5 things indie podcasters want to know when pitching sponsors
Plus, 52 weeks of podcast growth
Hello, gorgeous people! Does saying TGIF ever get old? Because I’m feeling it in my bones. The highlight of my week was getting Maurice, a Nintendo Switch. So, send game suggestions if you have any?
Today, we’re covering FAQs we commonly receive from independent podcasters when it comes to approaching sponsors.
✨ Shout out to Laura Price, the host and creator of Life in Food, for this idea! This one’s for you, Laura.
🔴 If you have only time for ONE thing
Include your growth rate in your pitch to sponsors. No matter how old or new your podcast is, include the growth rate of your downloads over that period of time.
☄️52 weeks of podcast growth
Draft a pitch email for promo swaps. Just do it!
Okay, so we’ve done all the things – from research to rehearsal. Let’s just do the dang thing and draft that pitch email for promo swaps.
To sum it up, here’s the past 5 tips of podcast growth:
Rework your pitch if needed. If not, share it with a community that is not your friends.
Record a trailer of your show.
Get a friend or a fellow podcaster to hear your promo swap.
Find the contacts of 10 podcasts similar to yours.
Draft a pitch email for promo swaps.
💸 Need-to-know: indie podcasters and pitching sponsors
Here’s five questions we receive often from independent podcasters about pitching to sponsors. If you have any questions, comment below or email me at shreya@tinkmedia.co!
Question 1: When should I consider approaching sponsors?
This is one of the most common questions we get. A good time to consider approaching sponsors entirely depends upon you and your project itself. Here are a few common scenarios to consider:
You’re strapped for cash but have a great pitch. If this is you, you’re probably going to need a sponsor before you can launch your podcast. So, the answer to this question is – before you launch.
Your growth is plateaued. If you feel like the reach of your content has plateaued and you want to break into a new market or audience, you might need a little push. This is when you’re gonna be looking for a sponsor.
Your audience is a big fan of this one brand. If you are looking to draw on a specific type of audience that is also the audience of a brand, you should consider partnering with them.
Question 2: What sort of numbers do you need to have per episode before you can start approaching sponsors for branded content?
Sorry to be this person, but, it depends. Most podcasting pundits say that it’s good to have at least 10,000 downloads per episode for three consecutive episodes. However, don’t be disheartened by this. It’s more important to show them a consistent growth rate rather than a certain number of downloads. If you can show them that your downloads and engagement are consistently increasing, it makes for a stellar pitch!
Additionally, it’s more crucial to be transparent with who you’re pitching to about your numbers, your goals, and your vision.
Question 3: What information should I include in this pitch?
Here’s the information you’d typically include in a pitch:
Numbers:
Downloads
Listen-Through Rate
Ratings and reviews
Subscribers to your newsletter, if you have one
Growth Rate – how have your downloads grown over a specific period of time.
Testimonials:
From listeners
From other sponsors or partners
Alignment:
Between your and the brand’s mission and vision
Between your and the brand’s target audiences
Question 4: Would sponsors usually want screenshots as proof?
This absolutely depends on them; some do, some don’t. Ask. However, if they do want you to share screenshots please request them to sign an NDA before sending them.
Question 5: Where (on earth) do you begin to know how much to charge per ad?
This is an important one and we get it a lot in our Podcast Therapy sessions. The answer is lengthy but worth it; stick with me.
When creating a sponsorship pitch and putting together a cost, here’s what you need to keep in mind:
Consider how much you will/could customize the ad throughout your season or however many episodes they agree to sponsor.
Look at your costs for production and add a little bit on top to start, you may have to negotiate but have a strong pitch deck to support your case.
If you’re unsure about asking too much from one sponsors, you could have a ‘lead sponsor’ that gets a full ad/promo spot in every episode and then some supporting sponsors that get mentioned at the beginning and end of the show.
Create a custom package and agreement for a sponsor looking to sponsor a whole season or a certain number of episodes.
Ask them if they’d be interested in sponsoring a giveaway; this could mean more engagement for them and you!
There’s certainly a lot on the topic of sponsorship and this is not the end of our magic on it. Be sure to comment or send us your questions!
From the desk of Tink
From the islands of Kauai and Oahu, Work-Life Harmonized is a dual-cast radio show and podcast where Dana Mahina and her guests talk about the power of joy, integration, harmony, and connection both internally and with the world around us. Through the episodes, Dana explores how to realize the transformations we want to see across the facets of self-worth, work, home, and community. All of it under the umbrella of understanding and the courage to clearly see who we are – our strengths and the parts we want to improve. We are all leaders in our own right. And we don’t fit neatly into any little box. The world is not black and white, and we are an array of colors wrapped beautifully in the Aloha Spirit. Here on Work-Life Harmonized, we delve into what it is to be unapologetically honest with ourselves while also working toward living an authentic life uniquely suited to us.
⭐ Lots More Magic
On Multitude, Amanda McLoughlin wrote a beautiful piece crediting podcast peers that have created some of her favorite podcasts. This is giving me some content ideas ngl.
Pacific Content’s Annalise Nielsen published The Ultimate Guide to Your Brand’s Podcast Strategy.
Host of Bear Brook Jason Moon and Audio Director of NHPR Rebecca Lavoie are hosting a Reddit AMA on Monday.
Skye Pillsbury is accepting paid subscriptions for her audio journalism newsletter The Squeeze. Lauren and I have purchased annual subscriptions already!
Thank you so much for this (and for the shout-out!) Super interesting and helpful pointers :)