Washington Post Selling Comment Section Ads


The Washington Post is now selling ads in its comments section.

Capitalizing on what is often the most engaging part of any online article, The Washington Post is selling comment section ads which will appear just above the regular comments section, below each opinion piece, highlighted by a yellow background (see image below) and featuring a 145x100px sponsor logo.

According to WashingtonPost.com, the ads – called “Sponsored Views” – “[allow] an organization to prominently place its view on a topic beneath a related WashingtonPost.com opinions piece for a fee”.

The ads may be up to 600 characters in length and may feature the logo of the purchasing organization, as well as a URL “to direct readers who may want more information”.

“Sponsored Views” allows organizations to effectively target viewers, as their messages will appear only under articles which they have chosen to respond to, keeping the ads engaging and relevant.

As Mashable‘s Lauren Indvik points out:

“[Sponsored Views] also require a different set of skills from advertisers: They must be able to deliver on-the-spot copy, not visuals.”

At this time, WashingtonPost.com states that they will accept up to three “Sponsored Views” per article, and though the ads are now available on most of their opinion articles, they say in the future we can expect to see submissions available for many of their Opinions blogs as well.

As for the answer you’ve all been waiting to hear, pricing starts at $500 per article, depending on publication date and duration, and may cost upwards of several thousand dollars. All ads are also subject to approval by The Post‘s advertising before running live on the site.

Organizations who have hopped on board with the “Sponsored Views” include, CTIA The Wireless Association, Cato Institute, and the Center for American Progress.

The program was introduced in March.

[Image via The Washington Post]

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