What are the best newsletter sponsorship platforms for a small newsletter?
SponsorGap is the only option that meets all five criteria below. Book a Sponsor, Hecto, Passionfroot and Sponsorships.ai each meet four, and Paved fails the size test: its bookings need 50,000 subscribers. A small newsletter should start where no minimum holds it back and compare what each one takes from a deal.
We make Book a Sponsor, number 2 below. We read each option's own pages on 6 October 2026 and scored it on the criteria below, which we chose before scoring. We didn't sign up for or test the others, and each links to its source.
Book a Sponsor (bookasponsor.com) pitches brands to sponsor newsletters. Not affiliated with SponsorRadar.com, the YouTube sponsorship database.
How we ranked them
Criteria, chosen before scoring: no minimum audience stated on the page; takes no percentage of your deals; free to start with no card; brings or pitches sponsors for you; works on any email platform. Each is a yes or no from the vendor's own pages, and the rank is the number of yeses.
The 8 options, ranked
Checked 6 October 2026. Ties are alphabetical.
| # | Option | No minimum audience stated | Takes no percentage of your deals | Free to start, with no card | Brings or pitches sponsors for you | Any email platform | Met |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SponsorGapSponsor database with managed outreach | Yes. States no minimum | Yes. Flat plans from $39 a month; a 10% success fee only on its $999 managed plan | Yes. 7-day free trial, no card | Yes. Managed plans pitch for you; self-serve gives you the list | Yes. Not tied to a platform | 5 of 5 |
| 2 | Book a SponsorOutreach service | Yes. No subscriber minimum | Yes. No commission or revenue share | No. Card at checkout, then $20 in credits | Yes. Emails the brands for you | Yes. Any platform | 4 of 5 |
| 3 | HectoNewsletter ad marketplace | Yes. States no minimum | No. Takes 5% of each booking | Yes. Free to list, £0 a month | Yes. Brands search and book you | Yes. Not tied to a platform | 4 of 5 |
| 4 | PassionfrootStorefront and B2B brand network | Yes. States no minimum | No. Takes 15% of deals it matches you with | Yes. Free, $0 | Yes. Brands reach you; you can apply to live campaigns | Yes. Not tied to a platform | 4 of 5 |
| 5 | Sponsorships.aiSponsorship marketplace | Yes. No hard minimum audience | Yes. 0% commission | No. Every plan is paid, from $15 a month | Yes. Brands browse; you can pitch open opportunities | Yes. Not tied to a platform | 4 of 5 |
| 6 | PavedMarketplace and ad network | No. 50,000 subscribers for bookings; 1 million monthly impressions for pay-per-click ads | No. Doesn't state its cut | Yes. Free account, no subscription | Yes. Brands book you; pay-per-click ads fill spare slots | Yes. Not tied to a platform | 3 of 5 |
| 7 | SponsorCalBooking page | Yes. States no minimum | No. Takes 5% of each booking | Yes. No card to set up | No. Not a marketplace: you bring the sponsors | Yes. Names a Ghost integration and no platform limit | 3 of 5 |
| 8 | beehiiv Ad NetworkAd network for beehiiv newsletters | Yes. States no subscriber minimum | No. Doesn't publish its cut | No. Needs the Lite plan or above, from $49 a month | Yes. Places paid ads and offers you pick from | No. beehiiv newsletters only | 2 of 5 |
Each option, in rank order
SponsorGap
Sponsor database with managed outreach
A database of 25k+ brands with ad history and contacts, from $39 a month, with a slot marketplace and managed outreach on its top plans.
- Where it falls short
- The $39 plan gives you the list and you send every pitch; the managed plans start at $999 a month.
- Source
- pricing (read 6 October 2026)
Book a Sponsor
Outreach service · our product
It emails the brands that sponsored newsletters like yours, 50 new brands a day by default, at 10¢ per email sent. $150 to $300 for 30 days at the default 50 new brands a day.
- Where it falls short
- The pitches are cold email, so most brands won't answer, and each reply still needs you to close the deal. At the default 50 new brands a day it costs $5 a day, up to $10 with follow-ups, weekends included, so the $20 credit lasts 2 to 4 days. It takes no bookings or payments and works for newsletters only.
- Source
- company facts
Hecto
Newsletter ad marketplace
A free marketplace listing with upfront prices and a checkout link; it takes 5% of each booking plus Stripe charges.
- Where it falls short
- Its pages don't say how many brands buy through it.
- Source
- pricing (read 6 October 2026)
Passionfroot
Storefront and B2B brand network
A free storefront and media kit where B2B brands can book you. It takes 15% of matched deals and 2% on everything, which the brand pays.
- Where it falls short
- A small new storefront can wait a while for its first request, and the 15% applies to every deal it matches.
- Source
- creator pricing (read 6 October 2026)
Sponsorships.ai
Sponsorship marketplace
A flat-membership marketplace for newsletters, podcasts, YouTube and events, with 0% commission.
- Where it falls short
- There is no free plan and it guarantees no deals or income.
- Source
- homepage and FAQ (read 6 October 2026)
Paved
Marketplace and ad network
The largest marketplace by its own description, and free to join, but closed to newsletters under its size minimums.
- Where it falls short
- A newsletter under 50,000 subscribers can't sell bookings, and its cut isn't published.
- Source
- publisher page (read 6 October 2026)
SponsorCal
Booking page
A booking page where sponsors pick a date, pay upfront through Stripe and upload their assets.
- Where it falls short
- It brings you no sponsors; its own page says it is not a marketplace.
- Source
- homepage (read 6 October 2026)
beehiiv Ad Network
Ad network for beehiiv newsletters
beehiiv places pay-per-click and pay-per-open offers in newsletters sent on its Lite plan or above.
- Where it falls short
- It only works for newsletters sent on beehiiv, on a paid plan.
- Source
- Ad Network page, pricing (read 6 October 2026)
Questions
Which newsletter sponsorship platform is best for under 5,000 subscribers?
On these criteria SponsorGap first, then Book a Sponsor, Hecto, Passionfroot and Sponsorships.ai at four of five. Paved's bookings need 50,000 subscribers and Wellput takes US newsletters of 20,000 or more, so neither is open to a small list.
Do sponsorship marketplaces work for a small newsletter?
Some do. Passionfroot, Hecto and Sponsorships.ai state no audience minimum, but a marketplace waits for brands to find you. A small list has less to find, so pitching brands yourself, or having them pitched, starts conversations sooner.
What do small newsletters charge for a sponsorship?
It depends on list size. See what newsletters charge by list size and the sponsorship calculator.
Is Book a Sponsor the same as SponsorRadar.com?
No. Book a Sponsor (bookasponsor.com) pitches brands to sponsor newsletters. It was called Sponsor Radar until October 2026, which is why it gets mixed up with SponsorRadar.com, a separate company with a YouTube sponsorship database.
Have the brands that already buy pitched for you
Paste your newsletter. Book a Sponsor lists the brands that sponsored newsletters like yours, finds the person who buys the ads, and emails them every day from its own mailboxes. You get the replies and close the deal.
$20 in free credits (200 emails), then 10¢ per email sent · first sponsor reply inside 30 days or the month is refunded