The article that’s really an ad

How to spot an ad dressed up as an article

Lesson 2 of 6 · ~7 minutes

An ad dressed up as an article (sometimes called an “advertorial”) looks like regular news: a news site, a “Health” section, an author who’s a “doctor,” reader comments. It doesn’t feel like someone is selling you something — you’re just “reading a story.” That’s why you trust it more.

These articles are written from a template. The order of the parts barely changes:

  1. A headline that makes a promise An expert, a provocation, “here’s why nothing worked for you.”
  2. Pain and shame A familiar scene: “I’m 44, and once again my favorite dress doesn’t fit.”
  3. The discovery “Scientists in Copenhagen found the real cause.” It’s not the person’s fault — it’s “the brain,” “hormones,” “the nervous system.”
  4. The product shows up later The app’s name appears only halfway through, once you already agree there’s a problem.
  5. A results diary Day 1, Day 5, Week 3, Week 4.
  6. Reviews and comments Always including a “former skeptic.”
  7. A discount and scarcity “60% off for new users,” “last time it sold out in 48 hours.”
  8. A “Take the free quiz” button Next comes a long quiz before the payment screen — that’s the next lesson.
InnerKnot — an “article” on a news site

You clicked an ad on social media and landed on an “article.” Find 8 signs that this is an ad for an app, not journalism.

  • A tiny “Advertisement” label: There is a label saying it’s an ad — but it’s in the tiniest light-gray print in a corner. Legally the label is there; in practice it’s almost impossible to notice.
  • A headline built from a formula: The formula: “Expert: ‘Years of [the usual fix] didn’t help — until [foreign] scientists found the real cause.’” It promises secret knowledge and an enemy (“the industry doesn’t want you to know”).
  • An author you can’t look up: “Dr. Helen Marks, neuropsychologist” — no workplace, no links, no published papers. The photo is an ordinary picture from the internet. Try searching for the author: usually they don’t exist anywhere except in articles like this one.
  • A star rating on an article: “4.8 ★ — 3,120 ratings” on a news article? That’s how product pages look, not journalism. The number is part of the template.
  • A discount inside the “news”: An independent publication doesn’t sell subscriptions at 60% off in a banner that follows you down the page. It’s the first sign that the whole “article” is just an ad with a “buy” button.
  • A “Day 1 — Week 4” diary: The story “I didn’t believe it at first, on day 5 I noticed a change, a month later I’m a different person” is a standard block. It’s written from a template, often with the same text for different products.
  • “As seen in” without links: Logos of publications without links to actual articles prove nothing. Sometimes it’s just a picture with some names on it.
  • Perfect comments: The template comes with a fixed cast: a couple of people who “already bought it,” one “skeptic who tried it anyway,” one “expert,” and one “taking the quiz right now.” The like counts are fixed numbers.

How to check in a minute

  • Look for a label like “Advertisement,” “Advertorial,” “Sponsored” — at the top or at the very bottom.
  • Check the website address. “health-daily-news.top” is not a newspaper.
  • Search for the author’s name. A real doctor will turn up at a clinic or in scientific papers.
  • Click the “as seen in” logos. If they don’t lead to actual articles, they’re just a picture.
  • Look for reviews of the app outside its own website: in the app store, on forums, or by searching “app name + cancel.”

Quiz

What is an “ad dressed up as an article” (an advertorial)?

  • An independent review of an app
  • An ad made to look like an article or a personal story
  • The reviews section in an app store

It’s an ad designed to look like a newspaper or news-site article. The word “advertorial” comes from “advertisement” and “editorial.”

The article has an “As seen in” section with media logos. What does that prove?

  • That journalists have tested the product
  • Nothing, unless the logos link to actual articles
  • That the product is popular in the US

Without links to the articles, it’s just a picture. Even with links, being mentioned isn’t the same as being recommended.

Why does the product name appear only halfway through the “article”?

  • It keeps things shorter
  • So that you first agree there’s a problem and trust the author, and only then get the “solution”
  • The law requires it

First the story and the trust, then the product. If they showed the product right away, you’d realize it’s an ad and close the page.

What’s the fastest way to check the “doctor” who wrote the article?

  • Look at the photo — doctors look respectable
  • Search for the name online together with the word “clinic,” or in medical research databases
  • Read the comments under the article

Photos are easy to find online, and the comments are written by the same people who wrote the article. A one-minute name search will show that no such doctor exists.

30 questions about you — and one plan for everyone

All apps, authors, publications and reviews in this course are made up. Any resemblance to real products is a coincidence. Only the tricks are real.