Source: https://octet-prow.app/guides/advertorial-vs-native-ad

# Advertorial vs native ad: what native ads are and what each one does

By the Octet Prow team Updated Oct 16, 2026 · 4 min read
Short answer
A native ad is a short paid placement that matches the look of the feed or site it appears in; its job is to earn a click. An advertorial is the article-style page that click lands on; its job is to explain the problem and lead to a product. They are usually used together: native ad first, advertorial second, product page last.

## What native ads are

Native ads are paid ads that take the form of the content around them, so they appear in the flow of a feed, an article page or an app instead of in a separate banner slot. A native ad is short (an image or video, a headline, sometimes a line of text) and it is marked as sponsored or promoted by the platform.

| Where native ads appear | What they look like |
| --- | --- |
| Social feeds, such as Facebook and Instagram | A post in the feed, labelled as sponsored |
| Publisher sites, through native ad networks such as Taboola and Outbrain | A “recommended for you” card under or beside an article |
| Apps, through ad networks such as Google AdMob | An ad laid out like the app’s own list items or cards |
| Search and shopping results | A promoted result in the same format as the others |

Its only job is to make the right person curious enough to click.

## What an advertorial is

An advertorial is a full page written like an editorial article and paid for by a brand. It answers the reader’s question, explains the problem and introduces the product as a sensible answer. It lives on the brand’s own site or a landing page, not inside the ad platform, so the brand controls its length, layout and content.
For a step-by-step method, see How to write an advertorial.

## Advertorial vs native ad, side by side

|  | Native ad | Advertorial |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Where it appears | Inside a feed, widget or results list on someone else’s platform | On your own page, after the click |
| Job | Earn the click | Explain, then send the reader to the offer |
| Length | A headline and an image or short video | An article, from a few hundred words up |
| Who sets the format | The ad platform | You |
| Typical measure | Click-through rate and cost per click | Click-through to the offer and sales from it |

## How they work together

Diagram The usual sequence: the native ad earns the click, the advertorial explains, the product page closes.
The two are written as a pair. The ad makes a promise, and the advertorial’s headline keeps it, using the same words where possible. When they do not match, visitors feel they have landed somewhere else and leave.
- If the ad asks a question, the advertorial headline asks the same question.
- If the ad shows a list (“5 signs…”), the advertorial is that list.
- If the ad uses an image, the advertorial’s first screen shows the same image or the same subject.
You can run several ads to one advertorial, but each ad’s promise has to be answered near the top of the page.

## Labelling sponsored content

Both are advertising and both should be identified as such. Ad platforms label native ads automatically. The advertorial is your page, so the label is your job: a clear “Sponsored” or “Advertisement” near the top, and nothing that suggests the article is independent journalism.
Advertising rules and ad platform policies in many markets require this disclosure, and platforms may reject ads that lead to unlabelled advertorials. Check the rules for each country and platform where you advertise.

## When you need both, and when you need one

- Both: the product needs explaining and the traffic comes from feeds or native networks, where people are not shopping.
- Native ad to the product page: the product is familiar and the ad itself can carry the message, such as a sale or a new release.
- Advertorial without a native ad: you send traffic from email, a partner newsletter or organic social, and the reader still needs context before the offer.
Generate one with AI
Octet Prow generates the advertorial side of the pair: an article-style page from a brief, in your brand’s style, ready to link from your native ads.
AI advertorial generator →
Questions

## Frequently asked questions

What are native ads?
Native ads are paid ads that match the form of the content around them — a sponsored post in a social feed, a recommended-article card on a publisher site, a promoted item in an app — and are labelled as sponsored or promoted.
Are Facebook ads native ads?
Ads in the Facebook and Instagram feeds are usually counted as native ads, because they appear as posts in the feed, in the same format as other posts, marked as sponsored. Where they link to is up to you: a product page or an advertorial.
Is a native ad the same as an advertorial?
No. A native ad is the short placement inside a platform; an advertorial is the article-style page it links to. People sometimes use the words loosely, but they do different jobs.
Do native ads always need an advertorial?
No. If the product is familiar and the offer is the message, a native ad can link straight to the product page. An advertorial helps when the reader needs the problem or the product explained first.
Is sponsored content the same as an advertorial?
“Sponsored content” is a broader term for paid content that looks editorial, including articles a publisher writes for a brand. An advertorial is one form of it, usually written and hosted by the brand itself.

## Related guides

Native ads landing page: what to send native ad traffic to → Where to send traffic from native ads: when to use an advertorial or the product page, matching the ad to the page, what the page needs and how to measure it. How to write an advertorial: structure, formats and examples → How to write an advertorial: five formats that work, a section-by-section structure, a real example taken apart and a checklist before you publish. What is a pre-sell page (prelander)? How it fits between ad and offer → What a pre-sell page or prelander is, why some products need one, what goes on it, how online stores use it, when to skip it and how to tell if it works.
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