When it comes to giving a sponsorship pitch there are lots of things that a potential sponsor may ask you, but I can pretty much guarantee you that these 5 things will be at the top of their list. Make sure you are prepared with the answers so that you can give a confident and successful pitch.
- THE THREE W’S
What, Where, and When? These may seem very basic but you would be surprised at how many events don’t have these three things lined out BEFORE they approach a potential Sponsor. Even if you are doing an event for the very first time you need to start with WHAT your event is, WHERE your event is being held and WHEN is your event being held. Even if the specific date and time is still a bit up in the air give them an outline they can work with. Sponsors base their spending on what their marketing or charitable initiatives are and knowing when your event will happen plays a big part in their overall plan.
- WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE
Without your audience there is no reason for a Sponsor to be involved with your event. So be clear about who comes to your event. This includes who you target, for example “Women 18-34 who live in Portland, Oregon and love to cook” and who actually attends. Be armed with as much info as you can get about your audience…this will be very important to your potential Sponsor.
- WHAT ARE YOUR NUMBERS?
Sponsors want to know your past attendance numbers, your expected attendance numbers and what a sell out is for you. Now I’m not saying you need to tell your potential Sponsor that you only sell 200 tickets when a sell out is 700 but you need to show that their is potential to grow to bigger numbers. In the same vain if you consistently sell out your event then this is very attractive to a Sponsor as well! Another note to take away…don’t oversell yourself….remember that your Sponsor will be at the event they will know if you 100 attendees or 1000.
- WHAT DO THEY GET?
Don’t show up to a pitch without a clear breakout on what they will be receiving in exchange for their sponsorship dollars. Don’t make them guess or use “insider terms” on what items are. If they get commercials then tell them how many and where they will run. If they get banners or display areas they need to know where they are located, the size of the space. Be clear and be straight forward while also pointing out how each one of these items is a benefit to them.
- THE COST
Sponsors are not going to ask you for the money…you have to ask them. Tell them what your Pitch will cost them. Known Sponsorship Adviser Linda Hollander was quoted saying “They don’t call you to ask how much money you want. A Sponsor once said to me, If I don’t see a menu of prices, I throw it out.” In my experience you don’t necessarily have to price out each asset but you must have it priced out and know what the hard costs are.