Last updated · reviewed by the Essentras editorial team
Media Placement Price Index 2026
As of October 14, 2026, the median price of a media placement in the Essentras catalog is $2,167, across 3,886 outlets. The middle half cost $752 to $4,260, and 29.0% cost under $1,000. Each price is a fixed USD retail price per published article.
Essentras sells every placement in this index. The numbers describe our own catalog, not the whole market, and our retail prices, not publishers’ rate cards.
Key findings
Each finding is 1 sentence with its number and date, so it can be quoted on its own. Every finding has a permalink.
On October 14, 2026, the median price of a media placement across the 3,886 outlets in the Essentras catalog was $2,167. Permalink
Half of all placements cost between $752 and $4,260, and 29.0% cost less than $1,000 (Essentras catalog, October 14, 2026). Permalink
The median price rises from $1,000 for outlets with a Moz Domain Authority under 30 to $5,897 at DA 90 and above, 5.9 times as much (October 2026). Permalink
The median outlet costs $14,654 in Germany, $2,000 in the United States and $663 in India, and the gap holds among outlets with DA 70 or higher (October 2026). Permalink
62.2% of outlets publish the placement as a standard article with no sponsored label, and 67.9% give a dofollow link (October 2026). Permalink
Across the catalog a dofollow link does not cost more: dofollow outlets have a median of $1,560 against $2,500 for nofollow outlets, and are cheaper in 5 of 6 authority bands (October 2026). Permalink
The average price, $5,868, is 2.7 times the median because the 210 outlets priced at $25,000 or more (5.4% of the catalog) carry 47.3% of its total list value (October 2026). Permalink
Interactive
Explore the prices
Filter the 3,886 outlets by authority, region, topic, link policy, label and turnaround. The numbers recompute in your browser from the same snapshot as every table on this page.
- Median price
- $2,167
- Middle 50%
- $752 to $4,260
- Matching outlets
- 3,886
- Under $1,000
- 29.0%
Lowest to highest: $53 to $220,000
Show the numbers as a table
| Price band | Outlets | Share | Share of all outlets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $250 | 278 | 7.2% | 7.2% |
| $250 to under $500 | 372 | 9.6% | 9.6% |
| $500 to under $1,000 | 475 | 12.2% | 12.2% |
| $1,000 to under $2,000 | 649 | 16.7% | 16.7% |
| $2,000 to under $5,000 | 1,253 | 32.2% | 32.2% |
| $5,000 to under $10,000 | 359 | 9.2% | 9.2% |
| $10,000 to under $25,000 | 290 | 7.5% | 7.5% |
| $25,000 or more | 210 | 5.4% | 5.4% |
The catalog applies the authority band as a minimum, plus region, link policy and label (sponsored and discreet together). Topic and turnaround are not applied there. Turnaround is listed for 1,541 of 3,886 outlets, so a turnaround filter narrows the set to those.
3,886 outlets match. Median $2,167.
Distribution
How placement prices are distributed
Most placements sit between $752 and $4,260. The long tail above $25,000 is a small set of premium packages, covered under Outliers.
| Statistic | USD |
|---|---|
| Outlets | 3,886 |
| 10th percentile | $327 |
| 25th percentile | $752 |
| Median | $2,167 |
| 75th percentile | $4,260 |
| 90th percentile | $13,304 |
| Lowest price | $53 |
| Highest price | $220,000 |
| Average (mean) | $5,868 |
| Band | Outlets | Share | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under $250 | 278 | 7.2% | 7.2% |
| $250 to under $500 | 372 | 9.6% | 16.7% |
| $500 to under $1,000 | 475 | 12.2% | 29.0% |
| $1,000 to under $2,000 | 649 | 16.7% | 45.7% |
| $2,000 to under $5,000 | 1,253 | 32.2% | 77.9% |
| $5,000 to under $10,000 | 359 | 9.2% | 87.1% |
| $10,000 to under $25,000 | 290 | 7.5% | 94.6% |
| $25,000 or more | 210 | 5.4% | 100.0% |
Why this index reports medians
The average placement price is $5,868, 2.7 times the median. Removing only the 10 most expensive listings cuts the average by $366 to $5,502, while the median stays at $2,167. A median says what a typical placement costs; an average mostly reflects the few most expensive packages.
Price drivers
What drives the price of a media placement
Authority, audience, country, the sponsored label and the format all move price in this catalog. Link policy and turnaround do not behave the way price guides often describe them: dofollow and fast listings are not the expensive ones. Every cut below comes from the same October 14, 2026 snapshot.
Which metric tracks price best
Spearman rank correlation with price, where 0 means no relationship and 1 means price follows the metric perfectly in rank order.
| Metric | Outlets with a value | Rank correlation with price |
|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs Domain Rating (DR) | 3,884 | 0.550 |
| Monthly traffic (third-party estimate) | 2,962 | 0.529 |
| Moz Domain Authority (DA) | 3,886 | 0.419 |
Moz DA, the metric most price lists sort by, tracks price least closely of the 3 here. Use it as a floor to filter on, not as a price tag.
Authority (Moz Domain Authority)
Below DA 70 the median moves from $1,000 (DA 0 to 29) to $1,517 (DA 50 to 69), 1.5 times. From DA 70 up, each band costs 1.4 to 1.7 times the band below: $2,547 at DA 70 to 79, $4,081 at DA 80 to 89 and $5,897 at DA 90 to 100.
| Band | Outlets | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct | vs band below |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DA 0 to 29 | 96 | $500 | $1,000 | $2,000 | $4,064 | n/a |
| DA 30 to 49 | 333 | $500 | $1,213 | $2,000 | $2,833 | ×1.2 |
| DA 50 to 69 | 1,681 | $500 | $1,517 | $2,500 | $4,518 | ×1.3 |
| DA 70 to 79 | 1,000 | $1,289 | $2,547 | $6,272 | $17,232 | ×1.7 |
| DA 80 to 89 | 514 | $2,000 | $4,081 | $12,192 | $27,944 | ×1.6 |
| DA 90 to 100 | 262 | $2,500 | $5,897 | $19,992 | $39,520 | ×1.4 |
Audience size
Bigger audiences cost more per placement and far less per visitor. The median runs from $680 for outlets with under 10,000 monthly visits to $7,524 at 10 million or more, while the median price per 1,000 monthly visits falls from $429.87 to $0.41.
| Band | Outlets | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Median price per 1,000 monthly visits |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10K visits | 478 | $301 | $680 | $1,560 | $429.87 |
| 10K to 100K | 670 | $933 | $2,000 | $2,566 | $48.03 |
| 100K to 1M | 878 | $1,559 | $2,167 | $4,212 | $8.81 |
| 1M to 10M | 720 | $2,167 | $4,327 | $11,419 | $1.59 |
| 10M or more | 216 | $2,748 | $7,524 | $24,885 | $0.41 |
Country and region
Among regions with at least 100 outlets, Europe has the highest median ($3,457) and Asia Pacific the lowest ($740). North America, the largest region with 1,595 outlets, sits at $2,000. The gap is not just authority: among outlets with DA 70 or higher the median is $5,418 in Europe and $2,800 in North America.
Among the 20 largest country groups, the highest medians are in Germany ($14,654), Italy ($8,766) and France ($6,272); the lowest are in Pakistan ($238), Netherlands ($358) and China ($612). The United States, with 1,550 outlets, sits at $2,000.
| Region | Outlets | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Outlets at DA 70+ | Median at DA 70+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | 1,595 | $500 | $2,000 | $2,657 | 596 | $2,800 |
| Europe | 1,155 | $1,255 | $3,457 | $9,024 | 643 | $5,418 |
| Asia Pacific | 419 | $390 | $740 | $1,894 | 230 | $1,088 |
| Latin America | 265 | $1,343 | $2,257 | $4,409 | 157 | $3,061 |
| Oceania | 139 | $1,213 | $2,077 | $3,637 | 21 | $5,000 |
| Global | 104 | $417 | $1,092 | $2,175 | 40 | $2,184 |
| Africa | 76 | $1,002 | $1,513 | $2,206 | 40 | $1,712 |
| Middle East | 71 | $2,165 | $3,333 | $5,000 | 30 | $3,221 |
| Country | Outlets | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | Median at DA 70+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1,550 | $500 | $2,000 | $2,500 | $2,500 |
| Spain | 214 | $1,506 | $4,012 | $7,524 | $6,021 |
| France | 207 | $3,259 | $6,272 | $13,298 | $7,524 |
| India | 197 | $433 | $663 | $1,367 | $980 |
| United Kingdom | 160 | $412 | $1,529 | $3,088 | $3,333 |
| Australia | 137 | $1,213 | $2,077 | $3,637 | $5,000 |
| Global (no single country) | 104 | $417 | $1,092 | $2,175 | $2,184 |
| Brazil | 95 | $1,442 | $2,163 | $4,175 | $2,932 |
| Poland | 88 | $973 | $3,006 | $4,181 | $3,010 |
| Germany | 84 | $4,915 | $14,654 | $38,938 | $15,048 |
| China | 83 | $367 | $612 | $1,340 | $740 |
| Italy | 81 | $2,508 | $8,766 | $21,216 | $12,766 |
| Mexico | 60 | $1,110 | $2,570 | $5,378 | $4,413 |
| Ukraine | 56 | $571 | $845 | $1,242 | $1,055 |
| United Arab Emirates | 48 | $2,712 | $4,668 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Canada | 44 | $4,550 | $5,000 | $5,205 | $5,000 |
| Pakistan | 42 | $130 | $238 | $798 | $266 |
| Netherlands | 40 | $217 | $358 | $2,734 | $217 |
| Argentina | 34 | $1,414 | $1,517 | $2,694 | $2,380 |
| Czechia | 33 | $1,038 | $1,256 | $2,802 | $1,623 |
Sponsored label
Every listing states its label before you buy: no sponsored label (published as a standard editorial article), a sponsored or partner label, or a discreet disclosure.
Labeled placements cost more. Across the catalog the median is $4,626 with a sponsored label and $1,608 without, and the labeled median is higher in 4 of the 4 authority bands with at least 10 outlets on each side. At DA 90 to 100 it is $11,862 against $4,130. Labels become more common as authority rises, from 7.3% of outlets at DA 0 to 29 to 62.2% at DA 90 to 100 (sponsored or discreet).
The data does not say why. A plausible reading is that large publishers sell formal branded-content programs, which they label and price as advertising.
| Label | Outlets | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No sponsored label | 2,419 | $520 | $1,608 | $2,380 | $4,410 |
| Sponsored or partner label | 1,266 | $1,733 | $4,626 | $14,968 | $30,713 |
| Discreet disclosure | 201 | $1,000 | $2,500 | $3,333 | $7,500 |
| Band | Labeled share | No label | Sponsored label |
|---|---|---|---|
| DA 0 to 29 | 7.3% | $1,000 | too few |
| DA 30 to 49 | 8.4% | $1,213 | too few |
| DA 50 to 69 | 28.6% | $1,300 | $2,727 |
| DA 70 to 79 | 47.1% | $2,167 | $5,622 |
| DA 80 to 89 | 61.7% | $2,500 | $6,910 |
| DA 90 to 100 | 62.2% | $4,130 | $11,862 |
A label is the publisher’s format, not legal advice: advertisers remain responsible for their own disclosure duties in their market. Labels can also be lost in syndication. Columbia Journalism Review reported in October 2021 that more than 100 paid Benzinga articles ran on Yahoo Finance and Markets Insider without disclosure. Columbia Journalism Review, October 29, 2021
Link policy: dofollow or nofollow
Dofollow links are the norm at low authority and the exception at the top: 85.4% of outlets at DA 0 to 29 give a dofollow link, against 38.5% at DA 90 to 100. Across the catalog dofollow outlets are cheaper at the median ($1,560 against $2,500), and in 5 of 6 authority bands. On the same publication the usual rule holds: 7 sites are listed both ways, and the dofollow listing costs more on 6 of them, for example LA Weekly at $5,833 dofollow and $1,833 nofollow.
| Band | Dofollow share | Dofollow | Nofollow |
|---|---|---|---|
| DA 0 to 29 | 85.4% | $1,000 | $4,064 |
| DA 30 to 49 | 81.7% | $1,040 | $1,667 |
| DA 50 to 69 | 76.2% | $1,040 | $2,167 |
| DA 70 to 79 | 64.8% | $2,394 | $2,921 |
| DA 80 to 89 | 49.2% | $4,858 | $3,333 |
| DA 90 to 100 | 38.5% | $4,393 | $8,333 |
| Link | Outlets | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | 90th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dofollow | 2,637 | $500 | $1,560 | $3,506 | $9,087 |
| Nofollow | 1,249 | $1,833 | $2,500 | $7,500 | $27,363 |
| Outlet | Website | Dofollow listing | Nofollow listing |
|---|---|---|---|
| LA Weekly | laweekly.com | $5,833 | $1,833 |
| Mid-Day | mid-day.com | $1,500 | $567 |
| Irvine Weekly | irvineweekly.com | $1,950 | $1,833 |
| Village Voice | villagevoice.com | $5,833 | $1,833 |
| Bust Magazine | bust.com | $2,380 | $1,833 |
| The Detroit News | detroitnews.com | $8,333 | $4,167 |
| Paper Mag | papermag.com | $7,700 | $36,153 |
Turnaround
A normalized turnaround is listed for 1,541 of 3,886 outlets (39.7%): every outlet below DA 50, but only 23% to 37% of outlets at DA 50 and above. Read this cut with that in mind.
Faster listings are cheaper, not dearer: the median is $352 for same day and $628 for 1 to 3 days, against $2,000 for 3 to 7 days. Inside the 5 authority bands with at least 10 fast listings, the fast median is lower in 5. In this catalog a short listed turnaround does not carry a price premium.
| Turnaround (as listed) | Outlets | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Same day | 33 | $327 | $352 | $867 |
| 1 to 3 days | 262 | $333 | $628 | $1,667 |
| 3 to 7 days | 742 | $500 | $2,000 | $3,300 |
| 1 to 2 weeks | 443 | $2,167 | $2,167 | $2,500 |
| 2 to 4 weeks | 37 | $3,300 | $8,653 | $11,667 |
| 4 weeks or more | 24 | $5,000 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Band | Turnaround listed | Same day to 3 days | Slower |
|---|---|---|---|
| DA 0 to 29 | 96 (100%) | $417 (27) | $1,000 (69) |
| DA 30 to 49 | 333 (100%) | $500 (82) | $1,537 (251) |
| DA 50 to 69 | 630 (37%) | $500 (132) | $2,167 (498) |
| DA 70 to 79 | 231 (23%) | $1,667 (31) | $2,167 (200) |
| DA 80 to 89 | 156 (30%) | $1,750 (20) | $3,333 (136) |
| DA 90 to 100 | 95 (36%) | too few | $5,000 (92) |
Topic
General news is the largest topic (1,756 outlets, median $2,167). Among topics with at least 25 outlets, the highest medians are Automotive ($5,089), Food ($4,015) and Gaming ($3,454); the lowest are Business and economy ($867), Health and medicine ($867) and Architecture and interiors ($1,136).
| Topic | Outlets | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General news | 1,756 | $1,018 | $2,167 | $3,637 |
| Technology | 292 | $500 | $1,517 | $6,951 |
| Business and economy | 145 | $300 | $867 | $2,357 |
| Lifestyle | 142 | $444 | $1,507 | $3,970 |
| Finance | 112 | $790 | $1,895 | $3,497 |
| Sports and fitness | 109 | $1,277 | $2,779 | $4,511 |
| Fashion and beauty | 99 | $424 | $3,006 | $6,624 |
| Arts | 83 | $1,332 | $2,797 | $10,304 |
| Health and medicine | 81 | $260 | $867 | $3,580 |
| Entertainment | 66 | $1,245 | $2,416 | $6,012 |
| Automotive | 59 | $1,019 | $5,089 | $20,850 |
| Architecture and interiors | 58 | $218 | $1,136 | $3,297 |
| Crypto and Web3 | 49 | $1,000 | $2,006 | $3,030 |
| Travel and hospitality | 47 | $445 | $1,517 | $3,126 |
| Gaming | 44 | $1,266 | $3,454 | $10,240 |
| Music | 34 | $860 | $2,065 | $4,512 |
| Science and education | 32 | $389 | $1,372 | $11,467 |
| Food | 29 | $612 | $4,015 | $17,437 |
| Marketing and PR | 25 | $301 | $1,733 | $6,968 |
Format and indexing
Some listings are packages rather than single articles. The 9 guaranteed-impressions packages (USA Today, NY Post, Variety, Rolling Stone and Wall Street Journal) cost $8,653 to $141,667, median $33,333. The 47 listings sold as press releases cost $213 to $21,630, median $3,333. 94.2% of outlets carry the catalog’s indexed flag "yes", meaning placements there are confirmed indexed by Google; 90 are "maybe" and 135 are "no".
| Format | Listings | Lowest | Median | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Press release | 47 | $213 | $3,333 | $21,630 |
| Guaranteed impressions | 9 | $8,653 | $33,333 | $141,667 |
| Syndication | 9 | $650 | $1,667 | $8,800 |
| Indexed flag | Outlets | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 3,661 | $693 | $2,097 | $4,167 |
| No | 135 | $2,500 | $2,500 | $7,231 |
| Maybe | 90 | $1,223 | $3,333 | $4,832 |
Outliers
The outliers, and why they do not distort this index
17 listings are priced at $100,000 or more, led by Bloomberg at $220,000, The Economist at $198,957 and Daily Mail Online at $161,654. All 17 carry a sponsored label and 14 give nofollow links. They include a guaranteed-impressions package: Wall Street Journal (500,000 Impressions) at $141,667. 10 of them share the identical price of $119,395.
Treat them as a different product from a standard placement: labeled packages with their own pricing. Because the index reports medians, they barely move the headline numbers. Why this index reports medians
More broadly, the 210 listings at $25,000 or more are 5.4% of the catalog: 187 of them carry a sponsored label, 184 have DA 70 or higher, and 107 are in Europe.
| Outlet | Format | Price | DA | Link | Label | Turnaround (as listed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloombergbloomberg.com | Article | $220,000 | 94 | Dofollow | Sponsored | 1 Month |
| The Economisteconomist.com | Article | $198,957 | 93 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 504 hours |
| Daily Mail Onlinedailymail.co.uk | Article | $161,654 | 94 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 504 hours |
| Wall Street Journal (500,000 Impressions)wsj.com | Guaranteed impressions | $141,667 | 93 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 3-4 Weeks |
| Goopgoop.com | Article | $137,763 | 83 | Dofollow | Sponsored | 120 hours |
| FanSidedfansided.com | Article | $137,763 | 85 | Dofollow | Sponsored | 360 hours |
| VULTUREvulture.com | Article | $119,395 | 88 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1008 hours |
| Grub Streetgrubstreet.com | Article | $119,395 | 78 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1008 hours |
| The Dodothedodo.com | Article | $119,395 | 77 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1008 hours |
| The Vergetheverge.com | Article | $119,395 | 93 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1008 hours |
| Voxvox.com | Article | $119,395 | 92 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1008 hours |
| SB Nationsbnation.com | Article | $119,395 | 90 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1008 hours |
| The Cutthecut.com | Article | $119,395 | 86 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1008 hours |
| Popsugarpopsugar.co.uk | Article | $119,395 | 73 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1008 hours |
| Eatereater.com | Article | $119,395 | 84 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1008 hours |
| Thrillistthrillist.com | Article | $119,395 | 88 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1008 hours |
| BILDbild.de | Article | $106,477 | 92 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 504 hours |
Named outlets
Prices for named outlets
Live prices for 79 well-known names in the catalog, sorted by authority. Names appear exactly as listed: a suffix such as "Press Release", "Contributor" or "(250,000 Impressions)" is part of the product. Each name links to its outlet page with the full terms.
How to get featured in Business Insider, and what its catalog listing isEvery named outlet, sold or not: Forbes, Business Insider, Yahoo Finance and 63 more, with the route when we do not sell it
| Outlet | Format | Price | DA | Link | Label | Turnaround (as listed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple News (Syndication from Grit Daily)apple.com | Syndication | $1,500 | 99 | Nofollow | None | 3-5 Days |
| Mediummedium.com | Article | $97 | 95 | Nofollow | None | 1 Day |
| Yahooyahoo.com | Article | $1,950 | 95 | Nofollow | None | 3-4 Weeks |
| Business Insiderbusinessinsider.com | Article | $420 | 94 | Nofollow | None | 3-5 Days |
| MSNmsn.com | Article | $833 | 94 | Dofollow | None | 3-5 Days |
| Business Insider / Yahoo / AP News; Press Releasemarkets.businessinsider.com | Press release | $833 | 94 | Nofollow | Discreet | 3-5 Days |
| Business Insider Africaafrica.businessinsider.com | Article | $1,667 | 94 | Dofollow | None | 1 Week |
| Reuters; Press Releasereuters.com | Press release | $3,000 | 94 | Dofollow | Sponsored | 1-2 Weeks |
| Time.com (Africa)africa.time.com | Article | $5,000 | 94 | Dofollow | None | 1 Week |
| Independent.co.ukindependent.co.uk | Article | $5,000 | 94 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 2 Weeks |
| USA Today (250,000 Impressions); Guaranteed Impressionsusatoday.com | Guaranteed impressions | $8,653 | 94 | Nofollow | None | 2-4 Weeks |
| USA Todayusatoday.com | Article | $10,000 | 94 | Nofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| USA Today (50,000 Impressions); Guaranteed Impressionsusatoday.com | Guaranteed impressions | $10,000 | 94 | Nofollow | None | 2-4 Weeks |
| Time.comtime.com | Article | $10,000 | 94 | Nofollow | None | 2-4 Weeks |
| USA Today (100,000 Impressions); Guaranteed Impressionsusatoday.com | Guaranteed impressions | $13,333 | 94 | Nofollow | None | 2-4 Weeks |
| Daily Mail Onlinedailymail.co.uk | Article | $161,654 | 94 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 504 hours |
| Bloombergbloomberg.com | Article | $220,000 | 94 | Dofollow | Sponsored | 1 Month |
| PRNewsWire / Yahoo Financeprnewswire.com | Press release | $667 | 93 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 3-5 Days |
| Yahoo News/Finance; Press Releasefinance.yahoo.com | Press release | $667 | 93 | Nofollow | Discreet | 3-5 Days |
| Newsweek; Contributornewsweek.com | Article | $3,300 | 93 | Nofollow | None | 4-6 Weeks |
| NY Post (New York Post) (Might include X Social Post)nypost.com | Article | $10,000 | 93 | Nofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| NY Post (New York Post) (250,000 Impressions)nypost.com | Guaranteed impressions | $21,667 | 93 | Nofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| NY Post (New York Post) (500,000 Impressions)nypost.com | Guaranteed impressions | $33,333 | 93 | Nofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| NY Post (New York Post) (1,000,000 Impressions)nypost.com | Guaranteed impressions | $50,000 | 93 | Nofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| Wall Street Journal (500,000 Impressions)wsj.com | Guaranteed impressions | $141,667 | 93 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 3-4 Weeks |
| AP News; Press Releaseapnews.com | Press release | $317 | 92 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 3-5 Days |
| Chinadaily.com.cncaijing.chinadaily.com.cn | Article | $417 | 92 | Nofollow | None | 120 hours |
| Chinadaily.com.cnchinadaily.com.cn | Article | $740 | 92 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 72 hours |
| Entrepreneur (India)entrepreneur.com | Article | $2,077 | 92 | Dofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| Fortunefortune.com | Article | $2,333 | 92 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1-3 Days |
| Chicago Tribunechicagotribune.com | Article | $2,500 | 92 | Nofollow | Discreet | 2 Weeks |
| Entrepreneur (Middle East)mena.entrepreneur.com | Article | $5,000 | 92 | Dofollow | None | 1 Week |
| Entrepreneur (UK)uk.entrepreneur.com | Article | $5,000 | 92 | Dofollow | None | 1 Week |
| Entrepreneurentrepreneur.com | Article | $6,500 | 92 | Dofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| Entrepreneur (Asia Pacific)entrepreneur.com | Article | $7,500 | 92 | Dofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| Patch.compatch.com | Article | $433 | 91 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 3-5 Days |
| JPostjpost.com | Article | $2,000 | 91 | Dofollow | Discreet | 1 Week |
| Coindeskcoindesk.com | Article | $30,130 | 91 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1-2 Weeks |
| CoinMarketCapcoinmarketcap.com | Article | $390 | 90 | Nofollow | None | 72 hours |
| The CoinTelegraph DEde.cointelegraph.com | Article | $2,163 | 90 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 240 hours |
| The CoinTelegraph FRfr.cointelegraph.com | Article | $2,163 | 90 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 240 hours |
| The CoinTelegraph ITit.cointelegraph.com | Article | $3,030 | 90 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 240 hours |
| National Postnationalpost.com | Article | $5,000 | 90 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 4-6 Weeks |
| Page Six (Might include X Social Post)pagesix.com | Article | $8,333 | 90 | Nofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| Forbes Mexicoforbes.com.mx | Article | $5,000 | 89 | Nofollow | Discreet | 1-2 Weeks |
| The Tribune Indiatribuneindia.com | Article | $667 | 87 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 1-3 Days |
| Benzinga; Contributorbenzinga.com | Article | $1,000 | 87 | Nofollow | Discreet | 1 Week |
| Digital Journal; Contributordigitaljournal.com | Article | $1,100 | 87 | Dofollow | None | 3-5 Days |
| Distractify.com (Syndicates with MSN)distractify.com | Syndication | $1,333 | 87 | Dofollow | None | 1-3 Days |
| Bangkokpost.combangkokpost.com | Article | $2,783 | 87 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 360 hours |
| The Guardian Nigeriaguardian.ng | Article | $1,103 | 86 | Dofollow | None | 360 hours |
| San Diego Union Tribunesandiegouniontribune.com | Article | $2,500 | 86 | Nofollow | Discreet | 1-2 Weeks |
| Financial Postfinancialpost.com | Article | $5,000 | 86 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 4-6 Weeks |
| Sporting News (Syndicates with Yahoo Sports)sportingnews.com | Syndication | $3,400 | 85 | Dofollow | None | 6 Weeks |
| Palm Beach Postpalmbeachpost.com | Article | $4,167 | 85 | Nofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| Muscle & Fitness (Includes Social Post); Includes Social Postsmuscleandfitness.com | Article | $5,000 | 85 | Dofollow | None | 1 Week |
| Ask Men (Profile Post Only)askmen.com | Article | $5,000 | 84 | Nofollow | Discreet | 1-2 Weeks |
| Street Insider; Press Releasestreetinsider.com | Press release | $1,047 | 83 | Nofollow | Discreet | 3-5 Days |
| OK! Magazine; Staffokmagazine.com | Article | $2,000 | 81 | Dofollow | None | 3-5 Days |
| Radar Online; Staffradaronline.com | Article | $2,000 | 81 | Dofollow | None | 1 Week |
| OK! Magazine (Homepage 4 Weeks); Staffokmagazine.com | Article | $3,247 | 81 | Dofollow | None | 3-5 Days |
| Radar Online + Social Post; Staffradaronline.com | Article | $3,247 | 81 | Dofollow | None | 3-5 Days |
| Radar Online (Homepage 4 Weeks); Staffradaronline.com | Article | $9,900 | 81 | Dofollow | None | 1 Week |
| OK! Magazine + Social Post; Staffokmagazine.com | Article | $10,000 | 81 | Dofollow | None | 3-5 Days |
| Business Insider Netherlandsbusinessinsider.nl | Article | $27,915 | 81 | Dofollow | None | 240 hours |
| Sarasota Herald-Tribuneheraldtribune.com | Article | $2,167 | 80 | Nofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| Due.com (Syndicates to Entrepreneur, Nasdaq & MSN)due.com | Syndication | $8,800 | 80 | Dofollow | None | 1 Week |
| The Yorkshire Postyorkshirepost.co.uk | Article | $2,929 | 79 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 120 hours |
| Dog Timedogtime.com | Article | $35,036 | 78 | Dofollow | Sponsored | 408 hours |
| LA Weeklylaweekly.com | Article | $1,833 | 77 | Nofollow | None | 1 Day |
| Business Insider Polskabusinessinsider.com.pl | Article | $5,267 | 77 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 360 hours |
| HuffPost Italiahuffingtonpost.it | Article | $39,588 | 77 | Dofollow | Sponsored | 240 hours |
| Post Crescentpostcrescent.com | Article | $2,167 | 76 | Nofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| LA Weekly (DO-FOLLOW)laweekly.com | Article | $5,833 | 76 | Dofollow | None | 1 Day |
| Newsweek.plnewsweek.pl | Article | $4,219 | 72 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 360 hours |
| Sarasota Magazinesarasotamagazine.com | Article | $1,000 | 58 | Dofollow | None | 2-3 Days |
| Entrepreneur Tribuneentrepreneurtribune.com | Article | $300 | 52 | Dofollow | None | 1-3 Days |
| Entrepreneurs.ngentrepreneurs.ng | Article | $1,000 | 50 | Dofollow | None | 3 Days |
| Entrepreneur Al Arabiyaentrepreneuralarabiya.com | Article | $5,000 | 31 | Dofollow | None | 1 Week |
Forbes: regional editions only
The catalog lists 10 regional Forbes editions, from $5,000 (Forbes Colombia, Forbes (Türkiye) and Forbes Mexico) to $85,750 (Forbes Middle East). Forbes US (forbes.com) is not in the catalog, so this index has no price for it.
| Outlet | Format | Price | DA | Link | Label | Turnaround (as listed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forbes Colombiaforbes.co | Article | $5,000 | 61 | Dofollow | Discreet | 1-2 Weeks |
| Forbes (Türkiye)forbes.com.tr | Article | $5,000 | 31 | Nofollow | None | 1 Week |
| Forbes Mexicoforbes.com.mx | Article | $5,000 | 89 | Nofollow | Discreet | 1-2 Weeks |
| Forbes Romania (Q&A)forbes.ro | Article | $6,021 | 48 | Dofollow | None | 1 Week |
| Forbes Ukraineforbes.ua | Article | $8,333 | 63 | Nofollow | Discreet | 1-2 Weeks |
| Forbes Polandforbes.pl | Article | $9,479 | 72 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 360 hours |
| Forbes Australiaforbes.com.au | Article | $11,667 | 48 | Dofollow | None | 3-4 Weeks |
| Forbes Israelforbes.co.il | Article | $17,348 | 52 | Dofollow | None | 1-2 Weeks |
| Forbes (Italy); Staffforbes.it | Article | $50,154 | 56 | Dofollow | Sponsored | 2-3 Weeks |
| Forbes Middle Eastforbesmiddleeast.com | Article | $85,750 | 71 | Nofollow | Sponsored | 240 hours |
See every outlet with its live price
The index summarizes 3,886 live listings. The catalog shows every listing with its price, authority, link policy, label and turnaround.
Buyer guide
How to buy media placements without overpaying
Practical rules drawn from the data above.
1.Price your brief against the median for its slice
A fair price depends on what you need. Set the explorer to your authority band, region and label, then compare any quote with that median and its middle 50%, not with the catalog average ($5,868).
2.Check traffic next to DA
Authority alone is a weak signal. Of the 174 listings at DA 70 or higher priced under $500, 102 show fewer than 10,000 monthly visits or no traffic estimate at all.
3.Pay for dofollow only where it matters
On the same site a dofollow listing usually costs more (6 of 7 pairs), and many top outlets only offer nofollow. If you need a citable mention rather than link equity, nofollow outlets widen your options.
4.Decide on the label before you shortlist
62.2% of outlets run placements without a sponsored label, 32.6% with a sponsored or partner label and 5.2% with a discreet disclosure. Each outlet page states which, and labeled outlets cost more in 4 of 4 authority bands with enough data.
5.Know which product you are buying
Press releases (47 listings) and guaranteed-impressions packages (9) are different products from an article, at different prices. The listing name says which.
6.Verify the domain
Press Gazette reported in August 2026 on fake "Forbes" editions (forbesla.com and forbesliechtenstein.com) that carried paid content; Forbes confirmed they were fake. Check that a placement will run on the outlet’s real domain before you pay. Press Gazette, August 12, 2026 (updated October 8, 2026)
7.Bundle placements
On Essentras, 3 or more placements take 10% off the basket and 5 or more take 15% (catalog terms, October 14, 2026).
8.Get delivery terms in writing
Essentras turnarounds are counted in business days with a 3 business day grace period. A placement that is not published, or misses its turnaround, is refunded, and every placement includes writing the article, your approval of the draft, the live link and a dated screenshot. Refund policy
Method
Methodology
How the index is built, what each number means and what it cannot tell you.
- Source
- Every active listing with a fixed price returned by the public Essentras catalog endpoint (the MCP tool search_outlets at https://essentras.com/api/mcp) on October 14, 2026: 3,886 listings on 3,837 distinct websites. The same catalog data serves every outlet page on essentras.com.
- What counts as an outlet
- 1 catalog listing: a publication plus a placement format. A few publications are listed more than once, for example USA Today with a standard article and 3 guaranteed-impressions packages, and each listing counts once.
- What the price is
- The fixed USD retail price Essentras charges for 1 placement, as shown on the outlet page and charged at checkout, before volume discounts. It includes writing the article, your draft approval, the live link and a dated screenshot. It is not a publisher rate card.
- Date
- A single snapshot taken on October 14, 2026. Prices can change after that date; each outlet page shows the live price.
- What is excluded
- Inactive listings, listings without a fixed price and 1 promotional listing priced as an introductory offer are not returned by the endpoint. Nothing else was removed: premium packages stay in, and reporting medians limits their effect.
- Statistics
- Medians and percentiles use linear interpolation between ranks (as in Excel’s PERCENTILE.INC), rounded to whole dollars. A group is shown only with at least 5 outlets (authority bands), 10 (most cuts), 20 (regions) or 25 (countries, topics). Correlations are Spearman rank correlations.
- Authority and traffic
- Authority is Moz Domain Authority in bands of 0 to 29, 30 to 49, 50 to 69, 70 to 79, 80 to 89 and 90 to 100, with Ahrefs Domain Rating reported alongside. Traffic is a third-party estimate of monthly visits to the whole site.
- Listing fields
- Link policy, sponsored label, the Google indexing flag and turnaround are stated by each listing; turnaround buckets are the catalog’s normalized values. Format is read from the listing name only when the name states it.
Field coverage
| Field | Outlets with a value | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Moz Domain Authority | 3,886 | 100.0% |
| Ahrefs Domain Rating | 3,884 | 99.9% |
| Monthly traffic estimate | 2,962 | 76.2% |
| Normalized turnaround | 1,541 | 39.7% |
| Topic | 3,283 | 84.5% |
| Country | 3,824 | 98.4% |
| Region | 3,824 | 98.4% |
Limitations
- This is 1 marketplace’s catalog, not the market. Publications Essentras does not sell are absent, including Forbes US.
- Prices are Essentras retail prices. Publishers’ own rate cards, where they exist, and other sellers can be higher or lower.
- Authority and traffic are third-party estimates and change over time.
- The catalog mixes single articles with packages (press releases, guaranteed impressions, bundles with social posts). They stay in the data, and the main package types are shown separately above.
- This first edition shows levels, not trends. Month-on-month changes start with the second edition, and a repricing in the catalog is a policy change, not a change in an outlet’s own rates.
- Correlation is not causation: a factor that moves with price here may stand in for another factor.
Conflict of interest
Essentras sells every placement in this index and earns money when you buy a placement. We publish the data so you can compare any quote, including ours, with a typical price.
Updates and corrections
The index is rebuilt monthly from the live catalog, and each edition is a dated snapshot. If a number looks wrong, tell us through the contact page; we will fix it and record the change in the edition log. Contact the editorial team
Edition log
- October 14, 2026: first edition, 3,886 outlets on 3,837 websites.
Context
How this index compares with other price studies
Few public sources price placements outlet by outlet. These are the studies that rank for placement cost searches, with what each measured. Figures were read at the source on October 14, 2026; verify them there before quoting.
| Study and date | What it measured | Headline figure | How it differs from this index |
|---|---|---|---|
| BuzzStream guest post cost studyupdated June 15, 2026 | Guest post listings on link marketplaces: 257,267 sites with complete data | Average vendor price $461 (direct $295) | Averages, not medians; guest posts on any site rather than news outlets; no outlet names, link policy, label or turnaround. |
| HubSpot sponsored article pricing analysisdata March to June 2014, page updated October 9, 2023 | 550 sites: 474 blogs and 76 publications | Model examples: about $342 for a blog article, about $18,000 as the minimum deal with a publication | 12-year-old data built on metrics that no longer exist (PageRank and Alexa rank). |
| Marketing Dive report on publisher sponsored contentJune 14, 2013 | Sponsored content programs at large publishers (credited to Digiday) | Forbes BrandVoice site license: $50,000 to $75,000 a month, minimum 3 months | A 13-year-old monthly license price, not a price per article. We found no current public Forbes rate card in our October 2026 review. |
Citation
Cite this data
You can quote any figure on this page. Please credit Essentras and link to this page so readers can check the method.
Suggested citation
Essentras (2026). Media Placement Price Index 2026, October 2026 edition, data as of 2026-10-14. https://essentras.com/media-placement-price-index
Embeddable stat (HTML)
<p>The median price of a media placement was $2,167 across 3,886 outlets on October 14, 2026, according to the <a href="https://essentras.com/media-placement-price-index">Essentras Media Placement Price Index</a>.</p>
Permalinks to each finding
- https://essentras.com/media-placement-price-index#finding-1
- https://essentras.com/media-placement-price-index#finding-2
- https://essentras.com/media-placement-price-index#finding-3
- https://essentras.com/media-placement-price-index#finding-4
- https://essentras.com/media-placement-price-index#finding-5
- https://essentras.com/media-placement-price-index#finding-6
- https://essentras.com/media-placement-price-index#finding-7
FAQ
Media placement prices: frequently asked questions
How much does a media placement cost in 2026?▾
In the Essentras catalog on October 14, 2026, the median media placement costs $2,167. The middle half of 3,886 outlets cost $752 to $4,260, and the full range runs from $53 to $220,000. Price depends mostly on authority, audience size, country and whether the placement carries a sponsored label.
How much does a sponsored article cost?▾
In the Essentras catalog (October 14, 2026) the median paid placement costs $2,167. With a sponsored or partner label the median is $4,626 (1,266 outlets); without a label it is $1,608. Labeled outlets skew toward higher authority, which explains part of that gap.
What is a media placement?▾
A media placement is an article or mention on a third-party outlet that you pay for, as opposed to coverage a journalist chooses to write. In this index it means 1 published placement on 1 outlet at a fixed price, with the link policy and label stated before you buy.
Why do placement prices range from $53 to $220,000?▾
The catalog mixes small sites with global brands and premium packages. 17 listings cost $100,000 or more, 17 of them with a sponsored label, while 650 outlets (16.7%) cost under $500. The median, $2,167, is the better guide to a typical price (October 14, 2026).
Does domain authority determine the price?▾
Partly. Price rises with Moz DA (rank correlation 0.42), but Ahrefs DR (0.55) and monthly traffic (0.53) track price more closely. The median is $1,000 under DA 30 and $5,897 at DA 90 and above, 5.9 times as much (October 2026).
Do dofollow links cost more?▾
Not across the catalog: dofollow outlets have a median of $1,560 against $2,500 for nofollow ones (October 2026). On the same site it is different: of 7 publications listed both ways, the dofollow listing costs more on 6.
Are paid placements labeled as sponsored?▾
Most in this catalog are not: 62.2% run as standard articles with no sponsored label, 32.6% carry a sponsored or partner label and 5.2% a discreet disclosure (October 14, 2026). Every outlet page states the label before you buy.
Can I buy an article in Forbes through Essentras?▾
Not on forbes.com. As of October 14, 2026 the catalog lists 10 regional Forbes editions, from $5,000 (Forbes Colombia, Forbes (Türkiye) and Forbes Mexico) to $85,750 (Forbes Middle East). Forbes US is not in the catalog, so this index has no price for it.
Which countries are the most expensive for media placements?▾
Among the 20 largest country groups in the catalog, the highest medians are in Germany ($14,654), Italy ($8,766) and France ($6,272); the lowest are in Pakistan ($238), Netherlands ($358) and China ($612). The United States, with 1,550 outlets, sits at $2,000 (October 2026).
Is a faster turnaround more expensive?▾
Not in this catalog. Same-day outlets have a median of $352 and 1 to 3 day outlets $628, against $2,000 for 3 to 7 days (October 2026). A normalized turnaround is listed for 1,541 of 3,886 outlets.
Are these the prices publishers charge?▾
No. They are Essentras retail prices: what we charge for 1 placement, including writing the article and a live link. Publishers’ own rate cards, where they exist, and other sellers’ prices can be higher or lower. The index covers our catalog of 3,886 outlets, not the whole market.
How often is the index updated?▾
Monthly. Each edition is a dated snapshot of the live catalog; this edition is from October 14, 2026. Trends will be reported once there are at least 2 editions to compare.
Know the price before you pitch or buy
Compare any quote with the median for its slice, then pick outlets with the price, label and link policy stated up front.