TalkAhead Launches 'Sponsored Comments' - A New Online Paid Content Platform

NEW YORK, Jan. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- TalkAhead, Inc., an emerging leader in online paid content and advertising solutions for marketers, public relations professionals, media planners / buyers and brand managers, today announced the launch of Sponsored Comments, a new advertising channel for online publications, news sites and blogs.  Sponsored Comments are paid messages that respond to articles or blog posts and are prominently displayed along with that article.

Sponsored Comments was specifically designed to help marketers, public relations professionals and brand managers respond to stories or issues affecting their company, product or industry, offer commentary, dispel misconceptions, generate leads and start conversations with consumers.  Because Sponsored Comment is the first message readers see the moment they've finished reading an article or blog post, marketers can target readers while their interest is piqued.  Advertisers who participated in the TalkAhead beta reported a click-through rate of 0.5%.

"TalkAhead gives me great visibility to a highly targeted audience.  As a result, the click-through rate is fantastic," said Dr. Jack Atzmon, CEO of Smartfish Tech.

When implemented, the TalkAhead technology provides each article or blog post with a designated area for Sponsored Comments.  Each Sponsored Comment can contain up to 500 characters of text, as well as a link to an external web page. All comments are clearly marked as sponsored, ensuring that readers are fully informed as to the Sponsored Comment's authorship.  Publishers can opt to approve comments prior to posting, or enable marketers to post on the fly.

Premium Revenue Channel for Publishers

Sponsored Comments provide a new revenue stream for publishers and bloggers. The Sponsored Comments are sold via multiple sales channels, including TalkAhead direct sales, TalkAhead partners, and a self-serve model.  The self-serve model uses an online wizard that enables advertisers to create, set a budget, and pay for Sponsored Comments on the fly. In addition, Publishers can leverage their direct ad sales team and include Sponsored Comments as part of premium advertising packages, or sell as stand-alone advertising.

"TalkAhead Sponsored Comments open a new revenue stream for us, letting us reach advertisers we could never have reached before.  At the same time, it reduces clandestine advertising within our regular readers comments section," said Mahmoud Hafed, CEO of AppAdvice.com.

Noting the Huffington Post recently began offering sponsored comments, Mr. Lang emphasized the importance of providing a designated area for paid responses.  "The feedback Huffington Post has received underscores the importance of separating paid and reader comments.  Clearly, mixing the two leave readers with the impression that the advertiser has an unfair leg up."

New Opportunities for Marketers

Sponsored Comments are a powerful tool for marketers, public relations professionals, media planners / buyers and brand managers.  They can be used to start conversations, engage consumers and build loyalty.  They're also effective in rapid response initiatives and crisis management.  "Sponsored Comments are similar to letters to the editor, except for a critically important difference: the comment appears immediately and prominently with the article, letting marketers respond quickly to news events that affect them, and stay ahead of the story," said Tal Goldberg, Chief Technology Officer of TalkAhead.

Key TalkAhead platform features, include:

• TalkAhead Alerts™: Free real-time notification via email or Twitter of relevant news stories or blog posts
• A flexible pricing model Sponsored Comments: CPC, CPM, CPT (cost-per-time), flat rate or bid.  Different models can apply within the same publication.
• Full control: Admin Console provides publishers and advertisers tools to manage accounts, Sponsored Comments, track revenue and set budgets.
• Syndication: Duplicate Sponsored Comments for use with all related articles in the same publication, or across publications.

TalkAhead's Sponsored Comments solution is now available.  For more information or to get started using the solution today, visit www.talkahead.com.

About TalkAhead

TalkAhead is a new, patent-pending advertising channel that lets online publishers monetize areas of the websites or blogs that have never earned revenue before.

With TalkAhead, online publishers can offer advertisers the opportunity to post Sponsored Comments – short messages that are displayed prominently in their Readers Comments sections -- thereby enabling them to participate in the dialogs readers are having on the Web.

TalkAhead's turnkey platform streamlines the process for both publishers and advertisers, making the Sponsored Comments channel highly profitable for publishers, and very timely and relevant for advertisers.

SOURCE TalkAhead, Inc.