Why This 1.4M Sub Newsletter Refunds YOU for Bad Sponsor Experiences
Manage episode 513531117 series 3440491
Most newsletters promise you great sponsors. The Pour Over does something radically different: they'll refund you out of their own pocket if a sponsor disappoints.
Jason Combs, founder of the 1.4M subscriber faith-based news newsletter, reveals why this seemingly risky guarantee is actually the foundation of their million-dollar sponsorship business—and why it almost never gets used.
Check out The Pour Over: https://thepourover.org
What you’ll learn:
The exact refund policy that builds unshakeable reader trust (and costs less than you'd think)
Why Jason hit rock bottom promoting products he'd be ashamed for his mom to buy—and how he fixed it
The "white glove" system that lets sponsors book ads with just one word: "yes"
How they consistently beat agency-written ad copy by writing everything in-house
Why they proactively lowered prices for long-term partners (and the surprising response they got)
The real reason agencies and programmatic ads nearly destroyed their business
How limiting high-performing nonprofit ads to 3 per month actually increased revenue
Why every staff member personally tests products before they recommend them to readers
Jason also shares how The Pour Over competes against Meta by removing every friction point in the ad-buying process, maintains 95% sponsor retention, and why taking a business-first approach (not just creative-first) transformed their sustainability.
If you're tired of feeling like you're selling out your audience for sponsorship dollars, or wondering how to build genuine trust while growing ad revenue, this conversation will change how you think about monetization.
Grab the book to learn all the secrets: https://sponsormagnet.com
Want one-on-one guidance? Join Wizard’s Guild: https://wizardsguild.com
Want to attend Sponsor Games? Register here: https://sponsorgames.com
Chapters:
00:00 - White Glove Sponsor Approach
03:09 - Inconsistent Ad Sales Focus
11:52 - Maximizing Ad Revenue with Affiliates
17:41 - Building Trust Through Resolution
26:26 - Optimizing Ad Copy Performance
34:24 - Nonprofit Support with Donation Match
18 episodes