Opinion: Native Advertising is an untapped tool in lead generation

If you ask AI which paid marketing platforms are best for lead generation, you'll likely hear the usual names: Google, Meta, Display, and LinkedIn. While these platforms remain powerful, they keep getting more and more competitive, making it increasingly expensive to acquire leads. However, there's an often overlooked channel with massive untapped potential - Native Advertising.

Why is Native Advertising a game-changer for lead generation?

If you're relying only on search and social, you’re missing out on a massive opportunity. Native advertising delivers unparalleled reach, lower costs, and highly engaged users who are ready to take action. The reason? With native advertising, you’re not just getting impressions—you’re capturing attention and converting curiosity into leads. 

Here’s why it works.

Massive reach: If you’re relying only on search and social you’re missing out on loads of potential leads. At MVF Global, our biggest Native campaigns hit 200M+ impressions per month - that’s 3,000x more than social channels.

Low costs: Native platforms generally run on a cost-per-click (CPC) model, so you only pay when someone engages with your ad. On top of this, CPCs are significantly lower than on other marketing channels.  At MVF, Native CPCs are ~7x cheaper than social channels.

Highly engaged users: Native ads appear on trusted news sites, reaching people when they’re actively reading, not just mindlessly scrolling. Which means they’re more likely to engage with your content.

Educates and warms up prospects: People don’t always know they need your product until they see your ad. Native lets you capture curiosity, educate users, and turn interest into action.

Tips for running Native Advertising campaigns for lead generation

Great ad copy is the key to driving leads—and with Native Advertising, every element matters. From crafting attention-grabbing headlines to optimizing ad placements and fine-tuning your landing pages, a strategic approach ensures high-quality conversions at lower costs. 

Writing engaging ad copy

For lead generation, your headline is the most crucial part of your ad. You need a high enough CTR to be competitive in the auction but also need to make sure that enough of these clicks go to become a lead. Some techniques for doing this are: 

• Blend buzz with a CTA: Grab attention with a bold claim and add a CTA to drive the user to take the required action e.g. This 1-day shower renovation service takes the US by storm (Get your quote).
• Highlight offers: Make your audience feel they’re getting exclusive value so they want to sign up e.g. Irish homeowners can claim €1,800 solar grant.
• Create a sense of reward: Use words like claim and eligibility to boost engagement. e.g. Over-65s in the UK can claim free hearing test (Check eligibility).

Ultimately, creating engaging ad copy is about constantly testing and tweaking until you find a winner. 

Optimising placements for quality

One of the biggest challenges with Native Advertising is the sheer number of potential ad placement, many of which can drive low-quality clicks and conversions. To maximise lead quality it’s important to:

• Track and analyse lead quality: Ensure you get regular feedback on the quality of the leads you’re generating, and you’re able to trace back to the site and ads they were generated from. By doing this you can refine your targeting and creatives to improve overall performance.
• Use whitelists for better control: Leverage site data to build a whitelist of the best quality placements, and drive as much volume as possible through this to ensure your ads only appear where they’re most effective. 
• Automate quality filters: To prevent wasted spend on viral or low-quality sites, set up automated rules (available on Taboola and Outbrain) to block placements with suspiciously high CTRs, a common indicator of poor lead quality.

By taking a data-driven approach to placement optimisation, you can ensure your Native ad campaigns drive real, valuable conversions.

Optimise your funnel for conversion

Your landing page plays a crucial role in turning traffic into conversions. With Native ads, the best approach is to direct users to an article page first, then guide them to a form, all while following these key principles:

• Drive action with a strong CTA: Make sure your article page includes a compelling CTA which aligns with your ad and form page CTA, and is placed above the fold for maximum visibility.
• Keep it concise: Use short, punchy sentences, and aim for 1-2 sentences per paragraph.

• Use a 3 part structure: 

  1. Create urgency by explaining why the user needs your product or service.

  2. Give more information on the product or service to highlight it’s value.

  3. Encourage action by explaining why they should convert on your website.

• Continuously A/B test: Regularly test different variations of your landing page to refine messaging, structure, and CTA, ensuring the highest possible conversion rate.

With the right strategy, Native Advertising can become a powerful addition to your marketing mix, helping you scale your lead generation while keeping costs under control. Now is the time to test, refine, and unlock its full potential.