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You'll Never Guess How This Website Uses Jeff Bezos to Drive Traffic

Chances are you've heard of Jeff Bezos, the mega-rich founder of Amazon. But did you know his face is being used to drive traffic to a real estate investment platform? I recently stumbled upon an intriguing ad with Bezos's photo and a headline saying you can invest in real estate with just $100.

The ad was by a publisher called Moneywise, a major personal finance site getting nearly 8 million visits per month. But the ad sends you to a pop-up for a company called Arrived Homes. So Moneywise is leveraging Bezos's celebrity to attract clicks, then transferring them to Arrived.

It's a clever strategy I had to dig into further. Stick around as I break down exactly how Moneywise is profiting from paid traffic and authority, and how you can put their methods to work!

Sneaky Pop-Up Play Traffic Conductor

When you click on the Bezos ad, you land on a Moneywise page that looks like a normal blog. But suddenly this big pop-up fills your screen for Arrived Homes!

They don't wait at all to start pushing you to the real client's site. By bringing you to their own page first, Moneywise gets to display their brand and authority. Then the pop-up acts like a bridge to transport you to Arrived.

It's a slick bait-and-switch. Moneywise grabs your attention with Bezos and their own branding. But Arrived is who they really want you to click on. So the pop-up makes sure you get there pronto.

This is just one of many ways Moneywise seamlessly directs you off their page and on to their advertising client. Pretty ingenious!

Follow the Money: Traffic Finds its Way to Partners

Beyond the Bezos ad, Moneywise is running many campaigns sending paid traffic to "advertorials." These are articles on their site promoting a client's product.  

For example, they had a big native ad for Capital One Shopping. Just like with the Arrived advertorial, the goal is to get readers engaged with Moneywise then guide them to the offer.

The key is Moneywise has authority from all their organic traffic. So they lend some of that trust to lesser-known clients like Arrived or Capital One Shopping. Their advertorials allow the clients to tap into Moneywise's reputation.

It's a win-win-win. Moneywise makes money, clients get credibility and awareness, and readers get introduced to offers they may have ignored otherwise. Everyone leaves happy!

Moneywise Cashes in on Industry Goodwill

So what makes Moneywise such a smart choice for native advertising? In one word: authority.

This site has been around for years, building up tons of high-quality content on investing, taxes, banking, and everything money. They rank very well in Google and get millions of organic visitors each month.

On top of that, Moneywise has a polished, professional look and feel. As soon as you land there, you notice how legit and credible they seem.

Between the expertise they showcase and their sharp brand image, Moneywise has established themselves as a trusted leader. That authority rubs off on any advertiser gracing their pages.

Readers let their guard down a bit since the info is coming from Moneywise first. Which makes them more likely to engage with the Capital One and Arrived advertorials they fling your way.

Buying Ads to Amp Up Partner Potential

Now here’s the really clever part - Moneywise drives paid traffic to those advertorials too!

They already get a crazy amount of organic visitors. But Moneywise actively buys ads to attract even more people to the content promoting their clients.

So they’re taking visitors who were primed to engage with ads, yet likely wouldn’t have found Arrived or Capital One Shopping on their own. Then Moneywise warms them up before sending them to those clients’ sites.

This is genius because it magnifies the results. Those fresh visitors land on advertorials that lend credibility through Moneywise’s reputation. So they convert at a higher rate than typical traffic.

It cements Moneywise as an authority source while raking in profits. Talk about a perfect system! No wonder they can afford magazine-quality content.

Strategic Prompts Guide Visitors to Greener Pastures

Moneywise doesn't stop working its magic once readers arrive on their advertorials. They make sure to sprinkle tons of calls-to-action leading to the client's site.

On the Arrived Homes advertorial, purple links and a big reddish-orange button urge you to click through. Below that, another call-to-action box gives one final nudge.

Same thing with the Capital One Shopping post - Moneywise wants its cut, but knows the real goal is sending activated users straight to the partner. So arrows, buttons and links beckon you to click with zero friction.

With multiple chances to engage, even the most distracted reader will find their way to that client's site. And with such a warm intro from Moneywise, they'll be primed to convert once they get there!

Wrap Up

Moneywise has devised an ingenious system to capitalize on both its authority and paid advertising. By sending purchased visitors to client advertorials, they maximize conversions thanks to their trust and credibility.

You can emulate pieces of their game plan even with a much smaller operation:

• Use display and native ads to drive qualified traffic to your own content
• Create advertorials that promote affiliate offers or clients
• Build authority assets like blogs to lend third-party validation
• Use calls-to-action and frictionless bridges to guide readers

In the end, Moneywise banks profits while clients get boosted authority and conversions. It's almost unfair how well this positions everyone to win big.

Hope this breakdown gave you some ideas on merging paid traffic with trust platforms! This has been Jason Stogsdill with AdSkills.com. See you in the next one.