And Now A Word From Our Sponsors
Drink like royalty with Crown Royal brand canned cocktails! (Photo courtesy Diageo)
I’ve been writing a lot of what we in the biz call “sponsored content,” also known as advertorials — copy that’s meant to look like a feature but has actually been paid for by the brand, which, um, sponsors the content. There’s nothing shady about it — as long as the articles in question are clearly marked as having been paid for by whoever’s being written up. And making clear which content is sponsored is a non-negotiable rule for any reputable publication. Over the last few years, I’ve seen several of my copywriting friends move almost entirely from editorial to sponsored content, and if you’re thinking that’s because the pay is better, you are absolutely correct. In addition to the extra filthy lucre, I also enjoy the challenge of having to write authoritatively about products that, in many cases at least, I’ve never sampled. In some respects, it’s easier than writing editorial copy because you’re told in advance what to say. On the other hand, it’s a challenge to write something distinctive and interesting without coloring too far outside the lines of tone and content that the client wants.
With that in mind, here are two recent advertorials I’ve written, one of which is quite newsy — and which, a few years ago, I would have written up on the editorial side for less money. The other is more a feature and not the type of thing I normally write at all, which actually made it a lot of fun to do. Make of them both what you will. Oh, and I almost forgot, here are the links!
NEWSY PIECE
Enjoy! And please support our sponsors! (This site, in fact, is sponsor-free, but I’m open to any partnership opportunities, hint hint.)