Discussing Sponsorships with The Founder of Android Intelligence Newsletter
Discussing Sponsorships with The Founder of Android Intelligence Newsletter
Welcome to a new issue of Swapstack newsletter Founder Stories, where we connect with and share the origin stories of hot, up and coming newsletters in all different industries. Each issue of this series will consist of a deep dive into a different newsletter, and give you insight into how they launched, grew, and sustained their growth. Of course, we’ll also touch upon sponsorships and monetization strategies as well 💰. Let’s get to it!
Today’s publication:
Name: Android Intelligence
Published by: JR Raphael
Current Sub count & open rate: 40K subs / 46% avg. open rate
Topics covered: Business, Future of work, Productivity, Tech & Internet
1-line description: Practical tips for people passionate about productivity, particularly as it relates to Android and other Google apps and services.
Some Background On Android Intelligence
Android Intelligence was born as a column at Computerworld a whopping 12 years ago — and believe it or not, at that point, Android was considered the scrappy underdog in the mobile-tech universe. Not many people were taking it seriously, especially within the realm of tech media, and those of us who *were* writing about it were part of a small and tight-knit club of misfit nerds.
Android Intelligence is all about going beyond the surface and serving up the insight, perspective, and practical tips that help people better understand their technology and make the most of their favorite apps and devices.
More than anything, the main goal is to help people learn something new and useful every week and uncover all sorts of fascinating ways to get even more out of whatever devices they’re using — while also being interesting, relatable, and hopefully just plain enjoyable to read. If a reader comes away feeling like they’ve had a nice little getaway and gained at least one helpful morsel after spending some time with an issue, I’d say we can safely call it a success!
Android Intelligence’s Take On Sponsorships
Q: How do newsletter sponsorships add value to your readers?
We work hard to find sponsors whose products or services actually align with our audience’s interests. With lots of our partners, I’ll get emails from readers actually thanking me for introducing them to the product or service involved. That’s exactly what a good newsletter partnership should feel like — valuable, relevant, and worthwhile content that just happens to be part of a promotion but seems like it belongs in the issue as much as any other element.
In that situation, everyone wins — including the reader, which is honestly the most important piece of the puzzle of all.
Q: For advertisers, what strategies have you seen work best when running sponsorships in your newsletter?
Custom ad creation services: We offer full in-house custom ad creation services and encourage partners to let us put together something original that feels especially in the newsletter’s voice and as native as possible — with their input and approval at every step of the process, of course. We’ve found that segments that are in the newsletter’s voice tend to perform measurably better as a general rule.
Avoiding generic ad images: And it’s not only the words, either: Even something as simple-seeming as the artwork included within a sponsored segment can really make a meaningful difference. Android Intelligence has a very distinctive vibe — playful, peppy, a little tongue-in-cheek, and definitely not taking itself too seriously— and the generic sorts of stock art you often see in ads just feel awkwardly out of place in our newsletter.
A sponsored ad that feels truly native: There’s certainly a level of trust that has to be present in the process, but when a sponsor allows us to cater their material to our specific voice and environment, it almost always leads to a better result and a better experience for everyone — including both the sponsor and the reader.
Q: Are there certain verticals or types of advertisers that you see work best with your audience?
We’re always experimenting, and we often come across successes we might not have immediately expected, but in general, we tend to see great results from anything with a mobile or productivity angle to it — apps, tools, and services (whether Android-specific or not; some of our most successful campaigns have been with desktop-based products!) as well as exceptional phone accessories and other things along those lines.
We’ve also had a lot of success with promoting other newsletters that in some way appeal to the same sort of people we reach, even when they don’t necessarily talk about technology.
Q: Share your thoughts on why advertisers should consider newsletter advertising?
A newsletter is inherently a little intimate and personal. It’s reaching someone in their inbox, and it’s a conversation with a voice that the reader knows, trusts, and enjoys hanging out with. That creates a huge responsibility as a publisher to find and feature sponsors who actually make sense for that audience and are likely to resonate, but when that alignment is there, watch out – magic’s about to happen!
A successful newsletter relationship also gives you an opportunity to build a rapport with a specific audience and have an ongoing dialogue with them over time. Ideally, that audience is always expanding, of course, but there’s often just as much value in reinforcing the messaging with the existing reader base as well.
Many of our strongest sponsor relationships are with partners we’ve worked with for months or even years, regularly and with consistently good results.
It can take a bit of work to figure out an optimal cadence and messaging strategy, but hey, that’s what we’re here to do. And once that sort of relationship is established, it provides a unique sort of value for everyone involved — the sponsor, the publisher, and absolutely the reader. There aren’t many other places where that kind of connection can exist.
A word from the editor:
JR Raphael is a veteran Android journalist whose work is regularly featured in such places as Fast Company, Computerworld, and The Verge. You can find more background on him here and more on Android Intelligence here.
Currently, they have two sponsor-supported weekly newsletters:
- The flagship weekly newsletter, which goes out to all subscribers on Fridays (sample issue), and
- An invite-only Bonus Intelligence issue that goes out on Wednesdays only to subscribers who have been actively reading for at least a month (sample issue).
💡 1 Tip to make the best out of newsletter advertising:
Reduce email back and forth between you and the publisher by becoming a Plug & Play partner on Swapstack.
Plug and Play is Swapstack’s in-house affiliate deal program that’s tailored for newsletter publishers and advertisers. When an advertiser enables a Plug and Play deal, they ONLY pay for the conversions newsletter publishers drive.
This leads to extremely efficient, hands-off growth that can complement larger, more direct campaigns. Using Plug & Play, Alts drove 594 efficient conversions. This helped them drive down their acquisition cost and complement their larger direct buys.
Read the full case-study here
Want to Work with Android Intelligence? Find them on Swapstack.
Do you have a founder story to share? Email us at: hello@swapstack.co
Discussing Sponsorships with The Founder of Android Intelligence Newsletter
Welcome to a new issue of Swapstack newsletter Founder Stories, where we connect with and share the origin stories of hot, up and coming newsletters in all different industries. Each issue of this series will consist of a deep dive into a different newsletter, and give you insight into how they launched, grew, and sustained their growth. Of course, we’ll also touch upon sponsorships and monetization strategies as well 💰. Let’s get to it!
Today’s publication:
Name: Android Intelligence
Published by: JR Raphael
Current Sub count & open rate: 40K subs / 46% avg. open rate
Topics covered: Business, Future of work, Productivity, Tech & Internet
1-line description: Practical tips for people passionate about productivity, particularly as it relates to Android and other Google apps and services.
Some Background On Android Intelligence
Android Intelligence was born as a column at Computerworld a whopping 12 years ago — and believe it or not, at that point, Android was considered the scrappy underdog in the mobile-tech universe. Not many people were taking it seriously, especially within the realm of tech media, and those of us who *were* writing about it were part of a small and tight-knit club of misfit nerds.
Android Intelligence is all about going beyond the surface and serving up the insight, perspective, and practical tips that help people better understand their technology and make the most of their favorite apps and devices.
More than anything, the main goal is to help people learn something new and useful every week and uncover all sorts of fascinating ways to get even more out of whatever devices they’re using — while also being interesting, relatable, and hopefully just plain enjoyable to read. If a reader comes away feeling like they’ve had a nice little getaway and gained at least one helpful morsel after spending some time with an issue, I’d say we can safely call it a success!
Android Intelligence’s Take On Sponsorships
Q: How do newsletter sponsorships add value to your readers?
We work hard to find sponsors whose products or services actually align with our audience’s interests. With lots of our partners, I’ll get emails from readers actually thanking me for introducing them to the product or service involved. That’s exactly what a good newsletter partnership should feel like — valuable, relevant, and worthwhile content that just happens to be part of a promotion but seems like it belongs in the issue as much as any other element.
In that situation, everyone wins — including the reader, which is honestly the most important piece of the puzzle of all.
Q: For advertisers, what strategies have you seen work best when running sponsorships in your newsletter?
Custom ad creation services: We offer full in-house custom ad creation services and encourage partners to let us put together something original that feels especially in the newsletter’s voice and as native as possible — with their input and approval at every step of the process, of course. We’ve found that segments that are in the newsletter’s voice tend to perform measurably better as a general rule.
Avoiding generic ad images: And it’s not only the words, either: Even something as simple-seeming as the artwork included within a sponsored segment can really make a meaningful difference. Android Intelligence has a very distinctive vibe — playful, peppy, a little tongue-in-cheek, and definitely not taking itself too seriously— and the generic sorts of stock art you often see in ads just feel awkwardly out of place in our newsletter.
A sponsored ad that feels truly native: There’s certainly a level of trust that has to be present in the process, but when a sponsor allows us to cater their material to our specific voice and environment, it almost always leads to a better result and a better experience for everyone — including both the sponsor and the reader.
Q: Are there certain verticals or types of advertisers that you see work best with your audience?
We’re always experimenting, and we often come across successes we might not have immediately expected, but in general, we tend to see great results from anything with a mobile or productivity angle to it — apps, tools, and services (whether Android-specific or not; some of our most successful campaigns have been with desktop-based products!) as well as exceptional phone accessories and other things along those lines.
We’ve also had a lot of success with promoting other newsletters that in some way appeal to the same sort of people we reach, even when they don’t necessarily talk about technology.
Q: Share your thoughts on why advertisers should consider newsletter advertising?
A newsletter is inherently a little intimate and personal. It’s reaching someone in their inbox, and it’s a conversation with a voice that the reader knows, trusts, and enjoys hanging out with. That creates a huge responsibility as a publisher to find and feature sponsors who actually make sense for that audience and are likely to resonate, but when that alignment is there, watch out – magic’s about to happen!
A successful newsletter relationship also gives you an opportunity to build a rapport with a specific audience and have an ongoing dialogue with them over time. Ideally, that audience is always expanding, of course, but there’s often just as much value in reinforcing the messaging with the existing reader base as well.
Many of our strongest sponsor relationships are with partners we’ve worked with for months or even years, regularly and with consistently good results.
It can take a bit of work to figure out an optimal cadence and messaging strategy, but hey, that’s what we’re here to do. And once that sort of relationship is established, it provides a unique sort of value for everyone involved — the sponsor, the publisher, and absolutely the reader. There aren’t many other places where that kind of connection can exist.
A word from the editor:
JR Raphael is a veteran Android journalist whose work is regularly featured in such places as Fast Company, Computerworld, and The Verge. You can find more background on him here and more on Android Intelligence here.
Currently, they have two sponsor-supported weekly newsletters:
- The flagship weekly newsletter, which goes out to all subscribers on Fridays (sample issue), and
- An invite-only Bonus Intelligence issue that goes out on Wednesdays only to subscribers who have been actively reading for at least a month (sample issue).
💡 1 Tip to make the best out of newsletter advertising:
Reduce email back and forth between you and the publisher by becoming a Plug & Play partner on Swapstack.
Plug and Play is Swapstack’s in-house affiliate deal program that’s tailored for newsletter publishers and advertisers. When an advertiser enables a Plug and Play deal, they ONLY pay for the conversions newsletter publishers drive.
This leads to extremely efficient, hands-off growth that can complement larger, more direct campaigns. Using Plug & Play, Alts drove 594 efficient conversions. This helped them drive down their acquisition cost and complement their larger direct buys.
Read the full case-study here
Want to Work with Android Intelligence? Find them on Swapstack.
Do you have a founder story to share? Email us at: hello@swapstack.co
Discussing Sponsorships with The Founder of Android Intelligence Newsletter
Welcome to a new issue of Swapstack newsletter Founder Stories, where we connect with and share the origin stories of hot, up and coming newsletters in all different industries. Each issue of this series will consist of a deep dive into a different newsletter, and give you insight into how they launched, grew, and sustained their growth. Of course, we’ll also touch upon sponsorships and monetization strategies as well 💰. Let’s get to it!
Today’s publication:
Name: Android Intelligence
Published by: JR Raphael
Current Sub count & open rate: 40K subs / 46% avg. open rate
Topics covered: Business, Future of work, Productivity, Tech & Internet
1-line description: Practical tips for people passionate about productivity, particularly as it relates to Android and other Google apps and services.
Some Background On Android Intelligence
Android Intelligence was born as a column at Computerworld a whopping 12 years ago — and believe it or not, at that point, Android was considered the scrappy underdog in the mobile-tech universe. Not many people were taking it seriously, especially within the realm of tech media, and those of us who *were* writing about it were part of a small and tight-knit club of misfit nerds.
Android Intelligence is all about going beyond the surface and serving up the insight, perspective, and practical tips that help people better understand their technology and make the most of their favorite apps and devices.
More than anything, the main goal is to help people learn something new and useful every week and uncover all sorts of fascinating ways to get even more out of whatever devices they’re using — while also being interesting, relatable, and hopefully just plain enjoyable to read. If a reader comes away feeling like they’ve had a nice little getaway and gained at least one helpful morsel after spending some time with an issue, I’d say we can safely call it a success!
Android Intelligence’s Take On Sponsorships
Q: How do newsletter sponsorships add value to your readers?
We work hard to find sponsors whose products or services actually align with our audience’s interests. With lots of our partners, I’ll get emails from readers actually thanking me for introducing them to the product or service involved. That’s exactly what a good newsletter partnership should feel like — valuable, relevant, and worthwhile content that just happens to be part of a promotion but seems like it belongs in the issue as much as any other element.
In that situation, everyone wins — including the reader, which is honestly the most important piece of the puzzle of all.
Q: For advertisers, what strategies have you seen work best when running sponsorships in your newsletter?
Custom ad creation services: We offer full in-house custom ad creation services and encourage partners to let us put together something original that feels especially in the newsletter’s voice and as native as possible — with their input and approval at every step of the process, of course. We’ve found that segments that are in the newsletter’s voice tend to perform measurably better as a general rule.
Avoiding generic ad images: And it’s not only the words, either: Even something as simple-seeming as the artwork included within a sponsored segment can really make a meaningful difference. Android Intelligence has a very distinctive vibe — playful, peppy, a little tongue-in-cheek, and definitely not taking itself too seriously— and the generic sorts of stock art you often see in ads just feel awkwardly out of place in our newsletter.
A sponsored ad that feels truly native: There’s certainly a level of trust that has to be present in the process, but when a sponsor allows us to cater their material to our specific voice and environment, it almost always leads to a better result and a better experience for everyone — including both the sponsor and the reader.
Q: Are there certain verticals or types of advertisers that you see work best with your audience?
We’re always experimenting, and we often come across successes we might not have immediately expected, but in general, we tend to see great results from anything with a mobile or productivity angle to it — apps, tools, and services (whether Android-specific or not; some of our most successful campaigns have been with desktop-based products!) as well as exceptional phone accessories and other things along those lines.
We’ve also had a lot of success with promoting other newsletters that in some way appeal to the same sort of people we reach, even when they don’t necessarily talk about technology.
Q: Share your thoughts on why advertisers should consider newsletter advertising?
A newsletter is inherently a little intimate and personal. It’s reaching someone in their inbox, and it’s a conversation with a voice that the reader knows, trusts, and enjoys hanging out with. That creates a huge responsibility as a publisher to find and feature sponsors who actually make sense for that audience and are likely to resonate, but when that alignment is there, watch out – magic’s about to happen!
A successful newsletter relationship also gives you an opportunity to build a rapport with a specific audience and have an ongoing dialogue with them over time. Ideally, that audience is always expanding, of course, but there’s often just as much value in reinforcing the messaging with the existing reader base as well.
Many of our strongest sponsor relationships are with partners we’ve worked with for months or even years, regularly and with consistently good results.
It can take a bit of work to figure out an optimal cadence and messaging strategy, but hey, that’s what we’re here to do. And once that sort of relationship is established, it provides a unique sort of value for everyone involved — the sponsor, the publisher, and absolutely the reader. There aren’t many other places where that kind of connection can exist.
A word from the editor:
JR Raphael is a veteran Android journalist whose work is regularly featured in such places as Fast Company, Computerworld, and The Verge. You can find more background on him here and more on Android Intelligence here.
Currently, they have two sponsor-supported weekly newsletters:
- The flagship weekly newsletter, which goes out to all subscribers on Fridays (sample issue), and
- An invite-only Bonus Intelligence issue that goes out on Wednesdays only to subscribers who have been actively reading for at least a month (sample issue).
💡 1 Tip to make the best out of newsletter advertising:
Reduce email back and forth between you and the publisher by becoming a Plug & Play partner on Swapstack.
Plug and Play is Swapstack’s in-house affiliate deal program that’s tailored for newsletter publishers and advertisers. When an advertiser enables a Plug and Play deal, they ONLY pay for the conversions newsletter publishers drive.
This leads to extremely efficient, hands-off growth that can complement larger, more direct campaigns. Using Plug & Play, Alts drove 594 efficient conversions. This helped them drive down their acquisition cost and complement their larger direct buys.
Read the full case-study here
Want to Work with Android Intelligence? Find them on Swapstack.
Do you have a founder story to share? Email us at: hello@swapstack.co
Discussing Sponsorships with The Founder of Android Intelligence Newsletter
Welcome to a new issue of Swapstack newsletter Founder Stories, where we connect with and share the origin stories of hot, up and coming newsletters in all different industries. Each issue of this series will consist of a deep dive into a different newsletter, and give you insight into how they launched, grew, and sustained their growth. Of course, we’ll also touch upon sponsorships and monetization strategies as well 💰. Let’s get to it!
Today’s publication:
Name: Android Intelligence
Published by: JR Raphael
Current Sub count & open rate: 40K subs / 46% avg. open rate
Topics covered: Business, Future of work, Productivity, Tech & Internet
1-line description: Practical tips for people passionate about productivity, particularly as it relates to Android and other Google apps and services.
Some Background On Android Intelligence
Android Intelligence was born as a column at Computerworld a whopping 12 years ago — and believe it or not, at that point, Android was considered the scrappy underdog in the mobile-tech universe. Not many people were taking it seriously, especially within the realm of tech media, and those of us who *were* writing about it were part of a small and tight-knit club of misfit nerds.
Android Intelligence is all about going beyond the surface and serving up the insight, perspective, and practical tips that help people better understand their technology and make the most of their favorite apps and devices.
More than anything, the main goal is to help people learn something new and useful every week and uncover all sorts of fascinating ways to get even more out of whatever devices they’re using — while also being interesting, relatable, and hopefully just plain enjoyable to read. If a reader comes away feeling like they’ve had a nice little getaway and gained at least one helpful morsel after spending some time with an issue, I’d say we can safely call it a success!
Android Intelligence’s Take On Sponsorships
Q: How do newsletter sponsorships add value to your readers?
We work hard to find sponsors whose products or services actually align with our audience’s interests. With lots of our partners, I’ll get emails from readers actually thanking me for introducing them to the product or service involved. That’s exactly what a good newsletter partnership should feel like — valuable, relevant, and worthwhile content that just happens to be part of a promotion but seems like it belongs in the issue as much as any other element.
In that situation, everyone wins — including the reader, which is honestly the most important piece of the puzzle of all.
Q: For advertisers, what strategies have you seen work best when running sponsorships in your newsletter?
Custom ad creation services: We offer full in-house custom ad creation services and encourage partners to let us put together something original that feels especially in the newsletter’s voice and as native as possible — with their input and approval at every step of the process, of course. We’ve found that segments that are in the newsletter’s voice tend to perform measurably better as a general rule.
Avoiding generic ad images: And it’s not only the words, either: Even something as simple-seeming as the artwork included within a sponsored segment can really make a meaningful difference. Android Intelligence has a very distinctive vibe — playful, peppy, a little tongue-in-cheek, and definitely not taking itself too seriously— and the generic sorts of stock art you often see in ads just feel awkwardly out of place in our newsletter.
A sponsored ad that feels truly native: There’s certainly a level of trust that has to be present in the process, but when a sponsor allows us to cater their material to our specific voice and environment, it almost always leads to a better result and a better experience for everyone — including both the sponsor and the reader.
Q: Are there certain verticals or types of advertisers that you see work best with your audience?
We’re always experimenting, and we often come across successes we might not have immediately expected, but in general, we tend to see great results from anything with a mobile or productivity angle to it — apps, tools, and services (whether Android-specific or not; some of our most successful campaigns have been with desktop-based products!) as well as exceptional phone accessories and other things along those lines.
We’ve also had a lot of success with promoting other newsletters that in some way appeal to the same sort of people we reach, even when they don’t necessarily talk about technology.
Q: Share your thoughts on why advertisers should consider newsletter advertising?
A newsletter is inherently a little intimate and personal. It’s reaching someone in their inbox, and it’s a conversation with a voice that the reader knows, trusts, and enjoys hanging out with. That creates a huge responsibility as a publisher to find and feature sponsors who actually make sense for that audience and are likely to resonate, but when that alignment is there, watch out – magic’s about to happen!
A successful newsletter relationship also gives you an opportunity to build a rapport with a specific audience and have an ongoing dialogue with them over time. Ideally, that audience is always expanding, of course, but there’s often just as much value in reinforcing the messaging with the existing reader base as well.
Many of our strongest sponsor relationships are with partners we’ve worked with for months or even years, regularly and with consistently good results.
It can take a bit of work to figure out an optimal cadence and messaging strategy, but hey, that’s what we’re here to do. And once that sort of relationship is established, it provides a unique sort of value for everyone involved — the sponsor, the publisher, and absolutely the reader. There aren’t many other places where that kind of connection can exist.
A word from the editor:
JR Raphael is a veteran Android journalist whose work is regularly featured in such places as Fast Company, Computerworld, and The Verge. You can find more background on him here and more on Android Intelligence here.
Currently, they have two sponsor-supported weekly newsletters:
- The flagship weekly newsletter, which goes out to all subscribers on Fridays (sample issue), and
- An invite-only Bonus Intelligence issue that goes out on Wednesdays only to subscribers who have been actively reading for at least a month (sample issue).
💡 1 Tip to make the best out of newsletter advertising:
Reduce email back and forth between you and the publisher by becoming a Plug & Play partner on Swapstack.
Plug and Play is Swapstack’s in-house affiliate deal program that’s tailored for newsletter publishers and advertisers. When an advertiser enables a Plug and Play deal, they ONLY pay for the conversions newsletter publishers drive.
This leads to extremely efficient, hands-off growth that can complement larger, more direct campaigns. Using Plug & Play, Alts drove 594 efficient conversions. This helped them drive down their acquisition cost and complement their larger direct buys.
Read the full case-study here
Want to Work with Android Intelligence? Find them on Swapstack.
Do you have a founder story to share? Email us at: hello@swapstack.co
Discussing Sponsorships with The Founder of Android Intelligence Newsletter
Welcome to a new issue of Swapstack newsletter Founder Stories, where we connect with and share the origin stories of hot, up and coming newsletters in all different industries. Each issue of this series will consist of a deep dive into a different newsletter, and give you insight into how they launched, grew, and sustained their growth. Of course, we’ll also touch upon sponsorships and monetization strategies as well 💰. Let’s get to it!
Today’s publication:
Name: Android Intelligence
Published by: JR Raphael
Current Sub count & open rate: 40K subs / 46% avg. open rate
Topics covered: Business, Future of work, Productivity, Tech & Internet
1-line description: Practical tips for people passionate about productivity, particularly as it relates to Android and other Google apps and services.
Some Background On Android Intelligence
Android Intelligence was born as a column at Computerworld a whopping 12 years ago — and believe it or not, at that point, Android was considered the scrappy underdog in the mobile-tech universe. Not many people were taking it seriously, especially within the realm of tech media, and those of us who *were* writing about it were part of a small and tight-knit club of misfit nerds.
Android Intelligence is all about going beyond the surface and serving up the insight, perspective, and practical tips that help people better understand their technology and make the most of their favorite apps and devices.
More than anything, the main goal is to help people learn something new and useful every week and uncover all sorts of fascinating ways to get even more out of whatever devices they’re using — while also being interesting, relatable, and hopefully just plain enjoyable to read. If a reader comes away feeling like they’ve had a nice little getaway and gained at least one helpful morsel after spending some time with an issue, I’d say we can safely call it a success!
Android Intelligence’s Take On Sponsorships
Q: How do newsletter sponsorships add value to your readers?
We work hard to find sponsors whose products or services actually align with our audience’s interests. With lots of our partners, I’ll get emails from readers actually thanking me for introducing them to the product or service involved. That’s exactly what a good newsletter partnership should feel like — valuable, relevant, and worthwhile content that just happens to be part of a promotion but seems like it belongs in the issue as much as any other element.
In that situation, everyone wins — including the reader, which is honestly the most important piece of the puzzle of all.
Q: For advertisers, what strategies have you seen work best when running sponsorships in your newsletter?
Custom ad creation services: We offer full in-house custom ad creation services and encourage partners to let us put together something original that feels especially in the newsletter’s voice and as native as possible — with their input and approval at every step of the process, of course. We’ve found that segments that are in the newsletter’s voice tend to perform measurably better as a general rule.
Avoiding generic ad images: And it’s not only the words, either: Even something as simple-seeming as the artwork included within a sponsored segment can really make a meaningful difference. Android Intelligence has a very distinctive vibe — playful, peppy, a little tongue-in-cheek, and definitely not taking itself too seriously— and the generic sorts of stock art you often see in ads just feel awkwardly out of place in our newsletter.
A sponsored ad that feels truly native: There’s certainly a level of trust that has to be present in the process, but when a sponsor allows us to cater their material to our specific voice and environment, it almost always leads to a better result and a better experience for everyone — including both the sponsor and the reader.
Q: Are there certain verticals or types of advertisers that you see work best with your audience?
We’re always experimenting, and we often come across successes we might not have immediately expected, but in general, we tend to see great results from anything with a mobile or productivity angle to it — apps, tools, and services (whether Android-specific or not; some of our most successful campaigns have been with desktop-based products!) as well as exceptional phone accessories and other things along those lines.
We’ve also had a lot of success with promoting other newsletters that in some way appeal to the same sort of people we reach, even when they don’t necessarily talk about technology.
Q: Share your thoughts on why advertisers should consider newsletter advertising?
A newsletter is inherently a little intimate and personal. It’s reaching someone in their inbox, and it’s a conversation with a voice that the reader knows, trusts, and enjoys hanging out with. That creates a huge responsibility as a publisher to find and feature sponsors who actually make sense for that audience and are likely to resonate, but when that alignment is there, watch out – magic’s about to happen!
A successful newsletter relationship also gives you an opportunity to build a rapport with a specific audience and have an ongoing dialogue with them over time. Ideally, that audience is always expanding, of course, but there’s often just as much value in reinforcing the messaging with the existing reader base as well.
Many of our strongest sponsor relationships are with partners we’ve worked with for months or even years, regularly and with consistently good results.
It can take a bit of work to figure out an optimal cadence and messaging strategy, but hey, that’s what we’re here to do. And once that sort of relationship is established, it provides a unique sort of value for everyone involved — the sponsor, the publisher, and absolutely the reader. There aren’t many other places where that kind of connection can exist.
A word from the editor:
JR Raphael is a veteran Android journalist whose work is regularly featured in such places as Fast Company, Computerworld, and The Verge. You can find more background on him here and more on Android Intelligence here.
Currently, they have two sponsor-supported weekly newsletters:
- The flagship weekly newsletter, which goes out to all subscribers on Fridays (sample issue), and
- An invite-only Bonus Intelligence issue that goes out on Wednesdays only to subscribers who have been actively reading for at least a month (sample issue).
💡 1 Tip to make the best out of newsletter advertising:
Reduce email back and forth between you and the publisher by becoming a Plug & Play partner on Swapstack.
Plug and Play is Swapstack’s in-house affiliate deal program that’s tailored for newsletter publishers and advertisers. When an advertiser enables a Plug and Play deal, they ONLY pay for the conversions newsletter publishers drive.
This leads to extremely efficient, hands-off growth that can complement larger, more direct campaigns. Using Plug & Play, Alts drove 594 efficient conversions. This helped them drive down their acquisition cost and complement their larger direct buys.
Read the full case-study here
Want to Work with Android Intelligence? Find them on Swapstack.
Do you have a founder story to share? Email us at: hello@swapstack.co
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