Want to get your message straight to the inbox of your ideal customers? Sponsoring a digital newsletter is a great way to get the word out and grow your brand.
Newsletters go directly to interested readers who want access to more news, web articles and advice. Many are written by solopreneurs, creators and writers who give actionable advice to a highly-targeted and responsive audience.
Great newsletters are perfectly positioned to let selected advertisers reach their audience because they've built audience trust and will only partner with sponsors who provide value to their readers.
Sounds terrific. But where do you find newsletters that match your niche?
Table of Contents
Four ways to find newsletters to sponsor
1. Newsletter directories like Reletter
Newsletter directories like Reletter have thousands of newsletters in their databases and provide pertinent information for each. That info could be as little as an address and link or a whole lot more.
Reletter, for example, includes data on a newsletter's audience numbers, traffic and engagement, whether it's free or paid, issue frequency and more. You'll also find links to the newsletter website, the latest issues and social media platforms.
You can find Reletter's blog post on how to run successful newsletter sponsorships here.
Who uses newsletter directories?
Companies exploring the best newsletters to partner with.
- Writers looking for possible collaborations between their own newsletters and others in their niche.
- Potential subscribers searching for exciting bulletins to read.
Skip straight to our guide on how to use Reletter here.
2. Marketplaces
Newsletter marketplaces also allow advertisers to find suitable newsletters. When publishers create a marketplace account, they're often given space to inform potential advertisers about who their readers are and who they're interested in working with.
Publishers can list their newsletters in one or more appropriate categories. Companies can search through categories that match their audience interests and contact the writers through the marketplace.
One downside is that marketplaces only include newsletters that have added themselves to the platform. You could miss thousands of great opportunities with newsletters that haven't signed up to that site.
3. Browse the web
Using the web can be constructive when looking for a newsletter site.
Type category + newsletters on Google or Bing, e.g., "marketing newsletter", and you'll find many possibilities and suggestions for refining your search.
Or try search terms like top + category + newsletters, e.g., "top marketing newsletters." Other superlatives like greatest or best + category + newsletters also work.
4. Recommendations from friends/colleagues
With so many newsletters in the world, sometimes the best newsletter finder is word of mouth.
Colleagues may email you a sign-up link or share their favorite newsletters on Twitter or LinkedIn. Friends can also pass along information about free or paid newsletters they subscribe to.
The great thing about word of mouth is that people usually pass on info about what worked for them because they think it might help you too. You'll discover relevant newsletters giving consistent value, and you'll get warnings not to sign up for a dud.
How to find newsletters with Reletter
Reletter is a newsletter directory with a difference, showing unique data collected from touchpoints all over the internet. That data currently helps you find newsletters on LinkedIn and Substack and includes all the info you need for newsletter outreach.
So how do you use Reletter to locate relevant newsletters that can deliver your ad straight into the inbox of someone likely to care about your ideas and products?
Identify your target audience
Advertising to the wrong audience is a waste of time and money. So, marketing 101 says you need to understand your target audience or ICA - (ideal customer avatar) first. Then start looking for publications with users in that world.
Figure out your budget
If you know your budget is $200, you can work backwards to figure out roughly what audience size you're after.
If you go with an industry average CPM of $20 then you'll be looking for newsletters with up to around 10,000 subscribers.
Discover newsletters in your niche
Start with a search through the categories. Depending on your business and target market, you might investigate anything from investing and finance to religion, news, real estate, sports, environment and more.
Keep searching for likely prospects, and each time you find one, bookmark it in a Reletter list.
Qualify with data
Now check the data. For example:
- How often do they publish: weekly? Daily? Monthly?
- Subscriber numbers range: are they in the tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands?
- When were they founded? Knowing whether they've been publishing for years or months can also shed more light on subscriber numbers. (A readership of 10,000 after only a few months may show a fast-growing, popular newsletter. However, 1000 people subscribing over several years could indicate either slow growth or an extremely niche but passionate audience.
Read some issues
Check out the journalism style, layout and other advertisers before approaching. Read the latest issues directly on Reletter or use our links to go straight to their home page for more content.
Pitch
Once you've added someone to your list, you can reach out by writing a sponsorship pitch.
Your pitching style matters! The best publishers are very choosy with their partnerships because they understand that every ad or sponsorship needs to be a win-win-win. That is a win for them, the sponsoring business and the people who read their work.
Use our templates to help you craft a winning email, or create your own.
Final thoughts
Does your business want to sponsor a newsletter? Are you a marketer searching for the best opportunities for your client? Are you a creator looking for great people to collaborate with and grow both of your businesses?
Reletter is the world's best database of email newsletters, starting with Substack and LinkedIn. See how Reletter can help you achieve your goals.
Start a free 7-day trial today.
FAQ
How do I find LinkedIn newsletters?
The easiest way to find LinkedIn newsletters is with Reletter. We have every single LinkedIn newsletter on our database - that's over 90k! Simply search for a keyword, filter by platform, tap on a newsletter and get the link to the original.
