How to Write a Sponsorship Package – Everything You Need to Know
In order to get businesses to sponsor your programs and events, you have to demonstrate the value for THEM. But if you fail to do that right away in your copy, they’ll lose interest — and you’ll lose money.
In a general sense, the process for writing a sponsorship package looks like this:
Know who you’re pitching to
Explain the benefits they’ll receive
Ask them to make a deal
It’s that simple!
Of course, all of that is easier said than done, which is why today I’m going to break down everything you need to know in order to write a sponsorship package that gets businesses excited to jump on board with you.
(Note: You don’t have to be a great writer in order to write a compelling proposal! As long as you build trust, demonstrate value, and make it easy for them to take the next step, businesses WILL be excited to partner with you.)
Why sponsorships are important for your business
There’s one obvious reason it’s nice to secure sponsors for your event…
If you don’t, it’s expensive!
Funding is always a primary motivator for seeking out sponsorships, and it’s probably the reason you’re looking for them as well. But thinking beyond the money and identifying other ways sponsorships can benefit your business and event can help you when it comes time to pitch.
For example, hosting a large event or convention that you wouldn’t be able to otherwise might increase exposure for both of your brands.
Maybe sponsoring an event is the first step toward future collaboration or a strategic partnership.
Maybe your business could act as the facilitator of bringing a bunch of different organizations together in one place, for one cause.
The list can go on and on.
Stop here for a second and think… Besides funding, how will these sponsorships benefit my organization? Will my sponsors receive those benefits, too?
Reasons businesses WANT to sponsor your event
Speaking of benefits, that’s what’s going to determine the effectiveness of your pitch.
You can think about benefits in conjunction with features (of a product, a service, your event, etcetera). If the features are the descriptive aspects of your offer, then the benefits are the reasons why they matter to your audience or customer.
When you’re pitching anything, you have to focus not just on your offer (the features), but why it matters to the person you’re pitching to (the benefits).
As the old marketing adage goes: “People don’t want to buy a mattress. They want to buy a good night’s sleep!”
In other words… Features are the what, benefits are the why. And that “why” is everything!
Your goal when pitching potential sponsors is to demonstrate the value they’ll receive from sponsoring your event. That value is all in the benefits.
With that said, Eventbrite outlines a few broad reasons businesses might want to sponsor your event (remember that it will be different for everyone)...
Increasing brand awareness. This might be a new brand or a startup wanting to get in front of their target audience, or it could be an established brand looking to reach a new audience.
Increasing sales. Whether it’s via direct sales, a demo booth, free samples, or something else, businesses can boost their sales revenue by putting their products directly into the hands of their target customers. Are those customers your attendees?
Blocking competition (market share). Competitive businesses love exclusivity, so you might be able to offer them a chance to reach their customers somewhere their competitor isn’t. In order to truly know your prospect, you also have to know their competition!
Repositioning their brand. Businesses’ goals and challenges are changing daily (think about brands like KFC and Hershey’s that pulled their ad campaigns showing human contact during COVID-19). Partnering with certain organizations or events can demonstrate a brand’s commitment to social values.
Engaging in social responsibility. Similar to the point above, it can be an effective branding message for businesses to align with a cause that their customers are passionate about.
Stop again for a moment and think about the specific benefits each individual business might gain from sponsoring your event.
If you’re struggling to come up with something convincing, here’s a video from Chris Baylis of The Sponsorship Collective about five questions to ask your prospect before you pitch:
Once you know EXACTLY who you’re pitching to and the unique benefits that THEY will receive from partnering with you, then you’re ready to start writing.
Rules to remember before you start writing
But first, a few things to keep in mind throughout the entirety of the writing process…
A company shouldn’t buy your sponsorship. It should be a WIN-WIN RELATIONSHIP.
You HAVE TO get inside their heads in order to figure out what they really want. That means thinking about who the real decision-maker is (often not the person you’ll send the sponsorship proposal to) and the specific needs of each brand.
Remember that “the letter doesn’t make the sale; you do.” The key here is TRUST, TRUST, TRUST. Build trust by showing empathy and demonstrating value. If you don’t have a connection to your prospect already, consider sending them an email or giving them a call to warm up the lead.
Remember what people respond most to: credibility, visualized data, social proof, and customizability. Leverage these techniques to craft a compelling case for partnering with you.
As with any content, most of the work is done before you even open up your Word document to write. It doesn’t matter how stellar your writing is — if you don’t execute on these fundamentals, you won’t close the sale.
Now onto the writing…
Parts of a sponsorship package
How you format a sponsorship package is largely up to you, but there are a few things that every effective pitch has in common. Again, the key here is to capture your prospect’s interest quickly by establishing trust and demonstrating value as soon as you can.
1. Intro sponsorship proposal letter
Opening your sponsorship package with a proposal letter isn’t necessary, but I think it can provide an effective summary of what’s to come and give you a chance to establish a human connection right away.
HOWEVER… don’t let an introduction letter “bury the lede.” In other words, make sure you’re still demonstrating value and providing key information up front.
2. Overview of the program or event
Here you can include a mission statement, historical background, success stories, and logistics. What info does your prospect need in order to know everything they want to know before making a decision?
This is also a place for you to start answering “What’s in it for me?” If you pique your reader’s interest by demonstrating value up front, they’ll keep reading.
3. Information about your audience
This might include the number of attendees, demographics, their job titles and responsibilities, and opportunities for engagement (i.e. social media). You can also highlight past and present industry partners to add credibility to your track record.
Whatever information you include, make sure that it’s relevant to whomever you’re pitching. It’s also wise to include testimonials and other forms of social proof here if you have them.
4. Sponsor benefits
This might be an explicitly-stated section in your package document, or you might opt for tying your numbers and ideas back to the benefits continually throughout. However you lay it out is up to you so long as the benefits are crystal clear to your potential sponsor.
There should be no doubt in your prospect’s mind about how a sponsorship will benefit them. They should be able to approach the decision-maker and clearly state: “This will help our business by achieving X, Y, and Z.”
5. Sponsorship opportunities
You don’t want to simply approach a business and say, “Hey, uh, wanna sponsor my event? I’m sure we could figure something out.” (You’d be surprised how many people do exactly that.) Provide suggestions for them, and make it easy for them to take action.
This is frequently accomplished by outlining tiers of sponsorship packages or — something that I see becoming increasingly common — offering an “asset menu” (more on that in a second).
However you present your sponsorship opportunities, it’s a good idea to also discuss custom packages with your prospects or provide additional a la carte options.
Example sponsorship opportunities
Not exactly sure what a sponsorship opportunity might look like? Let me give you some example options, as well as a sample package and asset menu.
Any business can obviously just cut you a check with a donation, but think about ways that they can “own” a certain area or activity for a period of time. Don’t forget that partnerships can help both before and after the event, too!
That might include things like…
Exhibition booths, product demonstrations, or mini-sessions
Keynote speakers, guest posts on your site, social media takeovers
App sponsorships, interactive activities, charging stations, wifi-lounge
Games, happy hour, coffee breaks, snack stations, wellness activities
The options are only limited by your imagination. But how do sponsors know which opportunities are available to them, much less which ones to pick? Enter the tiered package.
Here’s how one might look:
Note: these features and prices are completely arbitrary
Remember to tie these features back to the BENEFITS, and bonus points if you give the packages catchy names.
One thing I’ve seen becoming more common (and that I personally happen to really like) is the use of sponsorship menus instead of, or in addition to, sponsorship packages.
It might look something like this:
Again, prices and offers are completely arbitrary.
Providing a menu of a la carte options is a good idea considering that you probably won’t include a perfectly-tailored fit of what your prospect wants, and nothing more, into a sponsorship package.
Menus, on the other hand, let your potential sponsor have total control over selecting the best opportunities for them given their specific goals and budget.
It’s up to you to decide whether you want to present your sponsorship opportunities as tiered packages, a menu of options, or some combination of both.
I personally like the idea of featuring a menu but also including curated packages to make things easier for clients who want to do less thinking. It’s a way of saying, “Hey, don’t know what to choose? I came up with options A, B, and C for you. Just pick whichever one is in your budget.”
Finally, remember to include the option for further customization. Being open to new ideas and discussion is more likely to result in a win-win relationship rather than just a sale.
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Trust me, I know how confusing, time-consuming, and straight up daunting finding and securing sponsorships can be. That’s why I want to leave you with some of my most highly-recommended resources on the topic.
First, Eventbrite has an excellent sample sponsorship proposal which includes their commentary after each page. Check it out to see what an effective finished product might look like.
Second, The Sponsorship Collective has a whole collection of free resources, including templates, checklists, email scripts, and sample reports alongside their blog and YouTube channel.
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