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Writing a Sponsorship Proposal

For full-time athletes, sponsorships are a crucial part of the job. They provide the equipment, apparel and money required for an athlete to continue to do what they do best, perform. Therefore it is critical that sponsorship opportunities are not missed, and are seized with professionalism and integrity. With that said, here are our top tips for writing a sponsorship proposal.

The Forethought: Is This The Right Sponsor For You?

It is very important you choose sponsors who you are proud to represent. You need to evaluate what you as a person stand for. You also need to research your potential sponsor. Do they share your views? For example if you care passionately about the environment, does your sponsor use ethically sourced materials? A sponsorship is an extension of your own brand as a fighter and therefore must reflect who you are, do not compromise your brands integrity for a pay check from a company you do not agree with. Make sure the products are good and you would personally recommend the company regardless of sponsorship.

The Reminder: Who Are You?

After you’ve picked the right sponsor, you’ll need to remind them who you are. Even the biggest fighters should still do this as a courtesy to the sponsor. Detail your experience, fight record, prizes and anything else that might be relevant. It’s unfortunate, but brands tend to pick fighters who have had more experience, more fights and a bigger following. It’s just better business. Write out your experience, include things like your fight record, Jiu Jitsu competition gold medals and your social media following. Only include relevant details in this section, make it short and easy to read, you’re just reminding the sponsor of who you are and how you got there.

The Sell: What Can You Offer A Brand?

Now that you’ve decided on a brand that you align with well and you’ve detailed who you are, now you have to tell the brand why you’re the best fit for them. Detail things like the benefit for the brand to sponsor you and how you perfectly portray their mission and fit with their style (this is why picking the right sponsor is important). Try to steer away from things such as doing single Instagram posts or shoutouts. Look towards the bigger picture of becoming an ambassador for the brand and helping them get their products out there.

The Close: How do you present this information?

The presentation of your proposal plays a large factor in how you come across. We create personalised, professionally designed, 4-5 page documents for our athletes to take to sponsorship meetings. This portrays the athlete as professional, organised and serious about the sponsorship. If you take the time and effort to go above and beyond to impress the potential sponsor, you set yourself apart from everybody else. As the old adage goes: “The harder you work, the luckier you get.”

These main points are always a part of every sponsorship proposal we write for our athlete team. From our experience if you are genuine and believe in the product you are promoting for your sponsor, then you will be successful and everybody will be winners.

Photos: Elliot Compton & Ben Nguyen

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