💰 How to price newsletter sponsorships as your audience grows

This week, we’re addressing how to price sponsorships for newsletters with rapidly growing audiences.

Get this wrong, and you might be leaving money on the table with your sponsorships.

(BTW, if you missed our guide on the four main newsletter pricing models, check it out here)

Let's dive into how publishers and brands can make the most of newsletter growth 👇

For Newsletter Publishers 📧

Here's a reality check:

The industry standard for annual subscriber churn is about 20-30%…

Meaning you need to add that many new subscribers just to break even.

But if you're growing faster than that?

Your sponsorship pricing strategy needs to evolve.

This is especially crucial for flat-fee sponsorships.

Here's why:

If you're charging the same flat rate while your audience grows…

You're effectively getting less value from the advertiser on a per-subscriber basis over time.

Smart publishers do this instead:

1. Increase your flat fee rates regularly

   a. Monthly, quarterly, or annually based on growth

   b. Adjust pricing to match your growing audience value

2. Use growth as leverage

   a. Offer advertisers the chance to lock in current rates

   b. Structure deals that reward longer commitments

   c. Create urgency: “Lock in today's rate before our next increase”

3. Increase sponsorship frequency

   a. Growing audiences = more fresh eyes on ads

   b. Offer sponsors more frequent placements

   c. Turn one-off sponsors into regular partners

These all add up to some big benefits…

And takes some pressure off your sales team from having to go out and find new sponsors all the time.

For Brands 🎯

Looking to sponsor newsletters that are scaling quickly?

Here's how to make growth work in your favor:

Lock in early, save more.

Fast-growing newsletters often offer better rates to early partners.

Consider locking in rates for 3, 6, or 12 months to protect against future increases.

Why this matters:

When you find a newsletter that performs well for your brand, their growth becomes your growth.

• New subscribers = fresh audiences for your ads

• Regular audience turnover (20-30% annually) means less ad fatigue

• Consistent performance without hunting for new newsletters

Pro tip: If a newsletter is performing well, consider increasing your sponsorship frequency.

Instead of monthly placements, you might shift to every three weeks to capitalize on their growth.

Scale Together, Win Together

Newsletter growth can be a huge win-win:

• Publishers generate more revenue from existing advertisers

• Brands reach more qualified prospects without finding new newsletters

• Both sides benefit from stronger, more scalable partnerships

Want to turn your growing newsletter into a revenue engine?

At Wellput, we make it easy and low-risk for brands to test newsletter sponsorships at scale. We give publishers choice and control over which brands they promote in their newsletters.

Want to test dozens of targeted newsletter sponsorships to find high-performers?
👉 Try Wellput risk-free, here.