{"id":69943,"date":"2025-08-05T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-05T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/uncategorized\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/"},"modified":"2025-09-02T08:47:58","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T12:47:58","slug":"the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/","title":{"rendered":"The 2 Rules of Sponsored Content You&#8217;re Not Allowed to Forget"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.writersdigest.com\/what-is-sponsored-content-and-the-impact-on-journalism\">Sponsored content<\/a>, sometimes described as \u201cnative advertising,\u201d is a controversial topic in the world of content marketing. While we\u2019ve covered the great content quantity vs. content quality debate many times, we also wanted to cover an area where we see a lot of brands getting into some trouble.<\/p>\n<p>The reasons for this controversy are clear: Sponsored content is often advertising masquerading as pure editorial content, which can be easily misconstrued by the audience.<\/p>\n<p>Sponsored content must be clearly labeled if there&#8217;s a relationship between the author and brand. Recent rule changes have clarified expectations, and when done right, this content can benefit all parties, as long as it&#8217;s high quality and fully disclosed.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>Quick Takeaways<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><em>Sponsored content is an increasingly popular way for brands to advertise and publishers to generate income.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><em>It\u2019s important to understand advertising disclosure rules so you stay out of trouble or a PR disaster.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><em>Sponsored content must be presented carefully to avoid losing the trust of your audience.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><em>Publishers and brands should work together on conforming to all required standards.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><em>Clear labeling builds transparency and keeps everyone on the right side of the rules.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What Is Sponsored Content?<\/h2>\n<p>But before we get into exactly what those rules are, let\u2019s define exactly what we\u2019re talking about here.<\/p>\n<p>Sponsored content is promotional content that is paid for by a sponsor and published on someone else\u2019s website, blog, social media account, or other platform.<\/p>\n<p>In some cases, the content may be provided by the sponsor. Other times the sponsor may leave the publisher to create it, with stipulations on the general content topic, included keywords, and links.<\/p>\n<p>Examples of sponsored content might include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">A photograph of an influencer wearing an item of clothing provided and paid for by a brand.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">A blog post comparing different VPN services that is sponsored by a particular VPN provider.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">A video on YouTube with a message at the start that a particular advertiser sponsored it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ideally, it should be clear to the reader when content is sponsored, and the content should fit in with the rest of the content on the publisher site and provide some kind of value to the audience.<\/p>\n<p>However, <a href=\"https:\/\/truthinadvertising.org\/resource\/know-sponsored-content\/\">this does not always happen<\/a>. Publishers not disclosing a financial relationship with a sponsor or publishing content that does not align with their audience can quickly erode the trust they have built with their audience and even result in legal issues.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-99505\" src=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content2-596x1024.png\" alt=\"humorous sponsored content example\" width=\"596\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content2-596x1024.png 596w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content2-175x300.png 175w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content2-768x1320.png 768w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content2.png 796w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 596px) 100vw, 596px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brandpoint.com\/blog\/14-examples-of-sponsored-content-best-illustrations-of-the-growing-paid-media-strategy\/\">Image source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2>What\u2019s the Difference Between Sponsored Content and Native Advertising?<\/h2>\n<p>Native advertising and sponsored content are used interchangeably, but there is a subtle difference. It looks somewhat similar to a traditional ad, and most users will be able to immediately identify it as such. Some examples of native advertising include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Sponsored listings at the top of search results<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Promoted listings on shopping websites like eBay or Amazon<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Ads in social media feeds on platforms like Facebook and Instagram<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Recommendation widgets at the end of blog posts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Most native advertising is not a form of content marketing. Just look at my definition of content marketing for more clarification!<\/p>\n<p>You can\u2019t build an audience with native advertising, and the ads rarely provide value in the form of information or entertainment that high-quality content does.<\/p>\n<p>On the other hand, sponsored content as described in the previous examples does not necessarily look like an ad. While it may \u2014 and should! \u2014 be disclosed as such, you must be able to remove the reference to the sponsor without reducing the value of the content to the audience.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-99506\" src=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content1.png\" alt=\"sponsored content vs native advertising\" width=\"849\" height=\"636\" srcset=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content1.png 849w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content1-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content1-768x575.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 849px) 100vw, 849px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mediatomo.com\/sponsored-content-vs-native-advertisement\/\">Image source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2>The Two Rules of Sponsored Content<\/h2>\n<p>For both publishers and sponsors to use sponsored content in an ethical way that\u2019s beneficial to all, it\u2019s important to follow these two basic rules:<\/p>\n<h3>1. Create great content.<\/h3>\n<h3>2. Always provide full disclosure.<\/h3>\n<p>Why are these rules so important? Well, the No. 1 rule of content marketing is to create great content. This rule shouldn\u2019t change just because the content is sponsored.<\/p>\n<p>Remember, as a content marketer you have a responsibility to your audience to provide value. Content that doesn\u2019t give anything back to your audience won\u2019t be engaging, won\u2019t convert, and essentially won\u2019t offer anything to the advertiser. In other words, it\u2019s a waste of time and money.<\/p>\n<p>Even worse, if you publish low-quality content on your site just because you\u2019re paid to do so, you\u2019ll be compromising your integrity as a publisher and losing your authenticity. Your audience will only put up with so many pieces of bad sponsored content before they lose trust in you entirely. Don\u2019t risk losing your audience by publishing bad content, whether you\u2019re getting paid for it or not.<\/p>\n<p>So let\u2019s look at the second rule: Just why is it so important to provide full disclosure?<\/p>\n<h3>It\u2019s the Law<\/h3>\n<p>Well, for one thing, it\u2019s the law. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has specific guidance for online publishers and is very clear that any connection to a brand must be disclosed when publishing content that can be considered as an endorsement for that brand.<\/p>\n<h3>Your Audience Wants Honesty<\/h3>\n<p>Secondly, being transparent with your audience that content is sponsored from the start shows that you respect them and that you\u2019re not trying to pull the wool over their eyes for a quick buck.<\/p>\n<h2>Brand Journalism and Disclosure<\/h2>\n<p>There\u2019s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=uy0J2y5ue-s\">video<\/a> where SAP\u2019s former CMO Jonathan Becher (@jbecher), discussed \u201cbrand journalism, disclosure, and sponsored content\u201d with one of the leading independent analysts in the IT industry, Jon Reed (@JonERP).<\/p>\n<h3>Brands Need to Join the Conversation<\/h3>\n<p>The open discussion they had around the importance of full disclosure, about the need for brands to get involved in the conversation, to become like publishers and to reach out to new audiences with quality content was very exciting.<\/p>\n<p>Jon and Jonathan spoke about a few very specific SAP examples. Here\u2019s a summary of their points at a more generic or abstract level since they apply to any brand or marketer or content contributor.<\/p>\n<p>The key messages were:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">A strong brand will have active and socially engaged employees.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Contributors on any site should fully disclose their employer and any paid arrangements.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Companies are beginning to realize that in order to reach a larger audience, they need to think like publishers.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Leading companies are creating content destinations that provide high-valuable content to potential customers. Disclosure is an important issue for these sites as well.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>The Media is Shifting<\/h3>\n<p>Jon Reed framed the discussion by outlining that there is a big shift in the media. There is brand journalism. Brands often sponsor content, alongside advertisements and this raises issues of disclosure, transparency and authenticity.<\/p>\n<p>Jon mentioned that there is some criticism of brands who produce great content as members of an active community and then also produce sponsored content which \u201chas a whole different vibe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to former SAP CMO Jonathan Becher, everyone is struggling with the question of what is our message vs. what is someone else\u2019s message. \u201cThe lines are blurring,\u201d he says. Everyone agrees that brand employees should be part of the conversation and interact with the community.<\/p>\n<p>But should brands censor their own \u201cpromotional\u201d messages or certain voices? Jon Reed said \u201cwe\u2019re all being paid by someone.\u201d And so they both agreed that employees and other evangelists should all be part of the conversation as long as they achieve this full disclosure: explain who is paying you and for what?<\/p>\n<h3>Third-Party Channels Are Important<\/h3>\n<p>But then Jonathan explained that brands are always looking to achieve greater reach. To achieve that, to participate in new conversations in other communities, brands need to reach out to third-party channels.<\/p>\n<p>When a brand participates on a third-party site, there should be full disclosure that you are a brand employee. And if the space is paid for, that should also be disclosed. Bottom line is that authors of content should disclose their employer and should disclose if they are getting <a href=\"https:\/\/thevisualcommunicationguy.com\/2025\/02\/05\/multi-channel-content-distribution-a-beginners-guide\/\">paid<\/a> to write an article.<\/p>\n<p>The pair also discussed the need for brands to become like publishers and magazine editors and develop sites that \u201cearn eyeballs\u201d through use of thought leadership, featured content and news. These sites should set the bar high for the quality of the content. And they need to be meticulous about disclosing transparent relationships and presenting a balanced view.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Sponsored Content: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sIi_QS1tdFM?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/sIi_QS1tdFM?si=0oan7T6Yd4QJLGgg\">Video source<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<h2>Making Sponsored Content Work: Strategy and Ethics<\/h2>\n<p>For sponsored content to succeed, it needs to deliver value while meeting ethical standards. Start by optimizing for search without sacrificing authenticity\u2014integrate keywords naturally into the text so the content flows like any other piece on your site. Avoid keyword stuffing or awkward phrasing, as that can quickly erode trust.<\/p>\n<p>Ethically, the goal is to strike a balance between promotion and usefulness. Readers should walk away with real information or insight, not just an ad in disguise. Clear disclosures and honest messaging help maintain transparency, while thoughtful content that answers questions or solves problems helps build long-term credibility. When content is both useful and compliant, it benefits everyone involved.<\/p>\n<h2>How We Do Sponsored Content At Marketing Insider Group<\/h2>\n<p>For some of our more mature clients who are looking for guaranteed traffic to the content we create for them, we use contextual advertising to natively promote our client\u2019s content.<\/p>\n<p>But we don\u2019t do this blindly. Of course we follow the 2 rules mentioned above (create great content, always provide full disclosure).<\/p>\n<h3>Native Platforms<\/h3>\n<p>We use <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/best-paid-distribution-methods\/\">native platforms<\/a> like Outbrain and Taboola to serve up \u201cYou might also like\u201d or \u201cFrom around the web\u201d suggestions. But through the use of AI-driven algorithms, we only show this content to audiences who have engaged in similar content before. We only show it to them on platforms where they are likely to engage with the content.<\/p>\n<h3>Paid Media<\/h3>\n<p>And most importantly, when a reader clicks on the ad, they come and read the article on our client\u2019s website. So we are using <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/marketing-strategy\/the-ultimate-guide-to-paid-media-advertising-best-practices-and-tips\/\">paid media<\/a> to deliver \u201cowned media\u201d visitors.<\/p>\n<h3>High Click Through Rates<\/h3>\n<p>And because of the contextual nature of the ad, we deliver extremely high click through rates (+2% vs. the average 0.05% for digital banner ads) at extremely low costs per click (less than $0.20 vs. $2.00 CPCs for the industry).<\/p>\n<h2>How Sponsored Content Can Benefit All<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s becoming increasingly difficult for brands to charge for premium content when consumers expect it to be free. Sponsored content is an alternative way for publishers to generate revenue and pay their creators to generate more high-quality content.<\/p>\n<p>And when produced with care and integrity, sponsored content brings value to all parties. But it\u2019s critical to keep the two central rules in mind at all times:<\/p>\n<p>Create great content. Always provide full disclosure.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>If you need a hand with your sponsored content, Marketing Insider Group offers <a href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-builder-services-2\/\">specialized services<\/a> to create content, manage campaigns, and engage with your audience. Contact us today to learn more or <a href=\"https:\/\/portal.marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-builder-optin\">book your free consultation<\/a> with our team!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sponsored content, sometimes described as \u201cnative advertising,\u201d is a controversial topic in the world of content marketing. While we\u2019ve covered the great content quantity vs. content quality debate many times, we also wanted to cover an area where we see a lot of brands getting into some trouble. The reasons for this controversy are clear: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":99503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"The 2 Rules of Sponsored Content: Quality & Disclosure","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-69943","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-content-marketing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.3.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The 2 Rules of Sponsored Content: Quality &amp; Disclosure<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Sponsored content can be as effective as regular content with two simple rules: Be good. (Disclose.) Be great. (Create awesome content.)\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The 2 Rules of Sponsored Content: Quality &amp; Disclosure\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sponsored content can be as effective as regular content with two simple rules: Be good. (Disclose.) Be great. (Create awesome content.)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marketing Insider Group\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-08-05T13:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-02T12:47:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content0.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"540\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lauren Basiura\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@brennermichael\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@brennermichael\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lauren Basiura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lauren Basiura\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d431cb3758ef95fea56f26d2ec4e9c83\"},\"headline\":\"The 2 Rules of Sponsored Content You&#8217;re Not Allowed to Forget\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-05T13:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-02T12:47:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/\"},\"wordCount\":1856,\"commentCount\":18,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content0.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Content Marketing\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/\",\"name\":\"The 2 Rules of Sponsored Content: Quality & Disclosure\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content0.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-08-05T13:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-02T12:47:58+00:00\",\"description\":\"Sponsored content can be as effective as regular content with two simple rules: Be good. (Disclose.) Be great. (Create awesome content.)\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content0.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content0.jpg\",\"width\":960,\"height\":540,\"caption\":\"man advertising on camera\"},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/\",\"name\":\"Marketing Insider Group\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Marketing Insider Group\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/MIG-OG.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/MIG-OG.png\",\"width\":722,\"height\":369,\"caption\":\"Marketing Insider Group\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/brennermichael\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d431cb3758ef95fea56f26d2ec4e9c83\",\"name\":\"Lauren Basiura\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cdc7e541b040bf6135a8697b805eed982572a606bf22f91ed2a080292c4a2160?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cdc7e541b040bf6135a8697b805eed982572a606bf22f91ed2a080292c4a2160?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Lauren Basiura\"},\"description\":\"Lauren is a writer for Marketing Insider Group, a top-rated Content Marketing Agency. Connect with her on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on all things MIG.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/author\/laurenbasiura\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The 2 Rules of Sponsored Content: Quality & Disclosure","description":"Sponsored content can be as effective as regular content with two simple rules: Be good. (Disclose.) Be great. (Create awesome content.)","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The 2 Rules of Sponsored Content: Quality & Disclosure","og_description":"Sponsored content can be as effective as regular content with two simple rules: Be good. (Disclose.) Be great. (Create awesome content.)","og_url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/","og_site_name":"Marketing Insider Group","article_published_time":"2025-08-05T13:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-02T12:47:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":960,"height":540,"url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content0.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Lauren Basiura","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@brennermichael","twitter_site":"@brennermichael","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lauren Basiura","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/"},"author":{"name":"Lauren Basiura","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d431cb3758ef95fea56f26d2ec4e9c83"},"headline":"The 2 Rules of Sponsored Content You&#8217;re Not Allowed to Forget","datePublished":"2025-08-05T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-02T12:47:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/"},"wordCount":1856,"commentCount":18,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content0.jpg","articleSection":["Content Marketing"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/","url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/","name":"The 2 Rules of Sponsored Content: Quality & Disclosure","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content0.jpg","datePublished":"2025-08-05T13:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-02T12:47:58+00:00","description":"Sponsored content can be as effective as regular content with two simple rules: Be good. (Disclose.) Be great. (Create awesome content.)","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/content-marketing\/the-2-rules-of-sponsored-content\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content0.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ftc-guidelines-sponsored-content0.jpg","width":960,"height":540,"caption":"man advertising on camera"},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/","name":"Marketing Insider Group","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#organization","name":"Marketing Insider Group","url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/MIG-OG.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/MIG-OG.png","width":722,"height":369,"caption":"Marketing Insider Group"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/brennermichael"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d431cb3758ef95fea56f26d2ec4e9c83","name":"Lauren Basiura","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cdc7e541b040bf6135a8697b805eed982572a606bf22f91ed2a080292c4a2160?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/cdc7e541b040bf6135a8697b805eed982572a606bf22f91ed2a080292c4a2160?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Lauren Basiura"},"description":"Lauren is a writer for Marketing Insider Group, a top-rated Content Marketing Agency. Connect with her on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on all things MIG.","url":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/author\/laurenbasiura\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69943"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69943\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":100139,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69943\/revisions\/100139"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marketinginsidergroup.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}