Advertising
Sponsored content policy
Paid placements on The Publishing Times are labeled Sponsored. Sponsor links use rel="sponsored". This page describes the hold on your card. It matches what the checkout and the review desk actually do.
The card hold
Checkout authorizes your card. It does not charge it.
If we approve the placement, we capture that authorization. For a sponsored post or article, we then create the piece as unpublished. A separate publish step makes it public.
If we reject the placement, we cancel the authorization. You are not charged.
If we have not approved or rejected an open hold within 5 days, a scheduled job cancels the authorization. You are not charged.
We may ask for one round of changes while the hold is still open. That request does not capture the charge.
Send the copy, or the brief if our desk is writing the article, within 48 hours of checkout. The form checks that the checkout is still an open hold before it stores anything.
We do not promise a refund for a charge that was never captured. If we take a placement down after the charge has been captured, any refund is handled manually. Stripe does not return its processing fee on a refund.
What a sponsored post includes
- A Sponsored label on the article.
- The disclosure “Sponsored content.” at the start of the piece.
- At most two sponsor links, each with rel="sponsored".
- A byline in the form “Sponsored post by” the buyer or brand.
- $149 if you write it. $299 if our desk writes it from your brief.
Not accepted
- Gambling, casino, or betting
- Adult or sexual content
- CBD, cannabis, or THC
- Crypto token or ICO promotion
- Payday loans
- Weapons sales
- Essay mills
- Multi-level marketing
- Fake-review services
- Political or religious advocacy
- Medical treatment claims
- Invented statistics, testimonials, awards, or audience claims
Health, finance, and legal claims need a credible source. Links must go to a live, relevant page. We may edit for style and clarity, and we may decline a placement without giving a reason. A decline releases the hold.
Prices that match the advertise page
- Sponsored post, you write it: $149
- Sponsored article, our desk writes it: $299
- Sidebar ad: $49 for 7 days, or $149 for 30 days, after we publish it
- Featured classified listing: $29 for 30 days, after we publish it
Newsletter sponsorship is not offered. The monthly verified badge is not sold through instant checkout.