In the past, readers understood sponsored posts as advertisements paid for by advertisers to have media publish news-style ads. If it's in newspapers, magazines, or online media, they would typically have labels like "Sponsored Editorial" or "Special Contribution" in the top left or right corner, clearly informing readers that this was paid content.
However, this doesn't mean the content isn't engaging. It's just that it's often focused on the message the advertiser wants to convey to readers, which can feel tedious, leading readers to "boycott sponsored content." But if done entertainingly, like HOW HOW's "jumping straight into the sponsored topic," using engaging videos and fun content, it can actually generate a huge response.
Getting back to the main point, there's actually another trick to making "sponsored posts" successful: appearing "mysteriously." This means that in a single article, you have product roundups featuring many different brands—potentially five or six products—with one being the main sponsored product. When netizens below question "What's even being sponsored here?" and other unsuspecting users rush to defend the post, that's when the sponsored content has succeeded.
How so?
Usually, this type of sponsored post appears on "anonymous social platforms" like Dcard, Mobile01, PTT, and similar sites. The main approach is "word-of-mouth marketing."
Word-of-mouth marketing primarily involves "topic packaging" and "word-of-mouth placement," with the main goal being to "let netizens understand the brand positioning and product pros/cons at first glance." Secondly, it aims to "maintain discussion heat on the internet" and "make articles easier for netizens to find through search."
When consumers use keywords to search, they find netizens' discussions and opinions, not only getting to know the product but also becoming interested in it before deciding whether to purchase. Product types are mostly cosmetics, women's products, daily necessities, and so on. Just from the title alone, you can't tell this is a sponsored post.
To give a direct example, usually word-of-mouth marketing companies will plan the topic for the product to be placed first, for instance:
【TITLE】
Has anyone researched which moisturizer has the highest absorption?
【MAIN POINT】
I've been doing skincare since college and have hit quite a few plateaus along the way! I pretty much know what moisturizing texture works best for me.
My friends think lotion is fine, but I'm the opposite—I think XX is the best.
The XX brand water essence is famous, and it has a really special texture. At first glance it looks like lotion, but when you apply it, it feels hydrating and absorbs quickly. It's the best moisturizer I've ever used.
【Other brands' mediocre textures can be interspersed to highlight why you should choose XX.】
Once the main point is decided, the next step is to distribute it among partner 【regular users】, letting them showcase and compare 4-5 products. Why use regular users?
Because their sharing "feels authentic, written without a commercial tone," making it harder for netizens to sense the article is sponsored. And with this kind of "topic setup," different operating strategies exist for different products from the same brand.
Usually, this type of operation includes titles like "Year-End Clearance! Classic Skincare Rankings PK," "My Skin Is So Dry~~But This Moisturizer Really Saved Me," "Mask Every Day! Real Egg-White Skin in Five Days—No Secrets Shared," "I Also Want to Be Pretty...How Does Everyone Do It?" These are just random examples, but honestly, articles like these really don't look like sponsored content. In fact, when someone questions whether the article is sponsored, the comments section below becomes a battlefield, with some netizens rushing to defend it. The brand probably chuckles to themselves at this point, because this is another successful word-of-mouth placement. After all, the more comments, the higher the engagement.
This is what's called "online buzz." The more articles and comments, the higher the online buzz, the stronger the brand topic becomes, and the easier it is to promote to the masses. Conversely, the marketing budget also increases accordingly.
When mentioning "increasing engagement through comments," there's also a little secret to mention: usually word-of-mouth marketing not only involves sponsored articles, but also "sponsored tweets," where regular users leave comments at the bottom of articles, re-discussing the article's theme, making unsuspecting netizens unconsciously feel like the product must be pretty good. Or for netizens who find the article through later searches, seeing numerous users giving strong recommendations might prompt them to purchase the product.
In the online world, truth and fiction blend together. While it's not to say that sponsored products are bad, please, never let someone else's words sway your own judgment and values.
