Blodget website now offers sponsored content to advertisers
Henry Blodgett's lively US-based Business Insider site is inviting advertisers to complement their ad campaigns on the site with various types of sponsored content .
Henry Blodget: lively site
Reporting the move today, AdAge says the site is "following in the footsteps of media companies such as BuzzFeed, Gawker Media and Atlantic Media."
The idea is to either supplement, or replace, traditional display ad units with content that advertisers are paying to place alongside editorial content.
Business Insider has sold sponsored posts and emails in the past. Now "Brand Insider," will allow advertisers to buy sponsored slideshows, videos, and even create their own blogs . These would would mix branded content with relevant Business Insider editorial.
Traditional ads will still run, says AdAge. These account for most of Business Insider's projected $12 million revenue this year (up from $7.7 million last),
But company President and COO Julie Hansen believes there's a lot of untapped potential in selling content opportunities to brands.
"If it were half [of total revenue] in a couple years' time, that would be great," she said.
Pete Spande, chief revenue officer, told AdAge his sales team was focusing initially on helping advertisers simply find a new audience for compelling content they've already created.
Business Insider takes a video or other type of content from the company , puts a headline on it and posts it on the site with a "sponsored" disclaimer.
One of the first examples on the Business Insider site is is a video from Jack Daniel's that carries the headline "A Must-See for Serious Whiskey Drinkers."