📈 How and why to track your newsletter’s ROI for advertisers
You've run successful newsletter sponsorships.
Your audience engaged with the content. Sponsors seemed happy.
But here's the million-dollar question: Can you actually prove the ROI?
Let's look at how publishers and brands can effectively track and report on sponsorship ROI (and why it’s important!) 👇
For Newsletter Publishers 📧
Want to prove your newsletter's value to sponsors?
Start by telling the complete performance story:
Number of recipients
Open rates (while acknowledging their limitations)
Click-through rates
Website visits
Leads generated
Final conversions
(BTW, make sure you check out our previous newsletter about how bot clicks can skew your metrics - it's crucial for accurate ROI reporting!)
Here's the challenge:
Many publishers don't have direct access to conversion data.
To work around this…
Ask your sponsors about using affiliate tracking platforms like Impact, Commission Junction, or Partnerize.
These platforms give you direct access to performance data, making reporting more accurate and comprehensive.
Why does having this data matter so much?
Two big reasons:
You can tell a complete ROI story to current sponsors
a. “You spent $1,000 and generated $1,500 in revenue (1.5x ROAS)”
You can improve your pitch to future sponsors
a. Share anonymized performance data from similar brands
b. Demonstrate which types of offers convert best with your audience
For Brands 🎯
Tracking newsletter sponsorship performance goes beyond just clicks.
You need to measure impact across your entire funnel:
Awareness
Consideration
Intent
Purchase
Here's what smart brands do differently:
They give publishers access to conversion data through tracking platforms.
Why?
Because when publishers can see the full picture:
They can optimize content for better performance
They understand which offers resonate with their audience
They can help you achieve better ROI
This is why you should consider using affiliate or analytics platforms to share performance data with publishers.
This creates transparency while maintaining control over your data.
Remember: Publishers who understand your conversion data can help you:
Refine your messaging
Target the right segments
Improve future campaign performance
Making Data Work for Everyone
Whether you're a newsletter publisher or brand, measuring ROI isn't just about numbers—it's about understanding what works and why.
At Wellput, we don't just track results—we help create them.
Take NativePath, for example.
By combining the right newsletters (targeting baby boomers interested in health and wellness), optimized CPC pricing, and comprehensive tracking…
We helped them achieve a 157% return on ad spend via email newsletter sponsorships.
As Sara Henderson, their Paid Media Manager, put it:
“Wellput is the only company that has been able to provide performance and scale for newsletter sponsorships. The ROAS is fantastic! Well above target!”
We offer a fully managed service that turns newsletter sponsorships into a simple, effective, and scalable channel.
Want to drive better ROI with newsletter sponsorships?
Check out Wellput here.
