LetterBid FAQ: straight answers
Answers on how newsletter sponsorships work on LetterBid: pricing, payments, payouts, bookings, verification, refunds and what happens when something goes wrong.
Frequently asked questions
What is LetterBid?
LetterBid is a marketplace for newsletter sponsorships. Brands find the right newsletters to advertise in and book them, and newsletter creators list their sponsorship packs, manage offers and campaigns, and get paid, all in one place.
Who is LetterBid for?
Two groups: newsletter creators who want to earn from sponsorships, and brands that want to reach engaged newsletter readers. Each account is either a newsletter account or a brand account.
How much does LetterBid cost?
Creating an account is free for both newsletters and brands. There are no subscriptions or setup fees. Brands pay the exact price of a sponsorship, and only once a newsletter accepts. LetterBid keeps 25% of each completed sponsorship as its fee; the newsletter receives the other 75%.
How does a sponsorship work on LetterBid, start to finish?
A brand sends an offer (or books a pack). The newsletter accepts, counters or declines. Once accepted, the brand pays to secure the booking, and LetterBid holds the payment. The newsletter publishes on the agreed date and submits a delivery report. The brand reviews it, and when the work is approved the newsletter's earnings are added to their balance and paid out on the next payout date.
Can we talk and pay outside of LetterBid?
No. Keep all messages and payments on LetterBid. Sharing contact details or paying off-platform isn't allowed and isn't protected, because we can only hold payments and step in on bookings that happen here.
How do I find the right newsletters?
Create a campaign and LetterBid shows newsletters that match it, with their audience size, open rate, placements and prices. You can also book directly from a newsletter's public storefront.
What kinds of campaigns can I run?
Three types. Direct: an offer to one newsletter for specific dates. Multi-newsletter: one offer sent to several newsletters at once inside a date window, where each newsletter picks the exact day. Recurring: a monthly sponsorship with the same newsletter for several months.
Can I send a custom offer instead of a listed price?
Yes. You can send your own offer, and the newsletter can accept it, decline it or send a counter offer. Up to 3 counter offers can go back and forth before a deal is agreed.
Which ad placements can I book?
Newsletters can offer three placements: a dedicated email (the whole send is about your brand), a sponsored ad inside an issue, and a banner ad. Each newsletter chooses which ones it sells and at what price.
Can I book without creating an account first?
Yes, from a newsletter's public storefront. You pick a pack and, at the end, confirm your email with a code to create your brand account.
Can I change or withdraw an offer?
You can edit or withdraw an offer for free any time before the newsletter replies. Editing restarts the newsletter's reply timer.
Are there limits on how many offers I can send?
New brands can send up to 10 offers a day, and up to 20 a day after their first completed booking. You can have one open offer per newsletter for each campaign type. If 3 accepted offers go unpaid within 30 days, sending new offers is paused for 14 days.
How do I start earning with my newsletter?
Sign up for free, complete your newsletter profile, and publish your storefront with the placements and prices you want to sell. Brands can then find you, book your packs and send you offers.
What is a storefront?
It's your public sponsorship page on LetterBid. It shows your newsletter, audience and sponsorship packs, and you can share its link anywhere, including outside the marketplace, so brands can book you directly.
Can I create my own sponsorship packs?
Yes. You choose which placements you offer (dedicated email, sponsored ad, banner ad), set your prices, and can bundle placements together. A live calculator shows what the brand pays and what you earn.
How do I get the Verified badge?
Send verification proof from your profile: a screenshot of your newsletter platform dashboard (Beehiiv, Substack, Kit, Mailchimp and others) showing your subscriber count, your analytics for the last 30 to 90 days showing open rate and clicks, and where your subscribers are. The LetterBid team reviews it. Once approved, your verified audience numbers are locked; if they change, you verify again to keep the badge.
Do I have to accept every offer?
No. You can accept, decline, or send a counter offer. Every offer has a reply deadline; if nobody replies in time, it simply expires.
Can I control when brands can book me?
Yes. In your booking settings you set your minimum notice and block dates you're not available. Nothing can ever be booked less than 48 hours ahead.
When does a brand pay?
Only after the newsletter accepts. Sending an offer costs nothing and nothing is charged in advance. Once accepted, the brand pays to secure the booking before the payment deadline shown on the offer. For a multi-newsletter campaign, the brand pays once, after every newsletter has replied.
What does LetterBid charge?
LetterBid keeps 25% of every sponsorship. Brands pay the exact price shown, with nothing added on top. The newsletter receives 75% of the price, and payment processing fees are included in LetterBid's share.
Where is the money while a sponsorship runs?
LetterBid holds the payment securely until the work is approved. It's only released to the newsletter after the brand approves the delivery report (or the review window ends).
How do newsletters get paid?
Through Stripe. Connect your Stripe account from Earnings & payouts. Payouts go out automatically on the 15th of every month; you don't need to request them.
Which earnings are included in a payout?
Money earned up to and including the 15th is in that month's payout. Money earned from the 16th onward goes out on the 15th of the following month. Your balance needs to be at least $100 and your Stripe account fully connected; otherwise it rolls over to the next payout date.
How do recurring sponsorships get charged?
The brand's saved card is charged for each month about 7 days before that month's placement, at the agreed monthly price.
Do brands get receipts?
Yes. Every payment appears in Billing & invoices in the brand dashboard, with a receipt for each one.
How long does each side have to reply and pay?
It depends on how soon the placement runs. For dates at least 7 days away, there are 72 hours to reply and 72 hours to pay. Closer dates get shorter windows (24 or 12 hours). Placements can't be booked less than 48 hours ahead.
What happens if the brand doesn't pay in time?
The booking closes as not paid and the date becomes free again for the newsletter.
Can I preview a dedicated email before it goes out?
Yes, if the brand asks for a preview when booking a dedicated email. The newsletter sends the preview before publication, and the brand can approve it or request changes (up to 2 rounds). If the brand doesn't answer within 24 hours, the preview is approved automatically.
How does the brand know the sponsorship ran?
After publishing, the newsletter submits a delivery report with the link, screenshots and results. The report opens 24 hours after publication and must be sent within 5 days. If it isn't, the brand gets a full refund.
How does the review work?
The brand has 3 days to review the delivery report. They can approve it or report a problem. If they don't do either, the work is approved automatically and the newsletter is paid.
Can we message each other during a booking?
Yes. Once a booking is paid, both sides can chat on the booking page until it's finished.
Can a brand cancel a paid booking?
Yes, with a full refund, up to 72 hours before publication (24 hours for short-notice bookings). After that, use Get help on the booking and LetterBid support will step in.
What if the newsletter cancels or doesn't deliver?
The brand gets a full refund. That includes when the newsletter cancels after payment, doesn't send the delivery report in time, or doesn't answer a problem report within 72 hours.
What if there's a problem with the sponsorship?
During review, the brand can report a problem with a short checklist. The newsletter then has 72 hours to fix it or reply. There are up to 2 problem rounds per booking.
What if we can't agree?
Either side can press Get help on any paid booking that's still running. The payment stays held while the LetterBid team reviews the case, and then releases it to the newsletter, refunds the brand, or splits it between both.
How do you keep newsletters reliable?
Newsletters can be verified by the LetterBid team, and brands see a Verified badge. A newsletter that cancels after payment or fails to deliver gets a strike; 3 strikes within 90 days hide the newsletter from brands for 30 days.
What can't be advertised?
Ads must be honest and legal. Not allowed on LetterBid: Adult content, Gambling, Weapons, Illegal drugs, Scams or get-rich-quick offers, Hate content, Unlicensed financial or crypto investment offers.