How SaaS Brands Like Aircall Use Newsletter Sponsorships to Generate High-Quality Leads

Email newsletters may feel old-school, but they still perform. With an average ROI of 36:1, email remains a core channel for SaaS marketers.

Now, there’s a faster way to tap into that performance. Newsletter sponsorships give SaaS brands direct access to trusted audiences without building a list or running their own newsletter.

Instead of competing in crowded social feeds, your message shows up where readers are already engaged.

Ahead, we’ll look at how SaaS brands like Aircall and Rubrik use newsletter sponsorships to drive high-quality leads.

You can run all the LinkedIn and Meta campaigns you want, but you’ll still be facing the same issue: too many ads, not enough attention.

The average person sees up to 10,000 ads a day. Most are ignored without a second thought.

Influencers, on the other hand, manage to get through the fog. In 2024, 75% of Americans made a purchase based on an influencer’s recommendation, according to Matter Communications. People trust people more than they trust brands.

That’s where newsletters come in.

Today, Reuters says one in five Americans gets their news fix from newsletters or email alerts. Tim Franklin at Northwestern’s Medill School explains why: “Newsletters are like a friend you invite into your inbox. You can’t read the whole internet, but you can spare 5 to 10 minutes to read a well-curated newsletter.”

For advertisers, that relationship is gold. Newsletters offer clear targeting and measurable results. Readers opt in, stay engaged, and remember what they see.

These aren't your average news roundups, either. Many newsletters are focused on specific industries, tools, or job roles. They're written by people who know the space and care about their audience. And that makes them an ideal match for SaaS brands trying to reach niche, professional communities at a fraction of the cost of LinkedIn ads.

When you combine the trust of a credible creator with the focus of a high-quality newsletter, you get something most ad channels can’t offer: attention that converts.

A few years ago, most SaaS marketers weren’t thinking about newsletters. Now, 64% of marketers are running newsletter ads, a 25% jump from last year.

What changed? Trust.

Today’s readers favor credible experts over brands and unreliable social platforms. They want real insights and recommendations from people who know their stuff.

According to HubSpot, this is what drives results. “Brands that partner with a select few creators in their niche create demand and drive sales,” says Kyle Denhoff, Director of Marketing on HubSpot’s Media Team. “Audiences want to learn from credible experts over institutional brands.”

Enter a new kind of influencer. The kind who shows up in your inbox every week with smart, curated insights and tools people want to try. These niche newsletter creators have built loyal followings around their expertise, and brands are paying attention.

Let’s take a look at a few who are turning newsletter sponsorships into serious results.

Mike Chappel

•Micro-influencer niche: Information security, cybersecurity
•Brand partnerships: Rubrik (a cloud cybersecurity platform), Airtable (a workflow tool), and Vanta (a security audit specialist)

Mike Chapple, Ph.D., is a cybersecurity and IT certification expert who writes CertMike, a weekly newsletter with over 30,000 readers. His audience turns to him for advice on preparing for cybersecurity exams.

This made him a standout voice in the InfoSec world and a go-to partner for Cybersecurity brands. Advertisers see strong results and often return to promote new products and events, with many extended campaigns into the next year.

Emad Ibrahim

•Micro-influencer niche: web development
•Brand partnerships: Okta (an authentication platform), Sentry (a debugging tool), and ClickUp (a project management platform)

Emad Ibrahim is a CTO and front-end development expert who curates Frontend Weekly, a newsletter with over 12,000 subscribers. For years, he’s shared a sharp, well-edited mix of articles on mobile, web, React, Angular, JavaScript, Node, and Vue, earning the attention of developers who want to stay current and improve their skills. Sponsors choose Frontend Weekly to reach an engaged, tech-savvy audience that values quality content and expert curation.

Kevin Kelly, Mark Frauenfelder, and Claudia Dawson

•Micro-influencer niche: Productivity, self-improvement, sustainability
•Brand partnerships: Clay.earth (a popular CRM), Jamf (IT Management), and Zaplify (an AI-powered sales tool)

Recomendo is a weekly newsletter from Kevin Kelly (founding editor of Wired), Mark Frauenfelder, and Claudia Dawson--known to readers as KK, MF, and CD. It’s a no-frills roundup of cool tools, tips, media, and ideas.

The vibe is personal, practical, and curious. With a tech-savvy audience and years of loyal readership, Recomendo is a trusted signal in a noisy feed, attracting sponsors in SaaS, productivity, and personal care.

More SaaS brands are turning to newsletter sponsorships to launch products, fill events, and grow their pipeline. Meet four companies turning inbox attention into revenue and see how you can steal their strategy with Paved, the world’s biggest newsletter sponsorship marketplace.

Rubrik: Slashed CPL by 82% and added $100K+ to pipeline

Tired of sky-high paid advertising costs, Rubrik turned to Paved to promote webinars and events in the cybersecurity newsletter space. In one campaign alone, they sponsored CertMike, TechNewsWorld, and Planet Compliance, driving 100+ MQLs, 10+ sales meetings, and $100K+ in pipeline.

With newsletter sponsorships averaging 82% less per lead than LinkedIn Ads, Rubrik has scaled this strategy across 100+ campaigns, turning email into a new, cost-effective lead-gen channel.

“Paved gives us so many opportunities to promote our brand and get event registrations.” —Daniel Olson, Marketing Manager at Rubrik

Duplicate Rubrik's Sponsorships

Aircall: 2,100+ leads in 8 weeks

Aircall used Paved’s self-serve platform to run 39 campaigns across 22 newsletters in three global regions. They promoted a free sales plan template, targeting business and sales professionals through both sponsored blurbs and dedicated newsletter sends.

Key sponsorships included AI Fire, Startup Buffer, and The ScaleUP Newsletter—newsletters chosen for their engaged, sales-savvy audiences.

With an average CPC of $1.96, the campaign generated 2,100+ leads.

“Paved is by far the coolest and easiest-to-use platform for content syndication I've experienced.” -Aircall

Duplicate Aircall's Sponsorships

Hopin used Paved to promote hybrid and virtual events, aiming to reach marketers, event organizers, and tech-savvy execs. Instead of broad blasts, they handpicked newsletters with the right audiences—like Entrepreneur, Search Engine Journal, and Stacked Marketer—to drive qualified traffic to their landing pages.

By tapping into newsletters that people read and trust, Hopin saw a strong lift in registrations and brand visibility while staying agile with campaign setup and design testing.

“We were able to promote events fast, test different creatives, and get the right people to attend.” -Hopin Events

Duplicate Hopin's Sponsorships

Laika: 13 high-value leads a month

Compliance platform Thoropass (formerly called Laika) ran 10+ campaigns each month across business-focused newsletters like Fast Company, Entrepreneur, and Inc. This Morning, steadily capturing high-value MQLs.

On average, 13 demo-ready leads came in per month—proof that the right publications convert better than bloated budgets.

“We are getting a steady stream of MQLs. That’s why we continue to invest in newsletters.” -Laika

Duplicate Laika's Sponsorships

Start by defining your audience.
Use keyword searches and filters in marketplaces like Paved to find newsletters that align with your sales goals, ideal customer profile, and budget.
Select 5 to 10 newsletters that match your target audience.
Look for ones with strong engagement and relevant content.
Next, craft your sponsorship placements.
Tailor your message to fit the tone of each newsletter. Include a free resource or whitepaper to add value, and use language that your ideal customer understands.
Build a custom landing page for each sponsorship.
Always include useful content tailored to your audience.
Use UTMs and tracking.
Monitor link performance as soon as the campaign goes live.
Review your results and refine your strategy.
Reinvest in the newsletters that performed best.

Ready to reach the right audience?

Newsletter sponsorship gives SaaS brands a faster, smarter way to generate demand. No list-building. No email setup. Just direct access to the audiences that matter most.

Want to give it a try? Set up a free Paved advertiser account—no credit card to get in, and no gated content.

Your ideal customers are already reading. Now you can meet them in their inboxes.

Sponsor newsletters with Paved to gain more qualified leads

Join Paved to browse 2,000+ newsletters and reach over 253+ million subscribers across every niche.

FAQs about advertising in newsletters

What strategies are employed to generate demand in SaaS?
Demand generation for SaaS companies typically involves creating and distributing educational content, such as blog posts, eBooks, and webinars. These materials inform potential customers about the product’s features to pique interest, increasing the chances of converting prospects into paying customers.

How effective are newsletter advertisements for tech brands?
Newsletter advertisements have proven to be highly effective due to newsletter audiences’ engagement. Readers tend to remember ads more when integrated into the content they enjoy actively. Authentic partnerships with micro influencers like newsletter writers can fuel brand growth.

How much do email sponsorships cost?

For traditional email sponsorships, most publications are between $1 and $5 CPC (cost per click). However, the ad cost can vary depending on factors like list size, advertiser reviews, and audience engagement.

What types of SaaS products do well in newsletter advertisements?

Hundreds of SaaS companies use Paved to reach buyers across nearly every niche. The most successful campaigns prioritize a strong audience fit: matching your ideal customer profile with the right newsletter readers. We’ve seen amazing results from cloud-based platforms and job-focused products aimed at developers, lawyers, IT, HR professionals, and marketers.