The difference between a press release and an advertorial does not lie in payment — both can be paid — but in purpose, structure and transparency. The press release announces a verifiable fact; paid commercial material promotes a product or service. Without visible labelling, the difference becomes legally irrelevant — both can fall under disguised advertising (Romanian Law 363/2007, Annex 1, point 11).
What is the main difference?
| Element | Press release | Advertorial |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | informing about an event or decision | promoting a product or service |
| Tone | factual, third person | persuasive, benefit-oriented |
| Lead | who, what, when, where | problem plus solution (the product) |
| Control of the message | the issuer provides facts | the client controls the narrative |
| Editorial pick-up | the editor decides | rarely picked up as news |
| Labelling if paid | mandatory | mandatory |
| Commercial links | rel="sponsored" if paid | rel="sponsored" |
A release about a product launch can be a genuine press release — if the lead announces the fact (“Company X launches product Y on the Romanian market from...”) and contains verifiable data. It becomes an advertorial if the text exists only to praise features without new news.
When do you choose a press release?
Choose the press release when you have a new, verifiable fact: a launch, an acquisition, an appointment, financial results, a new office or a signed partnership. The simple test: if you remove the product's name and a story about the company remains, the format is a press release, not promotional material or an unlabelled advertorial.
Examples of facts that justify the format:
- the opening of a factory, with date and place;
- the signing of a contract with a declared value;
- the publication of quarterly financial results;
- the appointment of a chief executive.
The complete procedural guide is in how to write a press release. Long-term educational material — blogs, guides — is separated from PR in content marketing: how it relates to PR.
When do you choose an advertorial?
Choose the advertorial when the main purpose is promotion — the benefits of an existing product, a seasonal campaign — without a new, verifiable event. Honesty towards the reader requires a visible commercial label from the first screen, whatever the publishing channel or platform.
The advertorial is not illegal. What is illegal is publishing it as if it were an editorial article, without a label — exactly the scenario forbidden by Annex 1 of Law 363/2007. The labelling steps are in how to label an advertorial.
Which legal obligations do both formats share?
Whatever the format, if there is payment or a commercial advantage, you apply four rules: a visible label, identification of the payer, links with rel="sponsored", and the availability on request of the documents supporting factual claims. The publisher is jointly liable with the client under Law 148/2000, Article 18 — author, producer and publishing medium.
- Visible label — “Advertorial”, “Paid press release”, “Sponsored content”.
- Identification of the payer — Law 365/2002, Article 6(2)(b).
- Marked links —
rel="sponsored"on commercial links. - Joint liability — author, advertising producer, publishing medium (Law 148/2000, Article 18).
For regulated products (over-the-counter medicines, supplements, credit, gambling), specific requirements are added — approvals, mandatory mentions, representative examples. The material is refused if it does not meet them, whatever the format. The complete list depends on the category of the promoted product.
How do you recognise disguised advertising?
Disguised advertising looks editorial but promotes without labelling: it praises a product without a new fact, hides the payment, uses the newsroom's byline on paid text, or promises unverifiable results. The signals below need no interpretation — if two or more appear, the material has to be relabelled or refused.
Warning signals — the material looks editorial, but:
- it praises a product without a new, verifiable fact;
- it does not mention the payment or the commercial sender;
- it uses the newsroom's byline on a paid text;
- it compares disparagingly with competitors without measurable criteria;
- it promises results it cannot demonstrate.
Rewording does not change the legal classification if the purpose remains unlabelled promotion. You label it, identify the payer and apply the filters of the vertical.
A comparative example (form, not text to copy)
Press release — a valid version: “Company X announces the launch of accounting platform Y, available from 1 September 2026. The platform processes up to 500 invoices a month. 'We built Y for companies with 1–10 employees,' says Ana Popescu, product director.”
Advertorial — a valid version (labelled): “[Advertorial — Company X] Platform Y simplifies invoicing for SMEs. The export function cuts filing time. [Link with rel=sponsored]”
Both can coexist for the same product, at different moments: a press release at launch, an advertorial in a later campaign — with distinct labelling.
If you are still choosing between press release, advertorial and SEO article, see advertorial or SEO article and the service pages for publishing an advertorial and publishing an SEO article. They show the purpose of each format, the acceptance rules and the information needed to classify the material.
Frequently asked questions
Can a press release be paid?
Yes. Paying for publication does not automatically turn the release into an advertorial — what counts is the content and the labelling. If you announce a real fact, you label the payment; if you only promote, it is an advertorial even without a payment to the publisher (promotion is commercial communication).
Can you send an advertorial as a “press release”?
You can use the submission channel, but the label in the document has to reflect the nature of the material. The title “Press release” on a purely promotional text with no new news misleads the recipient — and the end reader, if it is published unlabelled.
Can the newsroom rewrite a press release?
Yes, the journalist rewords freely. A paid advertorial is usually published in the agreed form, with a label — editorial rewriting that hides the commercial origin is problematic.
Which format has better chances of organic pick-up?
The press release with real news, sent to the right newsroom at the right time. The advertorial does not aim for editorial pick-up — it aims for the publisher's direct audience.
Where does each format publish on comunicate.top?
The editorial team's own material (guides) appears under the Comunicate editorial team account. Material sent by companies appears under Press release, with a visible label and marked commercial links. The separation is mandatory — not negotiable at publication.
Last updated: 19 August 2026.