The service’s website points out that you can then add “as featured in FOX, CBS, NBC” with the corresponding network logos to your website.

Instant credibility, right?

Or . . . is it?

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What’s the deal?

The young marketer offering this opportunity charges $97. That’s not a lot of money to pay for this “as seen on” credential if this is something that is very important to you.

And I realize that for some, it’s very, very important.

I had my suspicions about the offer, though.

So did the author who contacted me.

That’s why I emailed the promoter. I didn’t doubt his claim and guarantee. I just didn’t think it was legitimate, by-the-book publicity.

What’s publicity?

More on what I learned in a minute. First, it helps to understand publicity, since this is presented as a “PR package.”

Publicity, a subset of public relations (PR), is news media exposure. The current buzz phrase for it is “earned media.” It’s journalistic content that mentions you that you didn’t pay for.

For example, you might be interviewed for an article or a radio or TV segment, or you or your book are mentioned in a short news item in a newspaper or an online news outlet.

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Have you ever sent a press release that got picked up by media outlets? That’s publicity.

With publicity, you can’t control what gets used or when, but because there’s an implied editorial endorsement when you’re interviewed, quoted, or mentioned, it’s at least 10 times more credible than advertising. In other words, consumers are more impressed by publicity than by advertising.

Consumers are more impressed by publicity than by advertising.Click to tweetWhat’s advertising?

Unlike earned media, advertising is paid media. Because you pay for space or air time, you control what’s in the ad and when it appears.

Most of us can recognize an ad when we see one, whether it’s while watching TV or skimming an online news site. Sometimes, advertisers blur the line between advertising and publicity by paying for content that reads like a news article. That’s known as “native advertising.”

When it’s not obvious that it’s an ad, as is usually the case with native advertising, the Federal Trade Commission requires advertisers to disclose that it’s sponsored, or paid for, content.

I’ve written a fair amount of native advertising content for my local daily newspaper as freelance writer. In this article for a hearing center that I wrote, you’ll see a “Story from . . . “ disclaimer at the top. At the end, there’s notification that the newspaper’s editorial staff didn’t contribute to the article.

This is transparency.

What does it have to do with this “as seen on” offer?

So here’s the deal. The conventional use of “as seen on” or “featured on” with media logos refers to legitimate, bona fide publicity. It means that you were interviewed or mentioned by a journalist at that media outlet.

That’s not what this $97 “PR package” (his words, not mine) offer is about.

You’re paying $97 for advertising on a local network affiliate’s website.

After paying the fee, you complete a questionnaire. The marketer then pays a local TV station to place your Q&A (he calls it an article) on its website. It runs on the site with this disclaimer: Sponsored: Advertising Content.

Let’s talk book marketing and integrity

Paying for this type of placement on a local TV station’s website and claiming on your own website and marketing materials that you’ve been “featured on” Fox, CBS, or NBC or whatever is the same thing as buying an ad in People magazine and claiming you were featured in the pages of People.

I mean, technically, it’s accurate.

But it’s not what the average consumer thinks when they see “as featured in” – and for good reason. For most, it means that you are so good at what you do that a journalist chose to interview or feature you.

When we see those media logos on your site, we don’t know that you’ve paid a local TV station to run native advertising.

Think about it: What would you say if someone said to you, “Wow! Can I watch your appearance online?”

(By the way, you can add “as featured on” with logos to your site legitimately. And in a few weeks, I’ll tell you about a course I’ve created that will teach you how.)

What do you think?

Do you think translating paid space on a local TV station’s website to “as featured on” with network logos is misleading?

Do you think it’s ethical?

Do you think that authors and others who pay for this type of advertising have integrity?

The dude making the offer

I’m sure the young entrepreneur selling this service thinks it’s all on the up-and-up. He graduated from college in 2019, and might simply be too young and inexperienced to grasp that he’s basically helping people deceive their followers and connections.

I’ll add that he did respond promptly when I emailed him to ask how he could guarantee network television exposure. Rather than ignore my polite message or reply with lots of doublespeak, he explained the Q&A process (which is clearly outlined on his website, too) and provided three links to examples.

He’s not lying to customers, and I give him credit for that. And if people are willing to pay him so they can deceive their fans, why should I care?

Who cares?

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I don’t care what his customers do.

But they aren’t people I would intentionally do business with.

Would you?

I’m a big fan of transparency. And I don’t like to be deceived. It makes me feel silly and foolish – and I do plenty of that on my own.

Plus, I couldn’t get away with deceiving you. I learned that lesson in college, when I tried to break the dining hall’s rules by smuggling a sandwich out in my purse.

Busted.

But that’s just me. What do you think? Are you comfortable paying for a Q&A on a local TV station’s website, then telling your readers you were featured on a major network?

Where do you stand? Please tell us in a comment. I’d like to learn from you.