Your inbox is already busy. Put a price on it.
Security engineers and analysts hear from security vendors, startups that want a review before a customer audit and people moving into security who want advice. Your judgement is what people want, and it is usually asked for free. A price per message puts a value on a second opinion without a consulting contract.
You keep $17 when you reply.
- Median pay (Information Security Analysts)
- $62.11/hour
- A 15-minute reply
- $15.53
- Senior (75th percentile)
- $25
BLS OEWS, May 2025. Full breakdown
Messages worth being paid for
“Can you sanity-check our SOC 2 scope?”
“What would you test first in our app?”
“How did you get your first security role?”
Where an hour is worth the most
| City | Median hourly pay | Fair price per message |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose / Silicon Valley | $84.67 | $25 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | $78.03 | $25 |
| Seattle | $77.78 | $25 |
| Washington, DC | $71.61 | $25 |
| Raleigh | $69.06 | $25 |
Published BLS city medians for Information Security Analysts, 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 security engineers and analysts charge for a cold message?
At the U.S. median pay for Information Security Analysts (BLS), a considered 15-minute reply is worth about $15.53 of time, so $20 is the first familiar price at which your 85% share covers it. Senior people price from about $25.
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.