Native Content Guidelines

CleanTechnica does provide advertorial (native/sponsored content) opportunities, in articles, podcasts, e-blasts to our newsletter audiences, and webinars.

To be clear, we are 100% committed to journalistic integrity. Our opinions cannot be bought.

We turn down a lot more native content than we publish. Native/sponsored content usually comprises less than 0.1% of our total output. Generally, if something is not “news,” and more promotional of one company or entity’s products/services, we typically do not cover it as news, but ask the client if they would be interested in buying the exposure. If a company goes through a PR firm, they pay the PR firm, who then pitches to us as part of a package.

Our sales team and our editorial team are completely separate by design, and do not influence each other in terms of production. Our editors decide what constitutes earned media, and typically don’t cover promotional news, but will cover really interesting news about companies doing good work. Please do not write our editors or writers directly asking for free press; if you have something you’d like to send us, please use our contact form.

Below, for advertisers and for the sake of transparency for concerned readers, we’ve outlined some important guidelines to keep in mind:

Style and quality: The article must be original and well-written. Please edit for clarity, cohesiveness, and grammar, and note that final editorial discretion is ours. Posts can be anywhere from 800-1200 words. Search algorithms tend to favor longer posts, which helps ensure that your post provides long-term value for search.
As a general guideline, posts that look too advertorial will not attract readers. We do not recommend pitching your company to our readers; they are quite savvy and want to be engaged with the content. We suggest that you focus on your industry and speak as a voice of authority in that field, what we consider thought-leadership content. Embed your points in the broader conversation.
Images and videos: We recommend at least two high-quality images (with specific image credit) for each article. We can also feature embedded videos. Please use unique, high-resolution images that will enhance your content. To use video, please share a YouTube or Vimeo link, or share an embed code (600 pixels wide). We cannot accept stock images.
References:Use high-quality references to back up your statements and statistics. You can use our site, other reputable news outlets, industry journals, or peer-reviewed studies.
Disclosures:
- This should go without saying, but to be clear, links in the sponsored article will be live and connected to your site indefinitely, but will not pass page rank. We do not sell do follow links, ever.
- All paid content will be labeled as such as within the article and with a clear sponsorship disclosure at the bottom of the article as per US Federal Trade Commission Guidelines. The label looks like this and is linked to our Advertise page:

Writing and interview services: $200-400/article

If we are creating content for you, we require an in-depth outline. This ensures you have clarity about the content and makes the process more streamlined for our writers.
Additional content, links, and images are also helpful so that our writers can create the best content for you.
Writing services include on round of revisions.

Here are some examples of sponsored posts from our site:

If you have questions, please email Danielle, our Communication & Development Manager.