The best way to learn to write an advertorial is to see a good one next to a bad one, on the same subject. Below is a complete advertorial for a heating installation company, an invented but typical case, with an explanation of every paragraph, then the same company in the version publications receive daily and refuse. The general rules are in the guide what an advertorial is; this is their application.
The example, paragraph by paragraph
The headline
"What a badly installed gas boiler costs you: three cases from Cluj apartment blocks"
The headline is about the reader's problem, not the company. It contains a cost, a place and a promise of concrete content (three cases). The company name is not in the headline, because nobody searches for it; "badly installed gas boiler" and "Cluj" are what people search for.
Paragraph 1: the situation
"Of the roughly 120 boilers we inspect each year in Cluj, a third have at least one installation problem: the flue too close to a window, an undersized expansion vessel or no filter on the return. None of them shows on day one. All of them show on the winter bill and, sometimes, during the gas company's inspection."
The first sentence gives a figure and a source (the company's experience). The second and third say why it matters to the reader. The company appears implicitly ("we inspect"), without introducing itself.
Paragraph 2: the first case
"The most frequent situation is a flue fitted less than a metre from a window, as we found in February in a flat in Mănăștur. The standard requires at least one metre horizontally; the exhaust gases came back into the kitchen every time the window was ajar. Moving the flue kit cost 450 lei, wall repainting included."
A concrete case, with place, month, standard and price. The repair price is the most useful thing in the paragraph for the reader and the most persuasive argument for the company: it shows they know what they are doing and do not hide costs.
Paragraphs 3 and 4: the other two cases
Same structure: what we found, where, what the standard requires, what it cost. Three cases are enough; a fourth adds length, not credibility.
Paragraph 5: what the reader can check alone
"Two things you can check without a specialist: the distance from the flue to the nearest window, with a tape measure, and the date of the last technical inspection, written on the label on the boiler. If more than two years have passed, the inspection is required by law, not optional."
This paragraph gives something away for free. It is the one that earns the reader's trust and the one they share.
Paragraph 6: the offer
"Termoinstal Cluj carries out the periodic technical inspection for 180 lei, with a written report, in the Mănăștur, Gheorgheni and Zorilor districts, Monday to Saturday. Bookings at termoinstal.example or by phone."
Only here does the name appear, with the service price, the area and the hours: exactly what the reader needs to act, nothing more. A single link, to the booking page, automatically marked as sponsored at publication.
The label
The publication shows "Advertorial" or "Advertising" above the text, in the form it declared. It is not negotiable and it spoils nothing: the reader has read six useful paragraphs and knows who paid for them. Why and how, in how to label an advertorial.
The same company, the wrong version
"Termoinstal Cluj, a leader in heating installations, offers complete boiler installation, inspection and repair services at the best prices in Cluj-Napoca. With a team of experienced professionals and state-of-the-art equipment, we guarantee quality and promptness. Contact us now for a personalised quote!"
The headline would be "Termoinstal Cluj — your partner in heating installations". What is wrong: nothing in the text can be verified ("leader", "best prices", "state-of-the-art"), there is no case, no figure, no price, nothing the reader learns. Home and construction publications refuse the text, or publish it and nobody reads it. The difference between the two versions is not talent but the starting question: the first starts from "what does the reader want to know", the second from "what do we want to say about ourselves".
How to adapt the template
- Clinic or practice: the cases become patient situations, without names, without promises of results; the rules in healthcare advertorials.
- Online shop: the cases become buying mistakes you see in customers; the offer is a category page, not a product page.
- B2B services: the cases become situations inside companies, with cost figures; the offer is an audit or a first conversation with a written price.
- Travel: the cases become tourists' planning mistakes; the offer carries a date and a price, otherwise it stays indexed after it expires.
Length and structure
The example above runs to around 600 words: six paragraphs, one headline, one link. It is the length at which a publication's reader reaches the offer. Under 400 words there is no room for cases; over 1,000 you have a guide, not an advertorial, and then you choose the SEO article format. How the text looks in the catalogue, with price and publications, is on advertorial publishing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the example above as a template?
Yes, the structure is free to use: a headline with problem and place, the situation with a figure, three cases with prices, what the reader can check alone, the offer with price and area. The text itself is invented, so do not copy it; your cases are the argument.
Do I have to give prices in the advertorial?
It is not mandatory, but it is the most persuasive thing you can write. A reader looking for a service wants to know what it costs; whoever stays silent looks like they are hiding something.
How many links do I put in?
One to three, where they help the reader. Which attribute they receive depends on the publication’s link policy, written in the catalogue.
Who writes the advertorial if I have no time?
You can order copywriting in the platform; a person writes it, based on a set of questions about your real cases, at a price you approve beforehand.