Sponsored articles and advertorials for practices

A local magazine, a news site or a content network offers your practice a feature article for a fee. The piece will look like the rest of the publication, carry a clinician’s name and talk about your services. That is a sponsored article, also called an advertorial or native advertising. The FTC treats it as an ad, and an ad that looks like independent reporting without a clear label can be deceptive even when each claim in it is true.

This guide covers the FTC’s Enforcement Policy Statement on Deceptively Formatted Advertisements, the staff business guide that goes with it, the label words and placement the FTC staff describe, clinician bylines and patient stories, and what Google says about links in paid articles. For related topics, see our guides to press releases, “as seen on” media badges and sponsorships and naming rights. For commissions on product links inside your own articles, see affiliate links on health content.

This is general information, not legal advice. Sources cited were checked on November 1, 2026: the FTC Enforcement Policy Statement on Deceptively Formatted Advertisements (announced December 22, 2015; published at 81 FR 22596, April 18, 2016); the FTC staff guide Native Advertising: A Guide for Businesses (December 2015); Google Search spam policies (last updated August 28, 2026); Google’s page on qualifying outbound links (last updated December 10, 2025); Google News policies (no date shown); 16 CFR 255.2(b) and 255.5(a); 15 USC 45(a)(1) and 52; and 45 CFR 164.501, 164.502(a) and 164.508(a)(3). We found no federal rule or agency guidance written for sponsored articles by medical practices as such. State rules differ, so have a health care attorney review your advertising.

The short version

The FTC says an ad is deceptive if it misleads reasonable consumers about its nature or source, including by suggesting it comes from someone other than the advertiser. That holds even when the claims in the ad are true.
A paid article that promotes your services in the same layout as the publication’s own articles needs a clear and prominent label saying it is an ad.
FTC staff list “Ad”, “Advertisement”, “Paid Advertisement” and “Sponsored Advertising Content” as terms consumers are likely to understand. They say not to use “Promoted” or “Promoted Stories”, and that a logo or brand name on its own is not likely to be enough.
The label goes in front of or above the headline, on the publisher’s page that lists the article and on the article page itself.
The FTC says the duty is not only the publisher’s. The advertiser is responsible for making sure the piece is identifiable as an ad.
Google treats paid articles with links that pass ranking credit as link spam. Paid links should carry rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”.
A patient story in a paid article uses that patient’s health information for marketing, which under HIPAA needs the patient’s written authorization.

What the FTC policy statement says

The FTC announced its Enforcement Policy Statement on Deceptively Formatted Advertisements on December 22, 2015, and published it in the Federal Register at 81 FR 22596 on April 18, 2016. It says the Commission will find an advertisement deceptive if the ad misleads reasonable consumers as to its nature or source, including that a party other than the sponsoring advertiser is its source. It also says such misleadingly formatted ads are deceptive even if the product claims they communicate are truthful and not misleading.

The statement looks at the net impression an ad conveys, not statements in isolation. An interpretation does not have to be the only one, or be shared by a majority of consumers, to be reasonable. The statement lists advertorials that appeared as news stories or feature articles among the formats the Commission has challenged over the years, and it says the Commission views as material any misrepresentation that advertising content is a news or feature article, an independent product review or an investigative report. It also presumes material, depending on the facts, false claims that a promotional message reflects the independent views of ordinary consumers or experts.

The legal base is the FTC Act. 15 USC 45(a)(1) declares unfair or deceptive acts or practices unlawful, and 15 USC 52 makes it unlawful to disseminate a false advertisement likely to induce the purchase of services or cosmetics.

When a paid article needs a label

The FTC staff guide Native Advertising: A Guide for Businesses (December 2015) works through examples. Two of them mark the line. In one, a company pays a lifestyle magazine for an article that sits in the same layout as the magazine’s other articles and mainly shows the company’s own products. Staff say that article is an ad, its format is likely to mislead readers into thinking it reflects the writer’s independent views, and a clear and prominent disclosure is necessary. In the other, a company pays for a travel article that carries a “Presented By” line and its logo but does not promote any of its products. Staff say the sponsorship is advertising but the article itself is not, so it does not need to be identifiable as an ad.

The guide adds that the more a native ad resembles the publisher’s content in format and topic, the more likely a disclosure is needed. A practice article in a local health section, written in the section’s style, is close to the publication’s own content on both counts. Another example in the guide describes a paid video in which a show’s expert host recommends the sponsor’s product. Staff say viewers would likely take it as the host’s impartial opinion, so a disclosure is needed before they play it. A clinician recommending their own practice’s services in a paid feature fits the same pattern.

No federal rule we found sets a fee level or a word count below which a paid article needs no label. We recommend treating each paid piece that names or promotes your practice as an ad and labeling it, and keeping unlabeled sponsorship to content that does not promote your services, such as a general health awareness piece that only carries your name as funder.

Which words to use

FTC staff say a disclosure must be in plain language, in the same language as the ad, and understood by consumers to mean the content is advertising. The guide lists “Ad”, “Advertisement”, “Paid Advertisement” and “Sponsored Advertising Content”, or a variation, as terms likely to be understood. It says advertisers should not use “Promoted” or “Promoted Stories”, which in this context are at best ambiguous and may suggest the publisher endorses the content.

The guide also says that, depending on the context, readers may take “Presented by [X]”, “Brought to You by [X]”, “Promoted by [X]” or “Sponsored by [X]” to mean the advertiser funded the content but did not create or influence it. Company logos and names on their own are not likely to be adequate. Staff advise against jargon, unfamiliar icons or abbreviations, and against using different terms for the same thing on one publisher site.

For a practice that writes or approves the article, “Sponsored by [Practice name]” can understate its role. We recommend “Advertisement” or “Paid advertisement from [Practice name]”, which says both that it is an ad and who paid for it.

Where the label goes

The guide says advertisers cannot use deceptive door openers to draw people into advertising content, so a native ad must be identifiable as an ad before readers reach the full article. Because readers can arrive at the article page directly, from search, social media or a link, staff say the disclosure is also needed on the article page itself unless that page is obviously an ad.

On placement, staff say readers are more likely to notice and understand a disclosure placed immediately in front of or above the headline, and less likely to notice one placed to the right of the ad or below it in a vertical feed. If the main element is a photo or thumbnail, the disclosure may need to sit on the image. A single label for a group that mixes ads and editorial content should not be used. In video, the disclosure should come shortly before the advertising message, in the ad itself.

On prominence, staff say the text should be large enough for the screens readers use, in a color that contrasts strongly with the background, and any background shading should be saturated enough to notice, ideally with a border as well for readers who cannot see color differences. The disclosure should stay with the ad when it is republished: at the start of the title tag for non-paid search listings and at the start of URLs shared on social media or by email.

Who is responsible: the practice, the publisher and the agency

A publisher may say its label policy covers you. The guide says advertisers are responsible for ensuring native ads are identifiable as advertising before consumers arrive at the main ad page, and it ends by noting that the FTC has taken action, in appropriate circumstances, against others who helped create deceptive ads, such as ad agencies and operators of affiliate advertising networks. The practice, the publisher and any agency each have a stake in the label.

A label does not fix a false claim inside the article. In one of the guide’s examples, staff say the advertiser that pays to promote a favorable review is responsible for making sure any claims about its product are truthful, not misleading and substantiated. The claims in a paid practice article, such as results, experience or awards, must meet the same standard as the practice’s other ads. Our guides to success rate and outcome claims and superlative claims cover those rules.

Clinician bylines, quotes and endorsements

16 CFR 255.5(a) says that when a connection between an endorser and the seller might materially affect the weight or credibility of an endorsement, and the audience would not reasonably expect it, the connection must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously. Material connections can include a business, family or personal relationship, payment, or free or discounted products or services.

A byline that reads “Dr. [Name], owner of [Practice name]” tells readers who the author is. It does not tell them the publication was paid to run the piece, which is the fact the policy statement is about. Quotes from people outside the practice raise a separate question: if a quoted clinician, patient or local figure was paid or has a connection to your practice, 255.5(a) calls for that connection to be disclosed. Our guide to healthcare influencer marketing covers paid endorsers in more depth.

Patient stories in a sponsored article

A patient story is a strong draw for an advertorial, and it brings in HIPAA. Under 45 CFR 164.502(a), a covered entity may use or disclose protected health information only as the Privacy Rule permits or requires. 45 CFR 164.501 defines marketing as a communication about a product or service that encourages recipients to buy or use it, with listed exceptions, and 45 CFR 164.508(a)(3) requires the patient’s written authorization for a use or disclosure of protected health information for marketing, with narrow exceptions. Naming a patient, showing their photo or describing their treatment in a paid piece that promotes your services falls in that territory.

The FTC rules apply to the patient’s words as well. 16 CFR 255.2(b) says an ad that relates a consumer’s experience on a key attribute of a service will likely be read as showing what others can expect, and unless the advertiser can substantiate that, it should clearly and conspicuously disclose the results that consumers can generally expect. If you gave the patient anything of value, such as a discount, 255.5(a) calls for disclosure. Our guide to patient testimonials and before and after photos covers authorization forms and photo use.

Links in paid articles and Google Search

Google Search’s spam policies (last updated August 28, 2026) list, as an example of link spam, advertorials or native advertising where payment is received for articles that include links that pass ranking credit. The same policies say buying and selling links for advertising and sponsorship is not a violation as long as the links are qualified with rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored”. Google’s page on qualifying outbound links (last updated December 10, 2025) says to mark advertisements or paid placements with rel=”sponsored”, and that nofollow is still acceptable but sponsored is preferred.

The spam policies also contain a site reputation abuse policy, aimed at third-party content placed on a host site mainly to benefit from that site’s ranking signals. Google lists advertorial or native advertising pages whose purpose is to share content directly with readers, rather than to manipulate rankings, as an example that is not inconsistent with that policy. Google News policies, which have no date shown, say Google does not allow content that conceals or misrepresents sponsored content as independent editorial content, and that sponsorship should be clearly disclosed.

For a practice, that means a paid article is bought for its readers, not for links. We recommend asking the publisher in writing whether links in the article will carry rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”, and declining any offer sold as a way to build links for search ranking.

State board rules

We did not review state medical, dental, chiropractic or other licensing board advertising rules for this guide, so we do not cite any here. Before your practice runs a paid article, we recommend checking the board rules for each state where your clinicians are licensed and the article will appear, in particular any rule on how ads must identify the licensee and any rule on paying for publicity.

Questions to ask before your practice buys a sponsored article

Does the article promote our services, or does it only carry our name as a funder?
What exact label will the publisher use, and where will it appear on the listing page, the article page, social posts and the search title?
Does the label say “Ad”, “Advertisement” or “Paid advertisement”, or only “Presented by” or “Sponsored by”?
Who writes the copy, and do we approve the final version?
Can we substantiate each claim in the article about results, experience or credentials?
Does the piece name, quote or show a patient, and do we hold a signed HIPAA authorization for this use?
Is any quoted person paid by us or connected to us, and is that disclosed?
Will links to our site carry rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”?
Have we checked the board rules in each state where our clinicians are licensed?

Use and avoid

Use: “Advertisement” or “Paid advertisement from [Practice name]” above the headline.
Use: the same label on the publisher’s listing page, the article page and shared links.
Use: text that contrasts strongly with the background, plus a border or shading for the whole piece.
Use: a clinician byline that names the practice and their role in it.
Use: a signed HIPAA authorization before a patient’s name, photo or story appears.
Use: rel=”sponsored” on links to your site.
Avoid: “Promoted”, “Promoted Stories”, “From around the web” or a logo alone as the only label.
Avoid: a label in small type to the right of the headline or at the end of the article.
Avoid: headlines written as news, such as “Local study finds”, for a piece you paid for.
Avoid: claims about results that you cannot substantiate.
Avoid: paid articles sold as a way to get links that pass ranking credit.

An illustration

This example is invented. [Practice name], a dental office in [city], is offered a two-page feature in a local lifestyle magazine and on its website for [fee]. The publisher’s draft carries the headline “Why [city] parents are rethinking braces”, a “Presented by [Practice name]” line at the bottom, three quotes from the practice’s orthodontist and a story about a named teenage patient.

The office manager sends the draft back with changes. The label becomes “Paid advertisement from [Practice name]” in bold above the headline, both in print and online, and the publisher agrees to use the same words on its homepage tile and at the start of the web page’s title. The headline is rewritten so it no longer reads as a news report. The patient story stays only after the patient’s parent signs a HIPAA authorization that covers the magazine and its website. A claim about treatment time is replaced with the range the orthodontist can support from the practice’s own records, and the link to the practice site is set to rel=”sponsored”. The practice keeps the final proof, the authorization and the publisher’s emails on file.

Checklist

Decide whether the piece promotes your services. If it does, treat it as an ad.
Agree on the label wording in writing: “Advertisement” or “Paid advertisement from [Practice name]”.
Confirm the label sits in front of or above the headline on the listing page and the article page.
Confirm the label carries over to social posts, newsletters and the search title.
Check contrast and size on a phone screen.
Review each claim for substantiation, and remove what you cannot support.
Disclose any paid or connected person quoted in the piece.
Get a signed HIPAA authorization before any patient appears, and keep it on file.
Ask for rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow” on links to your site.
Check the board rules in each state where your clinicians are licensed.
Save the final version, the label, the authorization and the contract with their dates.

How we help

We build websites, local and organic search, Google Ads and lead generation and an AI front desk for independent practices. For sponsored articles, that means reviewing a publisher’s offer and label, writing copy that stays within what the practice can substantiate, and landing pages and links set up so the piece is plainly an ad. Our tools are built with HIPAA in mind. We confirm in writing what a BAA covers before any patient information flows through a tool, and if it is not covered, we do not route patient information through it. We are not a healthcare provider and we do not give legal or medical advice. Read our guide to healthcare marketing rules for the wider picture.

Does a sponsored article about my practice need to say it is an ad?

If it promotes your services and looks like the publication’s own content, yes. The FTC’s Enforcement Policy Statement on Deceptively Formatted Advertisements says an ad is deceptive if it misleads reasonable consumers about its nature or source, and the FTC staff guide says a clear and prominent disclosure is needed in that situation.

Is “Sponsored by” enough as a label?

It may not be. FTC staff say readers may take “Sponsored by”, “Presented by” or “Brought to You by” to mean the advertiser funded the content but did not create or influence it. They list “Ad”, “Advertisement”, “Paid Advertisement” and “Sponsored Advertising Content” as terms likely to be understood.

If the publisher adds the label, is the practice covered?

The FTC staff guide says advertisers are responsible for making sure native ads are identifiable as ads, and notes that the FTC has acted against ad agencies and affiliate networks that helped create deceptive ads. Check the label yourself before the piece runs.

Can we include a patient’s story in a paid article?

Only with care. Using a patient’s protected health information to promote your services is marketing under 45 CFR 164.501, and 45 CFR 164.508(a)(3) requires the patient’s written authorization, with narrow exceptions. The FTC endorsement rules in 16 CFR 255.2(b) and 255.5(a) also apply to what the patient says.

Do links in a paid article help our search rankings?

Google’s spam policies list paid advertorials with links that pass ranking credit as link spam, and say paid links should carry rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”. Buy a paid article for the readers it reaches, not for links.

Sponsored articles and advertorials for medical practices: FTC labeling rules