5 Tips for Pitching to Your First Sponsor

podcasting streaming Aug 25, 2021

 

 

Podcasting is a hobby that can become a steady source of income. Along with its popularity in the younger generation, it’s a craft that attracts many sponsors hoping to feature their products to a growing audience.

However, acquiring sponsors doesn’t come easily. Most podcasters fail to seal the deal due to poor pitching strategies. Frequently, rejection leads to disappointment, leaving content creators discouraged.

Here are some tips for a more productive pitching experience with your first potential sponsor:

 

Do Some Research About the Potential Sponsor

A lot of sponsors may be interested in getting featured on the show. However, not all of them align with the program’s values, listeners, and beliefs. It’s essential to research the potential sponsors for the podcast since it gives you an idea of how to deal with the clients better during interviews.

Prior research also gives you an idea about the topics that best suit the client’s intent and reason for sponsoring the episodes. It will be easier to relate your content if you know the sponsor’s brand and background.

Even if the show needs financial support to continue, consider that not all topics will make sense to the audience or community you’ve built with the podcast. Choose brands relevant to your niche to make the impact more effective rather than picking random sponsors that won’t sell to your audience. You lose credibility by getting into bed with a brand whose values don't match yours, or make no sense for you to partner with.

Remember that It’s Less About You and More About Them

Sponsorships are all about making money for both parties involved. Therefore, use the sponsor’s need to earn from the collaboration to seal the support. It’s best to highlight how the partnership can change their business or help them benefit from it. The tricky part is explaining how paying you as a content creator helps their business grow from the audience or community that follows the show.

If you can convince a sponsor that they will gain more by being featured in your show, you’ll be more likely to get them signing papers right away.

Highlight Marketing Elements

A shoutout on the show isn’t enough to convince the sponsors to collaborate with you as a content creator. Aside from mentioning the business on-air, it’s important to do follow-ups to remember the brand and make them try any of the products.

It’s essential to leave a link directly pointing to the business’s page in the episode’s show notes, and on your site if your show has one. Mentioning the sponsor to your email list also helps them gain more interest in partnering with your show. But the most effective way to entice your audience into trying out the business’s products is by giving them a one-time discount code that they can use.

It is a move that allows the sponsor to track which listeners came to their business page after hearing about the company on the show.

Emphasise Your Podcast’s Numbers

Numbers mean everything in striking a deal. The program’s reach, subscribers, and active listeners can be influential in landing sponsorship deals. Some sponsors give sponsorships solely because of the numbers presented to them.

To business owners, better numbers mean more people potentially becoming their customers. However, if your show only started and there’s not much data to present, it helps to build the audience more before looking for sponsors. Try to promote the podcast through directories, be a guest on other shows, and get as much attention as you can.

However, a small audience of highly engaged listeners, in a specific niche, will also be an atrtractive proposition to the right sponsors.

State Your Terms Clearly

Consider the sponsor as a legal agreement that both parties will abide by. When you send a pitch, it’s essential to be clear with how things will work upon their acceptance of your offer. Although some changes can be made later, it’s vital to give a detailed list of deliverables that the show can do for the business. Being transparent with your terms shows potential sponsors that you mean business to support the program to keep it online financially.

Final Thoughts

After you land your first sponsorship deal, it will be easier to convince other businesses to invest in your show, since they can see their impact on the business before them. From your first sponsor, make sure to track your data and use it to entice other sponsors to fund your show moving forward.

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