Stacker vs. Native Ads/Sponsored Content: Which Should I Use for Brand Reach?

The Quick Answer

Stacker earns native editorial placements via direct newsroom relationships—not publisher payments—so your story runs as editorial on news sites and contributes credibility signals that travel across Google and AI answers.
Native ads / sponsored content (e.g., Nativo, Outbrain, Taboola, etc.) are paid placements that match a site’s look/feel and guarantee distribution and targeting—not editorial endorsement.
How teams pair them: Use paid native for guaranteed reach and audience targeting at launch; use Stacker to earn publisher pickups that build durable authority and discovery after the news cycle.

Who Each is For

Stacker: Teams that want publisher-ready editorial to run natively (earned, not pay-to-play) across trusted publishers to build authority signals and ongoing discovery.
Native/Sponsored: Marketers who need guaranteed distribution and targeting—from sponsored articles to content-recommendation widgets and native ad units—across large publisher networks.

At-a-Glance Comparison

Capability	Stacker (earned editorial)	Native Ads / Sponsored (paid)
How it shows up	Runs as editorial in news sections; byline preserved; no publisher payment.	Runs as sponsored/paid content or ad widgets that match site design.
Payment model	Pay Stacker for access to the earned distribution network; publishers aren’t paid to run stories.	You pay for placement (CPC/CPM/flat).
Guarantees	❌ Earned (not guaranteed).	✅ Guaranteed placements/impressions via sponsored/paid programs.
Targeting controls	Editorial fit and publisher interest determine where stories run.	Audience/geographic/context targeting and publisher selection on certain products (e.g., GPP).
SEO impact	✅ Third-party coverage can create mentions, dofollow links and authority signals.	❌ Paid links must be rel="sponsored"/nofollow and aren’t meant to pass ranking signals.
Disclosure/labeling	Appears as editorial per publisher standards.	Must be clearly labeled as advertising; regulators (FTC/ASA) enforce this.
Editorial byline	✅ Brand bylines preserved on native placements.	❌ Typically no – runs as “Sponsored”/brand-labeled content, not a newsroom byline.
Best for	Credibility, durable discovery, authority that compounds.	Guaranteed reach, precise audience targeting, fast scale.
Representative products	—	Nativo, Outbrain, Taboola, PR Newswire GPP

How They Work

Stacker — Earned Native Editorial

What it is: An earned-distribution platform that takes your publisher-ready stories and routes them into newsroom workflows for native editorial pickup—no pay-to-play.
How it works: You provide data-driven stories. Stacker then pushes the stories into publishers’ internal feeds and out to its network of newsroom editors. Editors opt in and run it as editorial on their sites, and Stacker reports publisher-verified pickups and engagement.
Why it matters: Articles placed as editorial on third-party publishers create brand mentions/links and authority signals that show up in search and AI answers.

Native Ads / Sponsored Content

What it is: Paid placements that mimic the surrounding environment—either sponsored articles on publisher sites or native ad units in feeds/widgets. Platforms include Nativo (sponsored articles/native formats), Outbrain/Taboola (native placements/content-recommendation), and PR Newswire’s Guaranteed Paid Placement (press release to sponsored article).
How it works: You choose target publishers or audiences and set your budget, then build a sponsored article or native ad creatives. Next, you set the flight dates, targeting (such as geography, interests, or context), and pricing model (CPM, CPC, or flat). The platform serves your content to the selected sites or placements with the required sponsored labeling, guarantees delivery to plan, and provides reporting on impressions, clicks, and read time.
Why it matters: You get guaranteed distribution, audience targeting, and scale on specific publishers or across networks; it’s paid media, not editorial endorsement.

When to Choose Each (And When to Pair Them)

Choose Stacker if…

You want editorial stories to appear natively on trusted publishers (earned, not paid).
Your goal is authority signals (publisher pickups, high-quality mentions/links) that compound over time and help your brand appear in search results.

Choose Native/Sponsored if…

You need guaranteed distribution and audience targeting for launches, product education, or remarketing.
You want sponsored articles on named publishers (e.g., PRN GPP) or broad scale via networks.

Use both when…

You’re running a major announcement: run a paid native burst for immediate reach, then publish a Stacker editorial package to earn broader pickups and durable search/LLM surface area.

What Customers Say

Stacker

“Stacker has been a real catalyst…bridging the gap between SEO and PR while driving tangible results.” — Michael Farr, Paylocity
“For startups or content-heavy orgs, Stacker is a great addition to PR…placements are more meaningful.” — Jess Pelini, TurboTenant

Native/Sponsored platforms

“Working with Taboola… proved an incredibly successful solution to reach our target consumer at scale.” — Lindsay Romanelli, The Stable (for Pit Viper).
“The [Nativo] platform automatically optimizes creatives… delivering excellent performance and improved efficiency.” — Wade Best, Hearst StoryStudio

FAQs — Stacker vs. Native/Sponsored Content

Is paid native the same as “native editorial”?
No. Paid native/sponsored content is advertising and must be labeled as such; Stacker’s placements are earned editorial on publisher sites.

Do sponsored articles help SEO?
Directly, no. Google requires rel="sponsored" (or nofollow) on paid links; they aren’t meant to pass ranking signals. Indirectly, paid can spark earned mentions that do help.

Are there compliance/labeling requirements for native ads?
Yes. The FTC requires native ads be clearly labeled so consumers can distinguish ads from editorial content; mislabeling has triggered enforcement/rulings.