With rising competition in the advertising industry, brands are scrambling to find new ways to reach their audiences. Marketers are flocking to new channels to connect with potential customers, including newsletter ads.
While newsletter advertising flies under the radar for some advertisers, savvy brands tout it as the secret ingredient in their marketing plan. Not only does it allow marketers to reach readers directly in the inbox, but it also enhances the user experience with built-in targeting and native integration.
Ready to start your newsletter advertising plan? Let’s go over the top three ways to buy newsletter ads, plus how to figure out which is best for you.
What is newsletter advertising?
Newsletter advertising (also known as newsletter sponsorship) is the practice of buying ad space in an email newsletter to reach the publication’s subscriber base.
Unlike email marketing, newsletter advertising allows brands to reach engaged audiences without the overhead of building a list or designing templates.
Because there are fewer newsletter readers than there are internet users, email sponsorships often have a small reach compared to Google or social media campaigns. However, newsletter sponsorships also allow advertisers to forego the complexities of other digital advertising spaces, from ever-changing algorithms to SEO strategies.
Additionally, since they’re delivered straight to the emails of niche, opted-in newsletter subscribers, they can also return more value than traditional options like banner ads.
Read: The Ultimate Newsletter Sponsorship Guide
How much do newsletter ads cost?
Newsletter ad prices can vary widely depending on several factors, including topic, audience, email list size, and engagement stats. For instance, a newsletter for C-suite executives in the tech industry will typically be able to charge more per ad than a publication for high school students.
On Paved, most newsletter ads are listed for prices between $1,000 and $10,000, with a platform average of $5,000 for top-rated publishers. Some of the world's biggest newsletters like Morning Brew charge as much as $50,000 for a sponsored email. However, there are plenty of cost-effective advertising opportunities under $1,500.
Publishers typically price their sponsorships in terms of CPM, or cost per thousand subscribers. If you’ve run campaigns across other digital advertising channels, this acronym may sound familiar. However, note that the meaning may be slightly different in the context of email newsletter advertising.
Since virtually nobody opens every single email they receive, a newsletter’s number of subscribers doesn’t always reflect how many people will actually see your ad. That’s why it’s important to consider engagement metrics like click-through-rate (CTR) and open rate when deciding how much to spend on a newsletter ad.
At Paved, we provide newsletter performance data from previous campaigns, such as average sponsorship clicks. That way, advertisers can compare rates by CPC (cost per click). If you know your landing page conversion rate, you can even go one step further to calculate CPA (cost per acquisition).
Read: Email CPM Rates: What Should You Really Pay for Email Ads?
3 ways to buy newsletter ads
Because newsletter advertising is less mainstream than other digital marketing strategies, it can be tricky to figure out how to get started. While there are plenty of ways to buy newsletter ads, most marketers will go through one of three main channels.
1: Directly reach out to publishers
If you’ve ever placed ads in a newspaper or magazine, you’re probably used to working directly with a representative from the publication. Whether you reached out through their website or a coordinator cold-contacted you, you’ll typically set up your campaign via a series of back-and-forth messages. That’s why for many beginner advertisers, contacting publishers directly is the most intuitive way to run newsletter ads.
If you find a newsletter you’re interested in sponsoring, you have a few options:
- Find an “Advertise” link in the newsletter
If a newsletter that accepts sponsorships, you can often find instructions on how to advertise directly in the email. In most cases, it’ll be located at the very bottom of the page in a hyperlink that says “Advertise” or “Sponsor Us.” If you click on that, you’ll typically be directed to a booking form. - Find the newsletter's Booker link
A Booker link is a booking page where advertisers can book sponsorships quickly. Just ask the newsletter owner for their Booker link or find it on their socials. - Go to the newsletter’s website
If you’re not subscribed to a newsletter, or you can’t find a link in the email, check out the publication’s website. Look for a section titled “Advertise” or “Work With Us.” If you can’t find one at first, you can start at the contact page and try to navigate from there. In the worst case, you can just shoot a message to the general help email and inquire about sponsorship opportunities. - Contact the publisher
If you can’t find a publication’s sponsorship information through the newsletter or the website, you still have one more option: Reach out to the publisher directly to request a partnership. The best way to find a publisher is typically through their LinkedIn or personal website. From there, you can look for a business email, or you can send a direct message.
What to know about direct outreach
Once you book a sponsorship directly, you’ll typically work with the publisher to coordinate your ad placement. While each newsletter follows a slightly different process, you’ll typically cover a few key steps, including:
- •Negotiating the sponsorship price
- •Finalizing a date for the ad to run
- •Submitting your ad creative and copy
- •Approving any tweaks to ad design
- •Requesting/receiving performance results
All in all, this coordination often requires a lot of back-and-forth communication. While this can be manageable when running one campaign at a time, many advertisers struggle to scale their marketing efforts. For that reason, newsletter advertisers typically create spreadsheets and other organizational systems to keep track of their sponsorships.
Is direct outreach right for you?
Booking sponsorships directly can be a great strategy for advertisers with more limited budgets, or those who only want to advertise in one particular newsletter. In some cases, working with the newsletter directly may enable you to negotiate rates and package options with the publisher. However, it can also make it trickier to coordinate your sponsorship, especially as your newsletter advertising strategy scales.
2: Browse a newsletter marketplace
If you’re interested in adding newsletter ads to your marketing plan, you’ll want to consider joining a newsletter marketplace. A newsletter marketplace offers all of the benefits of direct outreach without friction, allowing you a streamlined channel to book and execute campaigns.
For instance, when you join the Paved Marketplace, you’ll get access to hundreds of top newsletters looking for sponsors. With all of the profiles in one place, you can also browse by category to find the best fit for your business. At Paved, advertisers can sort newsletters by sponsorship type, topic, and audience demographics.
Some marketplaces also offer newsletter profiles that offer important information for sponsors. For example, a publisher’s Paved profile contains sections including:
- •Previous advertisers
- •Recent sponsorship reviews
- •Available sponsorship formats
- •Sponsorship pricing and details
- •Audience insights
- •Recent newsletters
Depending on the marketplace you choose, you also may be able to book sponsorships and track performance through the platform. By eliminating the need for back-and-forth emails, this feature can save a significant amount of time as your campaigns start to pile up.
Want to book newsletter ads at a deep discount? Check out: Remnant Inventory Discounts
What to know about coordinating sponsorships in a marketplace
Joining a newsletter marketplace can help accelerate every step of your sponsorship process, from discovery to booking. Unlike direct outreach, marketplaces provide you with all the information you need upfront. This transparency ensures that you’re getting a fair price, and you can easily compare pricing and demographics between publications.
However, keep in mind that your success with a marketplace may vary widely depending on which platform you choose. Before making a decision, scope out each option’s features and processes to figure out if it’ll work for your business. You can also book a demo to get a closer look and a chance to ask brand-specific questions.
3: Run programmatic ads through an ad network
By far the most streamlined way to run email newsletter ads is through an ad network. A newsletter ad network allows brands to book programmatic ad campaigns through a process similar to social media or PPC advertising. Rather than partnering with each newsletter separately, this channel enables you to reach individual readers in your target audience across several publications.
When you book a campaign through the Paved Ad Network, you’ll start by choosing your target audience based on qualities like location, age, and topics of interest. From there, you’ll be able to upload creative to incorporate across newsletters as a native ad.
Next, set your budget constraints, a frequency cap, and campaign run dates. Finally, review your selections and publish your campaign. Once your campaign is live, you’ll be able to check results like open ad click rates through your dashboard.
What to know about programmatic advertising
Programmatic advertising enables marketers to run more automated, data-driven campaigns. With customized audience selection and budget specifications, it helps brands cater their advertising efforts to any marketing plan.
Many advertisers also leverage programmatic advertising to optimize marketing spend. Rather than paying for a full sponsorship to reach a subset of a newsletter’s subscribers, you can bid on impressions for readers in your target audience.
On the other hand, programmatic advertising can also have its drawbacks for some advertisers. For one, similar to other digital marketing channels, ad networks focus on audience over publication. In other words, when you set up your ad campaign, you typically can’t see which newsletter(s) your sponsorship will appear in. For that reason, if you have your eye on a particular partnership, a traditional sponsorship might be a better fit.
Want to try programmatic newsletter advertising? Read: The Beginners Guide to Programmatic Newsletter Ads
Start advertising in newsletters today
Ready to start finding new customers with newsletter advertising? Don’t go into it alone– become an advertiser with Paved to add newsletter ads to your marketing channels. Sign up today to get access to premium features including the Paved Marketplace, the Ad Network, and real-time performance tracking on every sponsorship you run.
