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Advertiser Guidelines for Native from the Washington Post

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A typical BrandConnect campaign is about $50,000. The BrandConnect page includes information about the program.

Native advertising programs often involve educating advertisers about how these programs work. The Washington Post has included their guidelines on a Brand Connections page where all the "examples" are housed.

Find their guidelines to future native advertisers at this link, and republished with permission below:

BEST PRACTICES

Washington Post readers trust us to provide them with everything they need to understand the world around them. They’re smart. They’re influential. They’re educated. They’re business-minded. They’re powerful. They want to consume and share content that is well-written and produced. This means that what you create through WP BrandConnect Studio is valuable to readers: material that makes them think, feel, laugh, share and want more.

• Tell a visual story

• Be subtle

• Go beyond a press release

• Write for readers, not experts

• Grab attention

• Provide value

• Create unique content

• Offer behind-the-scenes glimpses

• Offer an exclusive

• Share some outtakes

• Offer background context

• Include all platforms

• Adapt to breaking news

• Always be prepared

• Leverage human interest

TIPS FOR PRINT

  • Print is trustworthy. The printed word is still most often perceived as more credible than what can be found on the web.
  • People can “disconnect” with print. More than ever, people are choosing to take time to disconnect from their digital devices and instead engage and spend more time with print. As such, people are in a different frame of mind, can be engaged for longer periods of time and are open to different types of messages.
  • Print is palpable and has the perception of permanence. Readers still enjoy the physicality of print. Having a print component to your native strategy says something about your organization and the message you’re trying to send: You care about engaging with your consumer over the long term.
  • The focus of print is customer retention. You’re not trying to “sell” the reader; you’re trying to engage with them to create brand loyalty.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER

In order to create the most successful content with WP BrandConnect, we suggest asking yourself the following questions before you start:

  • Why am I producing/promoting this content?
  • What marketing problems does it answer, and how?
  • What does a successful end to this campaign look like?
  • Who is accountable for the story of my brand?
  • What’s the difference between a consumer who reads this content and one who doesn’t?
Washington post, native, brandconnect