When Chad Prosser started his government contracting newsletter (GovBrew), he had no idea closing a $50,000 brand deal was even possible.

But that's exactly what happened.

For the first three years of running GovBrew, monetization wasn't even on Chad's radar. The newsletter was initially just a way to build credibility in the government contracting space and provide value to his community.

"We didn't start trying to monetize for the first three years," Chad explained. "There was no monetization. We were fortunate to have our main company support us while we were trying to build our audience and trust within the community."

When Chad eventually decided to look into monetization, he took the approach that many creators follow – creating cookie-cutter ad packages that any brand could buy. But what he didn't realize was that he could be charging so much more. 

"Thankfully that didn't live for too long," he said, "but that was my first test… just trying to figure out how to monetize. I didn't really know what I was doing."

With his newsletter's audience steadily growing and companies starting to notice, Chad knew there had to be a better approach than the cookie-cutter packages he initially tried. His highest-paying deal at that point was just $5,200 (which is respectable for a niche newsletter) but nowhere near what was actually possible. 

Finding the Right Monetization Strategy

When Chad finally decided to take sponsorships seriously, he dove right in and started researching the best strategies. He listened to several podcasts featuring Justin Moore from Creator Wizard, and was immediately drawn to his framework for building more valuable partnerships. 

While many newsletters sell standardized ad packages at fixed rates, Chad appreciated Creator Wizard's relationship-focused approach. 

"I was initially concerned the community was geared more toward influencers, which wasn't my game. I'm just running a B2B media company," Chad said. "But even though I wasn't an influencer, I still found golden nuggets to pull out."

His most valuable insight? 

Stop offering cookie-cutter ad packages.

Instead of offering standard packages, Chad found that the real money wasn't in selling pre-packaged deals. It was in creating customized options for each partner's unique situation. This meant taking the time to understand their goals, their target audience, and what success looked like for them – a complete shift from his original approach.

"That takeaway alone was worth the investment I made to get into the Creator Wizard community."

Giving Value Before Asking for Money

Chad's journey to his $50,000 deal started with a simple act of generosity that any creator can replicate.

"We noticed [the brand] had a report they were promoting. We included a link to their report in our newsletter one day, and they had no idea, but they got a ton of clicks," he explained.

This unsolicited promotion gave Chad the perfect opening. The following week, he messaged several people on their marketing team via LinkedIn which eventually lead him to a partnership worth ten times his previous deals. 

"I essentially just sent them a short message saying, 'By the way, I don't know if you've heard of us, but our audience is very similar to yours. We included a link to your most recent report and it got a ton of clicks.' That message is how the relationship started."

Soon after, Chad landed a meeting with their director of marketing and an initial $5,200 package (which he absolutely crushed). 

Now Chad was positioned perfectly for something much bigger.

From $5,200 to $50,000

The initial package Chad proposed was straightforward:

Primarily newsletter sponsorships plus a few thought leadership articles. 

But after delivering about half of the content, the results knocked the brand's socks off. The brand was seeing qualified leads coming in from Chad's audience. So not only was the newsletter reaching people, but reaching the right people who were actually interested in what the brand had to offer. 

"After we had done five or six newsletter ads for them, they could tell we were performing and they were getting leads," Chad said.

With this foundation of trust established, he learned that the brand was interested in exclusivity (which means the brand would be the only one in their category featured in his newsletter). This became an important step which would eventually lead him to the $50k deal.

"In a fairly small niche, being able to block out a couple of competitors is worth a lot of money."

Six months after their initial package, Chad put together three options for a holistic annual deal:

• $27,000 (basic package)

• $50,000 (premium package)

• $75,000 (comprehensive package)

The brand initially committed to the $27,000 option. But then something remarkable happened. Something Chad wasn't quite expecting. 

"They came back and said, 'You know what? Scratch that. We want to do the $50,000 package."

There was no negotiation or haggling. No back-and-forth or price objections. The value was clear, and the brand made the decision themselves to upgrade. That's what happens when you focus on delivering value rather than just selling ad space. Brands recognize it and are willing to invest more!

Structuring a Premium Partnership

The $50,000 package Chad created included:

• Multiple primary newsletter sponsorships throughout the year (featuring their logo at the top and a native ad section of 100-150 words)

• Several thought leadership articles written by brand executives

• Collaboration on two comprehensive industry reports

• Two webinars

• Category exclusivity preventing competitors from advertising

"We actually listed those competitors in the contract," Chad said, showing how specific and valuable this exclusivity was to the brand.

In the contract, Chad included net-30 payment terms for the full amount (which means the brand would pay the entire amount within 30 days of signing). True to the agreement, they paid the entire $50,000 in a single payment.

The Mindset Shift

Landing a $50,000 deal has changed how Chad approaches partnerships. Rather than chasing multiple small deals with different companies, he's adopted a philosophy of depth over breadth.

"Instead of having lots of partnerships that are very shallow, I'd rather have a handful of deep relationships. Those handful also bring in more revenue."

This is a big shift from his early monetization attempts.

Chad's initial approach was posting standardized rates online and hoping brands would bite. Fortunately, he quickly realized this approach was limiting his potential.

The real breakthrough came when Chad changed how he viewed his newsletter's value. Instead of seeing it as “just advertising space to rent out,” he started seeing it as a bridge connecting businesses with his highly targeted audience. Brands aren’t buying ad space. They’re investing in access to an engaged community that trusted Chad's recommendations.

This perspective shift allowed him to charge premium rates while still delivering outstanding value to his partners.

"Now I feel like we have momentum and more confidence because we've actually seen it work. We have two or three other big deals in the pipeline right now," he said. One of these deals has a top-tier package of $35,000.

Advice for Other Creators

If you're a creator with a niche audience, you might be sitting on a gold mine you don't even realize exists. Whether you have 1,000 followers or 100,000, Chad's approach has the potential to completely change the way you think about brand partnerships.

"My best advice would be to show that prospect you can provide value, and do that without them asking," he said.

Chad recommends studying what potential partners are promoting, sharing it with your audience, then reaching out with proof of performance.

"Maybe take a link or something they're promoting, promote it to your audience, get some clicks or good impressions, then reach out to them. Say, 'Hey, our audiences are very similar. We promoted your event and there seemed to be a lot of interest. Maybe we should set up a call to discuss a future partnership.'"

By learning what potential partners want to achieve, understanding their budget parameters, and delivering packages tailored to their specific needs, Chad was able to turn what started as a simple newsletter into a five-figure revenue stream. 

This approach works regardless of audience size. In fact, being in a niche market might actually be an advantage rather than a disadvantage!