How to Secure a Sponsorship ✨
Understanding Partnerships vs Sponsorships
Getting a sponsorship might seem like a huge task, but breaking it down into manageable steps makes it more approachable.
Ready to dive in?
Essential Documents and When to Use Them
To streamline your sponsorship journey, having the right documents ready at each stage is key. Here’s what you need:
1. Initial DM or Reach Out Email
Your first point of contact! Keep it brief, engaging, and to the point. Introduce your organization, highlight the opportunity, and explain why their brand would be a perfect fit. This is your Initial Contact Stage tool, designed to grab attention and spark a deeper conversation.
Later in our Brand Partnerships Playlist, Sam from Squarespace, she talks through what makes an outreach message engaging vs not.
2. One Pager About Your Company
Even if your pitch deck is on point, brands often ask for a quick, topline summary. This one-pager should provide a snapshot of your organisation, including your mission, past successes, and key audience insights. Attach this to your Reach-Out Email to give potential sponsors a quick overview of who you are.
3. Pitch Deck
When it’s time to go into detail, your pitch deck is your best friend. This document should cover the program, event, or campaign you’re planning. Include goals, target audience, schedule, and most importantly, the benefits for the sponsor. Use this during the Pitch Stage to showcase what you’re offering.
4. Contract or Agreement Template
This is where things get official. A draft agreement outlines terms, deliverables, and responsibilities for both parties.
Present this during the final negotiation stage to formalise the partnership and set clear expectations.
Building a Partnership
1. Asset Analysis
Before reaching out, know your value. Conduct an asset analysis to understand what you bring to the table. Here’s what you need to do:
a. Gather Previous Case Studies
“For International Women’s Day 2022, we partnered with size? and Reebok for a 12-hour festival. We offered workshops, panels, and a party, all led by women of colour. The event sold out in 48 hours and reached 2 million people on social media.”
b. Types of Data to Boost Your Credibility
- Attendance How many attended your past events? Show the sponsor your reach.
Example: “We’ve connected over 1,000 people at our events”. - Social Media Reach: How many people engage with your posts? Include followers, likes, shares, and comments.
Example: “Our last campaign reached 2 million people on social media.” - Participant Demographics: Who attends your events? Age, gender, location, and interests.
Example: “Our audience is primarily women aged 18-35 who are interested in creativity and entrepreneurship.” - Engagement Metrics: How active is your audience? Include workshop sign-ups, event RSVPs, and feedback.
Example: “Tickets sell out within 28 hours for each event.”
2. Defining Your Audience
Knowing your audience is crucial for attracting the right sponsors. Be clear about who your audience is and how the sponsor will benefit from reaching them.
- Demographics: Age, gender, location, and interests of your audience.
- Example: “Our audience consists primarily of women aged 18-35 who are passionate about creativity, entrepreneurship, and community engagement.”
- Example: “Our audience consists primarily of women aged 18-35 who are passionate about creativity, entrepreneurship, and community engagement.”
- Behaviour: How does your audience engage with your events or content? Are they active on social media? Do they attend in-person events?
- Example: “Our audience regularly attends our events and actively engages with our content on social media.”
- Example: “Our audience regularly attends our events and actively engages with our content on social media.”
- Interests: What are your audience’s hobbies, preferences, and values? This will help you find sponsors whose products or services align with these interests.
- Example: “Our audience loves creative workshops, networking events, and empowerment seminars.”
3. General Tactics to Keep in Mind
Here are some key tactics to help you secure sponsorships:
Researching Sponsors
Think about Brand synergy— how does the sponsor’s brand complement your event or initiative? Frame your pitch as an opportunity for them to meet more customers and generate relevant awareness.
Example: Joe & The Juice sponsoring your wellness retreat
Sponsor Incentives
What can you offer sponsors?
Think about:
- Co-Branding Opportunities: Logos featured on social media posts, event banners, and promotional materials.
- Social Media Reach: Guaranteed number of impressions or engagement metrics (likes, shares, comments) through branded content (you can include budget for influencers to hit this metric).
- Exclusive Sponsorship Features: Dedicated sponsor areas at events; naming rights for certain event segments or activities; Representatives (usually employees or ambassadors from the brand) to have speaking opportunities at the event or be features in the campaign.
- Content Creation and Collaboration: Creation of co-branded content, collaborative posts on IG and putting their logos in the vids.
- Access to Target Audience: Free or discounted tickets to the event for the sponsor’s clients or employees.
- Data and Insights: Detailed reports on audience engagement and reach metrics related to the sponsor’s involvement; Sharing contact and sign up links of the participants with the brand (but make sure you get permission first from them!)
- Physical Event Presence: Opportunities to showcase products or distribute gifting in swag bags at the event.
- Post-Event Exposure: Featured mentions in post-event content, including recap videos, newsletters, and thank-you messages.
How to Decide What to Add:
Consider what’s valuable to the sponsor and what you can realistically provide. If it’s your first time, you can also ask them what their expectations and goals are in the initial conversation. Are they looking for social media reach? Or access to a specific audience (your audience!)
Checklist for Making a Sponsorship Sound Attractive to a Brand:
1. Exposure: How will the sponsor’s brand be seen? (e.g., logos on materials, mentions in press releases)
Example: Logo placement on event flyers and mentions in press releases.
2. Engagement: How will the sponsor interact with your audience? (e.g., product sampling, workshops)
Example: “Attendees will each receive a Take-home Nike upcycled bag after the workshop”
3. Exclusivity: Will the sponsor be the only one in their category? (e.g., exclusive beverage partner)
Example: “Red Bull will be the only beverage sponsor.”
The Partnerships Pitching Pipeline
Research:
Identify 10 potential sponsors whose past sponsorships align with your event.
Connect with the relevant person on Linkedin, and/or dm the company IG page to get a contact.
You can also use tools like Email Hunter to find the format of their company email if you have a first and last name- but we would always recommend reaching out on Linkedin too, to make sure
your email hasn’t gone to spam.
Initial Contact:
Reach out with a brief, personalised pitch and your on-pager to the relevant person on Linkedin, and/or dm their IG page to get a contact. Highlight mutual benefits and why you think they’re a great fit.
Follow Up:
Send a detailed pitch deck. Even if you haven’t heard back from them, you can still send your deck with more information at this stage. Include information about your audience, past successes, and what you’re offering.
Building a Connection:
Maintain regular contact, update them on progress, and invite them to see your work firsthand. After the event, provide a detailed report showing the impact of their sponsorship.
Keep Learning !
How to Secure a Sponsorship ✨
