Glossary
Newsletter sponsorship glossary
Plain definitions for the vocabulary of newsletter sponsorships, from pricing models like CPC and CPM to metrics like CTR and formats like the dedicated send. Each term links to the guide that covers it in depth.
- Attribution (last click)
- The method used to assign conversion credit across touchpoints. Last click gives all the credit to the final touch before a purchase, which systematically undercredits newsletters, since most readers do not convert on the first visit. Learn more ›
- Bifurcated inventory (barbell)
- A strategy of buying both the small niche end and the large premium end of the newsletter market while underweighting the undifferentiated middle. The two ends win for different reasons and the middle is squeezed by both. Learn more ›
- Click through rate (CTR)
- Unique clicks divided by total subscribers, expressed as a percentage. Around 0.2% is typical for a newsletter sponsorship, and a rate that looks low is often healthy when measured honestly. Learn more ›
- Cost per acquisition (CPA)
- A pricing model where the advertiser pays per conversion. It is the lowest risk model for advertisers and the highest risk for publishers, which is why it is rare in newsletters.
- Cost per click (CPC)
- A pricing model where the advertiser pays only when a reader clicks, tying spend to engagement rather than to delivery.
- Cost per thousand (CPM)
- A pricing model that charges per thousand recipients or opens, similar to display advertising.
- Dedicated send
- A newsletter email devoted entirely to one sponsor, rather than a placement within the regular content of an issue.
- Dynamic CPC
- A cost per click rate that adjusts up or down based on how a placement performs, rather than a rate fixed in advance. It ties price to results and aligns advertiser and publisher incentives. Learn more ›
- Flat fee
- A fixed price for a placement regardless of results. It is the most common model with independent newsletters and places all of the performance risk on the advertiser.
- Max CPC bid
- The ceiling an advertiser sets on what it is willing to pay per click. Under dynamic CPC, each placement is priced up to this maximum based on fit and performance.
- Native placement
- A sponsorship built into the newsletter's content and voice so it reads as part of the issue, rather than an interruptive banner separated from the content. Learn more ›
- Newsletter sponsorship
- A paid advertising placement inside an email newsletter, where a brand pays to reach that newsletter's subscribers, typically as native content built from imagery and copy. Learn more ›
- Niche newsletter
- A small, tightly focused newsletter whose engaged, self selected audience often punches well above its list size for a relevant advertiser. Learn more ›
- Open rate
- The share of recipients who open an email. It is inflated by privacy features such as Apple Mail Privacy Protection, so it is a weak basis for pricing or performance judgments.
- Rate card
- A publisher's fixed, published pricing, set before a placement's performance is known. It puts the risk of an underperforming placement on the advertiser. Learn more ›
- Unique clicks
- Clicks counted once per reader, net of bots and duplicates. Unique clicks are the honest basis for measuring click through rate, unlike total clicks. Learn more ›
- Upper funnel signal
- An early engagement action such as a second pageview, a signup, or scroll depth, used as a proxy for eventual conversion so a placement can be judged before purchases accumulate. Learn more ›