Your inbox is already busy. Put a price on it.
Engineering and IT managers hear from software and security vendors, executive recruiters and engineers asking for referrals or career advice. Vendors sell to the people who sign off on budgets, so this inbox fills fastest. A price turns cold pitches into paid ones and keeps the time for the ones worth it.
You keep $21.25 when you reply.
- Median pay (Computer and Information Systems Managers)
- $84.20/hour
- A 15-minute reply
- $21.05
- Senior (75th percentile)
- $40
BLS OEWS, May 2025. Full breakdown
Messages worth being paid for
“Fifteen minutes to show you our platform?”
“Would you refer me for the open role on your team?”
“How did you structure your platform team?”
Where an hour is worth the most
| City | Median hourly pay | Fair price per message |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose / Silicon Valley | $140.22 | $50 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | $111.97 | $40 |
| New York | $103.51 | $40 |
| Boston | $103.35 | $40 |
| Seattle | $103.21 | $40 |
Published BLS city medians for Computer and Information Systems Managers, mid-career, a 15-minute reply.
How it works
Paid only when you reply
A paid message is a hold on the sender's card. It is charged when you answer, or decline with a reason, inside your reply window. If you don't, the hold is released and nobody pays.
You set the price and keep 85%
Pick any price from $15. You keep 85% of every paid message you answer; the rest is the only fee.
Free to join, free to earn
There is no subscription to receive paid messages. Membership is optional and only matters if you send them.
Questions
How much should engineering and IT managers charge for a cold message?
At the U.S. median pay for Computer and Information Systems Managers (BLS), a considered 15-minute reply is worth about $21.05 of time, so $25 is the first familiar price at which your 85% share covers it. Senior people price from about $40.
When is the sender charged?
Only when you reply, or decline with a reason, inside your reply window. Otherwise the hold on their card is released.
Does it cost anything to join?
No. Joining and receiving paid messages are free; Introworth keeps 15% of each paid message you answer.