What size is a newsletter banner ad?

It depends on the publisher. SmartBrief accepts 300x250, 970x250 and 600x300 pixel units, among others. Always ask for the exact size, file type and file weight before you design.

How many words is a newsletter ad?

Word limits vary by slot. TLDR allows up to 100 words for a primary ad, 50 for a secondary and 30 for a quick link. Classifieds are often counted in characters, such as 150 or 300.

Newsletter Ad Formats From Primary Sponsor to Dedicated Send

ML Media List Editorial Team Nov 11, 2026 18 min read

TLDR caps every issue at three advertisers. The primary ad sits at the top with a logo, up to 100 words and three calls to action. The secondary ad sits in the middle with up to 50 words and two links. The quick link sits at the bottom with up to 30 words and one link¹. That's the whole menu of newsletter ad placement in one email, and most newsletters sell some version of it.

This page walks through every newsletter ad format a brand can buy, from the primary sponsor slot to the dedicated send. You'll see where each one sits in an issue, the specs publishers actually ask for, what real rate cards charge, and which format fits which goal. Then you'll know what to ask for when you email a writer.

Facts and prices checked November 11, 2026. See something wrong? Tell us.

Key takeaways

Most newsletters sell three in-issue placements, a primary ad at the top, a secondary ad in the middle and short classifieds or quick links at the bottom.
TLDR limits each issue to three advertisers, with a 100-word primary ad, a 50-word secondary ad and a 30-word quick link.
beehiiv's ad network allows one primary ad with a logo and up to two secondary ads per post, and waits at least 7 days before showing the same advertiser to a publisher again.
A dedicated send gives one sponsor the whole email, and one brewing publisher charges $1,999 for a dedicated email to its 45,000+ subscriber list.
The FTC says labels like Ad, Advertisement and Sponsored Advertising Content are clear, while Promoted is at best ambiguous, so ask how the newsletter labels your slot.

A newsletter ad placement is a paid spot inside an email that a writer or publisher sends to subscribers. The format decides where your message sits, how long it can be and how much attention it gets.

Here are the formats you'll see on rate cards, with a published example for each.

Format	Position	Typical specs	Goal it suits	Example source
Primary sponsor	Top of the email	Logo, up to 100 words, 3 links	Awareness and clicks	TLDR¹
Secondary ad	Middle of the email	Up to 50 words, 2 links, no logo on some networks	Clicks at a lower price	TLDR¹, beehiiv²
Mid-email shout-out	Inside the body	One paragraph, one link	Cheap tests	OpenLampTech³
Classified or quick link	Bottom or a classifieds block	30 words, two sentences or 150 to 300 characters	Testing many newsletters	TLDR¹, Ann Friedman Weekly⁴
Banner or display	Between sections	300x250, 970x250 or 600x300 pixel images	Brand visuals	SmartBrief⁵
Dedicated send	The whole email	Custom HTML from the sponsor	Launches and big offers	Long Thread Media⁶, SmartBrief⁵
Sponsored post or essay	A full post	Writer creates, brand funds	Trust and storytelling	Substack⁷⁸

The names change from one newsletter to the next. One calls the top slot a primary ad, another a presenting sponsor, another a top-of-email ad. Ask what the slot includes, not just what it's called.

How networks limit formats

Ad networks set their own rules on top of this. beehiiv's network lets a publisher run up to one primary ad and two secondary ads in a post, three at most. The primary ad carries the advertiser's logo and the secondary ads don't. After a publisher runs an advertiser's ad, they won't see another offer from that advertiser for at least 7 days². Opens and clicks are tracked for 72 hours after the send².

Those rules tell you something useful even if you buy direct. Three sponsors is a common ceiling for one issue, and a week between repeats is a common pace. If a newsletter you email wants to run six ads in one issue, that's worth a question.

The primary sponsor is the first ad a reader sees, usually right after the intro or the first story. It's the most expensive in-issue slot because almost everyone who opens the email scrolls past it.

What a primary slot includes

A logo or image. TLDR's primary ad includes a logo¹. beehiiv places the primary advertiser's logo at the top of the email by default². OpenLampTech's top-of-email ad has an image, typically a logo³.
Longer copy. TLDR allows up to 100 words¹. OpenLampTech asks for three paragraphs³.
More links. TLDR gives the primary ad three calls to action¹.
Exclusivity in the slot. OpenLampTech has only one top-of-email spot per issue³. DigestThis.news sells its main sponsor slot to one sponsor per issue⁹.

What primary slots cost compared with smaller ones

The gap between the top slot and the rest is big. Real rate cards show it.

OpenLampTech, with about 1,150 readers, charges $55 for a top-of-email ad, $20 for a mid-email shout-out and $7 for a classified³. The top slot costs almost 8 times the classified.
DigestThis.news, with 34,468 subscribers, charges $1,500 for its main sponsor slot and $150 for a 150-character classified⁹. That's 10 times the price.
A 2021 outside estimate of Morning Brew put a primary placement at about $50,000, a secondary at about $30,000 and a classified-style bullet at about $15,000¹⁰. That's not an official rate card, but the shape is the same.

So a primary ad has to earn its price with reach and attention, not just a link. Buy it when the newsletter's readers are close to your buyer and you have a clear offer.

Secondary and mid-email placements

Secondary ads sit lower in the email, often between two sections of content. They're shorter, cheaper and often written in the same style as the editorial around them.

TLDR's secondary ad sits in the middle of the newsletter with up to 50 words and two calls to action¹.
beehiiv's secondary ads have no logo, and a post can carry up to two of them².
OpenLampTech's mid-email shout-out is one paragraph with one link, for $20 a send or $65 for four weekly issues³.

A secondary slot is a good second step after a classified works. You get more words than a classified and pay less than the top slot. It also suits a brand that wants to show up every week without paying primary prices each time.

Watch for competing sponsors

Some newsletters limit who runs next to you. One weekly business newsletter caps each email at two sponsors and says they must not compete¹¹. Ask the writer if they'll keep a direct competitor out of the same issue. If they won't, ask for a different date.

Packages and minimums

Many newsletters sell slots in packs. That same newsletter sells its sponsored slot in packs of 4, 8 or 12 emails, with 10% off for 8 and 20% off for 12, and a four-email minimum¹¹. OpenLampTech's four-week price for a mid-email shout-out works out to $16.25 a send instead of $20³. If a test works, a pack is how you cut the price per send.

Classifieds and quick links

Classifieds are short text ads grouped together, usually near the bottom of the email. They're the cheapest way into a newsletter and the easiest way to test several at once.

TLDR quick links sit at the bottom with up to 30 words and one call to action¹.
Ann Friedman Weekly sells text-only classifieds to 38,000 readers at $155 for 150 characters and $185 for 300 characters⁴.
DigestThis.news runs five classified sponsors per issue at $150 for 150 characters⁹.
OpenLampTech sells a two-sentence classified with a link for $7, or $20 for four weekly issues³.

Do the math per 1,000 subscribers and the prices look alike. Ann Friedman's short ad is $155 divided by 38, about $4.08 per 1,000 readers. DigestThis.news is $150 divided by 34.5, about $4.35⁴⁹. That's why classifieds are such a good first test. You can try ten newsletters for the price of one primary slot.

We cover writing and testing them in our guide to newsletter classified ads.

The catch is the outreach

Ten classifieds means ten newsletters, ten writers and ten emails asking about dates and prices. Most independent writers don't sit on any ad network. You have to find the newsletter, find the person who sells the ads and write to them. That search is the slow part of every newsletter test.

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Dedicated sends

Bar chart of price per 1,000 subscribers, from about $48 for a top-of-email ad to about $4 for a classified

A dedicated send is an email where your brand is the whole message. The publisher sends it to their list, often with their name in the From line, but the content is yours. Some newsletters call it a sponsored email or a takeover.

What it costs

Craft Beer and Brewing, run by Long Thread Media, publishes its prices. A full sponsored dedicated email costs $1,999 to its 45,000+ subscriber magazine list, $1,999 to its 10,000+ subscriber industry list and $2,999 to both lists, about 55,000 subscribers⁶. It also sells an editorial email takeover for $599, with your logo at the top, a featured article and a display ad at the bottom of a regular issue⁶.

Here's the math. $1,999 for 45,000 subscribers is about $44 per 1,000 subscribers. The $599 takeover on the same list is about $13 per 1,000. You pay more than three times as much per reader for the dedicated email, because nothing else competes with your message.

Specs for a dedicated send

Custom HTML. SmartBrief lists its dedicated send as custom HTML, with separate specs for standard, video and template versions⁵.
Lead time. Long Thread Media wants all digital ad materials 5 business days before publication⁶.
Full list or segment. Ask if you can send to a segment. Long Thread Media offers sub-segments such as pro brewers, homebrewers and regions⁶.
Booking. Some newsletters sell dedicated emails one at a time, not in packs¹¹.

Follow email law

Treat a dedicated send as commercial email and follow these rules. The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide says to identify the message as an ad, use honest header information and subject lines, include a valid postal address and give a clear way to opt out¹². It also says you can't contract away your legal responsibility when another company sends for you, and each email in violation can cost up to $53,088¹². Ask the publisher how they handle the ad label, the address and unsubscribes before you send your HTML.

Banner ads are image ads placed between sections of a newsletter. They're more common in trade and B2B newsletters run by media companies than in writer-led newsletters, which mostly sell text ads.

SmartBrief, which publishes industry newsletters, lists the sizes it accepts⁵.

Unit	Size in pixels	Extra copy	How it's sold
Above-the-fold takeover	970x250 plus 600x300	250 to 300 characters and a logo	Sponsorship
Billboard	970x250	Not stated	Sponsorship or impressions
Medium rectangle	300x250	Not stated	Sponsorship or impressions
Rectangle text	180x150	250 to 300 characters and a logo	Sponsorship or impressions
Video text	Video file	250 to 300 characters and a logo	Sponsorship or impressions

Rules banners must follow

No scripts. SmartBrief accepts only standard image-based click tags and 1x1 impression tags, and it doesn't support JavaScript⁵. Email clients don't run scripts, so plan on a static image and a link.
Video rarely plays. SmartBrief notes that Gmail, Yahoo and Outlook don't support embedded video, so readers get sent to a web page to watch⁵.
Check the size. Sizes differ by publisher, so ask for the exact pixel size, file type and file weight before you design.

A banner works best when your product is visual, like food, fashion, travel or a physical product. For software or services, a text ad in the writer's voice usually reads better.

Specs to ask for before you write

Every newsletter has its own specs, and many don't publish them. Ask these questions in your first or second email, so your ad fits the slot the first time.

Ask about	Why it matters	Published example
Word or character limit	Decides how much you can say	TLDR 100, 50 and 30 words¹, Ann Friedman 150 or 300 characters⁴
Number of links	More links, more chances to click	TLDR 3, 2 and 1 calls to action¹
Logo and image	Size and file type differ	Primary slots often include a logo¹²
Who writes the copy	Writer-voice copy reads like content	TLDR's copy team writes it at no extra cost¹
Deadline	Late copy means a missed issue	5 business days at Long Thread Media⁶
Approval	The writer can reject or edit	OpenLampTech approves all content first³
Reporting	You need opens and clicks to judge it	TLDR includes performance reporting¹, Ann Friedman doesn't share click data⁴

A spec request you can copy

Keep it short. Something like this works.

Hi [First name], we sell [product] to [buyer] and your readers look like a strong fit. Could you send your current rate card and specs for the top sponsor slot, any mid-email or classified slots and a dedicated send? We'd like word limits, link count, logo size, deadlines and your average opens and clicks for recent sponsors. We're looking at dates in [month].
Thanks, [Your name], [Company, postal address]
Not a fit? Reply no and I won't email again.

Always track clicks yourself too. Google's guide to campaign URLs says to use utm_source, utm_medium and utm_campaign on every link, and utm_content to tell two links in the same email apart¹⁴. That way the primary ad and the quick link in one issue show up as separate results.

Which format for which goal

Pick the format from the goal, not the price. Here's a simple way to match them.

Test if a niche responds. Buy classifieds or quick links in five to ten newsletters. They cost the least per send and the results come fast.
Get clicks from a proven newsletter. Move up to a secondary ad or a pack of them. You get more words and a better spot. Developer roundups sell these packs often, see how to sponsor tech and AI newsletters.
Build awareness with one audience. Buy the primary slot, ideally for several issues in a row. Readers see your logo at the top every time.
Launch something big. Buy a dedicated send. Nothing else competes for attention, and you control the whole message.
Earn trust in a crowded category. Pay for a sponsored post or essay where the writer explains why your product matters.
Show a visual product. Use a banner in a trade newsletter that sells them.

A sample plan for $2,000

Say you have $2,000 for a first month. You could buy ten classifieds at about $150 each, which is $1,500⁴⁹. Then keep $500 to move the best one or two up to a bigger slot the next month. Or you could spend it all on one dedicated send to a list of about 45,000, like the $1,999 Craft Beer and Brewing email⁶. The first plan teaches you more. The second plan reaches more people at once, but you only learn about one audience.

For ad copy that works in each slot, see our newsletter ad examples. For the full buying process, start with our newsletter advertising guide.

Find newsletters that sell the format you want

Once you know the format, the next job is finding newsletters your buyers read and the writer who sells the slot. That's where Media List helps.

Search newsletters. Media List has 28,000+ newsletters you can email. Filter by category, country and language to find the ones that cover your buyer.
See who to contact. Each newsletter shows the writer or business contact. Emails unlock from your plan's allowance, no bot checks.
Save a shortlist. Keep your ten classified tests and your primary slot candidates in named lists.
Ask for specs and rates. On Professional, send the spec request above to your whole list from built-in email campaigns, using your own mailbox.

Media List doesn't sell ad slots or show subscriber counts, open rates or prices. It gets you to the writer, so you can ask for their real rate card and book the format that fits. You can also browse the newsletters in Media List before you start.

Basic at $99 a month covers search, saved lists and exports. Built-in email campaigns come with Professional at $399 a month. Start with a 3-day trial, $0 today, and cancel anytime. Checkout happens right here on the page, or see every plan on the pricing page.

Buy direct, skip the middleman

Start your newsletter sponsorship list now

Search newsletters with contact emails, save a shortlist and ask for rates.

Filter by category, country and language
Unlock contact emails and save shortlists, from $99 a month
Send outreach from built-in campaigns on Professional ($399 a month)
3-day trial, $0 today, cancel anytime

Start your 3-day trial → Pay on this page. Cancel anytime.

Questions, answered

The main formats are the primary sponsor at the top of the email, secondary ads in the middle, classifieds or quick links near the bottom, banner ads, dedicated sends and sponsored posts. TLDR, for example, sells a 100-word primary, a 50-word secondary and a 30-word quick link¹.

A primary ad is the first sponsor slot in an issue, usually near the top and often with a logo. It costs the most of the in-issue slots because nearly every reader who opens the email sees it.

What is a dedicated email send?

A dedicated send is a whole email about one sponsor, sent by the publisher to their list. Craft Beer and Brewing charges $1,999 for a dedicated email to its 45,000+ subscriber list⁶. Treat it as commercial email under CAN-SPAM¹².

It depends on the publisher. SmartBrief accepts 300x250, 970x250 and 600x300 pixel units, among others⁵. Always ask for the exact size, file type and file weight before you design.

Word limits vary by slot. TLDR allows up to 100 words for a primary ad, 50 for a secondary and 30 for a quick link¹. Classifieds are often counted in characters, such as 150 or 300⁴.

Many newsletters cap it at around three. TLDR allows at most three advertisers per issue, and beehiiv's ad network allows one primary and two secondary ads per post¹².

Yes. The FTC says ads must not look like anything other than ads and names labels such as Ad, Advertisement and Sponsored Advertising Content as clear¹³. Ask how the newsletter labels your slot.

Sources

TLDR, Advertise with TLDR, checked 2026-11-11
beehiiv, Ad Network for publishers, checked 2026-11-11
OpenLampTech, Newsletter sponsorship, checked 2026-11-11
Ann Friedman, Classifieds in The Ann Friedman Weekly, checked 2026-11-11
SmartBrief, Advertising specs, checked 2026-11-11
Long Thread Media, Email advertising (dedicated and editorial takeover), checked 2026-11-11
PPC Land, Substack adds three formats that let brands pay to open paywalled posts (Oct 2026), checked 2026-11-11
Nieman Lab, Substack is launching a sponsorship program (Jun 16, 2026), checked 2026-11-11
DigestThis.news, Sponsorship, checked 2026-11-11
Stacked Marketer, Morning Brew deep dive preview (2021), checked 2026-11-11
My Wife Quit Her Job, Newsletter advertising, checked 2026-11-11
FTC, CAN-SPAM Act compliance guide for business, checked 2026-11-11
FTC, Native advertising guide for businesses (Dec 2015), checked 2026-11-11
Google Analytics Help, URL builders and campaign parameters, checked 2026-11-11

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Newsletter Ad Formats From Primary Sponsor to Dedicated Send