good advertising sales team will inform clients of this when booking advertising to align advertising content with the editorial theme. For example, if you conduct a Christmas gift fair and want to advertise prior to the event, an issue focusing on Christmas gifts and what to buy would be perfect, provided the timings match up, of course. This will give you the perfect opportunity to show off your product or service at a time when editors may be looking for something just like it.

2. Advertorials: 

This is also where advertorials can form an effective item of your marketing plan. As we’ve seen, advertorials can be very useful to inform readers about a product launch, but they can also be used to secure true editorial in the same or a linked publication. Ensure you ask about this and negotiate with the media sales representative when you book an advertorial, noting any deadlines.

3. Other channels:

There is so much overlapping between traditional print media and social media that we can’t talk about advertising and editorial without telling this. If you promote in a publication, ensure you ask them about the opportunity for linked posts to your content and retweets on their social media channels. This should help give you fantastic promotions and increase the number of followers on your own accounts.

Conclusion

Consumers today are bombarded with different content from different resources. Thus many internet users ignore ads on web pages or even install software to block them entirely.

A combination of editorial, advertorial, and sponsored content can help you reach your target audience in a non-invasive way and even improve your brand’s credibility.