Why You Should Be Testing Advertorial LPs

Hey everyone,

Welcome back for another bite to chew on.

Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on a huge unlock we found this year: advertorial landing pages.

Here’s the funny part: We tried advertorials before. They bombed. We basically gave up on them.

But with Meta performance tightening early this year, we partnered with a sharp agency and decided to give it another shot.

Result:
→ A 10% incremental profit lift over our best-performing LP.
→ More scalability with cold traffic.
→ Better conversion even in a shaky consumer climate.

This time, it worked. And we’ll show you why.

On the Menu:

• Why we rebuilt our landing page strategy

• The 7 critical elements of our high-converting advertorial

• Real numbers + when this doesn’t work

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Why We Rebuilt Our Landing Page Strategy

Let’s be clear: Our standard LP format built Obvi to 8-figures. We’re not here to trash it. It’s still our baseline, our control group, and it still prints.

But in 2025, we started noticing patterns:

• Consumer confidence is down.

• Money’s tighter.

• Impulse buys are shrinking.

Even with headline testing, button tweaks, image swaps, and CRO best practices, performance plateaued.

We hit the wall that a lot of you are probably seeing, too.

So instead of trying to squeeze another 2% out of button color testing, we did something bigger.

Start with deep research

Because we’d tried advertorials before, we knew we couldn’t just throw something together. We’d have to be really purposeful if this was going to move the needle. 

First, we gathered data: 

• Reviewed hundreds of Obvi comments, reviews, and emails

• Identified pain points, language patterns, and success themes

• Clarified a core persona: Midwestern woman, 30s+, balancing family, career, and weight-loss goals

• Reviewed clinical studies behind the active ingredients in our burn bundle

Next, we reframed the buying journey.

Instead of sending traffic to a page that says “Buy now” right away, we built a Narrative Offer Page that mirrors the customer’s emotional journey:

1. Struggle

2. Discovery

3. Education

4. Solution

And then we added clinical studies for credibility, grounding the narrative in science (not just testimonials).

The format isn’t about tricking the customer. It’s about meeting them where they are mentally and emotionally.

Finally, we brought on a creative partner who specializes in executing advertorials. They helped with everything from wireframing and content writing to research.

🚨 NOTE - Interested in working with our creative partner? Let us know here, and we’ll connect you.

The 7 Critical Elements of Our High-Converting Advertorial

Here’s exactly how we rebuilt the page (and why it worked)...

Emotional Headline & Curiosity Gap
 "I Thought I Had to Choose Between Losing Weight or Being a Mom."

This headline cuts past product talk and taps into the core emotional trade-off our audience faces: their weight vs. their role as a mom.

The subheadline, “Everything Changed When I Discovered This 3-Step Collagen System,” creates an immediate curiosity gap that invites scrolling without sounding salesy.

Relatable Protagonist & Specificity
 "My husband works full-time. I’ve got three kids... I’m lucky if I get 10 minutes to myself during the day."

We crafted a persona that mirrors our customer’s exact circumstances. The details about her busy life create instant recognition and trust. 

This specificity matters.

A generic "I lost weight" story won't work as well as one that mirrors your exact customer avatar with details they recognize from their own lives.

Validated Struggle & Pain Point Mirroring

The copy reflects the reader’s frustrations before mentioning any solution. 

This validation builds trust and emotional resonance. The narrative mentions attempted solutions that failed, which mirrors the customer's own journey.

Turning Point & Social Proof in Story Form
 "She looked amazing—she was definitely thinner, but also her skin and hair were glowing."

The story pivots around a conversation with a friend who achieved amazing results. This mimics how real product discovery often happens and harnesses social proof (in a narrative form).

The conversation scene is set in a café, with vivid details about noticing the friend's transformation: "It was like she had gone back in time! She looked amazing—she was definitely thinner, but also her skin and hair were glowing."

This scene works because it:

• Creates a natural discovery moment (versus a brand pushing a product)

• Establishes proof through a trusted friend (not a paid testimonial)

• Makes the transformation tangible through specific details

Educational Bridge Before the Offer
 "As we age, our metabolism slows down... Collagen can help offset this process."

Instead of immediately pitching the product, our page explains the science behind why weight loss is harder as we age:

"As we age, our metabolism slows down, making it harder to burn fat and keep the weight off."

Then it introduces collagen's role in metabolism, creating an "aha moment" that makes the product solution feel like a logical next step, not a sales pitch.

This education phase:

• Establishes authority and builds trust

• Creates a logical framework for why the product works

• Answers the "why" before addressing the "what"

Systematic Solution Presentation + Social Proof
 "Morning metabolism activation (Burn), Afternoon appetite control (Burn Fast), Overnight fat burning (Burn PM)."

The product isn’t presented as a magic pill. It’s framed as a 3-step system, which feels comprehensive and credible. It also justifies the bundle price.

Native Camouflage & Trust Signals

• Breadcrumb navigation: "Home > Trending > Health & Wellness"

• Byline (“by Dr. Sarah Carrington”) + timestamp

• Comment section design cues: Shows engagement from other readers

• “As Seen In” media logos: Adds institutional credibility

• Before/after photos + UGC holding products

The page mimics trusted editorial content (but discloses it’s an ad at the top and bottom).

PS - In case you’re wondering, we built this LP using Replo

🎉 SF Founders & Operators — See You May 6?

Chew On This: Post-Sessions Social
📍 San Francisco | 🗓 May 6 | ⏰ 7:30 PM

We’re partnering with Chargeflow and FlyCode to host a get-together this week in San Francisco for Stripe Sessions.

Kick back with SaaS founders, DTC brand leaders, and operators.
Good people. Good drinks. Zero pitches.

Request to Join →

What Happened: Real Numbers

When we ran this advertorial against our control LP: +10% incremental profit lift. 🤯

This wasn’t just a CTR bump or cheap clicks. It was bottom-line profit.

And that’s just the initial test crop. We’re super excited to see how much we can optimize this over time. 

BTW - of course, just because this worked for us, doesn’t mean it definitely will for you…

When This Approach Works (and When It Doesn’t)

Best for:
✅ Products that require deeper explanation or education
✅ Purchases that are emotional and rational
✅ Systems or bundles
✅ Crowded markets where trust is key

Probably not worth it for:
❌ Commodity products
❌ Simple problem/solution purchases
❌ Repeat buyers who already know your brand

If your offer is easy to explain in 2 sentences? A long-form advertorial might be overkill.

🧰 Operator Toolbox

🚨Reminder: We have $250,000 in free AppLovin Credits! We’re handing out more and more of these credits every day. Fill out this quick form to get yours before they’re gone →

⭐️ Agency & Vendor Recommendations! We’re introducing brands to our top vendors and partners, including the team that helped us execute our advertorial LP. Just fill out the linked form and let us know what you’re looking for. Quick connect →

🔹 Replo - Is what we use to build most of our landing pages these days. Powerful, intuitive, and plugs right into our main Shopify store. Check them out if here → 

🔹 Soona - Soona helps you make, manage & optimize your brand assets at scale. Try them now to get their new tariff savings offer →

🔹 Aftersell - Their new multivariate testing is helping us find winning upsell and checkout flow combos in days instead of weeks. If you’re on Shopify, get Aftersell to power your checkout →

Some of these are referral partners. We only share what we actually use or would recommend to a friend.