Getting that first paid sponsorship is without doubt one of the most rewarding moments you’ll ever expertise as a creator.

It’s additionally step one in your journey in the direction of monetary freedom and constructing a life that you just’re excited to get up for.

Simply think about … you get to work with manufacturers you’re keen on, join your viewers with superb services, and make a ton of cash within the course of!

For those who’re a creator, an influencer, a podcast host, or a publication author — sponsorships can and must be a essential pillar that will help you construct your online business.

However the issue most creators face when arranging sponsorships is unpredictability.

Whether or not that’s getting lowball charges from manufacturers and even simply not figuring out with certainty the place the subsequent partnership is coming from, determining your sponsorship technique could be type of laborious.

Most creators assume the method seems one thing like this:

However what if I informed you that the method of working with manufacturers doesn’t have 3 steps — it truly has 8?

For those who’re not acutely aware of those 8 steps, you’re by no means going to lock in long-term partnerships (which must be the purpose)!

You may need landed a number of profitable offers over your creator profession, however you need to be hitting these each month, proper?

However the excellent news is that this:

The one factor between you and constant, predictable sponsorships is the proper system.

Introducing the Sponsorship Wheel.

The Sponsorship Wheel is a confirmed 8-step, rinse-and-repeat system that if carried out with a long-term mindset, will make it easier to land constant, well-paying model offers permitting you to lastly go full-time together with your creator enterprise and construct the life you need.

At its core, the sponsorship wheel is a system for monitoring what stage your varied partnerships are at. The primary mistake I see creators make is taking their foot off the fuel too quickly.

Simply since you’ve signed the contract doesn’t imply you’ll be able to relaxation in your laurels. Simply since you’ve submitted the property to the model doesn’t imply it’s time to place your ft up.

It’s on you as a creator to maintain the sponsorship wheel turning (particularly after you hit publish).

However with the intention to try this, you first want to grasp the 8 steps, so let’s break it down.

Step 1: Pitch

That is the section the place you are reaching out to a model chilly to suggest a collaboration or a model has reached out to you inquiring a few partnership.

When reaching out to them, your pitch must comply with what I name the ROPE methodology:

• Relevant (to any present campaigns they’re operating or have run up to now)
• Organic (could be tied again to work you’ve already revealed)
• Proof (exhibits the way you’ve helped one other model obtain outcomes)
• Easy to execute (once they say “sure”)

Hold this in thoughts throughout your pitch. Don’t write three paragraphs telling them how a lot you’re keen on their model and have at all times dreamed of working with them. That gained’t minimize it as a result of it’s precisely what all people else is doing.

However what about when a model reaches out to you?

It’s vital to keep in mind that simply because they did doesn’t imply you’ll be able to cellphone it in and count on that they’re one hundred pc dedicated to working with you.

They in all probability reached out to a bunch of different creators in your area of interest too.

So it’s as much as you to pitch them on why they made the appropriate name in emailing you, and why you can truly go above and past for them, such that the model ought to pay you 2-3x what they initially had in thoughts.

However what about when a model ghosts you after your pitch?

If you wish to see precise outcomes, I like to recommend you do a minimum of 4 follow-ups.

• Comply with-up 1 (If no response, 5 days after the preliminary chilly pitch or preliminary response to their inbound inquiry)
• Comply with-up 2 (If no response, 6 days after Comply with-up 1)
• Comply with-up 3 (If no response, 7 days after Comply with-up 2)
• Comply with-up 4 (If no response, 14 days after Comply with-up 3)

Step 2: Negotiate

That is the section the place you’ve got agreed in precept to collaborate with the model however you might be actively negotiating the deal phrases.

The period of this step must be 5 days, in any other case, comply with up with the model/company.

Throughout the negotiation, there are a number of vital issues to recollect.

First, the particular person on the model who you’re in touch with initially seemingly gained’t be the one one who has enter on the deal. Be ready to barter with a number of individuals.

Second, you could perceive what the model’s purpose is. They might merely be seeking to create consciousness of their new services or products, or perhaps they’re actively centered on changing new clients to their enterprise. Or perhaps they need to use the deliverables you create on their very own social platforms.

Third, you could decide a pricing technique. This could primarily be based mostly on the worth you’re offering to the model, somewhat than simply asking your buddy what they cost for, say, a publication integration, and copying that fee. Your pricing ought to change in relation to the model’s objectives.

Fourth, you could study to beat model objections. For instance, in case you attain an deadlock the place the model simply gained’t go greater on their supply, it’s a must to learn to negotiate a compromise, or else be okay strolling away from that deal.

Lastly, have in mind you and the model are on the identical group. They’ve come to you as a result of they assume you’ll be able to assist get their marketing campaign throughout the end line — and so they’re gonna pay you for it!

One drawback creators face early on is manufacturers providing them free merchandise somewhat than precise fee. This may really feel good the primary time it occurs, however it shortly turns into extremely irritating. In any case, a free packet of vegan beef jerky isn’t gonna pay your payments, proper?

Step 3: Contract

That is the section the place you’ve got agreed to the deal phrases and now are both reviewing the contract the model/company has supplied or drafting your personal settlement to ship to them.

The period of this step must be seven days, in any other case comply with up with the model/company.

Crucially, throughout this step you could align on the timeline of occasions shifting ahead.

For instance, when does the model want the property to go stay? And earlier than that, when can be ultimate to ship your draft content material for evaluation? When you’ve despatched that draft, how lengthy do you have to count on to attend earlier than receiving suggestions and/or revision requests?

All of this issues. With out agreeing on these timelines you’ll be able to’t work out while you’ll be integrating the sponsorship inside your content material, or when to put aside time to finish their revisions.

You’ve additionally obtained to align on some key expectations so they do not come again to chew you later. For instance, agreeing on what number of rounds of revisions you’ll do and what constitutes an inexpensive revision is paramount.

As a Sponsorship Coach who has remodeled $4,000,000 personally working with manufacturers and has helped different creators land over $3,000,000 in sponsorships, I’ll say that this step (if accomplished fallacious) may cause the largest complications down the street.

Step 4: Idea

That is the section the place you evaluation the inventive temporary and submit an idea to the model/company (even when they have not requested you!) for evaluation/approval previous to creating the content material.

The period of this step must be 5 days, in any other case, comply with up with the model/company.

First up, if the model hasn’t supplied you with an idea, ask them instantly.

I’ve seen so many partnerships derail when the model says they belief the creator to create the property and not using a temporary, however then finally ends up giving them a stack of revisions as a result of it “wasn’t actually what they’d in thoughts.”

Make them inform you what they take into consideration.

What are the primary speaking factors? What’s the call-to-action? Any do’s or don’ts?

Then, on a extra granular degree, how do they like to be launched in your content material? (“This week I’m partnering with…”? “This podcast is sponsored by…”?)

If the model offers you this data out the gate, you’ll save a lot time afterward.

And don’t fear, it could actually really feel like there are so many questions you can ask the model that it’s laborious to know the place to start out (and in case you’re lacking something vital).

Step 5: Produce

That is the section the place you create the content material and ship it to the model/company.

The period of this step must be relative to your draft supply date.

When sending the deliverables to the model, I counsel placing every thing right into a single doc, like a Google Doc.

This makes it simpler for the model to see every thing in a single place and permits them to remark immediately on, say, wording alternative on the advert learn or the phase of your publication the place you discuss them.

Step 6: Suggestions

That is the section the place the model/company evaluations your content material and requests revisions, edits, or reshoots.

The period of this step must be seven days, in any other case, comply with up with the model/company.

That is the place the steps we took earlier save us a while. As a result of it’s now as much as you to determine whether or not the revisions they’re asking for are cheap and whether or not you’ll do them without cost or cost them extra.

Clearly, in case you didn’t adhere to the authorized temporary and idea, you have to be open to free revisions.

You also needs to be open to minor revisions if it’s going to assist your relationship-building with that model, as long as they’re not being completely unreasonable.

If it’s going to take you 5 minutes to make the adjustments they requested, simply do it.

However this equally means you’ve obtained to place your foot down if they’re clearly not being cheap.

Possibly they’ve gone well past the variety of agreed-upon revision rounds, or now they’re asking you to create some fully new content material not beforehand outlined within the temporary.

In instances like this, charging the model additional may be warranted.

Step 7: Publish

That is the section the place you publish the content material and ship the stay hyperlinks to the model/company.

The period of this step must be relative to the go-live date.

For this, I’ve a guidelines that takes you all the way in which from the second you signal the contract proper by way of to the second you hit publish in your sponsored content material.

That’s accessible as a useful resource to all Model Deal Wizard college students.

Step 8: Analyze

That is the section the place you bill the model/company and supply your tax and vendor paperwork. Inside this section, there are additionally some sub-steps.  For instance, after you ship the bill and tax and vendor paperwork:

• Comply with-up 1 (If no response, 5 days after submission)
• Comply with-up 2 (If no response, name or e-mail 3 days after Comply with-up 1)
• Comply with-up 3 (If no response is obtained, 7 days previous to bill due date)

You additionally need to present the model with a post-campaign report summarizing the marketing campaign aims and key insights about its success.

This can look completely different relying on the marketing campaign objectives.

You may share the variety of views/impressions your content material obtained relative to the model’s expectations.

If this was an consciousness marketing campaign, you can embrace screenshots of feedback from individuals saying they’d by no means beforehand heard of the model earlier than.

The goal of that is to point out the model that this marketing campaign was successful, proper?

By the way in which, now that we’ve reached Step 8, hopefully, it’s clear why this method isn’t structured as a horizontal timeline, however somewhat as a wheel.

The second you full this partnership, it’s a must to pitch them in your subsequent concept!

The worst doable factor you are able to do is to gather that examine after which by no means speak to the model once more.

Bizarrely, a large quantity of creators do that and find yourself again on the market hustling for the subsequent partnership with a brand new model.

It’s so, so, a lot simpler to nurture the model relationships you have already got than it’s to consistently win over new purchasers … belief me.

Subsequent Steps for Creators

So now you understand how the Sponsorship Wheel works, I’ve obtained one thing actually thrilling for you…

The Sponsorship Wheel Snapshot is designed to generate a customized report that highlights your particular person areas of energy in every of those 8 key areas and the place you may have probably the most room to enhance.

By figuring out these areas, you’ll be able to work out precisely learn how to make extra profitable offers persistently.

You’ll be able to take the Sponsorship Wheel Snapshot for FREE right here.

Thanks for studying, and better of luck together with your subsequent sponsorship!

— Justin