If you run a newsletter and brands are starting to reach out asking for your rates, the question is always the same: how much should I charge?
Asking too little burns you out — you work for free and devalue the market. Asking too much shuts doors. The good news is there’s a clear market standard, and with three numbers you can build a defensible price in under a minute.
Shortcut: if you’re in a hurry, go straight to the sponsorship price calculator. It gives you the guideline range based on your real opens, format and pack size.
The market formula: €100 per 1,000 real impressions
The standard is €100 per 1,000 real impressions, which in ad jargon is a CPM of €100. It’s the reference used by both sponsorship platforms and experienced creators.
Three numbers worth memorizing:
- Newsletter with 2,000 real opens → around €200 per sponsorship
- Newsletter with 5,000 real opens → around €500 per sponsorship
- Newsletter with 10,000 real opens → around €1,000 per sponsorship
If you’re being paid less than this without a clear reason (pack discount, first-time deal with a brand, etc.), you’re working for free.
Real opens, not subscribers
This is the most common mistake and the one that costs you the most money. Brands don’t pay for subscribers — they pay for people who see their message.
If your newsletter has 10,000 subscribers but only 2,500 open it, your pricing base is those 2,500 people. Charging on 10,000 would inflate the price, and when the brand sees the results, they won’t book you again.
Where do you get the real opens number? From your sending platform: Substack, Beehiiv, ConvertKit, Mailerlite, Klaviyo — they all show it. Take the average of the last 4-6 editions (not the best, not the worst) and that’s your number.
The three levers that move the price
Once you have your opens baseline, three modifiers adjust the final price up or down.
1. Sponsorship format
A fixed block in the header isn’t the same as an organic mention woven into the content. The difference is editorial work on your side.
- Fixed placement (header or featured block): this is the baseline. The brand sends you copy or you adjust it slightly. You charge 1x.
- Organic integration (mention inside the content): you have to understand the product, find the angle and write it in your voice. You charge 1.2x to 1.3x the fixed placement price.
- Both formats in the same edition: fixed block + organic mention. You charge up to 1.4x.
Organic integration also tends to convert better for the brand, because it feels like a recommendation. Done well, it’s your premium product.
2. Pack size
If a brand buys several consecutive editions, the standard is to lower the per-edition price:
- 1 edition (one-off): full price.
- Pack of 2-3 editions: ~10% discount per edition.
- Pack of 4 or more editions: ~20% discount per edition.
For you it means more predictable income and less negotiation. For the brand, the repetition it needs for the message to land.
3. Total volume
Very large newsletters apply economies of scale. If you have 15,000 real opens per edition, the effective CPM isn’t usually €100 — it’s closer to €80-85. Why? Because brands need it to stay competitive against Meta or Google ads, and because your volume competes with other channels.
If you have fewer than 5,000 opens, you stay at the standard CPM. If you have more than 15,000, apply the volume discount yourself before the brand asks.
Interactive calculator
Plug in your numbers and hit calculate:
Open the sponsorship calculator →
It gives you the recommended price, the suggested range (defensible minimum and maximum) and the effective CPM so you have the concrete number when the brand asks.
When you can charge more than the standard
The €100 CPM is the baseline, but there are three situations where you can (and should) charge more:
Highly niche audience. If your newsletter targets a very specific profile (B2B SaaS founders, IP lawyers, specialist doctors…), your audience is worth more per contact. Going 30-50% above the high end of the calculator is defensible.
Above-average engagement. If your click rate is high, if your newsletter generates constant replies, if you can show demonstrable sales for previous sponsors — that’s social proof. Use it to raise your price.
Brand waiting list. If you have more demand than available editions, raise the price. It’s the clearest signal that the market accepts paying more.
When it makes sense to charge less than the standard
There are moments where lowering the price is strategy, not a mistake:
- First sponsorship with a small brand you want to retain. Set a trial price and a “real” price for the next ones.
- Bartering: trade sponsorship for product, service or access to something you value more than money.
- Newsletter launch: when you don’t have solid data yet, charging something reasonable to start building track record beats holding out for a rate nobody will pay.
What never makes sense is charging far below market to “win the client” with no clear plan to raise the price later. Brands talk to each other, and a low price becomes your price.
How to reply when a brand asks for your rates
Template you can copy and adapt:
Hi [name],
Thanks for thinking of [newsletter name]. Here are the numbers:
- Real opens per edition: [X,XXX] (average of the last 4 editions)
- Open rate: [XX]%
- Audience: [one-line profile]
Rate per edition (fixed placement): €[price] Organic integration (mention inside the content): €[price] Pack of 3 editions: €[total price] (10% discount)
I can send examples of previous sponsorships if helpful. Shall we talk?
The more specific you are with numbers, the less negotiation. Transparency with real metrics is what separates a professional creator from an amateur.
Quick summary
- Calculate on real opens, not subscribers. Use the average of the last 4-6 editions.
- The standard CPM is €100 per 1,000 real impressions in the European market.
- Charge more for: organic integration (+25%), highly niche audience (+30-50%), high engagement.
- Charge less for: multi-edition packs (10-20% off per edition), very large newsletters (scale to €80-85 CPM).
- When in doubt, open the calculator: same formula, already built.
And if you’re coming from the other side of the table (you’re a brand, not a creator), this other guide is for you: how much does it cost to sponsor a newsletter?.
