Advertising Policy
Last Reviewed: 15 July 2026
Policy Version: 1.0
Advertising and commercial partnerships help support the continued operation of HeatInk and allow us to invest in independent journalism, product coverage, buying guides, industry events and educational resources.
This Advertising Policy explains how advertising is presented, how commercial relationships are managed and how HeatInk protects its editorial independence.
Our Principles
HeatInk aims to maintain a clear separation between editorial content and commercial activity.
Advertisers, sponsors and commercial partners do not control:
- Which news stories we publish.
- The conclusions reached in reviews.
- Product ratings or scores.
- Buying guide rankings.
- Editorial opinions.
- Whether a correction is made.
Commercial support does not guarantee favourable editorial coverage.
Types of Advertising
HeatInk may display or publish several forms of commercial content, including:
- Banner advertising.
- Sponsored articles.
- Sponsored buying guides.
- Sponsored event coverage.
- Featured partner promotions.
- Newsletter advertising.
- Product launches and commercial announcements.
- Lead-generation campaigns.
- Affiliate links.
The availability and format of these opportunities may change as the publication develops.
Labelling Advertising
Paid advertising and sponsored content will be identified clearly so that readers can distinguish commercial material from independent editorial content.
Labels may include:
- Advertisement
- Sponsored
- Sponsored Content
- Paid Partnership
- Featured Partner
- Promoted
The wording used may vary according to the format, but the commercial nature of the content will not be deliberately hidden.
Banner Advertising
Banner advertisements may appear on the homepage, article pages, directory pages, newsletters and other areas of the publication.
Banner placement does not imply endorsement by HeatInk of the advertiser, its products or its services.
Where technically appropriate, advertising links may include attributes such as:
rel="sponsored"rel="noopener"
These attributes help identify commercial links and improve visitor security.
Sponsored Content
Sponsored content is material created with financial or other commercial support from a partner.
Sponsored content will be clearly labelled and may include information about the sponsoring organisation.
HeatInk may decline sponsored content that:
- Contains misleading or unverifiable claims.
- Is inconsistent with the interests of our readers.
- Attempts to imitate independent editorial content.
- Promotes unlawful, unsafe or inappropriate activity.
- Contains defamatory, discriminatory or offensive material.
- Creates an unacceptable conflict with our editorial standards.
Sponsored Reviews
HeatInk does not sell positive reviews, favourable scores or guaranteed recommendations.
A manufacturer or supplier may provide equipment, products, services, travel, access or other support connected with a review. Where relevant, this relationship will be disclosed.
Commercial involvement does not guarantee:
- A favourable conclusion.
- A minimum score.
- Inclusion in a buying guide.
- An award or recommendation.
- Advance approval of the final editorial opinion.
Product Samples and Review Equipment
Products may be loaned, supplied temporarily or provided without charge for evaluation.
Where a product has been supplied for review, HeatInk may disclose this within the review or associated editorial information.
Providing a product does not give the supplier ownership of the review or control over its conclusions.
Where appropriate, products may be returned, retained for long-term testing, donated, disposed of or otherwise handled in accordance with an agreed arrangement.
Sponsored Buying Guides
A buying guide may be supported by a commercial partner, but sponsorship does not automatically determine which products are included, excluded or recommended.
Any sponsored relationship will be disclosed clearly.
HeatInk will not knowingly present a paid placement as an independent ranking without appropriate disclosure.
Industry Events
Event organisers, exhibitors, venues or suppliers may sponsor event listings, previews, interviews or coverage.
Sponsored event content will be labelled accordingly.
Independent editorial coverage may also be published about the same event without commercial involvement.
Advertiser Responsibility
Advertisers are responsible for ensuring that their material is accurate, lawful and compliant with applicable advertising standards.
Advertisers must have the necessary rights and permissions for all text, logos, photographs, artwork, trademarks, claims and destination links supplied to HeatInk.
HeatInk may request evidence to support technical, comparative, environmental, performance or pricing claims.
Advertising Standards
Advertising should comply with applicable UK legislation and relevant advertising standards, including guidance issued by the Advertising Standards Authority where applicable.
HeatInk reserves the right to reject, suspend or remove an advertisement that we reasonably believe is:
- Misleading.
- Unlawful.
- Unsafe.
- Defamatory.
- Discriminatory.
- Infringing intellectual property rights.
- Inappropriate for the HeatInk audience.
- Technically harmful or insecure.
Creative Approval
Advertising artwork may be reviewed before publication for technical suitability, visual quality, destination accuracy and compliance with this policy.
Approval by HeatInk does not transfer legal responsibility for the advertisement away from the advertiser.
HeatInk may request changes to artwork, wording, links or claims before a campaign is activated.
Commercially Approved Assets
Images and artwork used in advertising campaigns must be approved for commercial use within HeatInk's asset-management system.
This approval process helps ensure that advertising material has appropriate rights, licensing information and commercial clearance before publication.
Targeting and Cookies
HeatInk may use contextual advertising based on the page or section being viewed.
Marketing cookies, behavioural advertising or personalised advertising will not be enabled unless the visitor has provided the required consent.
Visitors can review or change their preferences using the Cookie Settings option available on the website.
Analytics and Campaign Reporting
HeatInk may measure advertising performance using information such as:
- Impressions.
- Clicks.
- Click-through rate.
- Leads or enquiries.
- Conversions.
- Campaign dates and placements.
Reports may be provided to advertisers in an aggregated form.
HeatInk does not provide advertisers with unnecessary personal information about individual readers.
Lead Generation
Some campaigns may invite readers to request information, submit an enquiry, download a resource or contact a commercial partner.
Where a reader submits information, the form will explain how that information will be used.
Consent to respond to an enquiry is separate from optional consent to receive future marketing.
Affiliate Links
HeatInk may use affiliate links.
If a reader follows an affiliate link and completes a purchase, HeatInk may receive a commission without increasing the price paid by the reader.
Affiliate relationships do not guarantee positive coverage, inclusion in buying guides or favourable rankings.
Pricing and Availability
Advertising prices, availability, formats and campaign terms may change.
A placement is not guaranteed until it has been formally agreed and confirmed.
HeatInk may refuse or postpone a campaign where there is a technical, editorial, legal, scheduling or availability issue.
Campaign Changes and Cancellations
Changes, postponements or cancellations may be subject to the terms agreed for the individual campaign.
Advertisers should supply final approved artwork and destination links within the agreed timescale.
Late delivery of materials may delay a campaign without extending its end date unless otherwise agreed.
Conflicts of Interest
Potential conflicts between commercial relationships and editorial coverage will be considered carefully.
Where a relationship is relevant to a reader's understanding of the content, HeatInk aims to disclose it clearly.
Editorial Coverage of Advertisers
An organisation may advertise with HeatInk and also be covered independently by our editorial team.
Advertising does not prevent HeatInk from reporting legitimate news, criticism, corrections, product limitations or industry controversy involving an advertiser.
Equally, choosing not to advertise does not disadvantage an organisation within independent editorial coverage.
Right to Refuse Advertising
HeatInk reserves the right to refuse advertising or commercial partnerships at its discretion.
We are not obliged to accept material simply because advertising space is available.
Complaints
Questions or complaints concerning advertising, sponsorship or commercial disclosure can be submitted through our Contact & Corrections page.
Please include the relevant page URL, advertisement, campaign or organisation so that the matter can be investigated properly.
Changes to This Policy
This Advertising Policy may be updated to reflect changes in legislation, industry standards, technology, commercial services or HeatInk's publishing practices.
The latest review date and policy version are displayed at the top of this page.
Our Advertising Commitments
- Advertising will be distinguishable from independent editorial content.
- Advertisers cannot purchase favourable review conclusions or scores.
- Sponsored relationships will be disclosed where relevant.
- Reader privacy and cookie choices will be respected.
- Misleading, unlawful or inappropriate advertising may be rejected or removed.
- Commercial activity will remain separate from independent editorial decision-making.