RENTV sale prep (TK-10562): add rate-card rationale + how-to-finalize

9022cfde6a81d081a2e666b6f659a3fd1dfcdc85 · 2026-08-14 09:52:18 -0700 · Steve Abrams

Fills the flagged rate-card prerequisite (FORSALE-SCENARIOS §2 TBD; sale gate item
4). Documents the CPM basis for the $2250/$1100/$3750 placeholders and the three
inputs Steve needs (GA impressions, opted-in list size + open rate, exclusivity
premium) to lock each real number before the Sublease-Desk sponsorship outreach.
Numbers stay INTERNAL placeholders; setting the real rate card remains Steve-gated.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>

Files touched

M docs/FORSALE-SALE-PACKET.md

Diff

commit 9022cfde6a81d081a2e666b6f659a3fd1dfcdc85
Author: Steve Abrams <steve@designerwallcoverings.com>
Date:   Fri Aug 14 09:52:18 2026 -0700

    RENTV sale prep (TK-10562): add rate-card rationale + how-to-finalize
    
    Fills the flagged rate-card prerequisite (FORSALE-SCENARIOS §2 TBD; sale gate item
    4). Documents the CPM basis for the $2250/$1100/$3750 placeholders and the three
    inputs Steve needs (GA impressions, opted-in list size + open rate, exclusivity
    premium) to lock each real number before the Sublease-Desk sponsorship outreach.
    Numbers stay INTERNAL placeholders; setting the real rate card remains Steve-gated.
    
    Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
---
 docs/FORSALE-SALE-PACKET.md | 10 ++++++++++
 1 file changed, 10 insertions(+)

diff --git a/docs/FORSALE-SALE-PACKET.md b/docs/FORSALE-SALE-PACKET.md
index 4a4fab27..cdee7ae8 100644
--- a/docs/FORSALE-SALE-PACKET.md
+++ b/docs/FORSALE-SALE-PACKET.md
@@ -43,6 +43,16 @@ Standing up demonstrated demand feeds the domain valuation. Rate card of record
 
 Advertiser targets: Marcus & Millichap, Kidder Mathews (Western-US bullseye) + the brokerages in the outreach pack (double-duty: they buy ads *and* could buy the domain).
 
+### Rate-card rationale + how to finalize (⚠️ STEVE PRE-FLIGHT #2 — set the real numbers before quoting)
+
+The three numbers above are **placeholder midpoints**, not quotable rates. Setting the real rate card is a Steve decision flagged by the sale gate (item 4) and is a prerequisite before the Sublease-Desk sponsorship outreach (draft 4b) goes out. The reasoning, and the three inputs Steve needs to lock each number:
+
+- **The honest basis is CPM, not a made-up flat fee.** A defensible rate = (monthly impressions or sends ÷ 1000) × a CRE-niche CPM. Trade/CRE B2B display + newsletter CPMs typically run well above consumer inventory because the audience is narrow and high-value. So the three numbers stand or fall on **real traffic + list size**, which is why they're TBD.
+- **Homepage masthead (~$2,250/mo placeholder):** finalize from (1) real monthly homepage impressions (GA), (2) a chosen CRE-display CPM, (3) exclusivity premium if sole-brand. If impressions are modest, this is honestly lower; if the CRE audience is strong, it supports the premium.
+- **Newsletter sponsorship (~$1,100/send placeholder):** finalize from (1) the **actual opted-in list size + open rate**, (2) a per-send sole-sponsor CPM. A sole-sponsor slot commands more than a shared placement. This is the number most sensitive to real list data — do not quote it until the list size is confirmed.
+- **Sublease-Desk presenting sponsor (~$3,750/mo placeholder):** the category-exclusive premium slot; price it as a **package** (masthead-adjacent placement + newsletter mention + /desk + /deals presence), not a bare CPM, because its real value is the strategic tie-in — the sponsor who values this audience is a warm sublease.com buyer. This is the on-ramp, so it can be priced to *land the relationship*, not to maximize the single line.
+- **Discipline:** quote a rate card, not a negotiated one-off; hold the sole-sponsor exclusivity as the lever; and confirm the traffic/list inputs (GA + ESP) before any number leaves the building. Until then these stay internal placeholders.
+
 ---
 
 ## 3 · Marketplace listing copy — HOLD (only if the quiet process fails)

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