How would you feel if someone pitched you an offer to sponsor your podcast show? What if that same sponsor wanted to help you host an event? If you’re like most people, you would be happy and motivated to keep delivering engaging podcast content.
For those who have been in the podcasting business for any span of time, we know that getting sponsorships can be challenging. What are the requirements to get a podcast sponsor for your podcasts and podcasting events?
This guide explains podcast sponsorship models and practical steps to attract sponsors. Click here to learn more about a platform you can use to secure sponsorship for a podcast.
Requirements to get podcast sponsors
While many podcast sponsors often prefer podcasts with more listeners, it doesn’t always matter. What’s essential is having proof of good audience analytics and structuring your pitch to fit any of the sponsorship models.
Your podcasting niche is also essential since different niches will have slightly different consumer behavior. In other words, it indicates how your listeners will purchase the sponsor’s product or services.
What are the types of podcast sponsorship models?
Before learning how to get a podcast sponsor, let’s look at how the different sponsorship models work. These models mainly apply if your event is a live broadcast online. For in-person events, unless you are live streaming, these may not apply.
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Cost Per Mille (CPM) model
Reach out to podcast sponsors and agree on the CPM model if you’re okay with payment per 1000 show downloads or streams. The general rate is usually within $10 or $20 upwards to $50 but it could be more depending on the size of your podcast audience.
The CPM model is recommended not for small-sized podcasts that may be struggling to promote their shows to a broader audience.
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Value-based sponsorships
Smaller-sized podcasts that don’t benefit from CPM sponsorship payment contracts can take advantage of value-based sponsorships.
Here a podcast sponsor will pay a fixed rate for every featured episode you upload. This also works well for smaller-scale sponsors with fixed budgets. The number of downloads won’t affect the amount which is why smaller podcast shows often choose it.
However, such value-based sponsorship agreements are not best for the more prominent podcasts with large followings as it limits the potential income.
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Affiliate model
The affiliate sponsorship model works like the typical affiliate marketing scheme. Here you connect with a podcast sponsor who gives you an affiliate link and will pay you for every purchase made using your link.
But there is a downside. You can potentially earn nothing if nobody completes their purchases through your link.
Understanding how podcast sponsorship works
If you’ve already secured a podcast sponsorship deal, here’s how to include sponsored ads on your show or at your podcast event.
Radio-style sponsorship ads
The radio-style sponsored ads method is where the host receives the advertisement audio to announce during the podcast show. The sponsoring brand prepares its ad, and you only have to place it between your podcast ideas.
Host-read sponsorship ads format
Using a host-read sponsored ad method requires more from the podcast host. Instead of receiving a short advertisement recording, the show host advertises the sponsoring brand themselves.
You do the talking and briefly mention the advantages of the sponsoring brand’s product or service.
How to get podcast sponsors for your podcast event
Follow these step-by-step guides on getting sponsors for your podcast shows and events.
1. Define your audience
Identify the persona of those listening to your podcasts and work on aligning your upcoming podcast ideas to suit them.
That’s how to establish authority within your niche and get podcast sponsors interested in similar content. You’d be surprised to see how much exposure your podcasting shows get with time.
2. Promote & grow your podcast show
Try different podcast promotion strategies to increase your podcast listeners. Your audience and subscriber count should also increase if you want to stay relevant in your competitive niche.
Generally, podcast sponsors prefer the best show in every niche. Focusing on promoting your podcast show is how to get noticed for sponsorship offers.
3. Create a podcast media kit
What do you do when a sponsor reaches out for podcasting agreements? It’s good to have a podcasting media kit to share with them.
An excellent media kit contains your important audience engagement analytics, listener demographics, and engaging episode topic ideas. They can help an interested sponsor trust your podcasting process.
4. Directly connect with sponsors
Setting up your podcast shows to get on the radar of potential sponsors is excellent. But also consider sending direct proposals to those companies or brands that should fit your podcasting show/niche.
Ensure you’re direct and carefully highlight important analytics and metrics that make you valuable to their advertisement goals.
5. Contact only related brands
Avoid reaching out to just any company or brand. Ask yourself: Does the brand exist in a similar niche to my podcast? Try to find a company that matches your niche. Audiences don’t typically like ads to begin with. Therefore, there is a good chance that you lose listeners when you put irrelevant ads in your podcast event.
Whoever sponsors your podcasting event, whether it’s online or in-person, becomes part of your brand. Make sure you are okay with being associated with the company.
6. Follow-up on contacted sponsors
Remember to send a follow-up email to sponsors who haven’t replied. Keeping a good relationship with those who agreed to a sponsorship deal for your podcast show is also necessary.
It demonstrates your interest, and a follow-up could be an opportunity to get podcast sponsors to a scheduled meeting to discuss the details of a possible sponsorship arrangement.
7. Try a podcast network
A podcast network could be a solution if you have already reached out to podcast sponsors without positive results. Podcast networks are advertising groups of podcasts registered under a hosting company.
Hence, sponsors might prefer these networks over contacting individual podcast hosts. An advertising podcast network helps you find podcast sponsors more quickly but at an agreed percentage cut of the earnings. This can help you with events as you may get more than one sponsor who is willing to support your live podcast event or online event.
8. Negotiate with your sponsor
People often overlook the negotiation part of learning how to find podcast sponsors. You will likely lose out on sponsorship opportunities or earn less without proper negotiation skills. The first thing to do when you secure podcast sponsors for your show is to confirm if the ads placement is pre-roll, mid-roll, or post-roll.
You also need to confirm if it will be a Cost Per Mille (CPM), value-based, or an affiliate payment style.
If you are hosting an event, work out what your sponsor will pay for. This can include the hosting table setup, merchandise and even the venue. Also, if your sponsor wants to display or sell products or items from their brand, negotiate how that will work in an in-person setting.
Conclusion
We hope this comprehensive guide has been helpful in explaining everything about getting sponsors for your podcast or podcasting event. Securing sponsorships is a great monetization strategy and it can also help you to promote your show through events online or in person. Just make sure you choose sponsors within a similar niche.
Otherwise, you can disinterest many listeners who find the ads completely unrelated.
