The popularity of sponsored content has led more people to view articles online with a degree of skepticism. The era of directly inserting links into soft articles has passed, and this requires our sponsored content to be written in a more covert manner. This "covert" approach does not mean hiding the advertisement information in an inconspicuous corner of the article. Nor does it mean taking many detours to eventually get to the advertisement. Below, let's discuss how to more effectively embed advertising information within sponsored content:
1. Make good use of the article’s storyline, integrating the advertisement seamlessly with the article.
[Example]. “I playfully asked, why is Qian Guan Alley called an alley when it’s clearly a street? That immediately stumped him. Watching him scratch his head in confusion made me feel quite pleased... There’s a photography studio in Shaoxing called Bashasha Photography, and my name is Sasha. Bashasha, flattering Sasha. If you want to flatter me, go to Bashasha Photography on Qian Guan Alley!” — Excerpt from *Happiness in 2009: I Married Myself Off to Shaoxing*
This is a piece of sponsored content for a physical wedding photography studio. To highlight the location of the studio—Qian Guan Alley—and the name of the studio—Bashasha—the protagonist in the story uses their own words to achieve the advertising effect. Such advertisements are closely intertwined with the article, leaving readers subconsciously remembering the address of Qian Guan Alley in Shaoxing and the name of the photography studio, Bashasha.
2. The core advertisement should appear more than once; don’t just mention it in passing.
[Example]. “…What exactly happened? Let’s follow reporter Yang Zhiruan to find out. Below is the exclusive interview conducted by our site’s reporter Yang Zhiruan with Mr. Yi Ji. Yang Zhiruan: Mr. YJ, hello. Under what circumstances did you throw your shoe at Mr. Bush?” — Excerpt from *Yang Zhiruan Exclusively Analyzes the Mystery Behind Throwing a Shoe at Bush*
This article adopts an interview format, where the name of the interviewer, Yang Zhiruan, naturally appears multiple times, reinforcing memory. Another benefit of having the advertisement appear multiple times is that when others attempt to modify or remove the ad from your article, they may only change one or two instances out of three. Many people, in order to achieve a "soft" effect, allow the advertisement information to pass by quickly. However, please don't forget the ultimate purpose of sponsored content. The advertisement information should not only be placed in a prominent position within the soft article but should ideally appear twice or more.
3. Advertisements should not be dull; leave room for reflection.
[Example]. “I felt like I had lost my soul as I aimlessly browsed through things on the web, but I didn’t know what was actually on the internet. It seemed like all sorts of random things written by someone named Yang Zhiruan. Yang Ziyuan knows about it, but he doesn’t know who Yang Zhiruan is.” — Excerpt from *Once Again at the Internet Cafe Door: A Feisty Girl Battles the Perverted Netizens*
The original intention of this passage was to emphasize the individual named Yang Zhiruan. However, simply stating “something written by someone named Yang Zhiruan” would likely cause most people to forget the name. On the other hand, Yang Ziyuan is someone everyone knows. By contrasting the two, Yang Zhiruan naturally becomes memorable.
Everyone knows that good sponsored content should achieve “soaking in with the night breeze, nourishing silently without being noticed.” Nowadays, most sponsored content can manage to “soak in with the night breeze,” but whether it can truly “nourish” is often overlooked. The direct purpose of soft articles is advertising. Simply writing a good article while casually including an advertisement won’t make people remember what you’re trying to promote. In fact, they might even regard all related articles as mere sponsored content. In summary, when embedding advertisements, we need to consider both emphasizing the ad and avoiding causing any aversion from the readers.