Native Advertising: Formats, Examples and Creator Collaboration

Native advertising is advertising that looks and behaves like the content of the place where it appears: an article on a website, a post in a feed, a recommended piece under a text, or a creator's video. It doesn't interrupt the audience the way a banner does — instead, it blends into what they're already watching, which is exactly why it must be clearly labeled as advertising. Below, we explain what native advertising formats exist, what real-world examples look like, and where creator collaboration fits into all of this.

How native advertising differs from regular advertising

A classic banner or spot is separated from the content: the viewer immediately knows it's an ad break and often skips it. Native advertising takes on the form and style of its surroundings. On a news site it's an article, on Instagram it's a post or a reel, in a recipe app it's a recipe featuring a brand's product.

This alignment with the format is both its strength and its obligation. Audiences have the right to know they're looking at content commissioned by a brand, so native advertising always needs a clear label, e.g. "ad," "sponsored content," or a platform label. We describe the concept of sponsored content itself in our glossary under the entry sponsored content.

Native advertising formats

The industry organization IAB, in its Native Advertising Playbook 2.0, identifies three main types of native advertising. In marketing practice, a fourth, increasingly important format has emerged alongside them: creator integration.

• In-feed and in-content ads. These appear within a content stream: in a social media feed, on a list of articles or products. They look like neighboring posts but carry an ad label.
• Recommendation ads. "Recommended for you" or "You might be interested in" blocks under an article, where some of the links lead to branded content.
• Branded content. An article, video, or podcast created by a publisher in collaboration with a brand and published on the publisher's site, e.g. a sponsored article.
• Creator integration. A post, reel, story, or video segment where a creator presents a product in their own style, to their own audience. This is the most "native" form, because the content is created in the language of the community following the creator.

Examples of native advertising in practice

The scenarios below are illustrative. They show how the same brand goal can be achieved through different formats.

• A cosmetics brand in the feed. An in-feed ad on Instagram in the form of a short video with a skincare routine. It looks like other reels, but carries a "Sponsored" label.
• A bank on a business website. An article about budgeting for a small business, prepared by the editorial team and labeled as partner content. The product appears in a single paragraph.
• A coffee shop chain with local creators. Several creators from one city show the new seasonal menu in their stories, each in their own style, with a collaboration disclosure.
• An electronics store using a creator's material in an ad. The brand uses a video recorded by a creator as paid advertising, e.g. in a partnership format. The content retains the creator's character, while the brand controls the budget and targeting.

This last example combines two worlds: creator content and a platform's ad system. We describe the rules of this kind of collaboration in more detail in our article on partnership ads and whitelisting.

Why creator integration is the most native form

A sponsored article or an in-feed ad imitates the form of its surroundings. A creator doesn't have to imitate anything, because they publish on a platform they built themselves. Their audience knows their style, tone, and way of evaluating products, so a well-planned integration feels to them like just another piece of content from that creator, not an interruption.

For a brand, this means three things. First, the content is automatically tailored to a specific audience. Second, the same material can be reused elsewhere — on a website, in ads, or in an email campaign — if the agreement allows for it. Third, results can be measured with a code, a link, or a conversion, not just impressions. We explain how to match a format to a campaign goal in the article content format and campaign goal.

How to plan native advertising with a creator

• Start with the goal. Brand awareness, website traffic, sales, or ad-ready footage each call for different formats and different creators.
• Choose creators for their audience, not their follower count. Native advertising only works when the product fits what the creator already talks about.
• Allow freedom of form. In the brief, describe the goal, key information, and any constraints, but leave the way the story is told up to the creator. A script that's too rigid turns an integration into a plain commercial.
• Agree on the disclosure. Native advertising without a label stops being native and becomes hidden advertising. The rules are described by Poland's Office of Competition and Consumer Protection (UOKiK) in its recommendations on influencer marketing.
• Plan further use of the material in advance. If you want to use the content in ads, settle this before starting the project.

We write more broadly about how creator content fits into a content marketing strategy in the article content marketing with creators.

Native advertising with creators on Blogger Bank

On Blogger Bank, you publish a brief with a product description, format, and budget, and creators apply on their own. As of August 21, 2026, 99% of briefs received applications, averaging 37 per brief. In the influencer directory, you can also browse creators from a chosen niche yourself, e.g. fashion. Payment is held securely until the content is approved, and the commission is 5% on the brand's side and 5% on the creator's side. Create a brand account and publish your first brief.