A Publisher’s Guide to Selling Email Newsletter Sponsorships

Email newsletter writers and publishers have discovered that native sponsorships for relevant brands are more effective than programmatic banner ads. These sponsorships integrate smoothly with the newsletter content, creating a more cohesive and engaging experience for readers. Native sponsorships are less intrusive and more likely to be seen as valuable content rather than an annoying interruption. Publishers have control over which advertisers to include, ensuring brand alignment and avoiding ads for companies or products that might offend their audience, which could lead to unsubscribes or complaints. Sponsorships enhance trust and credibility, resulting in higher engagement and conversion rates. Furthermore, native sponsorships can be tailored to match the tone and style of the newsletter, ensuring they resonate better with the audience and drive more meaningful interactions.

What is an email newsletter sponsorship?

It's a method to monetize your newsletter by featuring an advertiser's brand or product within your content. A typical sponsorship includes elements such as a logo, image, headline, body copy, call to action, and a link to the advertiser's website. However, not all these components are necessary. The primary objective is to integrate the sponsorship seamlessly into your newsletter.

How to find newsletter sponsors

Start by looking at your own email list. For instance, if you run a newsletter for entrepreneurs, there's a good chance that representatives from companies wanting to reach your audience are already among your readers. A simple call-to-action in your newsletter inviting sponsors to reach out can be effective.

Next, seek out brands that are already sponsoring other email newsletters with content and subscribers similar to yours. To identify these brands, subscribe to every relevant newsletter and observe which companies are advertising—whether it’s a title sponsorship, a secondary sponsorship, or even a sponsored link. Alternatively, you can use a service like WhoSponsorsStuff to automate this process for you.

Next, you'll need to find the relevant contact at these companies to engage with. The appropriate contact often depends on the size of the company. For early-stage companies, reaching out to the CMO or even the CEO is a good approach. For larger organizations, look for individuals with titles containing the word "growth" or those in the following roles:

• Growth Marketing

• Digital Marketing

• Influencer Marketing

• Paid Media

• Social Media

Finding relevant brands and connecting with the right person is only half the battle. You still need to convince them that sponsoring your newsletter is a worthwhile investment. To do this, you’ll need a media kit that includes information about your audience, your rates, and success stories from previous sponsors.

How to price a sponsorship in your newsletter

One of the most challenging questions for a newsletter publisher or writer to answer is: How much should I charge to sponsor my newsletter? When you are just getting started and lack demand or proof of past success, a performance-based pricing model might be the solution. Before determining the exact amount, it's essential to understand the common pricing models:

**CPM (cost per mille):** CPM is the cost per 1,000 impressions. For example, if your list size is 10,000 with a 40% open rate, your newsletter generates 4,000 impressions. Charging a CPM of $20 means you divide 10,000 (subscribers) by 1,000 and multiply by $20 (CPM) to get $200. CPM is risky for the sponsor because they can't predict how many people will click, visit their website, or become customers.

**CPC (cost per click):** CPC is the cost per unique click your newsletter generates for the sponsor. If a newsletter edition generates 100 unique clicks and you charge $3 per click, you earn $3 x 100 clicks, totaling $300. CPC pricing is less risky for the sponsor than CPM, but the sponsor still can't predict how many people will become customers.

**CPA (cost per acquisition):** CPA is the advertiser's cost per acquired customer. If a customer is worth $100 to the sponsor and you generate four customers, you earn $400 for the sponsorship. CPA is the least risky model for the advertiser since they only pay for acquired customers. However, it's the riskiest model for you as you only earn if you generate new customers.

So, how should you price your newsletter ads when just getting started? The answer depends on your content category, the size of your audience, and how much time you have to dedicate to selling sponsorships. It's quick and convenient to sign up for affiliate networks like Impact that run CPA offers, or Wellput for CPC campaigns. These platforms provide newsletter publishers and writers an easy way to connect to lots of relevant brands, and build success stories that can later be used to sell CPM sponsorships.

If you’re a newsletter publisher or writer looking to generate revenue from newsletter sponsorships, we’d love to speak with you. Wellput offers you the ability to choose from dozens of active campaigns, get rewarded for good performance, and the convenience of having everything in one place.

We look forward to the opportunity to work with you.

Sincerely,

Craig Swerdloff

P.S. If you enjoyed this and want to hear more from our CEO, Craig Swerdloff, please sign up for his LinkedIn newsletter here.