Sponsored Content Needs More Than Good Storytelling, It Needs a Good Story

Sponsored content doesn’t have to be an oxymoron. As publishers and marketers double down on their commitment to providing deeper branded experiences, instead of traditional advertising, the rules of the road are becoming clearer on both sides. And more so than just four or five years ago; conventions for doing it right have emerged. In talking to a range of publishers of various sizes and categories, we found that the practices ensuring sponsored content maintains a publisher’s voice and integrity take remarkably similar form. Getting it right, making sponsored content serve the interests of readers, publishers and their clients remains a complex process that starts with basic organization and goal setting but also lends itself to certain content formats, as well as execution and measurement regimen.    Think like editors In talking to sources, the consensus seems to be that creating authentic sponsored content starts with how the operation is organized and connected to the editorial team.  “We are a full-service, one-stop shop,” says Adam Ochman, senior VP, creative and strategy at Leaf Group, whose brand portfolio includes Hunker, LiveStrong.com and Well+Good. A full staff of writers focus solely on branded content, with little outsourcing, he says. That keeps the branded content team in day-to-day contact with the company's editors and processes to ensure its brand voices are ingrained. “We operate more like an editorial enterprise,” says Outside's Sam Moulton, who... Continue reading at 'Folio Magazine'

[ Folio Magazine | 2020-03-05 17:34:24 UTC ]
News tagged with: #social distribution #key metric #user experience

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Facebook buys CrowdTangle to help publishers track content

The name CrowdTangle may not be familiar to you, but Facebook just snatched up the company to help its publishers track how content moves around the internet. CrowdTangle's platform launched four years ago, giving companies a real-time look at conten... Continue reading at Engadget

[ Engadget | 2016-11-11 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Story of The Songaminute Man to HQ

HQ has snapped up rights to The Songaminute Man, an "inspirational" memoir of entertainer and "viral sensation", 80-year-old Ted McDermott, told by his son Simon. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-03 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Amazon's New App, Rapids, to Offer Children's Stories

Amazon Rapids is a new children's app that features short, illustrated stories designed to look like the text-chat feature on a smartphone. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vox Media Strikes Deal to Promote StubHub With Content, Integrations and Ads

Digital publisher Vox Media and eBay-owned StubHub have entered into a multi-year custom content partnership that will result in integrations and advertising across Vox's eight media brands, the companies announced Wednesday.Most prominently, team pages on the Vox sports network SB Nation will... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-11-02 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Profoundly moving' story of neuroscientist's brain disorder to Transworld

Transworld is to publish the "extraordinary" story of neuroscientist Dr Barbara Lipska’s own brain "going awry". Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Juno Dawson and Alex T Smith team up for YA story

Author Juno Dawson and illustrator Alex T Smith have teamed up to create a YA novel, which will be published by Barrington Stoke in October next year. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Nielsen Children's Book Summit: YouTube, Discoverability, All Ages Content, and Brands as Platforms

YouTube is the content king, discoverability remains kids' publishing's white whale, top brands are so ubiquitous that they are morphing into de facto platforms, and other takeaways from the 2016 Nielsen Children's Book Summit. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Scribd Adds Magazines to Its Content Offerings

The online reading subscription service is adding magazines to its suite of content offerings, which currently includes ebooks, digital documents and audiobooks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-11-01 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A&E to Air Hearst-Branded Content on Its Networks, Advertisers in Tow

The TV-publisher love-affair isn't over yet. A&E Networks and Hearst Magazines Digital Media are partnering to run Hearst-produced branded videos on A&E's cable networks and digital properties.As part of the deal, marketers will be able to work with the digital divisions of Hearst... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-10-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Hearst Previews New Content and Sponsorship Opportunities at MagFront

When it comes time to woo potential advertisers, TV networks have their upfronts, digital publishers have their NewFronts and, for the past several years, Hearst Magazines has hosted an annual MagFront. On Tuesday, the company hosted its fourth MagFront presentation at Hearst Tower, previewing... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2016-10-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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'Gripping' love story set on Turkish/Syrian border to Daunt Books

Daunt Books Publishing has acquired Elliot Ackerman’s "timely" new novel Dark at the Crossing – a "gripping" contemporary love story set on the Turkish/Syrian border. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Tool, Story Add Female Directors; and More Production Moves

Tool has signed Director and Photographer Danielle Levitt to the integrated production company's live-action roster. She has worked with Marc Jacobs, Reebok, Nike, Sprite and Old Spice. She has also photographed celebrity portraits for Jenna Lyons, Rick Owens and the cast of Broadway's... Continue reading at Advertising Age

[ Advertising Age | 2016-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Making Content Marketing Work For You

POP's Joe McCambley on what publishers large and small are missing. The post Making Content Marketing Work For You appeared first on Folio:. Continue reading at Folio Magazine

[ Folio Magazine | 2016-10-26 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt Book Fair 2016: Bonnier CEO Touts Stories, People

Jacob Dalborg, CEO of Bonnier, was the featured speaker during the CEO panel where he talked about the plans the Swedish publisher has for the future. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-20 00:00:00 UTC ]
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JRR Tolkien's Middle-earth love story to be published next year

Beren and Lúthien, a story of the perilous romance between a man and an elf, is one of a number of texts by the author brought ‘together for the first time’JRR Tolkien’s legend of the mortal man Beren and the immortal elf Lúthien – a story that meant so much to the Lord of the Rings author that... Continue reading at The Guardian

[ The Guardian | 2016-10-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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C&W signs 'heartbreaking' story by PEN International president

Chatto & Windus is to publish Gun Love, a "powerful and heartbreaking" story of a mother and daughter by novelist and PEN International president Jennifer Clement. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Vivek Tiwary: Telling Stories Any Way You Like

After producing award-winning works in music, musical theater and comics, Vivek Tiwary is now writing an illustrated YA novel and working to turn Dave Roman's children's graphic novel 'Astronaut Academy' into a TV series. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly

[ Publishers Weekly | 2016-10-12 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Frankfurt: women-centric stories dominate

The firing pistol for the annual rights frenzy ahead of the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) has sounded, with publishers battling it out to find the next The Girl on the Train as the psychological thriller phenomenon shows little sign of slowing down. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-10 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Virgin Books acquires The Airbnb Story

Virgin Books has acquired The Airbnb Story, the first "definitive" book about the $25.5bn-valued company, to publish in spring 2017. Continue reading at The Bookseller

[ The Bookseller | 2016-10-07 00:00:00 UTC ]
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12 really good new sports books

Here's a grab bag of a dozen new sports books – everything from the golfing reflections of the late great Arnold Palmer to a young woman runner’s global travel adventures to the story of a historic high school football game in Nebraska. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor

[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2016-10-06 00:00:00 UTC ]
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