ARLnow.com is considering adding a new type of sponsored content, and we’d like our readers to weigh in on it.
Currently, we have two types of sponsored content: that written by us, and sponsored by an advertiser (e.g. Pet of the Week and Startup Monday); and content that’s written by an advertiser for the purpose of being informational and useful to readers, not directly self-promotional (e.g. Your Beermonger, Ask Adam).
So as to not flood our homepage with sponsored content, we limit the amount of sponsored articles to 1-2 posts per day.
Due to inquiries from advertisers, we are now considering adding a third type of sponsored content to the mix: a directly self-promotional article written by a local advertiser. The article would be clearly labeled as such. You’ve probably seen examples of such articles in newspapers and magazines, labeled as a “special advertising section.”
We would only accept articles from local businesses and organizations, and would not accept anything political in nature. Such articles would be published up to once a weekday, at 5:00 a.m., before the Morning Notes and other daily content.
Whereas newspapers and magazines are able to print extra pages to accommodate more advertising, the nature of the web means we have a fixed number of advertising positions. We think this type of sponsored content would allow us to generate extra income to fund our local reporting, would provide advertisers with an attractive new marketing option and would not clutter the page or be intrusive to readers.
If you’re a local business or organization and would like to know more about this potential opportunity, please email scott[at]arlnow.com.