What’s up everyone,

We’re back with another newsletter on this beautiful Sunday once again.

This week I’m going to be sharing something that will help you make more money and sign better sponsors.

In the past 50 days (a fancy way of saying Q3) I’ve closed over $100,000 in sponsorship revenue for clients.

Which is an average of $2000 a day. Every single day.

Pretty cool.

What that means is that I partner with top quality brands and high-quality podcasts for sponsorships.

During this time, I’ve learned some harsh lessons.

These lessons apply to both the podcast getting sponsored and the brand we’re matching the podcast with.

I’ve broken it down into the ten most important lessons learned.

Let’s dig in.

1. No Niche, No One Cares

If you have a vague podcast like ‘entrepreneurship’, literally no one cares to sponsor the show.

The reason is that the podcast is creating some type of platitude content.

As well as trying to appeal to everyone.

If you aim for everyone, you catch no one.

A HUGE red flag for brands.

Think super specific like a ghostwriting podcast that ONLY works with series B and beyond founders.

2. Brand Alignment is Everything

Your interest must align with the brand’s values.

You must have an interest in what they are selling.

They must have an interest in what you are discussing.

If there’s a misunderstanding in alignment, it’s not a good deal and you should walk in the other direction.

You DON’T want to be the dude shilling teeth whitening products or skinny tea formula.

Not cool.

3. Someone Always Holds The Power

You either want what they have OR they want what you have.

It’s as simple as that.

Since brands and podcasts come from different angles, the position of power often weighs in someone’s favour.

You’re either a podcast with a huge audience or a brand with a tonne of options.

It’s not a negative thing.

It’s life.

4. The Podcast isn’t Enough on its Own

A brand doesn’t sponsor an audio channel, they sponsor you.

Your podcast, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter.

These platforms give you leverage and negotiation power.

Use it to your advantage.

Instead of saying “please sponsor my podcast!” your personal brand is an entire suite of social channels with vast distribution.

5. Sponsorships are About Relationships

The actual work starts when the deal is signed.

It’s not about grabbing the cash and running off to a tropical island. You want to build a relationship with the brand, understand their goals and offer your help to realise those dreams.

Check in frequently with them, see what you can do better and execute on the changes.

Always play the long game.

6. Reputation > Sponsorships Every Time

A shitty deal is not worth the reputational damage if it’s not in alignment with who you are.

People literally throw money at anything, but don’t fall for the cash if:

You can’t deliver the expectations

The brand doesn’t align with you

The brand doesn’t serve your audience

There is better and easier ways to make money in the world.

7. Every Piece of Content Adds to the Deal

You can significantly increase your monthly sponsorship value, including posts to other channels.

If you crush it in short form, that adds to the deal.

If you crush it on LinkedIn, that adds to the deal.

Every little nuance is an opportunity to increase the deal size.

8. Revenue Performance is the Only Metric

At the end of the day, sponsorships are ads.

If you can show a positive ROI for their investment, thumbs up. The model works.

Yes, brands can sponsor podcasts for exposure reasons, but nothing quite beats the feeling of generating revenue for someone who took a chance on you.

9. Future Sponsors Depend on Current Sponsors

There’s no better way to build or tarnish your future than with a sponsor.

If you KILL it once with a brand, it gives you fantastic data to leverage for larger deals.

If you bomb with a sponsor, no traffic, no sales, it’s difficult to land a big sponsor afterwards.

Especially if they come looking for metrics (which they will, by the way).

10. Your Story is More Important Than Your Podcast

The story you tell the world is how you will ultimately stand out.

People remember your story more than a random podcast on the internet.

Your story binds your podcast together.

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That’s all for today everyone.

I’m excited to see what I’ll learn from my first $1 million in sponsorships

Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

→Schedule an Introduction Call: Voics is the straightforward podcast agency that creates, markets, and scales your podcast in a “done-for-you” model.

→Podcast Accelerator: Remove the stress, pressure and countless hours of growing a podcast. This comprehensive course will teach you the system I used to grow Kickoff Sessions and record with the sharpest minds in the world.

→Listen to Kickoff Sessions: Learn from 145+ entrepreneurs who have scaled businesses to millions in profit that will help you on your journey.