When other marketing methods prove ineffective, native advertising becomes a powerful tool for promoting your business. Its main advantage lies in seamless integration with the platform, making your ad visually consistent with typical posts. For instance, on LinkedIn, users might not even distinguish your ad from regular content, ensuring a smoother and less intrusive experience. The main advantage of native advertising is its widespread presence on everything from publisher websites to social media channels. Statistics show that people view native ads 53% more often than traditional ones, and they can boost brand promotion by up to 82%.
In this article, we have compiled different types of native advertising to help you choose and determine which type is right for you.
Type 1: In-Feed/In-Content Native Ads
In-feed and in-content blocks promote sponsored content by integrating it consistently into a publication’s list of articles, making it appear as part of the natural flow of content. This type of native advertising gained popularity through platforms like Upworthy and Buzzfeed, which feature sponsored articles. However, its effectiveness has become a bone of contention in the marketing world, as it highlights the need to distinguish between native advertising and content marketing.
In-feed and in-content native ads differ not in format but in location where they are placed. Let’s look at how each works and why they matter.
- In-feed native ads appear within the regular content of a website or app, often in users’ news feeds or on social media platforms. These ads are effective because they blend perfectly with surrounding content, usually labeled as “sponsored” or “promoted.” They can include static images or videos and usually include a call-to-action button that encourages user engagement.
- In-content native ads are integrated directly into a single content, such as a news article. These ads are typically placed between paragraphs or at the end of the article, creating a logical and non-intrusive experience similar to in-feed ads.
What specifically can in-feed or in-content native ads include:
- Content guidelines
- Highlights from downloadable white papers or reports
- Infographics
- Text-based information
- Video content
- Event and email registration forms
This type of native advertising is perfect for promoting branded content hosted on external URLs or a publisher’s site. It also encourages user actions such as signing up for a newsletter, registering for events, or downloading whitepapers and reports.
Type 2: Content Recommendation Ads
Search engines often display products through widgets when searching for a product online, whether a wood saw or a book by your favorite author. These widgets, typically labeled as ‘recommended,’ ‘sponsored,’ or ‘you may also be interested in,’ have become a standard and organic part of the user experience – and people actively engage with them. Thus, Content Recommendation Ads enable brands to connect with large publisher audiences, driving traffic to their websites.
How does content recommendation ads work?
This type of native advertising is utilized in various website plugins and software platforms. Content-based recommendation tools primarily use keywords and tags to suggest content, but it’s also crucial to consider how users interact with the content they’re currently viewing. Hybrid recommendation tools, which combine both approaches, can offer even more accurate suggestions.
An essential part of achieving your content recommendation goals is strategic placement: positioning your content where visitors are most likely to engage. We recommend placing ads at the end of articles or videos, providing a natural next step for visitors after they finish reading.
Why is this type of native advertising useful?
With content recommendation widgets, brands can promote their products and services in a completely natural way, without setting the customer in a negative direction, but on the contrary, giving him exactly what he is looking for or close to it. These widgets can also appear during site visits and are formed based on the user’s recent searches in the search engine. This serves as a kind of reminder for the user what he was trying to find in the search and can lead to a quick purchase. This natural and unobtrusive process makes this type of native advertising useful for your business.
Who are content recommendation widgets for:
- Publishers and media companies who want to increase audience engagement by offering them additional relevant content,
- Brands that use content marketing to attract potential customers,
- Brands and advertisers who seek to promote their products or services by targeting the key audience of large platforms,
- Content marketers are trying to increase user time on the site through personalized recommendations.
Type 3: Branded/Native Content
Branded/native content refers to paid content from a brand published in the same format as an editorial article on a publisher’s site, often created in collaboration with the publisher’s content teams, according to the IAB. This typically includes sponsored or partnered content. Traditionally, publishers or content marketing agencies produce native content for brands, though many large organizations now have their content marketing teams. You can combine various methods, such as social media or influencer marketing, to promote native advertising, but it’s important to remember that this type of advertising should be uniquely yours.
Forbes’ BrandVoice
Sometimes, brands and publishers have the opportunity to form deeper partnerships than just a one-off article. A prime example is Forbes’ BrandVoice, a revolutionary native advertising model. With BrandVoice, brands get their subsidiary site to publish content, reaching Forbes’ large and influential audience. Launched 12 years ago with SAP, BrandVoice has since attracted over 500 advertisers.
One way it works: sponsored articles via PRNEWS.IO
Branded or native content ads are paid ads published in the same format as editorial articles on a publisher’s website. While sponsored content is now more common on social media, sponsored articles generate significant traffic. Being featured on platforms like Forbes has transitioned from a distant dream to a tangible opportunity, allowing even smaller brands to gain visibility in world-renowned publications. Sponsored articles typically appear in the featured section with a CTA button that leads to a separate page. PRNEWS.IO offers native advertising in the form of sponsored articles across top platforms, including The Guardian, The Times, The Economist, and many more.
Why sponsored articles promotion works:
- Increased visibility on well-known and influential sites builds trust with readers and potential buyers,
- Improved discoverability: Sponsored articles make it easier for customers to find and learn about your brand,
- Clear presentation of values: You can effectively communicate your company’s values, ensuring customers understand them from the start,
- Relevance and timing: Your article will be placed in the right context at the right time, enhancing its relevance to the audience.
Type 4: Promoted Listings
Customers’ tendency to shop regularly works in your favor, as it ensures they frequently encounter promoted listings. While the native advertising industry has debated whether to classify paid search ads and display ads as native, they remain an integral part of native advertising.
Contradictory principles of work
Typically found on non-content-based websites, such as e-commerce sites, Promoted Listings appear alongside the products or services offered. Sponsored Products function similarly to search ads: when a user searches for something, the search engine remembers it, and that product will follow them across the web. Promoted Listings extend to social networks, as Meta has updated its personalized advertising policy.
While this isn’t organic content within the site’s ecosystem, it remains effective. Promoted Listings appear in-stream and align with the page’s purpose, introducing audiences to new behaviors through narrowly targeted ads. This is why they often trigger direct responses from consumers. In addition to helping businesses promote their products, classified ads are becoming more cost-effective. For example, eBay now only charges customers for classified ads once a sale is made, making it a more affordable option for sellers.
Key benefits of promoted listing
- Maximize visibility by advertising your products in both international and domestic markets;
- No efforts: automatic selection of products, rates, keywords, and campaign settings, ensuring maximum sales growth with minimal advertising costs;
- Advertising cost optimization: Services like Webinterpret give you full control over costs and optimize campaigns according to your budget.
- Strategic product selection: Focus on promoting only the most effective products to maximize sales.
Is it worth it to promote listings?
Sales performance largely depends on what you’re selling. For example, products like clothes and shoes often generate high sales because they are in constant demand, leading to natural visibility. These items typically get a lot of organic views without much extra effort. On the other hand, less popular products may not attract as many views initially, so you may need to promote them more actively to push your listing higher than those of other sellers, helping you achieve faster sales.
If you experiment with promotions, it’s crucial to monitor your results closely. eBay provides data on impressions, views, and sales from both promoted and organic listings. You need to analyze this data and determine whether the promotions are generating enough sales to justify replacing organic sales.
Type 5: Paid Search Ads
Paid search advertising appears at the top of search results or in prominent positions, guaranteeing optimal placement on platforms like Google and Bing. It is used for search engine marketing and can target individual domains, as well as businesses based on the user’s location and preferences. They generally look the same as normal results on a page, but are usually labeled as “sponsored” or “advertisements.”
Why paid search ads work?
Native search ads appear in-stream and align with the page’s content, making them relevant to users. As search results are links, these ads reflect the content’s behavior and are highly targeted to trigger direct responses like sales, downloads, or data collection. While users are more likely to click on ads that match their search, there’s a risk involved, as people generally have a more negative perception of ads.
How to use paid search ads?
The goal of this form of online marketing is to connect paid advertising to people who are searching for a product or service. The most popular payment model offered by the search engine is CPC (cost per click), which involves paying per click. While individual clicks may seem costly, well-designed campaigns can reduce this cost. Ads are shown only to users actively searching for what you offer, increasing the chances of conversions. In the long run, the return from sponsored links often exceeds the cost.
Paid ads advantages
The advantage of this type of native advertising is its flexibility, which allows you to easily control the budget. This is useful during time-limited promotional campaigns, such as sales or promotion of new collections. Another advantage is its versatility, as paid search results can also target at business customers. Blue links or image links at the top of the first search page are more popular than results at the bottom. So, let’s wrap up:
- Reaching specific target groups, i.e. consumers, business customers, or other people;
- Personalized ads are more effective than those that are simply targeted to everyone;
- Availability of analytical data that allows for the analysis of traffic in a store or on a website, as well as the determination of various metrics, e.g. conversion rate.
Type 6: In-Ad (IAB Standard)
In-Ads appear in standard IAB containers outside the editorial area but still feature contextually relevant content and native elements. For example, on a recipe site, you might see an ad for related recipes while looking up how to cook duck. These out-of-stream ads are relevant to the page’s context and are sold with guaranteed placement, ensuring the advertiser knows what content will surround their ad. They match the site’s functionality, introduce new user behaviors, and are narrowly targeted to drive brand engagement.
IAB standard ads
To avoid problems and misunderstandings, the IAB has established a master ad size standard so your business gets the best experience with this type of native advertising. By using regular ad sizes, publishers can maximize their websites’ display advertising revenue. This way, publishers are likely to remain high. Here IAB standards are explained:
- IAB standard ads refer to a set of three most common ad sizes: 728×90 (full banner), 300×250 (medium rectangle), and 160×600 (skyscraper);
- The new ad portfolio also includes other ad sizes, including smartphone banners (300×50, 320×50), billboards (970×250), and portraits (300×600).
Benefits of IAB standards
- Simplified creation of promotional resources,
- Consistently display ads on multiple devices,
- Guiding publishers exploring new social media technologies,
- Better user experience,
- Publishers using ad networks like Google AdSense can maximize earnings with IAB standard ads.
Type 7: Exotic Types of Native Advertising
Exotic examples of native advertising can be found not only in the jungle but also in history. A notable case is Nikolai Shustov, who founded a Moscow-based distillery in 1863. By the early 20th century, Shustov’s cognac gained international recognition, winning the Grand Prix at the 1900 World Alcohol Exhibition in Paris. This success catapulted the brand across Europe, with promotional efforts in Russia involving unconventional strategies.
The point of advertising is to make an impact, and Shustov’s strategies were certainly unconventional. His ads appeared in newspapers as notes, poems, feuilletons, fables, jokes, or caricatures, all mentioning cognac or other liqueurs. He even went so far as to bribe actors – one famous actress playing Larisa in A.N. Ostrovsky’s ‘The Dowry’ was asked to serve ‘Shustov’s cognac,’ even though the brand didn’t exist when the play was written. Shustov also struck deals with students who would go to bars and demand his cognac. If it wasn’t available, a fight would ensue, and the next day, the incident would be reported in the newspapers. Such aggressive promotion sometimes caused outrage, as seen in a note from ‘Revelskie Izvestia’s’ ‘City Diary’:
“A half-length portrait of a man in a gilded frame was recently placed on the platform of the Revel station. The Caucasian figure, resembling a popular resort conductor, holds a glass in his hand, smiling as he enjoys the drink. The large inscription ‘Shustov’s Cognac’ clearly identifies this as an advertisement for the brand. However, it raises the question: how is it ethically acceptable to display such seductive imagery in public spaces? It would be more appropriate to place these portraits in private rooms at buffets, not on the platforms of state railway stations, where students and children are exposed to them. The Revel teaching community will likely petition for the removal of this ‘public drunkard’ image and request its relocation to a more suitable location.”
This historical case of Shustov’s advertising is a vivid example of the aggressive use of native advertising, where the promotion methods, although effective in attracting attention, raised ethical questions. It is important to remember that although native advertising should be integrated into the context of the environment in which it appears, it should not violate ethical norms and influence minors or vulnerable categories of the audience. This incident highlights the importance of the balance between the creativity of advertising and its responsibility to society. Therefore, advertising should be chosen wisely and with understanding, as it directly affects your reputation.
How to Use PRNEWS.IO for Native Advertising: A Step-by-Step Guide
Create your PRNEWS.IO account and complete your company profile with business information and payment details. The platform serves as a marketplace connecting advertisers with publishers for native advertising placement.
Search for media outlets that match your needs using essential filters:
- Geographic location and language
- Industry focus and audience type
- Website traffic and pricing
- Publisher reputation metrics
Write your article following the publisher’s guidelines, maintaining a natural, editorial tone while clearly marking it as sponsored content. Submit your content through the platform and wait for publisher approval, which typically takes 1-3 business days.
Invest time in thorough publisher research and focus on creating valuable content that resonates with your target audience. Keep sponsored content disclosures clear and compliant with local advertising regulations. Start with a modest test budget to evaluate performance before scaling up your campaigns.
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