How to Charge for Job Postings
How to price and structure your job posting packages.
Job posting fees are the foundation of job board monetization. Employers pay to list their open positions, and you earn revenue with each posting.
What are job posting fees?
Job posting fees are one-time or recurring charges employers pay to list open positions on your job board. They're the most common revenue model for job boards because they're easy to understand, simple to implement, and scale directly with employer demand. Most boards charge between $50 and $600 per posting depending on niche and visibility options.
How job posting fees work
The basic model is simple:
- Employer creates an account
- Employer selects a pricing plan
- Employer pays and posts their job
- Job remains live for a set duration (typically 30-60 days)
Setting up pricing in Cavuno
Cavuno's pricing plans let you create tiered packages:
- Go to Board settings in the sidebar
- Select the Monetization tab
- Under Pricing Plans, click New plan
- Configure your plan details
- Click Save changes
See Create Pricing Plans for detailed setup instructions.
Pricing strategies
Research your market
Before setting prices, understand your competition:
- What do other boards in your niche charge?
- What features do premium tiers include?
- What's the average salary for jobs you list?
Pricing benchmarks by niche
Typical job posting fees vary by industry:
| Niche | Standard posting | Featured/Premium |
|---|---|---|
| General | $50-$150 | $150-$300 |
| Tech/IT | $200-$400 | $400-$600 |
| Healthcare | $150-$300 | $300-$500 |
| Executive | $300-$600 | $600-$1,000+ |
| Remote work | $250-$400 | $400-$600 |
Higher-paying job markets can support higher posting fees.
Value-based pricing
Price based on the value you provide:
- Salary of role × 0.5-1% is a common formula
- A $100,000 job posting might support a $500-$1,000 fee
- Higher-volume, lower-salary roles support lower fees
Creating pricing tiers
Most successful boards offer 2-4 tiers:
Example tier structure
Basic ($199)
- 30-day listing
- Standard placement
- Company profile
Standard ($349)
- 45-day listing
- Category highlight
- Social media share
- Company logo displayed
Premium ($599)
- 60-day listing
- Homepage featured placement
- Email to subscribers
- Priority support
- Company spotlight post
What to include in tiers
Differentiate tiers with:
- Duration: Longer listing periods
- Visibility: Featured placement, homepage inclusion
- Distribution: Social media, email alerts
- Branding: Logo display, company highlights
- Support: Priority responses, posting assistance
Featured listings
Featured listings generate premium revenue:
What makes a listing "featured"
- Prominent homepage placement
- Highlighted in category pages
- Visual distinction (border, badge)
- Priority in search results
Pricing featured placements
Featured premiums typically range from 50-100% above standard:
- Standard: $199 → Featured: $349 (+75%)
- Standard: $299 → Featured: $499 (+67%)
Duration considerations
Standard durations
- 30 days: Most common, creates urgency
- 45 days: Good middle ground
- 60 days: Premium tier offering
Why shorter can be better
Shorter durations:
- Create urgency to post now
- Keep content fresh
- Encourage repeat purchases
- Signal active hiring market
Discounts and promotions
Strategic discounts can drive volume:
Launch pricing
- Offer 50% off for first 50 employers
- Creates early adopter momentum
- Generates testimonials and case studies
Bulk discounts
- 3 jobs: 10% off
- 5 jobs: 15% off
- 10+ jobs: Custom pricing
Seasonal promotions
- New year hiring campaigns
- Industry conference timing
- Graduation season (entry-level)
Free vs. paid
When to offer free postings
Free postings can make sense:
- During launch to build content
- For nonprofit organizations
- For community partners
- As a limited trial
Transitioning to paid
When you have:
- Consistent organic traffic
- Proven job seeker engagement
- Quality employer interest
Move from free to paid by:
- Announcing the transition in advance
- Grandfathering existing free posters
- Starting with competitive pricing
- Demonstrating value through metrics
Measuring success
Track these metrics:
- Conversion rate: Visitors → paying customers
- Average order value: Revenue per transaction
- Post-to-application ratio: Quality indicator
- Employer return rate: Satisfaction measure
Optimize pricing based on data, not assumptions.