The Ultimate Guide to Native Advertising

Updated for Jan 2025. 

When you are trying to build your affiliate program, you need to make sure that you are using the correct advertising techniques. Often, native ads are more effective as they tend to match the look and feel of a website. Additionally, native advertising can help to build brand affinity which is something that we should all be considering more recently. Here, we’ll tell you some of the key things that you need to know about native advertising.

1. Introduction to Native Advertising

Native advertising is a form of paid media where ads seamlessly blend into the environment in which they appear. Unlike traditional banner ads or pop-ups, native ads match the look, feel, and function of the content around them. This approach ensures a non-disruptive user experience, making it a preferred strategy for affiliate marketers who rely on engaging, unobtrusive content to drive conversions.

Native advertising has seen exponential growth in recent years, with marketers increasingly recognizing its ability to build trust and drive higher engagement. For affiliate marketers, it’s an invaluable tool to deliver promotional content in a way that resonates with target audiences.

2. Types of Native Advertising

Understanding the different types of native advertising is crucial for leveraging this strategy effectively. Here are the primary categories:

In-feed/In-content Ads

These ads appear within content feeds, such as social media timelines, blog posts, or news articles. For example, an affiliate marketer promoting fitness gear might use in-feed ads to showcase product reviews on health-focused websites.

Content Recommendation Ads

Found under or alongside articles, these ads typically suggest “Recommended for You” or “You May Like” content. Platforms like Outbrain and Taboola are popular choices for affiliate marketers looking to drive traffic to their content pages.

Branded/Native Content

This involves creating sponsored articles, videos, or other media that align with the host publisher’s editorial tone. For affiliates, branded content can effectively introduce products through storytelling that resonates with the audience.

Custom Native Ads

Custom native ads are bespoke solutions created in collaboration with publishers to integrate seamlessly into their platforms. This can include interactive widgets or visually distinct campaigns tailored to specific niches.

3. Formats of Native Advertising

Native advertising comes in various formats to suit different goals and platforms:

• Text-based Ads: Great for blogs and news sites, these ads focus on compelling copy to drive clicks.
• Video Ads: Ideal for social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok, video ads offer engaging, dynamic storytelling opportunities.
• Infographics and Visual Content: Perfect for data-driven promotions, these are highly shareable and can enhance brand credibility.
• Interactive and Immersive Experiences: Formats like augmented reality (AR) allow brands to create engaging, memorable experiences.
• Social Media Native Ads: Blending into user feeds, these ads feel less intrusive and perform exceptionally well for affiliate marketers targeting specific demographics.

4. Benefits of Native Advertising

Why choose native advertising over traditional formats? Here are the key benefits:

• Enhanced Engagement: Native ads integrate seamlessly into content, leading to higher click-through and conversion rates.
• Improved User Experience: By aligning with the surrounding content, native ads feel less intrusive.
• Credibility and Trust: Well-executed native ads build trust by appearing informative rather than overtly promotional.
• Cross-platform Versatility: Native ads work well on mobile, desktop, and social media platforms.

For affiliate marketers, these benefits translate into increased ROI and stronger brand associations.

5. How Native Advertising Works

At its core, native advertising relies on relevance and alignment with user intent. Here’s how it functions:

1. Audience Targeting: The success of native ads hinges on precise targeting. Tools like Google Ads and Taboola allow affiliate marketers to zero in on their ideal audience based on demographics, behavior, and interests.
2. Content Alignment: Native ads should complement the platform’s content. For instance, promoting luxury travel packages on a travel blog ensures relevance.
3. Call-to-action (CTA): Every native ad needs a clear and compelling CTA that encourages users to take the next step, whether it’s visiting a landing page or making a purchase.

6. Developing a Native Advertising Strategy

A strong strategy is essential for maximizing the impact of native advertising. Follow these steps to create an effective plan:

1. Set Clear Goals: Define what you want to achieve—brand awareness, lead generation, or direct sales.
2. Understand Your Audience: Use analytics tools to identify your audience’s preferences and habits.
3. Choose the Right Platforms: Select platforms that align with your goals and audience. For example, Outbrain works well for content amplification, while social platforms like Facebook are great for visual ads.
4. Craft Compelling Content: The success of native ads lies in quality content. Create engaging, informative, and visually appealing ads that naturally fit the platform’s tone.
5. Monitor and Optimize: Use analytics to track performance and refine campaigns based on metrics like click-through rate (CTR), engagement, and conversion rates.

7. Platforms and Tools for Native Advertising

Several platforms and tools can help affiliate marketers execute and manage native advertising campaigns effectively:

• Google Ads: Offers native-style ads through the Google Display Network.
• Facebook Ads: Allows highly targeted native-style ads that blend into user feeds.
• Outbrain and Taboola: Excellent for driving traffic to content-focused campaigns.
• Ad Creative Tools: Canva and Adobe Spark are great for designing visually appealing native ads.
• Analytics Tools: Use tools like Google Analytics and SEMrush to measure campaign performance and optimize for better results.

8. Challenges and Best Practices

While native advertising offers numerous benefits, it comes with challenges. Here’s how to address them:

Challenges:

• Balancing Transparency: It’s essential to disclose that the content is sponsored to maintain audience trust.
• Maintaining Relevance: Poorly targeted native ads can feel intrusive and irrelevant.
• Measuring ROI: Determining the effectiveness of native campaigns can be complex without proper tools.

Best Practices:

• Always label ads clearly to ensure transparency.
• Focus on high-quality content that adds value to the audience.
• Continuously test and optimize campaigns based on performance data.
• Stay updated on platform guidelines to ensure compliance and effectiveness.

10. Measuring Performance and ROI

Tracking performance is vital for understanding the success of your native advertising efforts. Key metrics to monitor include:

• Click-through Rate (CTR): Indicates the effectiveness of your ad in capturing attention.
• Engagement: Measures user interaction, such as time spent on content or social shares.
• Conversion Rate: Tracks how many users complete the desired action, such as making a purchase.
• Cost per Acquisition (CPA): Helps evaluate the efficiency of your ad spend.

Affiliate marketers should use tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Insights, and platform-specific dashboards to gather actionable insights and refine their strategies.

11. Future of Native Advertising

Native advertising is evolving rapidly, with emerging trends shaping its future:

• AI and Automation: AI tools are enhancing audience targeting and content creation.
• Personalization: Tailoring ads to individual preferences is becoming the norm.
• Integration with Other Channels: Native ads are increasingly integrated with influencer marketing and programmatic advertising.
• Focus on Mobile: As mobile usage continues to dominate, mobile-friendly native ads will remain critical.

Staying ahead of these trends can help affiliate marketers maximize the potential of native advertising.

Why you should be using native advertising

Native advertising is proven to be effective and so if you aren’t already making use of this strategy then you could be missing out.  According to Outbrain, consumers will look at native ads 53% more than display ads. So, if you are spending all of your budget on display ads, you could be wasting your resources.

Additionally, it has been reported that native ads can create an 18% increase in purchase intent and that engagement can be higher than with original editorial content. Typically, customers can experience ad fatigue when browsing online for a long time and so will stop paying attention after a while. With native ads, this doesn’t happen as easily as they aren’t as obvious at first glance.

Finally, you should know that native advertising is legal and accepted by the advertising agencies, as long as you are doing it right. Consumers know when they are reading a native ad but they are still more likely to engage.

Building brand affinity

It should also be noted that native advertising can help to build brand affinity. This refers to when consumers or affiliates believe that a particular brand shares common values with them. By aligning your brand with the right kind of content with a native ad placement, you can help to build this affinity. If you check out our recent episode of Affiliate Drive Time, you can learn more about the importance of brand affinity in affiliate programs as an affiliate manager.

Native ads are proven to drive brand affinity so this is something that you should be thinking about when creating your strategy.

Don’t ignore this effective strategy

If you want to build your brand and increase engagement, you should consider making use of native advertising strategies. Of course, you need to make sure that the content is relevant and that it will blend in naturally with what you are trying to promote.