Sponsorship packages and rate card templates
Nishant · Updated 10 Oct 2026 · 4 min read
Short answer
A sponsorship package states what a brand gets, where it appears, how long it runs and what it costs. Start with two or three clearly different offers, such as "sidebar spot, one month, $100". Public asking prices are useful benchmarks, but price the work and placement you can actually deliver; a package is income only when it sells.
On this page
What goes in a package
Every package answers five questions for the sponsor:
- Where the ad appears. The spot (header banner, sidebar, footer link, newsletter slot) and which pages.
- What it looks like. Logo, image size, headline length, link.
- How long it runs. Usually one calendar month.
- What it costs. One price, in one currency.
- Who sees it. Monthly visitors or subscribers, top countries, and the kind of reader.
Leave out anything the sponsor can't check. "Brand awareness" is not a deliverable; "logo on every page for October" is.
Template: three-tier website package
Use these illustrative tiers as a starting point. Replace the prices and placements with your own; they are not measured market rates:
| Tier | What's included | Period | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supporter | Text link in the footer of every page | 1 month | $50 |
| Sponsor | Sidebar card (logo, 1 line, link) on every article | 1 month | $150 |
| Main sponsor | Banner at the top of every article + footer link, one brand only | 1 month | $400 |
Template: newsletter package
| Tier | What's included | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Classified | One line with a link, below the main story | $X per issue |
| Main sponsor | Logo, 50 to 80 words and a link at the top | 3 × classified, per issue |
| Monthly | Main sponsor in every issue of the month | 4 issues at a 10 to 20% discount |
Newsletter per-issue prices need a separate sample; monthly website offers do not estimate them.
Rate card template
A rate card is the one-page version of your packages. Put it on your advertise page or in your media kit:
ADVERTISE ON [SITE NAME]
Audience
[N] monthly visitors · [top 3 countries] · [who they are]
Spots (per calendar month)
Footer link ............ $[price]
Sidebar card ........... $[price]
Top banner (exclusive) . $[price]
Formats
Footer: up to 60 characters + link
Sidebar: logo 200×200 + 1 line + link
Banner: 728×90 desktop, 320×100 mobile
Booking
Pay up front · runs on the booked dates
Open months: [list]
Contact / book: [link]
Replace the placeholders and example sizes with your actual requirements before publishing. Keep the card to things a sponsor can verify and act on: audience, spots, prices, sizes, dates and how to book.
Real prices from websites
No traffic cohort yet has enough fresh published domains to show a price range.
middle half of prices median · Currently published directory: 43 unique domains. Source observations: 2026-10-08 to 2026-10-09. Asking prices, not confirmed sales. USD monthly website offers; each domain contributes its cheapest offer. A format cohort includes sites offering that format, not the individual placement price. Traffic bands describe stated visitors or pageviews; they are not CPM estimates. Groups need at least 10 unique domains.
Real packages, as published
| Published website | USD asking price |
|---|---|
| 12voltmag.com | $149 starting price a month |
| 2regularguys.com | $100 starting price a month |
| 3dprintmetal.co | $500 starting price a month |
The pattern: two to four tiers, each about two to three times the one below, and a clearly named top tier.
How to price your tiers
A minimum term can reduce work between sponsors. It can also deter a first booking. Offer a clear single-month option where it fits your product.
A minimum term can reduce work between sponsors. It can also deter a first booking. Offer a clear single-month option where it fits your product.
Worked example
Hypothetical example: a $150 monthly spot at 30,000 pageviews asks $5 per 1,000 pageviews. Ten booked months bring $1,500 before fees. These inputs illustrate the arithmetic; they are not a market recommendation.
Hypothetical example: a $150 monthly spot at 30,000 pageviews asks $5 per 1,000 pageviews. Ten booked months bring $1,500 before fees. These inputs illustrate the arithmetic; they are not a market recommendation.
If the Supporter and Sponsor tiers sell every month and the main tier half the year, that is 12 × $250 + 6 × $400 = $5,400 a year, before payment fees.
Selling packages: by hand or with a tool
Page spots can be sold by email and payment links, through a marketplace that sells them for you for a share, or with a booking tool. Sponsor.st is one such tool: each spot you place is one package with a monthly price, and brands book open calendar months and pay your own Stripe or Dodo account. Sponsored posts and social posts are sold by email in any case.
Common mistakes
- Tiers too close in price. If the top tier is only a little dearer, nobody buys the bottom one, or nobody upgrades.
- Vague deliverables. "Exposure" and "brand awareness" can't be checked; sizes, pages and dates can.
- Too many tiers. More than four makes the choice harder, not easier.
- No exclusive top tier. Without one, the highest price has nothing to justify it.
- Long minimum terms for new sponsors. A brand that can't test one month often books nothing.
- Never raising prices. Spots sold out months ahead are underpriced.