We apply Nature’s editorial standards to create high-quality content (print, online and multimedia) that meets Nature readers’ needs and expectations while aligning with your goals.
The aim of Branded Content is not to sell products or services, but to raise awareness of your organization, provide educational materials for our readers, and stimulate discussion. We want to associate your name with ideas and information that our readers find valuable.
Nature Research Custom Media (NRCM) provides a full content-creation service across all formats, including text, images, video and interactives. We also develop promotional campaigns that use a range of channels to ensure your content is seen by the right audiences.
We have several different types of Branded Content. This guide contains specific information about the type of content you have purchased as well as general tips for success.
On this page:
NRCM has the right to remove Branded Content articles from our platform after publication if the content is deemed to be in breach of these guidelines.
These tips are based on our experience of what our readers respond to. Bear these in mind when filling in your Briefing Form for Branded Content or for an Inside View.
The creation of Branded Content takes 8-12 weeks, depending on your chosen format. It is a collaborative process, where you review and approve your article/video at several stages.
You have two review rounds for each element of the Branded Content. The first review is the opportunity to make major changes, after that it should be minor changes only. Further revisions, or major changes at a late stage, could incur additional charges and delay the launch.
While we expect to shoulder the burden, a few responsibilities lie with you.
| Nature Research Custom Media | Our Partner |
|---|---|
| Develop idea | Provide subject and background material |
| Commission & edit content | Provide images and, if requested, figures |
| Arrange interviews, both sourced and partner affiliated | Facilitate introductions to affiliated interview subjects and locations (for video content) |
| Source images; redraw figures (if appropriate) | Adhere to timelines |
| Assemble layouts/video | Suggest target audience |
| Promote article to target audiences | |
| Report on reader engagement |
Where appropriate, we will promote your Branded Content through our social media channels. We also want you to share the content with your audiences. We encourage you to share our posts. For everything else, here are some best practices — and common pitfalls to avoid.
Creating your own posts – It is important that NRCM content is not confused with Nature Portfolio content. DO NOT tag editorial channels for Springer Nature journals (e.g. @Nature). The correct channels to tag are:
You can describe your Branded Content as “created in partnership with Nature Research Custom Media”. DO NOT describe your Branded Content as “an article in Nature” — we will have to ask you to delete those posts.
We can supply you with a separate utm tag for you to track performance.
How to increase engagement – Readers respond to busy threads. If you monitor your posts and respond to comments, that is likely to stimulate others to add their own comments and share the post.
Whether in print or online, most Branded Content articles are counted in pages. Each article can carry images (including multimedia), and will be supported by quotes from interviewees as well as references from published literature.
| Pages | Single | Double | Triple |
|---|---|---|---|
| Words | 500 | 1000 | 1500 |
| Images | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| References | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Interviewees | 2 | 3 | 4 |
The exception is an Inside View, which is always a single page Q&A of 750 words with one interviewee.
For more information on specific formats, please visit the relevant page:
