Picture this: Your dream client is scrolling through their favorite newsletter over coffee and, nestled between this week’s best curated resources, is your offer. Not a random ad, but a thoughtful feature — perfectly aligned with the content they were excited to read!
Now imagine the newsletter’s author (a voice they trust), personally endorsing your offer with a quick note. Suddenly, you’re not just an option. You’re the option, backed by credibility and positioned in a space where the audience feels comfortable, engaged, and ready to take action.
This is the power of sponsorships done right. They don’t just place your offer in front of the right people, but deliver it in a trustworthy, relevant, and authentic way. And it doesn’t end with newsletters! Let’s talk sponsorships.
What is a sponsorship?
Sponsorships used to center around offering monetary support to needy causes, people, and events in exchange for positive exposure. These days, the term has evolved to encompass paid collaborations, often without a charitable component.
When you partner with a content creator, newsletter, podcast, or platform and ask them to share your offer with their audience, that’s considered a sponsorship. That means you’re the “sponsor” and the person you’re paying is the “sponsoree.”
Sponsorships are mutually beneficial, with you getting targeted exposure and the sponsoree getting a direct payment. Plus, sponsorees sometimes get free products or services from you so they can genuinely endorse your offer in front of their audience.
When are sponsorships helpful?
Not only can sponsorships help you break into new spaces, but they can also boost credibility by positioning you alongside someone the target audience already trusts.
Compared to search or social media ad campaign, it can also be easier to understand the potential payoff of your sponsorship since the size and specifics of the audience you’ll be reaching will be fairly well-defined. Potential sponsorees should provide you with detailed data on demographics and engagement rates.
Consider using sponsorships if you want to:
- Build relationships with influencers or thought leaders in your industry.
- Diversify your ad spend beyond social media or search ad campaigns.
- Test the waters for your paid offer by putting it in front of a specific, highly engaged audience (i.e., the listeners of your favorite stay-at-home-mom podcast).
Types of Sponsorships
Here are my favorite types of versatile sponsorships that work great for digital products and service providers alike.
Podcast Sponsorships
The listener profile is everything when it comes to finding the right podcast to sponsor. You’ll also need to consider the subject matter of the specific episode you’d be featured on and when offer will be shared.
Mid-roll ads (those shared right in the middle of an episode) tend to get the most attention; people are deeply engaged by that point and less likely to skip. You might also have the option to take all the sponsored slots, placing your at the start, middle, and end — but compare the costs since this won’t necessarily expose you to any additional listeners.
Most of all, don’t let vanity metrics fool you. Niche podcasts with only a few hundred listeners could drive amazing results at a bargain price point if the listener profile lines up with your target audience.
Newsletter Sponsorships
Email lists can have extremely high engagement, especially if the list owner sends out a lot of actionable, timely content (like news or job roundups) that encourage subscribers to open every email. And engagement — generally measured by open rate — typically matters more than subscriber count.
You’ll want to consider metrics like the list’s click-through rate (CTR). This is percentage of people who not only open the email, but click a link inside of it. Since people will presumably need to click a link to learn about or purchase your offer, a near-zero CTR doesn’t bode well.
Top-of-newsletter placements tend to get the most visibility, but a well-integrated mention can be just as effective. If they have packages available, like a sponsored blog post and newsletter feature, ask to see additional metrics (like the average CTR for their blog posts) before taking the upsell.
Influencer Partnerships
“Influencer” can mean a lot of things, so look to your own network before hitting up a complete stranger. Who do you follow that’s inspired you in your journey? They don’t have to have a huge audience to bring exposure to your offer. In fact, strategically partnering with a handful of small “influencers” could deliver amazing results at a very budget-friendly price point.
Before you approach anyone, spend a few weeks analyzing who shows up in your feed. Are they sharing often and consistently? Do their followers actually interact with their posts? Do the comments suggest a trusting, responsive community? Does the person respond to questions and messages?
Once you have a shortlist of people you’d be open to partnering with, consider approaching them with a collaborative idea instead of outright requesting a paid mention. Collaborative workshops, for instance, allow you to deliver value to their audience and introduce your paid offer.
Charitable Sponsorships
Not all charitable sponsorships have to involve a traditional nonprofit. Impact-driven entrepreneurship means giving money, support, or services to the people, communities, and causes you appreciate — and, if you get creative, you can find endless opportunities to grow your business while doing it.
Web designer? Donate a beautiful website in exchange for a, “This website is sponsored by…” line that lives in its footer. You can also turn the design process into a case study for your portfolio. Not only will it give you positive exposure, but the grateful recipient may send many referrals your way.
If you’ve been around my blog long enough, you know I’ll mention pro bono work any chance I get. Creating your own “Impact Initiative,” no matter how small it begins, empowers you to start a ripple effect in your business that will pay dividends.
- Starting an Impact Initiative as a Soloprenuer
Best Practices
Relationship management is the often-overlooked secret weapon of successful sponsorships. Treat each sponsorship as a partnership, not just a transaction. You might not intend to work with that sponsor again in the near future, but never close the door on another collaboration. Treat each person you interact with as a valuable new member of your professional network.
And when it comes to the actual process of pulling off a sponsorship, remember this advice:
- Double-check your site’s speed and limits: The last thing you want is for your site to crash because of a sudden influx in traffic. Review your hosting plan and make sure you’re prepared for volume.
- Test your landing pages and checkout flow: Technical bugs, typos, and poorly optimized copy can really put a damper on conversion rate. Test and re-test your side of things before sponsoring anyone.
- Set up comprehensive analytics: Your sales pages should be able to track key metrics, like time on site. Consider investing in tools like Hotjar (a heat map that tracks cursor movement), especially if your offer is relatively new.
- Pick a fail-proof attribution model: Sponsor-specific links and promo codes eliminate guesswork over where visitors came from in the days and weeks following a new placement.
- Talk to your sponsoree and their team: Share your expectations and discuss nuances, like how you’d like your ad to be read. Remember that you both want this to go well!
What's Next?
Your first sponsorship is sure to give you butterflies, and that’s a good thing! Stepping outside of your comfort zone, investing in your business, and putting your offer out there in front of a new audience are all milestones that point to promising growth.
Ready to keep building? Check out the resources below on perfecting your paid offers and expanding your sales funnel so you can get the most out of your sponsorship.
- How to Create an Irresistible Freebie
- Building a Tripwire Sales Funnel
- Creating Mockups for Your Digital Products
- Designing an Effective Ad Campaign
