At The Open Letter, we’re committed to building a trusted source of insights for South Africa’s startup and tech ecosystem. To remain independent and sustainable, we work with selected partners through paid sponsorships — and we believe in being transparent about that.
1. Editorial Independence
All editorial content in The Open Letter is produced independently by our team. Sponsored content is clearly marked, and we retain full control over what appears in the newsletter. We never publish content we don’t believe is relevant or useful to our readers — paid or not.
2. Sponsored Content
We offer sponsored content placements and partnership opportunities to brands that align with our audience. These placements are clearly labeled using terms like:“Partner Content”“Sponsored Insert”“This newsletter is sponsored by…”
We may also acknowledge sponsors in thank-you notes or with partner logos. Where content is paid for, we will always make that clear.
3. Preferred Partners/Founder's Stack
Some of our most trusted brand partners are featured in the Founder’s Stack section of our site — a curated list of tools and services we believe in. These brands may also be mentioned in our newsletter from time to time.
While not every mention will include an explicit disclosure tag, all partners in the Founder’s Stack support our mission of championing South African startups and have been carefully selected for the value they offer to our community. We aim to feature these partners in a way that aligns with editorial quality and reader expectations.
4. Placement and Disclosure
Sponsored content may appear:At the top of a newsletter edition (as a sponsor for that issue)As a mid-newsletter feature or insertIn social posts, events, or special projects promoted via our channels. We use a consistent disclosure format in these placements and may also link back to this policy.
5. Advertiser and Partner Selection
We choose to work with companies that are aligned with our readers’ interests — especially founders, investors, builders, and ecosystem partners in South Africa. We turn down partners or content that doesn’t meet our standards for quality or audience fit.
5. Reader First
Our audience comes first. Sponsored content must offer insight, relevance, or clear value to our readers. If it doesn’t, it won’t run — regardless of budget.
If you have any questions about our advertising approach, reach out to ads@theopenletter.io.
1. Editorial Independence
All editorial content in The Open Letter is produced independently by our team. Sponsored content is clearly marked, and we retain full control over what appears in the newsletter. We never publish content we don’t believe is relevant or useful to our readers — paid or not.
2. Sponsored Content
We offer sponsored content placements and partnership opportunities to brands that align with our audience. These placements are clearly labeled using terms like:“Partner Content”“Sponsored Insert”“This newsletter is sponsored by…”
We may also acknowledge sponsors in thank-you notes or with partner logos. Where content is paid for, we will always make that clear.
3. Preferred Partners/Founder's Stack
Some of our most trusted brand partners are featured in the Founder’s Stack section of our site — a curated list of tools and services we believe in. These brands may also be mentioned in our newsletter from time to time.
While not every mention will include an explicit disclosure tag, all partners in the Founder’s Stack support our mission of championing South African startups and have been carefully selected for the value they offer to our community. We aim to feature these partners in a way that aligns with editorial quality and reader expectations.
4. Placement and Disclosure
Sponsored content may appear:At the top of a newsletter edition (as a sponsor for that issue)As a mid-newsletter feature or insertIn social posts, events, or special projects promoted via our channels. We use a consistent disclosure format in these placements and may also link back to this policy.
5. Advertiser and Partner Selection
We choose to work with companies that are aligned with our readers’ interests — especially founders, investors, builders, and ecosystem partners in South Africa. We turn down partners or content that doesn’t meet our standards for quality or audience fit.
5. Reader First
Our audience comes first. Sponsored content must offer insight, relevance, or clear value to our readers. If it doesn’t, it won’t run — regardless of budget.
If you have any questions about our advertising approach, reach out to ads@theopenletter.io.
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