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10 advertorial mistakes Shopify stores must avoid to boost conversions
While many merchants know how to write advertorials, most of them sometimes make mistakes which waste readers’ attention and trust.
This guide highlights the most common advertorial mistakes Shopify store owners make. Alongside, you’ll find actionable tips to improve your advertorials, helping you maximize results and connect with customers.
What is advertorial and what makes a good advertorial?
Advertorial is a type of paid content that blends advertising and editorial storytelling. An advertorial delivers educational or entertaining value first, then naturally leads readers toward a purchase or brand action.
In eCommerce, advertorials work especially well because they guide shoppers through a story, from problem awareness to product discovery, in a format that feels trustworthy and helpful, not aggressive.
A good advertorial strikes the perfect balance between editorial credibility and conversion intent. It builds trust, offers real insights, and subtly positions your product as the ideal solution. Rather than shouting “buy now,” it makes the reader want to take the next step, because they see the product as relevant, valuable, and timely.
On Shopify, a good advertorial blends storytelling, social proof, and product promotion. It should educate readers, build trust, and guide them to take action without sounding like an aggressive ad. Effective advertorials are clear, visually engaging, and customer-centered.
Advertorials provide useful information instead of promotion featuring product description
For example, a skincare brand can publish an advertorial that starts with a relatable story about skin issues, introduces expert-backed insights, and smoothly integrates their solution.
Instead of simply listing product features, the advertorial gives educational content first and promotes second.
Pro-tip: If you want a deeper breakdown of how to combine storytelling, structure, and subtle conversion tactics into a high-converting advertorial, explore this full guide from GemPages.
Top 10 advertorial mistakes Shopify merchants must avoid
Crafting an effective advertorial page is both an art and a strategy. It requires thoughtful research, compelling storytelling, and a seamless user experience all aligned to move readers from curiosity to conversion.
However, even the most visually polished advertorials can fail to perform if they fall into common pitfalls. These errors limit your advertorial’s ability to educate, persuade and convert. But the good news is each of them is fixable.
Targeting the Wrong Desire
A Shopify advertorial fails when it highlights benefits that do not align with the audience’s real needs. Many store owners describe product features instead of addressing emotional triggers. This disconnect causes readers to skim the advertorial without feeling seen or understood.
For example, a sentence like “Our sneakers are durable” states a fact but lacks empathy. A stronger line such as “Finally, sneakers that support you through 12-hour shifts without foot pain” connects to a specific human experience.
This mistake usually occurs because merchants rely too heavily on their product knowledge. They understand every technical detail but overlook what drives purchase intent which is relief, aspiration, or transformation.
How to avoid the mistake?
Shopify store owners can send short surveys or run polls asking what problems customers faced before finding their product. That insight alone can reshape an advertorial headline from technical to transformational.
Next, store owners should turn those emotional takeaways into clear storylines.
Instead of saying “48-hour battery life,” they might write, “No more panic at 5 p.m., your earbuds last as long as your day.” The advertorial design should visually support this message through images and captions that mirror the emotional benefit.
Finally, validation comes through testing. Running two advertorial versions, one focused on features, one on emotion, reveals which message drives higher dwell time and conversions.
Using Jargon and Buzzwords
One of the most subtle yet damaging advertorial mistakes is using jargon and buzzwords.
Many Shopify merchants believe sophisticated words make their advertorial sound professional. In reality, these terms confuse readers and reduce connection.
A Shopify advertorial performs best when it communicates clearly.
Readers who see phrases like “dermatologically optimized peptide synergy” or “multi-active molecular complex infusion” may feel lost. These words may impress experts but are not familiar to everyday shoppers.
This mistake happens because merchants often write from an insider’s point of view. They know their product deeply but forget that their audience may not. As a result, their advertorial copywriting sounds distant and hard to follow.
How to avoid the mistake?
Before publishing, you should try explaining your advertorial to a friend with no industry background. In case they don’t understand, you should simplify what’s been written.
This approach reflects true advertorial best practices which are clarity, accessibility, and authenticity. In advertorials, that clarity directly drives higher engagement and advertorial conversion.
If technical terms are essential, you should always define them. Adding a short explanation turns complexity into insight. For example: “Microencapsulation - a process that helps nutrients absorb deeper into your skin.” Small clarifications build trust and improve flow.
Overly salesy tone
When readers sense a sales pitch before trust is built, they tune out immediately. In fact, 92% of consumers say they want brands to make ads feel like a story. In other words, readers dislike advertorials that sound like plain ads.
An advertorial that sounds too much like a sales pitch instantly loses credibility. This issue remains one of the most widespread advertorial mistakes among Shopify merchants.
Readers visit content for information, not pressure. When a Shopify advertorial pushes the product too aggressively, it breaks the narrative flow and erodes trust.
For instance, opening with “Buy this now!” feels intrusive, while “How one busy mom simplified her skincare routine” feels human and relatable.
The reason this occurs is simple: merchants are under constant pressure to generate quick sales. They fear that subtle storytelling may not convert as fast as direct offers.
How to avoid this mistake?
A common advertorial mistake occurs when merchants focus on direct selling rather than storytelling. A strong advertorial introduces a relatable problem and shows empathy for the audience.
Case studies, expert insights, and real customer experiences naturally guide readers toward the product solution. Maintaining an authentic and informative tone helps build trust, keeps readers engaged, and ultimately converts better than pushy sales copy.
Pro-tip: Different niches require different storytelling angles, but you don’t have to build everything from scratch. GemPages offers advertorial templates tailored for various industries.
Poor structure and flow
Disorganized structure is one of the most overlooked mistakes in advertorial content. Even the strongest ideas lose impact when they are presented without a clear progression, and many Shopify merchants fall into this trap by treating advertorials like long blog posts.
When sections feel random or transitions are missing, engagement drops and conversions decline. This often happens because writers start drafting without planning the story arc or defining the reader’s goal.
For example, opening with product features before addressing customer pain points disrupts the emotional flow, leaving readers unsure why the product matters and reducing their urgency to act.
How to avoid this mistake?
To avoid this mistake, merchants should apply a proven structure. Frameworks like PAS (Problem, Agitate, Solve) or 3S (Star, Story, Solution) provide logical sequencing and narrative clarity. Each section should have a clear purpose: capturing attention, building desire, and prompting action.
Subheadings, visuals, and short paragraphs improve readability, allowing readers to scan while staying emotionally engaged. Using advertorial templates from GemPages can further simplify this process, ensuring storytelling flow and visual hierarchy align naturally.
Great content is not only useful but also requires ability to engage with audience
Low-Quality Visuals
Low-quality or inconsistent visuals can undermine credibility and professionalism in Shopify advertorials. Many merchants rely on stock images or poorly cropped visuals that fail to reflect brand identity, causing readers to subconsciously question legitimacy.
How to avoid this mistake?
A clear visual strategy often creates the strongest foundation for an effective advertorial. High quality images that show real usage scenarios, demonstrate concrete results, and create emotional connection usually help readers understand the value of the product more quickly. When these visuals are arranged in sequences that highlight changes before and after product use, the message becomes even more persuasive.
A balanced mix of professional photography and user generated content also contributes to a more authentic and relatable experience. This combination feels inviting and helps readers imagine how the product might fit into their own lives. When all visuals follow a consistent palette, composition, and typography style, the entire advertorial feels more coherent and carries a stronger sense of brand identity.
Additional interactive elements such as subtle motion images or full rotation views can encourage readers to spend more time exploring the product. These enhancements often strengthen the narrative, improve trust, and create a smoother path toward higher advertorial conversions.
Treat visuals as strategic assets rather than decorations. High-quality images should show real use cases, evoke emotions, and highlight tangible results. Before-and-after sequences work well to demonstrate transformations.
Combining professional photos with user-generated content balances authenticity and aspiration. Lifestyle shots and annotations help readers relate and notice key details.
Consistency is essential. A unified color palette and typography reinforce brand identity and guide the reader’s eye. Adding interactive elements like GIFs or 360° views increases engagement and brings products to life. Properly executed visuals support the narrative, enhance trust, and boost advertorial conversions.
Lack of Social Proof
Many Shopify advertorials fail because they lack social proof, leaving readers unconvinced about a product’s reliability. Without testimonials, ratings, or real user experiences, potential customers may doubt the product’s effectiveness, reducing engagement and conversions.
Generic stock images or vague claims like “high quality” fail to resonate emotionally. Readers need tangible evidence that others like them have benefited from the product.
How to avoid this mistake?
Display short customer quotes, star ratings, or video testimonials to make benefits relatable. Highlight measurable outcomes, such as “Over 5,000 homes transformed,” for credibility. Integrate social media posts or user-generated content to show real engagement.
Placing social proof near key benefits reinforces trust, validates claims, and increases the likelihood that readers take action.
Learn more: Knowing how to leverage social proof helps building trust for your store and creating better engagement with your customers.
Weak or forceful CTAs
A call to action that is vague or too aggressive drives readers away. “Buy now” may sound too demanding
Shopify advertorials often struggle with poorly designed CTAs. Weak buttons buried at the bottom fail to guide readers, while aggressive CTAs like “Buy Now!” disrupt the story and reduce credibility. Both extremes break the user journey and lower conversions.
The issue arises when merchants push sales too early or ignore readers’ need for context. Visitors want insight and relatable stories, not immediate promotion.
How to avoid this mistake?
CTAs should flow naturally with the narrative. For example, after a customer story, use “Discover how this solution works,” or after a transformation visual, “Start your own makeover today.” Buttons must contrast visually, maintain brand consistency, and appear at multiple points to capture readers at different stages.
Testing copy, color, size, and placement ensures optimal engagement. Start with softer CTAs early, then stronger ones later, aligning the language with the advertorial’s emotional tone.
Poor readability
Even high-quality content loses impact if it is hard to read. Many Shopify advertorials feature long paragraphs, inconsistent formatting, or complex sentences, making it difficult for readers to scan and comprehend. Since online users often skim, poor readability causes early disengagement.
How to avoid this mistake?
Use clear subheadings, short paragraphs, bullet points, and numbered lists to improve clarity. Highlight key insights or emotional triggers in bold or italics, and ensure adequate white space so text and visuals coexist harmoniously.
Visual cues like icons, arrows, or sidebars guide readers through complex ideas. Enhancing readability makes the content more accessible, keeps readers engaged, and increases the likelihood of conversion.
Using visual cues and appropriate text layouts improves readability
Ignoring Technical Performance
Many Shopify advertorials underperform because merchants overlook technical factors like page speed, mobile responsiveness, and functional integrity. Slow-loading pages or broken elements frustrate readers, increase bounce rates, and reduce trust.
Mobile users are especially affected, as unoptimized pages disrupt engagement and the narrative flow.
How to avoid this mistake?
Optimize images, minimize scripts, and implement lazy loading to improve speed. Ensure responsive design so text, visuals, and buttons display correctly on all devices. Test links and interactive elements for functionality, and monitor performance with tools like Google PageSpeed Insights.
Addressing technical issues ensures a smooth, frustration-free user experience that keeps readers engaged and guides them naturally toward conversion.
Not Testing or Tracking
Many merchants fail to measure advertorial effectiveness, missing optimization opportunities. Without tracking, it is impossible to know which headlines, visuals, or CTAs resonate or drive conversions. Assuming the first version will perform ignores audience variation and limits ROI.
How to avoid this mistake?
Conduct A/B testing on headlines, visuals, CTA placements, and section order. Use heatmaps and session recordings to see where readers focus and drop off. Combine metrics with qualitative feedback like surveys to refine storytelling, visuals, and messaging.
Regular analysis ensures the advertorial evolves based on actual reader behavior, maximizing engagement, trust, and conversions.
For Shopify merchants, GemX makes tracking and optimization simple. You can monitor advertorial performance, run A/B tests, and get actionable insights. This helps you improve results faster and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Pro tip: Want to dive deeper into advertorial strategy? Download the full GemPages Advertorial Ebook for comprehensive guidance, templates, and expert insights.
What are the advertorial tips from experts?
Creating high-converting advertorials requires a thorough customers understanding
Beyond copywriting, effective advertorials rely on user experience, technology, and professional resources to maximize engagement and conversions.
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Add a reading progress bar: A progress bar shows how far readers have come, increasing completion rates and dwell time. Pairing it with estimated reading time lets visitors decide whether to start now or save for later. Strategically combining progress bars with smart navigation and pagination enhances overall user experience.
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Improve page speed with headless landing pages: Slow-loading pages drive users away. Decoupling the front and back end, using subdomains, and integrating APIs improve load times. Faster pages enhance user experience and ad performance, as platforms reward quick-loading content with better reach.
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Hire an advertorial expert: Professionals ensure narratives are compelling, visuals are optimized, and CTAs are effective. Their expertise maximizes ROI, turning content into a conversion-focused investment.
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Use GemPages templates: Over 165,000 Shopify merchants trust GemPages, and you can leverage its many pre-made, conversion-optimized advertorial templates to save time and maintain professional quality. The templates are ready-to-use, customizable, and optimized for engagement, saving time while maintaining professional quality.
Pro tip: For a complete step-by-step guide to creating high-converting Shopify advertorials, check out this detailed article from GemPages: All About Advertorial
Final thoughts
Advertorials help Shopify merchants connect with audience in a natural and engaging way. When done well, they build trust and drive long-term customer loyalty.
To succeed and avoid common advertorial mistakes, create a checklist for planning and execution. Consider your industry and audience before choosing tone, visuals, and CTA.
With templates and drag-and-drop customization tools from GemPages, you can build high-performing advertorials faster and easier.
Advertorials are strategic tools to convert readers into loyal customers, especially when crafted with care. Are you ready to improve your own advertorials with GemPages?
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