How To Tell An Authentic Sponsored Story
Authentic, compelling storytelling is the secret ingredient to cultivating true credibility. Whether or not your blog post is sponsored, your audience responds to stories that are genuine, natural, and relevant. At the end of the day, it takes compelling, in-depth stories to elevate your post from a blanket promotion to a story your audience will trust and engage with.
Engaging storytelling does more than keep your readers invested in your blog; it’s also what draws quality brands to influencer marketing. In fact, 72% of marketers say they use the tactic for the influencers’ authenticity and trusted voice. We're excited to see how you choose to employ the power of storytelling when writing your next sponsored post. To help you do it, here are five steps that offer a framework for telling a seamless and authentic sponsored story.
1. Share A Personal Story
Start your blog post by sharing a compelling personal anecdote that draws in your audience. Since every one of our sponsored programs is centered around a specific theme, tone, and set of values, your program brief should have plenty of material to inspire you. Begin incorporating your ooh.li link by hyperlinking relevant product or service keywords until you introduce the brand later in your story. Your resulting blog post will not only build an honest connection with your audience, but also set the stage to seamlessly blend the brand’s story with your own.
2. Tie In The Story Theme
After you’ve introduced the blog post by sharing a story, transition with a few lines about how the program and product fit into your journey. Build upon your personal narrative by speaking broadly about the themes at hand. Describing how the program resonates with you, ties into your life, and compels you to promote the product will help keep the story authentic even as you introduce your sponsorship.
3. Highlight The Product
After you segue from personal narrative to broader story theme, introduce the product that the program is all about. Showcase the product’s special features and benefits. To keep the story intimate and authentic for your readers, sprinkle an anecdote that illustrates how you use the product. Even though the story is sponsored, staying true to what makes your experience unique is paramount to maintaining authenticity.
4. Share Your Call-To-Action
Wrap up your story by including a call-to-action that ties back to your ooh.li link. If your program provides multiple ooh.li links, try alternating links throughout your story before culminating with a final call-to-action in the last few lines. Based on the program’s goals, you might encourage your audience to learn more by browsing the brand’s website, visit their online store locator, or even purchase the product online or in-store. You can also inspire engagement by posing a question prompting your audience to share stories of their own.
5. Integrate Dynamic Content
Finally, bring your blog post to life with various photos, a dynamic GIF, video, or a recipe widget when applicable. The more dynamic the content, the more likely your readers are to share it! Keep in mind that optimal blog stories include 8 or more photos. Begin or wrap up with a pinnable image with text-overlay that your audience can share.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to your program Brand Success Manager or the Influencer Success Team at community@linqia.com.