Advertise in WellyBuzz

Every Thursday morning, thousands of Wellingtonians open our newsletter to work out what they're doing this weekend. If you want to be part of that decision, this is how.

Who reads WellyBuzz

We're a free weekly newsletter covering the best of what's on across Wellington city, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua, Kāpiti and the Wairarapa. Started in December 2024 by Kirstie and Steve, a Wellington couple who got sick of missing good stuff.

15,700 subscribers - every one of them opted in. No bought lists, no scraped emails.

60–65% female - the household decision maker for weekends, meals out and family outings.

Core age 30–55 - working, spending, and out and about most weekends.

The numbers that matter

50% open rate. The average across media and publishing newsletters is about 43%. Ours is 50%, which means roughly 8,000 Wellingtonians open every single edition - and it's why our rates sit where they do.

94% average "love it" rating. We ask every single week.

35,300 social followers - 22,700 on Instagram, 10,000 on Facebook and 2,600 on TikTok, on top of the newsletter, all of them Wellington.

You're not buying reach. You're buying a decision.

Most advertising interrupts people. Ours arrives at the exact moment somebody is asking "what are we doing this weekend?"

1. Thursday, 6am. Intent is at its peak. The newsletter lands the morning people start planning their weekend. They're not scrolling past you - they're actively looking for somewhere to go and something to do. That's the single most valuable moment in the week for a Wellington hospitality, retail or events business.

2. It's an owned audience, not a rented one. Social platforms decide who sees your post. Email doesn't. Every subscriber asked to hear from us and gets every edition. No algorithm sits between you and the reader.

3. We ask every week, and it averages 94% who love it. Open rate tells you how many people see your ad. It doesn't tell you what mood they're in when they do. Our readers don't tolerate WellyBuzz, they look forward to it - and an ad inside something people genuinely enjoy borrows that goodwill. That's the one thing a Meta ad can never do for you.

4. You get real numbers back. Every link is tracked. After your campaign we send you a one-page report: opens, clicks, and how your click rate compared to our average. No vanity metrics, no guesswork.

What you can book

Seven ways to reach our readers, and that's the whole list. Most businesses start with one placement to see how it goes, then book a run once they have the numbers in front of them.

Featured Business - $295

Most popular. Our main one, and two placements in a single edition. You get the sponsor slot at the top of the newsletter and a full featured section further down: up to 150 words, an image and a tracked link. Send us your own copy or just the key points and we'll write it, whichever suits.

Mid-Section Sponsor - $195

Your block partway down the newsletter, with an image and a link. Cheaper than a full feature, and it sits right where people are still reading properly rather than skimming.

Event Promo Slot - $145

Got a show, a market, a festival or an opening? Guaranteed premium placement in the day-by-day listings, with an image, rather than hoping we pick it up.

Social Post - $145

A post across our Instagram, Facebook and TikTok, published in a prime slot. Send us your caption or let us write it. Works well alongside a newsletter placement in the same week.

Classified - $65

Twenty-five words, text only, in the bottom block. Four per edition, maximum. The cheapest way to find out whether our readers are your people before committing to anything bigger.

The Collab Giveaway - $395

Not for everyone, but if you've got something you can give away it's the one that gets the biggest reaction. We run the whole thing for you: a feature in the newsletter, posts across all three social channels, and the entry form. Everyone who enters can opt in to hear from you, so you end up with a list of warm leads rather than just a winner.

Directory Listing - $35/month or $350/year

A featured listing in the WellyBuzz directory on wellybuzz.co.nz. Built for Wellington service businesses: trades, health, home and professional. It stays there, and it gives you a link from a Wellington site that Google can see. The annual option is two months free.

What it costs

These are our launch rates for 2026. Prices are in New Zealand dollars with nothing added on top.

In the newsletter

Everywhere else

Running regularly, and the big ones. If you want to be in there every month we'll sort something out, including keeping your competitors out while you run. And once or twice a year we build something big, like the WellyBuzz Summer Eats Guide, with one sponsor's name on the whole thing. Just ask.

How to book

1. Email us. Tell us roughly what you're trying to achieve and when. Fifteen minutes on the phone or a coffee somewhere in town is usually enough to work out whether we're a fit.

2. We send you a one-page proposal. Which placements, which dates, what it costs. No lock-in, no minimum term, and no fine print worth worrying about.

3. We get it written. Send us your own copy if you've got it, or just the key points and a photo and we'll write it for you. Most people go for the second one. Either way you approve it before it goes out.

4. You get the numbers. A one-page report after the campaign: opens, clicks, and how you did against our average. Then we talk about what to do next.

Lead times

The newsletter goes out every Thursday at 6am. We need your material by the Monday before. The Collab Giveaway and the seasonal guides are worth booking four to six weeks ahead, because we only run one at a time.

Get in touch

[email protected]

Kirstie and Steve. We answer our own emails, usually within a day, and we're always happy to talk it through before you commit to anything.

Prefer something to forward?

WellyBuzz is a free weekly newsletter covering events, food and things to do across the Wellington region. Published every week since December 2024.