How to label an advertorial: you place three visible elements on the first screen — a clear commercial label, identification of the paying sender, and commercial links with the rel="sponsored" attribute. Without these components the material can be classed as disguised advertising, whatever the quality of the text. You label on the page, not only in the CMS or in the contract; the reader has to see the commercial origin before reading the editorial headline.
Why do you label paid material before publication?
You label paid material because the law requires online commercial communications to be clearly identified and forbids paid editorial context without disclosure. Romanian Law 363/2007, Annex 1, point 11 (consolidated text) describes promoting a paid-for product without a clear mention — an unfair practice regardless of severity.
Law 365/2002, Article 6(2) (consolidated text) completes the picture for online: commercial communications are identified as such, and the payer is named. Liability is joint (Law 148/2000, Article 18 — text). The definition of the paid format is on the advertorial page — this guide is the step-by-step procedure. For the difference from a press release, see press release versus advertorial.
What are the three mandatory labelling steps?
The procedure applies identically on your own site, on a third-party blog or on a publishing platform. The order matters for verification — an auditor or an editor looks for these three elements on the first screen, before reading the content. Skip a step and the labelling is incomplete, even if the rest of the text is impeccable.
Step 1: A visible commercial label
Above the headline or immediately below it, place an explicit text: “Advertorial”, “Sponsored content” or “Paid press release”. The font and contrast have to be comparable with the headline — not a footer, not a tooltip, not a category invisible on the page.
Wordings that do not meet the requirement:
- “Partner” without a mention of payment;
- “Recommendation” or “Top products”;
- a mention only in the meta description or in the contract with the client.
Step 2: Identifying the paying sender
Immediately after the label, the name of the company that paid for or sent the material, in a form such as: “Material sent by [Company name]” or “The content belongs to [Company name]”. The name has to match the one in the contract — not internal abbreviations the reader does not recognise. On comunicate.top, paid material is published under the Press release account, not under Comunicate editorial team — the byline is part of the labelling.
Step 3: Marked commercial links
Every link to the client's site, the campaign page or a partner named as a beneficiary receives the rel="sponsored" attribute. Google requires paid links to be qualified, in its guide on sponsored links. The label and the identification of the payer provide transparency for the reader; the attribute qualifies the commercial relationship for the search engine.
Also check the links in call-to-action buttons, clickable images and footers — not just the anchor text in the body. In WordPress, the block editor allows the attribute in the link panel; in hand-written HTML you insert rel="sponsored" in the <a> tag. Nofollow links without sponsored do not replace the commercial transparency obligation.
What does correct labelling look like on the page?
Correct labelling is checked visually in the browser, not only in the editor: label above the headline, identified sender, commercial links with the attribute in the HTML. Below, an example of a structure adapted to editor blocks — adapt the wording, keep the order of the three elements.
[Label: Sponsored content]
Material sent by Example Ltd. The content and the claims are the sender's responsibility.
## The headline of the paid material
First paragraph...
<a href="https://example.com/product" rel="sponsored">Product page</a>Visual checklist for checking in the browser:
| Check | Where you look | OK if |
|---|---|---|
| Label | first screen, above the headline | explicit sponsored/paid text |
| Sender | under the label or in the byline | a named company, not just “the editorial team” |
| Links | view-source or inspector | rel="sponsored" on commercial URLs |
| Page author | page metadata | client account, not the editorial account |
On mobile, also check that the label is visible without zooming — many sessions read from a phone. If the label appears only on desktop, the labelling is incomplete for part of the audience.
The side-by-side comparison with the editorial press release is on the page press release versus advertorial.
What do you check on different formats?
The same three elements apply whatever the channel — third-party site, own blog, social media or newsletter. Only the technical implementation differs: HTML on a site, native labels on social platforms, a mention in the first paragraph of the newsletter. Check each channel separately; material that is correct on the site but unmarked in the email promoting it remains incomplete.
Articles on a third-party site. The publisher (the hosting site) checks the label and the links before publication — it is jointly liable. You, as the client, send material that is already labelled; rewriting that hides the commercial origin is a shared responsibility.
Posts on your own blog. The same rules — “your own blog” does not exempt you from Law 365/2002. If you hire an influencer to write on their blog about your paid product, labelling is mandatory there.
Social media. Paid posts on social platforms have native labels (#ad, #publicitate); if you redirect to a paid article on a site, the labelling also applies on the destination page.
Newsletter. Every edition that includes paid material needs a mention in the subject or in the first paragraph — not just at the end of the edition.
Downloadable PDF. If you offer paid material as a whitepaper, the first page carries the same label as the web article — do not hide the commercial origin behind the cover.
Mistakes that void the labelling
Four errors appear often: the newsroom's byline, a label only in the CMS, links without the attribute, hidden commercial rewriting. Each can bring joint sanctions — the check is before publication, not after a complaint. The publisher and the client are liable together if the material misleads.
The newsroom's byline on paid text. The reader believes the material was assessed editorially — exactly the scenario forbidden at point 11 of Annex 1.
A label only in the CMS category. A category invisible on the page does not inform the reader; the legal check is done on what the public sees.
Editorial rewriting of the client's message. If you transform paid material so it “reads like a guide”, you shift the perception from payment to an implicit recommendation by the newsroom.
UTM links without rel=sponsored. Tracking parameters do not replace the paid-link attribute.
Mixing paid format and press release without a boundary. A single document alternating facts and unmarked paid promotion confuses the format — separate them, or label the commercial section in full.
The publishing rules on comunicate.top are detailed in the publishing rules.
For the medical, supplements or credit verticals, the legal filters are additional — check the client's documents before publication, not just the visual label. A refusal is justified with the legal basis, not with editorial preference.
If the client sends material already published unlabelled on another site, do not take it “as is” — correct the labelling or refuse. Republishing an unlabelled text does not transfer responsibility to the new publisher; it shares it.
How do you label on platforms without HTML control?
On social networks you use the native labels (#publicitate, #ad). The link in the post leads to a page with the same three elements — label, sender, links with the attribute. The label in the post does not exempt the page. A newsletter without full HTML carries the commercial mention in the first visible paragraph, not at the end of the edition.
Final checklist before publication
Go through the list on the live version of the page — not on the draft in the CMS. Open the article in an incognito window and check the first screen as a reader who does not know the contractual context. If a single point fails, the labelling is incomplete whatever the quality of the text.
- Commercial label visible on the first screen.
- Name of the paying sender, with a responsibility statement.
- The page author is not the editorial account.
- All links to the client carry
rel="sponsored". - Factual claims can be proven on request (Law 148/2000, Article 20).
- The material respects the filters of its vertical (medicines, credit, gambling, etc.).
- No promises of media coverage as a substitute for labelling.
Document the check in an internal file — date, person, screenshot of the first screen. In an audit, proof of the process counts alongside the page's compliance. Refuse publication if the client asks for the label to be removed — do not negotiate legal transparency against the fee. A documented refusal beats a later sanction.
Labelling is part of the deliverable, not an option to remove. See what the brief for publication, or writing plus publication, contains, which documents may be requested and which results cannot be guaranteed before acceptance.
The label is also one of the criteria for choosing a publication: whoever offers unmarked links at a low price has no readers to lose. The other criteria, in order, are in how to choose the sites for advertorials; the special rules for clinics and pharmacies, in healthcare advertorials.
Frequently asked questions
Is the label “Advertorial” enough?
Yes, if it is visible, legible and placed before the content. It has to be completed with the sender's identification and marked links — the label alone does not cover the other obligations. Check on mobile: if the label falls off the first screen, move it up or increase the contrast against the background.
Can I use “Press release” for a paid text?
Yes, if the material announces facts and is labelled as paid or sent by the client. If the purpose is pure promotion without verifiable news, the correct format is explicit commercial material — see the guide on the advertorial.
Who is liable if the labelling is missing?
Jointly: the client, the author of the material and the site that publishes (Law 148/2000, Article 18). The publisher checks before publication. Keep the client's approval email stating they saw the label — useful in a dispute, without replacing the visual check on the page.
Do I also mark links to partner shops?
Yes, if the link is part of the campaign's commercial advantage. Any paid link, or link conditional on payment, receives rel="sponsored".
Does paid material on my own blog need the same three elements?
Yes. Law 365/2002 applies to all online commercial communications, whatever the domain. The labels “sponsored” and “advertorial” are both valid if they mention the payment explicitly.
Last updated: 19 August 2026.