Banner ad
A full-width banner placed inside the editorial flow, with a sponsor line above it — the only ad in the send.
150 sends in 2027
Two newsletters. One audience.
The Linear Newsletter and The Verticalist reach the same market from two directions — Luke Sophinos writing for founders and operators, Nic Poulos writing for investors. Together they account for 150 sends and 150 banner placements in 2027.
- 21K+
- Combined subscribers
- 150
- Sends in 2027
- 150
- Banner ads
- 12
- Sponsored content pieces
Newsletter 01 · 100 sends in 2027
The Linear Newsletter
Written analysis for 15,000 vertical software founders, operators and investors. The single highest-engagement asset in the VSG portfolio.
- 15K
- Subscribers
- 606K
- Views LTM
- 100
- Sends in 2027
- 12
- Sponsored content pieces
Inventory in 2027
01
Banner ads
100 in 2027One banner per send across all 100 sends, positioned inside the editorial flow.
02
Sponsored content pieces
12 in 2027A dedicated, co-written piece — the deepest narrative slot we sell.
How each placement works
01
Banner ads
One banner per send across all 100 sends, placed inside the editorial flow rather than pinned to the footer. It's the only ad in the email, so there's nothing competing for the reader's attention.
02
Sponsored content pieces
Twelve slots for the year. A full piece co-written with Luke on a subject where your company is genuinely the expert — the deepest, highest-converting placement in the entire program.
03
Why writing converts here
606K views across the year means this audience reads. Newsletter placements consistently drive the most qualified inbound of any surface we run, because readers arrive with intent and a link in hand.
04
Creative flexibility
Swap creative send to send, run different offers by quarter, or point banners at specific launches. We'll flag which sends have the highest expected open volume so you can place your best asset there.
Examples
Every Linear placement, with a real example
Banner ads and co-written content, shown as they actually ship.
Sponsored content piece
A dedicated, co-written section inside the newsletter — see the embedded insurance section in this issue.
Read a live example ↗See the work
Recent sends
Your banner sits inside issues like these — 190 editions in and shipping every week.
The Branding Move Nobody Talks About in Vertical Software
Linear #190
Watch / read ↗The AI Roll Up Market Map & The DNA That Wins
Linear #189
Watch / read ↗Open Source vs. Closed: Why We're Renting a Ferrari
Linear #188
Watch / read ↗Pre-AI Software Incumbent? Your Five Paths Forward
Linear #186
Watch / read ↗Rule of 40 Deep Dive: Public vSaaS Analysis
Linear #185
Watch / read ↗Entrata's IPO = A New Public Vertical SaaS To Study
Linear #184
Watch / read ↗Newsletter 02 · 50 sends in 2027
The Verticalist Newsletter
Nic Poulos' Substack for vertical software and vertical AI investors and founders, with 6,000+ subscribers and amplification to his 15,000+ LinkedIn following. Banner placement here is tied to the podcast commercial that week.
- 6K+
- Substack subscribers
- 15K+
- Nic Poulos on LinkedIn
- 50
- Sends in 2027
- 50
- Banner ads
Inventory in 2027
01
Banner ads
50 in 2027One banner per send, awarded to whoever holds that week's podcast commercial — so podcast ownership compounds into a second newsletter audience.
How each placement works
01
Banner ads
One banner in each of the 50 sends. Each week's banner goes to whoever holds that week's podcast commercial, so a single week of podcast ownership lands you in front of two separate audiences with the same message.
02
Who reads it
6,000+ Substack subscribers, written by Nic Poulos for people who invest in and build vertical software and vertical AI. Investor-heavy, operator-heavy, no general-tech filler.
03
LinkedIn amplification
Nic has 15,000+ followers on LinkedIn, and every send is pushed there. The banner audience is materially larger than the subscriber count on its own.
04
Why it's bundled with the podcast
We deliberately don't sell this separately. Tying banners to the commercial keeps the message consistent across the week and adds inventory to every tier instead of splitting attention across unrelated advertisers.
Examples
The Verticalist placement, with a real example
One banner per send, plus a written partner mention from Nic.
Banner ad
A partner mention in the copy followed by your banner unit, placed between sections of the send.
See the work
Where it runs
Nic writes The Verticalist for 6,000+ subscribers and pushes every send to his 15,000+ LinkedIn following. Banners are awarded to whoever holds that week's podcast commercial.
Included
Every send is amplified
Included with every package
Social amplification isn't sold as inventory — it's the default
Every episode, newsletter, workshop and report is promoted across @LukeSophinos on X (36K followers, 1.3M impressions LTM), Luke Sophinos on LinkedIn (600K impressions and 225K members reached LTM) and the VSG Founder Slack (120+ founders & CEOs). Sponsors ride along on all of it. We don't count posts as placements or invoice for them — it's simply how VSG distributes work.
First come, first served
Be the brand seen by vertical heroes.
For one entire year.
January 1 – December 31, 2027. Allocated in signing order — pick the package you want, or talk it through with Luke first.
Or review the audience metrics first.