You’ve started a blog and you’ve found your groove. You’ve put in the time to build your space and have a solid, engaged readership and now you’re yearning to grow your blog into a sustained brand complete with sponsors. You might even have some brands that you’re speaking with that you think are a great fit for your blog.
Your next goal is to compose a sponsorship proposal that will send them over the moon. Securing sponsors is an art (as well as a science) and it can grow your blog into a trusted source of entertainment with solid traffic.
In order to catch that dream brand’s attention with your authentic voice and amazing proposal, there’s a few things to keep in mind
A Sponsorship Relationship is Exactly That
Too many bloggers forget this. All too often, people cold email asks for sponsorships, which isn’t terrible if your network is small, but the best way to get started is to reach out to your own network and leverage your current and existing contacts.
Treat every ask like a mutually beneficial relationship. You’re putting in the work to place their brand front and center, which gives them the opportunity to make sales in the future. It’s not just about the acceptance of your proposal; that’s the beginning of the relationship. The real work begins after the ink is dry and it’s time to add value to this relationship and make sure that your sponsors feel like they got something with tangible worth out of the agreement.
Be A Real Person
By this, I mean take the time to personalize emails before you reach out to a brand. This is not a space where you can crank out a templated email and call it a day. You didn’t build your brand by phoning it in, so why would you want to sell your brand that way? No one wants to read a generic email, including those vetting talent at your dream brand. Do your due diligence and find out the names of key stakeholders at your favorite brand.
Take your time and do research on the company so that you can articulate a critical opinion of why you think their brand is a good fit.
Keep in mind, your blog grew because you were vulnerable enough to let your personality shine through. Don’t become monotone in your introductory email! If you’re making all of this effort to reach out to them, you’re obviously excited about the idea of a partnership. Let that shine through in your pitches.
Introduce Yourself
Give them a glimpse into who you are! What is your blog called and what do you write about? Include insights into your audience and available demographics data. Explain the mission statement behind your brand. But most importantly, make sure you connect your blog to their brand to explain why a relationship between the two is a good fit.
If Your Blog is Your Business, Be Professional
Sponsorship proposals should be completely free of grammar and spelling errors. Word processing software often isn’t enough, but free editor tools are pretty great these days. Make your proposal clear and professional. Typos are neither of these things. There’s a lot of conflicting information available on how long a sponsorship proposal should be, but a paragraph is fine. Stakeholders at brands do not want to wade through multiple page proposals.
It’s Still About Content
Keep your sponsorship proposal concise! It should be short and targeted, keeping to the point. Around a paragraph long, make sure it hits on all the following points:
- A solid (short) intro
- A declaration of why you believe you’re a good match for their campaign
- How you plan to blend the brand and their products into your content
- Thank them for their time :)
Most importantly, be genuine. Using rich media in a sponsorship proposal can really help you communicate who you are without detracting from your core points or wasting brand stakeholder’s time. Using a sponsorship proposal template can help to impress a stakeholder with your sparkling personality and connection to their brand. Every brand considers a few different things when doing research on talent:
- Content quality
- Relevancy to the brand
- The blogger’s personality
- Comments and audience engagement
- Traffic and social following
Your sponsorship proposal content puts you on the map, so be sure to be honest and make it a true representation of your blog. Don’t waste your time or the brand’s trying to reach out to a brand that is off voice for your audience. Building a sponsorship is a partnership and that requires establishing some sort of trust from the gate. Be authentic and to the point and you will see your blog grow and flourish so that you can start working from home!
Follow Up
After you send the proposal, you can automatically schedule a follow up using certain Chrome extensions. This will help you automate as well as remind brands that you are excited about the opportunity to work with them, saving you time.
No matter what you write about or who your dream brands are, acting with professionalism and organization is going to be key to securing your initial sponsorships on your blog. In order to provide the best experience for everyone involved in the partnership, be sure to always put your best foot forward and to, most importantly, be yourself!
About the author
Kristen Bowie is an established marketing and content strategist currently using her super powers at Qwilr focused on helping solopreneurs and entrepreneurs alike grow and change their businesses. When she’s not rocking the marketing strategy world, she’s hanging out with her urban dwarf goats or painting.
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