Don't get me wrong, I love working with eCommerce brands, but I have a special place in my heart for media entities.

I worked in media for seven years before finding my way into eCommerce in 2021, so I always jump at opportunities to help media brands get off the ground and/or build on their existing momentum.

The thing is, it's tough business to win.

One of the most common hesitations I hear is: "I just need a sponsor first before I can commit to spending money on my podcast/newsletter/etc."

Look, it makes total sense to me. In most instances, I agree!

One way to get the ball rolling on landing sponsors is by creating a sponsorship deck to have at the ready for when opportunities present themselves.

Below is a slide-by-slide breakdown of what I recommend having in your Sponsorship Deck…

I am going to use the deck I currently send around for Founders Basketball, so you can see what this looks like in a real environment.

BUT FIRST, HERE ARE SOME UPCOMING NEW EDITION EVENTS TO CHECK OUT…

1. Intro

Get things started with a simple, clean intro slide.

Somewhere on the slide, make sure to note that this is a partnership deck.

2. What is [insert media entity]?

Think about it like this: If someone who had no idea this opportunity existed and was just sent this deck, what would they need to know about what you’re building?

Keep it short and sweet, but make sure they are equipped with what they need to best understand what they’re looking at.

3. Audience Profile

Any logical partner is going to want to know who is listening/reading/attending.

If your audience truly is their ICP (ideal customer profile), you won’t have to sell your packages too hard. Partners will want to take a chance on the opportunity.

4. Previous Sponsors

Partners have FOMO, too.

If their competitors have sponsored in the past, they will want to sponsor, too.

5. Sponsorship Tiers

Here’s where you’ll lay out what you’re selling.

These slides are very dependent on what kind of project you’re pitching. An event sponsorship will look different than a podcast sponsorship, and so on.

This is another good place to show which tiers past sponsors have jumped on.

I go back and forth on showing pricing on these slides. I’ll leave that decision up to you.

6. Partnership Placements

Give potential partners a feel for what they’re getting.

The better assets you have, the better these slides will look. Try to show as much as you can. Sometimes, you just need to show people what they’re getting for them to understand it.

7. Contact

Make it easy for someone to get in touch.

I’ve put together decks where I have the contact email in the corner of all slides. Just a thought.

8. End

Close things out with a end card to bookend the contents of the deck.

Remember: these decks are fluid. I update them constantly. If you notice potential partners are asking the same questions after reviewing the deck, adjust your deck accordingly to make sure the deck answers their question(s).

I’ve created a placeholder version of this deck. If you’d like to download it and use it to get started with your sponsorship deck, you can do so HERE.

Depending on where you’re at in your project’s journey, you may not have any sponsors yet. That’s ok!

Offer the spots to friends. Give them to an idyllic partner for free.

Figure out ways to make the opportunity as interesting as possible. The more social proof you can layer in, the better.

Shoot me an email ([email protected]) if you have any questions.

See you next time ✌️