Here at FSElite, our integrity is paramount to our code of conduct. We value our editorial independence and ability to report the latest in the flight simulation community without fear of repercussions. Being part of the free-press movement means that we should always feel able to talk about the industry in a constructive and fair manner, without concern. This is important as it helps to maintain the trust we have built up with the community over the years and also ensures that developers, publishers, and ourselves, can be held to account.
Advertising, sponsorship and affiliation can sometimes come across as a grey area. To mitigate any concerns by developers, publishers, consumers and potential advertisers, our Advertising Standards and Policy is transparent for all to see.
Our standards are clear, concise and easy to understand. Should you have concerns or questions, please get in touch.
In Summary
- We value our integrity above all else and will work to protect the trust you have given us.
- Advertisers will never have a strong hold over FSElite or our editorial stance, reviews or opinions.
- FSElite is never, EVER paid for reviews or prioritising news
- We use a variety of means to generate revenue in order to sustain our services and provide quality flight simulation content. This includes advertisements.
- Our sponsorships and advertisements will be relevant and in keeping with our mission statement.
- We have a number of different ways brands, developers and advertisers can communicate and engage on our platform.
- Our standards are transparent in order for the community to hold us to account.
Our Standards
FSElite values quality reporting and integrity above all else. We are clear that as a business, we operate on a for-profit basis, but our mission to deliver quality content for the flight simulation is key. Without that, we would not be passionate about delivering news, reviews, opinions, tutorials and other types of content – and without that passion, we would not be here today.
Our community expects us to be impartial in our news reporting, whilst also providing clear and honest opinions in our editorial and review content. To ensure we continue delivering on this, here is our current stance on advertising.
Acceptable
- Advertisements / creatives that are fit for purpose to be displayed on a flight simulation website. Note: This means the product/brand should relate in some way to aviation, flight simulation, PC hardware or similar that would be of interest to our audience.
- Only brands with good standing in the community / industry will be considered when advertising with FSElite.
- Adverts must be of a good standard, be clear and engaging.
Unacceptable
- Forcibly withholding monies owed or content from FSElite for disagreeing with an independent editorial stance.
- Using “I advertise with you” to strong-arm FSElite management, writers or staff.
- Using FSElite as a platform to spread bad vibes, misinformation or anti-competitive behaviour.
- Believe that FSElite ‘owes’ you as an advertiser because you do/have advertise on FSElite or sponsored some content
- Expecting favourable reviews or priority news posting because you advertise with FSElite.
Any developer, publisher or brand found to be breaching our standards will be removed from advertising or sponsoring with FSElite.
What You Can Expect from FSElite
- Integrity above all else.
- Appropriate adverts in clearly defined placements.
- Editorial independence from any advertising or sponsorships. Reviews, content, editorials and opinions will not be affected by current promotions.
- Transparency with who we work with and our advertising standards.
Why Have Advertising?
In order to pay for servers, services, trips to events and, in the future, our staff, we need a way to generate revenue. Advertising is an effective form of generating the revenue and is common across the industry. In a niche industry such as flight simulation, there are opportunities to use advertising to benefit developer communication and also let the flight simulation community of new products.
How Much Do You Earn?
That’s commercially sensitive information. We’re here to be transparent with our standards, rules and guidelines, but there are some things that are simply confidential.
You wouldn’t expect to tell the world your salary now, would you?
That said, FSElite is an industry leader and innovator. We’re fair and offer more than the average media outlet, whilst always finding ways to give back to the community.
Giving Back to the Community
We try, where possible, to give back to the community. When an advertiser agrees to work with us, part of their terms is to give back to the community. This could be through a giveaway, exclusive content or anything else they feel is beneficial for the community.
Likewise, we also give back through buying products for the community, donating to charitable causes and producing products such as the FSElite Magazine (which are then given away for free).
Types of Advertisements
Banner Advertisements
The most common form of advertising on FSElite. These banner ads are created either by the developer or publisher and are designed to promote a specific product or brand. They can be found in various locations on the website and in various sizes. Clicking them will more likely than not take you to a specific product page, giving you the chance to buy the product from the developer.
Those who use these forms of advertisements will most likely pay monthly for the placement.
FSElite may receive a small commission from these sales.
Affiliate Link
From time to time, FSElite may post content that includes an affiliate link. These links allow the community to purchase the product we’re linking to. However, the link will include a code or some parameter in the URL to signify that the sale is associated with FSElite. When you buy something from that link, FSElite may receive a small commission from the sale.
If there are multiple places to buy a product, FSElite will prioritise the affiliate link destination over another store.
Sponsored Content
To be clear, sponsored content is in no way created or edited by the advertiser. This type of content means that FSElite has been paid to promote the content. FSElite retains full editorial and creative control over the content and we do not seek permission from the advertiser ahead of time.
Sponsored content will never apply to reviews or opinion-based editorials.
An example of sponsored content could be:
- A developer interview about a new product may be sponsored in order to keep it near the top of the news feed longer.
- A tutorial or ‘top-list’ may be sponsored in order to help spread brand awareness whilst also educating the community.
You likely will not have been this type of content in the flight simulation space, but it is highly common across other industries.
We clearly label sponsored content.
Sponsored Podcast/Video/Stream
As with the ‘Sponsored Content’ from above, there has been no involvement from the advertiser in the creation of the audio or video content. They may have provided the sound bite or video clip, but the content itself is 100 organic for FSElite. We will, where possible, only use sponsored content that is organic to the production. FSElite retains full editorial and creative control over the content and we do not seek permission from the advertiser ahead of time.
Sponsored content will never apply to reviews.
An example of sponsored content could be:
- A podcast episode may be sponsored by a developer to promote a single product.
- A video series may be sponsored by a developer for a series of products.
We clearly label sponsored content.
Promoted Products
With the introduction of our new product section, developers are now able to promote individual products. These promotions do not reflect any preference from FSElite, but are promoted randomly on various pages once paid for by the developer.
Promoted products will appear in various locations across FSElite in a variety of formats. Those promoted will be indicated by the ‘Promoted’ label. Promoted products will also feature a direct link for people to buy the product.
FSElite may receive a small commission from these sales.
Sponsored Giveaways
From time to time, FSElite may do sponsored giveaways. This means that the developer has promoted a specific giveaway in order to giveback to the community. The giveaway may be conducted either in video, written or any other format. As a result, we may include links to other products from that developer or brand which relates to the giveaway prize.
This benefits both the community and the advertiser.
We may also do regular giveaways. For example, a weekly screenshot contest may be sponsored by an advertiser.
We clearly label sponsored giveaways.
Comments, Queries or Questions?
We’re open to feedback on this matter. We know this is a sensitive subject and some will doubt the content of this page. If you have any comments, queries or questions, please reach out to us on our contact form.
