If you run an African news, business, entertainment or lifestyle site, you have probably been asked the same question more than once: how much for a sponsored article? And if you are honest, you have probably answered it differently every time — a figure guessed from what a friend charges, a number copied from a rate card you saw somewhere else, or whatever the buyer suggested first. Most publishers price this way. It is also why most publishers are paid less than their site is worth.
There is no published rate card for sponsored posts across African sites, and there should not be: the right figure depends on the site, the topic, the buyer and the terms. But the factors that set it are knowable, and once you can name them, you can answer the question the same way every time — with a rate card of your own, filled in before anyone asks.
This article is for publishers. It covers what buyers actually price on, why a completed rate card gets a site quoted faster, the traps that leave publishers underselling, and a worksheet you can fill in today.
1. What buyers actually price on
A buyer is not buying words. They are buying a place for their story in front of your readers, under terms they can explain to their own client. Seven things move the figure:
Audience reality. Not a claimed number — buyers look for evidence that readers are real and current: regular publishing, stories that follow local events day by day, comments and sharing, and a presence in search for the site’s own name. A site that publishes every day in its market is easier to price than a site with a big claimed audience and a quiet homepage. If you can show a buyer your publishing rhythm, you have already done most of the pricing work.
Sector scarcity. Some topics have many willing sites and some have very few. A business or finance title in a market with few of them is scarcer than a general entertainment title in a market full of them — and buyers know it. Scarcity is not something you manufacture; it is something you state plainly. Which sectors does your site genuinely cover, and which of those are hard to find elsewhere in your market?
Who writes the article. There are three arrangements, and they are priced differently: the buyer supplies a finished article, you write it from their brief, or you write it as a feature in your own voice. Your own writing costs you time and editorial judgement, and it is worth more — it also reads better, which is why buyers who understand the market will pay for it. Be explicit about which arrangement your rate covers.
Permanence. How long the article stays live, and what happens if it is removed. A placement that stays up is worth more than one that might disappear in a month, and buyers will ask. If you keep articles live as a matter of policy, say so; it is one of the strongest lines on a rate card.
Labelling. Whether and how sponsored content is labelled, and whether the label is visible to readers. Clear labelling protects your readers and your reputation, and serious buyers prefer it — it is also what keeps a site out of trouble with search engines. Never offer to remove a label for a higher fee. A buyer who asks you to is telling you how they treat every publisher they work with.
Turnaround. How quickly you can publish once you have a final article. Editors are the variable in every placement timeline, and buyers plan around it. A site that can turn a clean article around in a day or two is worth more to a buyer on a deadline than a site that takes a week — but only state a turnaround you can actually meet. A missed date costs more than a slow one.
Exclusivity. Whether the buyer is asking for a one-off article, a series, or an arrangement where you do not run a named competitor alongside it. Exclusivity narrows what else you can sell in that space, and it should be priced as a restriction, not thrown in.
None of these is a secret. The point is that a buyer who can see all seven answered on your rate card can get you quoted in one email, while a buyer who has to ask about each one will often move on to a site that already has the answers.
2. Why a filled-in rate card gets you quoted faster
When a placement partner or an agency asks for your rate, they are usually working through a list of sites for one client order, under a deadline. The sites that get quoted first are the ones whose answers arrive complete: sectors, turnaround, labelling policy, who writes, permanence, and a rate. The sites that get quoted last — or not at all — are the ones that reply with a question.
A rate card is not a public price list. It is a one-page sheet you send to a buyer or a placement partner when they ask, with the fields in the worksheet below filled in. It does three things at once: it stops you guessing under pressure, it tells the buyer you have done this before, and it makes your site comparable with other sites on the things that actually matter, instead of on a single number with no context.
It also protects you in the negotiation. A buyer who can see that your rate covers a written feature, permanent placement, clear labelling and a two-day turnaround is negotiating about a defined offer. A buyer who is given a bare number is negotiating about a number — and numbers only go down.
3. The traps that leave publishers underselling
Charging like an advertising page. Display advertising pays per impression, and for most African sites the traffic levels make that a small number. A sponsored article is not an advertising page: it is a piece of content that stays live, carries the buyer’s story, and takes your editorial time. Pricing it from your display earnings is the single most common way publishers undersell. Price the article for what it is, not for what a banner beside it earns.
Quoting per word. Some buyers will ask for a per-word rate, usually because that is how they buy freelance writing. A sponsored post is not freelance writing — the value is the placement on your site, your audience and your editorial standing, and the words are the smallest part of it. Quote for the placement, with the writing arrangement stated separately.
Accepting exposure. “We can’t pay, but this will be great exposure for your site” is not an offer. Exposure does not pay hosting, writers or data. If a buyer has no budget, the honest answer is to decline politely and keep the relationship for when they do. Sites that accept exposure once get asked again, by the same buyer and by everyone they tell.
Taking the first figure offered. The first number in a negotiation is rarely the buyer’s last number. If you have a rate card, you have an answer that is not a reaction: your rate, for the terms stated. A pause and a rate card are worth more than a quick yes at a number you will regret.
Quoting without terms in writing. A rate agreed in a chat message, with no agreement on who writes, how long it stays live, how it is labelled, or when payment arrives, is not a rate — it is a misunderstanding waiting to happen. Get the terms in writing before publication, every time, even for small orders. Our content and disclosure policy sets out the categories we decline and the standards we expect directory sites to meet.
4. The rate-card worksheet
Fill this in for your site and keep it somewhere you can send in one email. Every field is a question a serious buyer will ask; answering them in advance is what gets you quoted.
- Site and market: name, country, main sectors, languages published in.
- Audience, honestly described: what your readers come for, how often you publish, and the evidence a buyer can check — your homepage, your section pages, your social presence. No figures you cannot show a buyer how to verify.
- Sectors you accept, and sectors you decline: be specific. A buyer who knows your decline list trusts your accept list.
- Writing arrangements and what each covers: buyer-supplied article, publisher-written from a brief, publisher-written feature — and which of these your rate includes.
- Permanence: how long articles stay live, and what happens if one is removed.
- Labelling policy: how sponsored content is labelled on your site, in your own words.
- Turnaround: how quickly you publish a final article, stated as your normal case.
- Rate: your figure for a standard sponsored article, with the terms above attached to it. Note separately what changes it — a series, exclusivity, a rush date.
- Payment: how you invoice, which payment methods you can receive, and when payment is due.
- Contact: the one person and address a buyer should write to.
If a field is blank, that is useful information too: it tells you what to decide before the next buyer asks.
5. What happens when you bring a rate card to a placement partner
A placement partner — a team that holds relationships with buyers and sends briefs to sites — is the opposite of the stranger’s email. The partner already knows what buyers are asking for, and the first thing they will ask you is for your sectors, your turnaround, your labelling policy and your rate. A publisher who arrives with those answers filled in gets briefs matched to their site quickly. A publisher who does not gets asked the same questions one email at a time, while the brief goes to a site that answered first.
That is also why bringing a rate card matters more than the figure on it. A fair rate, clearly stated, with honest terms, is what gets a site into a directory and keeps it receiving briefs. An inflated rate with no terms attached gets declined; an unclear rate gets skipped. The worksheet above is designed to produce the first kind.
If you run a site and you have not written your rate card down yet, do it this week — before the next approach arrives, not after it. And if you would like your site considered for the BacklinkAfrica directory, bring the rate card with you. Our guide for publishers explains how sponsored articles really work and what legitimate buyers are looking for, including what buyers screen for and what makes them walk away.
List your site — bring your rate card
If you publish regularly on an African news, business, entertainment or lifestyle site and you want steady briefs from agencies and brands, tell us about your site through the contact form. Include your sectors, your turnaround, your labelling policy and your rate card if you have one — and if you do not have one yet, fill in the worksheet above first and send it with your application. We will come back to you about joining the directory.