Selling newsletter ads can be daunting, from attracting advertisers to articulating your newsletter’s value and securing the best ad rates. The cornerstone of success lies in the pitch email.
Tired of your pitches disappearing into the void? Hesitant to even press send? Don’t worry, we’ve got your back. We’ve devised a strategic approach to ensure your pitch emails not only get noticed but also resonate with brands, empowering you to monetize your newsletter space.
Ready to dive in? Let’s get started.
Set up a professional ad booking page
Before you build advertiser relationships, you need to give people a reason to be interested in you.
The easiest way to do that is to create a compelling, professional sponsorship page. Think of it as your newsletter's digital first impression.
A sponsorship page, or an “Advertise with Us” page, is a digital showcase for content creators to promote advertising opportunities. It’s an intelligent media kit where creators can display ad options, and advertisers can purchase the best sponsorship for their brand.
Examples of sponsorship pages:
With Booker by Paved, we've included every element of a high-revenue sponsorship page and built it just for you, from media kits to checkout and everything in between. It’s free for the rest of 2024, and there’s no commitment to try it.
Find advertisers sponsoring similar newsletters.
Next, you'll need to find advertisers that align with your niche. While some advertisers might be interested in promoting their products across a couple of different areas, most are interested in finding a highly targeted audience.
Especially when you are the one reaching out to them, it is best to find super-relevant brands to work with. That means finding brands that are relevant to the topics you write about and have a similar target demographic.
Does their website and social media presence seem mostly targeted at women or men? Millennials, Gen Z, or maybe older customers? The more closely that their brand aligns with yours, the more natural a partnership will feel to your readers, and the more likely it is that the brand will be receptive to working with you.
One good place to start is to find brands that are already working with similar publishers.
Ways to find sponsoring brands
- Try a search engine
Search for relevant keywords plus “all opinions are my own” (a common disclaimer on sponsored posts) to find blog posts that other writers have run with related companies. - Subscribe to similar newsletters in your niche.
Take note of the brands collaborating with these newsletters. Advertisers often seek fresh partnerships as audiences become desensitized over time to recurring content. This opens opportunities for new publishers, particularly those in the same niche as existing partners. Plus, these advertisers are likely to be more open to newsletter advertising.
Craft the perfect pitch email for selling newsletter ads
Once you’ve found an advertiser you want to work with, you can’t just hope and pray that they decide to work with you—you have to make the ask.
Your pitch email is the key to working with a new advertiser and selling advertising space in your blog or newsletter. Be sure to provide the information they need, while keeping your ask concise enough for a busy brand rep to read through quickly.
1. Introduce your brand
Introduce your brand to the advertiser by quickly connecting the dots between your audience and their brand.
If you’re all about luxury travel and they’re a high-end hotel, make that match obvious. Show them you’ve done your homework on their style and the kind of publishers they like working with.
Keep it short and sweet, but make it clear you’re into a partnership that’s more than just a shot in the dark.
2. Differentiate yourself
When you reach out to an advertiser, imagine that you're one of hundreds, if not thousands, of people reaching out.
How do you differentiate yourself?
Justin Welsh, the Saturday Solopreneur, says the biggest mistake is focusing too much on yourself when you make a cold introduction.
Try Justin's strategies to build genuine rapport with new contacts:
- •Offer support
- •Give a genuine compliment
- •Introduce them to a meaningful connection
- •Talk about how you've supported them or their brand in the past
3. Focus on the benefits for the sponsor
When pitching ad space, flip the focus to the perks for potential sponsors.
Highlight the visibility and engagement they’ll gain by partnering with you. Showcase your newsletter’s milestones, like rapid audience growth, accolades, or media mentions.
Mention any viral content successes, like hitting Reddit’s front page. Emphasize strong reader interaction, like high Instagram engagement or impressive open rates, to illustrate the vibrant community they could reach.
4. Be clear and concise
Advertisers are busy. They don’t always make time for their inboxes, and sometimes your request even has to go through a couple of people to get to the right one. When it comes to cold pitching, the odds generally just aren’t in your favor.
One way you can increase the chances of your email making it to the right person and actually getting read? Keep it short and to the point.
If there is any confusion about what you’re looking for from the brand, or you launch into a page-long history of your newsletter, your email will maybe get skimmed and almost certainly moved to the trash.
Keep it clear and concise, providing the most pertinent details and letting your Booker page do the rest of the talking for you.
5. Share your sponsorship booking URL
To wrap up, seal the deal by including your Booker page link. Think of it as your advertising portfolio, which neatly presents:
- •Your Brand:
A brief on what you’re all about and the content you send - •Your Audience:
Demographics and interests - •Your Availability:
Open calendar spots - •Your Reach:
Current email stats, like list size, open rate, and click-through rates - •Your Content:
Samples of newsletters - •Your Rates:
Clear pricing for ad spots - •Your Credibility:
Logos of previous advertisers and their glowing testimonials
Remember, if you’ve had successful partnerships, flaunt those names or logos, and a rave review to back it up! Your Booker page will answer any lingering questions that an advertiser might have, so that nothing is standing between them and a positive response.
Selling newsletter ads with a great pitch
When you’re selling advertising space, it’s important to reach out to the right advertisers in the right way. With the pitch email we’ve outlined, you’ll be well on your way to working with more advertisers and boosting your newsletter ad revenue in no time.
Ready to jumpstart your newsletter advertising strategy? With Paved, you can create a profile to draw advertisers to you and get paid with every send. Sign up for Paved today to access a full suite of email monetization tools.
