Media types

Sponsored content

sponsored article · paid post

Definition

Sponsored content is editorial-looking material the brand paid the publisher to run. It is paid media. Disclosures should be clear. Google wants rel="sponsored" on paid links. Filing a sponsored article as a digital PR hit is how SEO and legal both get angry.

Some newsrooms have strong native desks; the writing can be good. The payment still moves the row.

How it works

Label it in the clip report as paid. Do not pitch reporters the same story as if it were independent coverage the next day. If the contract includes a follow link, use sponsored rel, not a fake earned href.

Worked example

$12,000 native article in a trade, labeled Sponsored, links with rel=sponsored to a campaign URL. Separate: a reporter at the same group later files a reported piece. Two rows: paid, then earned.

How it differs

Advertorial is the older print name. Native advertising is paid that matches the feed format. An earned contributed article had no fee. A brand deal with a creator is paid too.

Common errors

No disclosure. rel=dofollow on a paid link. Screenshotting the native piece for an “as seen in” earned wall.

Sources