I have to scream that to the hills, hopefully, it'll echo back to those who are looking for sponsors for their events, blogs and podcasts.
Now, on to the story:
Which of these do you think I'm asked the most about sponsors?
How much money can I get from my sponsors?
How do I write sponsorship proposals.
How do I find sponsors for my event?
How long do you think it'll take before I can get a check?
Answer: How much money can I get...
Have you ever had someone you haven't talked to in a while call your phone or private massage you on what of your social platforms? Be honest, what was the first thought that came to mind? I bet it was something like "Oh my goodness! What do they want?" When you call someone regarding your event and begin the conversation with, "I'm having an event and" this is exactly how they feel.
Here's a thought. What if you stopped thinking about your event for a moment and began thinking about the sponsor. What if you thought of them as a friend who had a business and you wanted to help them grow that business? How could you build a strategic partnership that would help you and them? You'd probably start by thinking of all the things you both have in common and how you could get the word out, right? When you approach potential sponsors as your strategic partners building a quality event, your thoughts and the way that you address them change!
Now that you know that, let's review this from the strategic partnership building platform and begin looking at how to setup your proposal (sponsorship deck). Here are a few questions you should address when writing your proposal.
Which of these do you think I'm asked the most about sponsors?
How much money can I get from my sponsors?
How do I write sponsorship proposals.
How do I find sponsors for my event?
How long do you think it'll take before I can get a check?
Answer: How much money can I get...
Have you ever had someone you haven't talked to in a while call your phone or private massage you on what of your social platforms? Be honest, what was the first thought that came to mind? I bet it was something like "Oh my goodness! What do they want?" When you call someone regarding your event and begin the conversation with, "I'm having an event and" this is exactly how they feel.
Here's a thought. What if you stopped thinking about your event for a moment and began thinking about the sponsor. What if you thought of them as a friend who had a business and you wanted to help them grow that business? How could you build a strategic partnership that would help you and them? You'd probably start by thinking of all the things you both have in common and how you could get the word out, right? When you approach potential sponsors as your strategic partners building a quality event, your thoughts and the way that you address them change!
Now that you know that, let's review this from the strategic partnership building platform and begin looking at how to setup your proposal (sponsorship deck). Here are a few questions you should address when writing your proposal.
- Where are we? (How can I help my sponsor? What value can I offer?)
- Where do we want to be? (what is your sponsors demographic and how will you help them reach them?
- How do we get there? (What you can give the sponsor even after the event is over.)
- What do we have to work with? (blogs, podcast audience, Facebook group?
REMEMBER: Money is in the relationship.
NOTE: When looking for sponsors for your next event, please-oh please- don't write your sponsorship proposal with the "I need the money so that I can...." This is not what a sponsor needs to see and you'll absolutely end up in the virtual trash can.