Advertorial Pre-Sells

An advertorial pre-sell is an article-style page that sits between your ad and your product page. Instead of sending cold traffic straight to a sales page, you send it to a story that explains the problem and introduces the product. Visitors arrive at the product page with context and a reason to care.

How it works

People who have never heard of you have no trust and no context. A product page asks them to decide before they know why it matters. An advertorial reads like a magazine article or blog post. It tells a relatable story, describes the problem, and presents the product as a solution. By the time readers click through, they understand the offer.

How to do it

1. Write a headline that promises useful information, such as “How I finally fixed my back pain.”
2. Tell a story that matches your customer’s experience. Describe the problem in specific terms.
3. Use an editorial layout: body text, subheadings, pull quotes, images. Leave out site navigation and product promos in the first half of the page.
4. Add credibility inside the story: expert quotes, sources, and customer testimonials.
5. About two-thirds of the way through, introduce the product as what solved the problem. Add social proof and a link to the product page.
6. Test one variable at a time: story angle, headline style, or CTA format (text link, button, or product card).
7. Label the page as sponsored or advertising where platform rules or law require it.

What to measure

• Read-through rate: Share of visitors who scroll at least 75% of the article.
• Click-through to product page: Share of advertorial visitors who click to the product page.
• Full-funnel ROAS: Revenue divided by ad spend across ad, advertorial, product page, and purchase. Compare it to sending the same ads straight to the product page.

Best practices

• Write at a plain reading level. Keep paragraphs to two or three sentences.
• Match the ad creative to the article style. An ad that looks like a product promo sets the wrong expectation.
• Use “continue reading” or “see how it works” CTAs on the article. Close the sale on the product page.

Common pitfalls

• Writing something so salesy it reads like a long ad. Readers who feel tricked leave and remember the brand.
• Making the article too long for the traffic source. Social traffic usually reads less than search or native traffic.
• Using only one CTA at the bottom. Add inline links so readers who stop early can still reach the product.