A group sponsorship is when three to five newsletters in the same niche team up, send an issue on the same theme the same week and sell that whole week to one sponsor. Each newsletter on its own might be too small for a bigger brand, but together you're a real buy.
This is the last post in my series on what Substack's new sponsorship formats mean for small newsletters. Substack's version is called the masthead, where a brand works with several writers on one theme and puts it all in one place. You can do the same thing with a few friends in your niche and your own email lists.
Why teaming up works.
Bigger brands usually have a minimum audience size before they'll look at a sponsorship. If your list is 1,200 people, you might be under that number on your own. Five newsletters with 1,200 people each add up to 6,000 readers in one niche and that's a conversation a brand will take.
It's also easier for the sponsor. They get one pitch, one invoice, one set of ad copy and one report and they still get in front of five different audiences who each trust a different writer.
And there's a bonus for you. When you plan a themed week together, it's easy to mention each other's newsletters, so everyone's list grows a little that week too.
Step 1: Find your partners
Look for newsletters that write for the same kind of reader you do, with lists somewhere close to your size. They don't need to cover the exact same topics. A newsletter about meal planning and a newsletter about family budgeting can share a sponsor just fine if their readers are the same busy parents.
Start with people you've already done a swap or a collab with, because you already know they follow through. If you need more options, the Newsletter Profit Club Collaboration App is a free directory where you can browse newsletters by niche and subscriber count. You don't need to be a member to use it.
Three to five partners is the right size. Fewer than three and you lose most of the reason to do it. More than five and it's hard to get everyone to send on time.
Step 2: Pick the theme and the week.
Choose a theme that fits all of your newsletters and connects to the kind of sponsor you want. "Back to school planning" fits a lot of family newsletters and a lot of brands. "Getting ready for tax season" fits small business newsletters and accounting tools.
Then pick a week at least six weeks out. You need time to pitch the sponsor, get their copy and get everyone's issues written.
Step 3: Put the agreement in writing
This is the step that keeps a group sponsorship from turning into a mess. Before anyone pitches a sponsor, write down these things and have everyone agree to them.
- Who handles the sponsor. Pick one person to pitch, answer questions, collect the copy and send the invoice.
- How the money gets split. An even split is the simplest. If your list sizes are very different, you can split by subscriber count instead. Some groups give the person handling the sponsor a small extra share for doing that work.
- When everyone gets paid. Usually the lead person pays everyone else within a set number of days after the sponsor pays.
- What each issue includes. The theme, where the sponsor block goes and that everyone uses the sponsor's approved copy.
- The send dates. Each person's send day during the week.
- What gets reported. Everyone sends their opens, clicks and any replies about the sponsor to the lead person by a set date.
A shared doc that everyone replies "I agree" to over email is enough for most groups. If the money is big, have a real contract written.
Step 4: Build the sponsor package.
Put together a one-page pitch for the group. It should cover the theme and the week, each newsletter in the group with a one-line description and its list size, the combined list size, what the sponsor gets in each issue and the price.
For pricing, the simplest way to start is to add up what each newsletter would charge for its own regular sponsor spot. That's the price of the package. The sponsor gets more reach than any one newsletter could give them and everyone in the group earns at least their normal rate.
Four newsletters charge $100, $125, $150 and $150 for a regular spot. The themed week package is $525. If you split it evenly, each person gets about $131. If one of you has a much bigger list, splitting by subscriber count may be the fairer way to go.
Step 5: Pitch the sponsor
The lead person reaches out with the one-page pitch. Start with brands that are already sponsoring newsletters in your niche, since they already have a budget for it and then the tools and products your readers use most.
Lead with the theme and the combined readership. A sponsor will understand "Five family newsletters, 6,000 parents, one back-to-school week" much faster than five separate pitches.
Step 6: Run the week
Each person writes and sends their own issue on the theme, on their agreed day, with the sponsor block in the agreed spot. Everyone writes in their own voice, so readers get five different takes on the same topic.
You can also link to each other. A short line like "Jenna wrote about this from the budgeting side this week, read hers here" helps everyone's list and makes the week feel like one event.
Step 7: Send one report.
After the week, the lead person collects everyone's numbers and sends the sponsor one report with total opens, total clicks, each newsletter's results and any replies that mentioned the sponsor. If the group ran the before-and-after poll from the first post in this series, add those numbers too.
Then pay everyone out the way you agreed and talk about whether you want to do another week next quarter. A group that runs this twice has results to show the next sponsor.
Add a line like "Group Sponsorships: I partner with other newsletters in my niche for themed weeks. Ask about upcoming dates." That way a sponsor who wants a bigger audience knows it's an option.
That's the whole series.
Over these four posts we've covered the three formats Substack announced and what each one looks like for a small newsletter. A sponsored gift works if you have a paid product people like. A sponsored unlock works if you have workshop recordings. And a group sponsorship works if you have friends in your niche you can team up with.
If you want to see the whole sponsorship setup start to finish, I'm teaching it in my workshop Get Paid by Sponsors Even With a Small List at the AI Newsletter Summit, October 27 through 29. Registration is free.
Get Paid by Sponsors Even With a Small List
I'm teaching the whole sponsorship setup at the AI Newsletter Summit. It's one of 20+ workshops and registration is free.
Save your free seat →Frequently asked.
What is a group newsletter sponsorship?
It's when three to five newsletters in the same niche send an issue on the same theme the same week and sell that whole week to one sponsor as a package.
How do I find newsletters to team up with?
Start with people you've already done swaps or collabs with. You can also browse newsletters by niche and subscriber count in the free Newsletter Profit Club Collaboration App at newsletterprofit.club.
How do you split money in a group sponsorship?
An even split is the simplest. If list sizes are very different, split by subscriber count. Put the split, the payment timing and who handles the sponsor in writing before anyone pitches.
How much should a group sponsorship cost?
Add up what each newsletter charges for its own regular sponsor spot. That total is a simple starting price for the package.
How many newsletters should be in a group sponsorship?
Three to five. Fewer than three and the combined audience isn't much bigger. More than five and it gets hard to keep everyone on schedule.
Dr. Destini Copp helps digital product creators build sustainable, systems-based businesses through the Creator Growth Flywheel framework. She's the founder of Creator's MBA and HobbyScool and has been teaching online business strategy for over a decade. Learn more →
