Sponsored links: place a paid link in a Quantisnow article
How sponsored link placements work on Quantisnow: tiers from $99 by readership, URL and anchor text rules, placement, editor review, rel sponsored and health checks.
Key takeaways
- A sponsored link is a one-time paid link to your site inside an existing Quantisnow article, priced from $99.
- The price depends on the article's unique readers over the trailing 30 days: $99 for any article, $149 at 100+ readers, $249 at 1,000+ and $399 at 5,000+.
- The price is locked at checkout, your card is only charged if an editor approves the link, and each article holds at most 3 sponsored links.
- Every paid link is marked rel="sponsored" and labeled for readers, and live links are checked weekly.
A sponsored link places a link to your site inside an existing Quantisnow article for a one-time fee from $99. An editor reviews every link before it goes live, and your card is only charged if it is approved. Start at /publish/links.
Pricing
The price is set by how many unique readers the article had over the trailing 30 days. It is shown next to each article and locked when you check out, so it does not change while your link is in review.
| Article readers (last 30 days) | Tier | Price per link |
|---|---|---|
| Any | Standard | $99 |
| 100+ | Popular | $149 |
| 1,000+ | High traffic | $249 |
| 5,000+ | Top article | $399 |
The fee is one-time. Approved links stay live for the life of the article.
How to place a sponsored link
- Go to /publish/links.
- Under Choose an article, search article titles and find one relevant to the page you want to link.
- Click Place link · $price (the tier price) next to the article. Sign in if asked.
- The order page shows the article, how many of its 3 sponsored slots are open, its tier, its readers in the last 30 days and the price.
- Fill in Target URL, Anchor text and, optionally, Note to the editor (optional).
- Tick the box to agree to the guidelines and terms.
- Click Continue to payment · $price (the tier price). Stripe places a hold on your card.
- An editor reviews the link, usually within two business days. You get an email either way.
- Approved: the hold is captured and the link goes live. Rejected: the hold is released and you pay nothing.
If you cancel at checkout, you return to the order page and nothing is charged.
Input rules
| Field | Rules |
|---|---|
| Target URL | Required. Up to 2,048 characters. Must start with http:// or https://, use a public hostname and contain no username or password. |
| Anchor text | Required. 2 to 80 characters of plain text. |
| Note to the editor | Optional. Up to 500 characters. |
Blocked destinations
Links to these hosts, including their subdomains, are refused at checkout:
- quantisnow.com
- Link shorteners: bit.ly, tinyurl.com, t.co, goo.gl, ow.ly, is.gd, buff.ly, cutt.ly, rebrand.ly
Link to the real destination page so the editor can review it.
Where the link appears
- Inline: if your anchor text already appears in the article, that phrase becomes the link. The form tells you "Found in the article: this phrase will be linked in place."
- Sponsored note: if the phrase is not in the article, the link appears in a section labeled Sponsored under the article body.
To get an inline link, copy a phrase from the article into Anchor text.
Placement rules
- Each article carries at most 3 sponsored links. When all slots are taken, the article shows no slots left and you need to pick another.
- Every paid link is marked
rel="sponsored", as search engines require, and is labeled as sponsored for readers. - Editors approve relevant, working pages and reject link shorteners, redirects, gambling, adult content, malware, unlicensed financial products and anything misleading. See Publishing guidelines.
Weekly health checks
Every live sponsored link is checked once a week. Links whose page no longer loads, or that now redirect to a different site, are flagged for an editor. A live link can be removed if its destination changes to something that would not have been approved. Fees are non-refundable once the link is live.
Tracking your links
Each link has a status page at /publish/links/status/<id>, and all of them are listed under Sponsored links on /publish/orders.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Confirming payment | Waiting for Stripe to confirm the hold. Refresh in a few seconds. |
| In review | Your card has a hold, not a charge. |
| Live | The link is live and your card was charged. |
| Not approved | The hold was released and you were not charged. |
| Expired | The hold lapsed before review finished (about 7 days). You were not charged. |
| Removed | The link was taken down. |
| Needs attention | Something went wrong; Quantisnow follows up by email. |
See My orders.
FAQ
How much does a sponsored link cost?
From $99 per link. The price rises with the article's unique readers over the last 30 days: $149 at 100+, $249 at 1,000+ and $399 at 5,000+. It is locked at checkout.
Are sponsored links nofollow?
Every paid link is marked rel="sponsored", which is the attribute search engines ask for on paid links, and it is labeled as sponsored for readers.
How many sponsored links can one article have?
At most 3. If all slots are taken, choose another article.
Can I use a bit.ly or other short link?
No. Link shorteners and quantisnow.com links are refused. Use the full destination URL.
What happens if my link is rejected?
The hold on your card is released and you pay nothing. Any editor note appears on the link's status page.