Your Guide To Writing Stellar Sponsorship Request Emails

1. When Sponsors Say No!

“Sorry no..”
”We aren’t looking to sponsor right now..”
”Unfortunately, we have already…”
”Can you circle back in 12 months?…”

“Our sponsorship budget won’t work out with your event pricing”.

Rejections to your email requesting sponsorship, may or may not sound like these. Yet they are disappointing and frustrating. Sponsorship rejections are hard to digest. After all, as an event planner so much of your event's growth and scale depends on the quality of sponsorships you receive. Our guide is designed to help you land quality sponsorships.

2. What Is A Sponsorship Request Letter?

Before we get into the ‘how’ of crafting sponsorship letters, let’s understand what it is. Sponsorship request letters are requests for financial support or in-kind assistance to make an event possible. These requests chart out the terms of sponsorship, benefits, ideas and packages that help sponsors decide on partnering with the event.

2. A. Why Are Sponsorship Request Letters Important To Your Event?

Sponsors don’t know you or your event. The sponsorship letter is perhaps their first interaction with your brand. It’s also your ticket to getting financial support for your event. So it’s value lies in making your event bigger and better than ever before. Getting the sponsorship letter right means gaining the trust of sponsors, encouraging them to know about your event and finally, getting the sponsorships pooling in. The more your sponsorship request letter attracts the right sponsors, the better it is for your brand.

2.B. Why Should Sponsors Say Yes To Your Event?

Are you thinking this too? Then you are on the right track. Sponsors won’t just offer support to your event without reciprocation. If sponsorship will help your event, then how will your event help sponsors? Answer this question clearly and see the magic unfold. Sponsors are looking for mutually beneficial relationships. Start with a strategy that outlines benefits and perks that sponsors can expect. For instance, ad space on your event app is a perk that most sponsors would love for the visibility it guarantees.Remember you are not creating a one-off trade but rather nurturing a long term relationship with sponsors. Effort in recognising what drives sponsors, fulfilling those needs are what will help your event in the long run.

2.C. Identify Your Sponsorship Goals

Before we tell you how to craft a sponsorship letter, you need to know your sponsorship goals. Yes the financial support is important but what more are you looking for from the partnership? Here’s what your sponsorship goals may look like during the first year.* Financial support to scale the event.* Looking for a long-term partnership with recurring benefits to both the sponsor and you.* Nurturing a relationship where financial support and non-financial aid come together for your event. For instance, if your sponsor deals in audio-visual equipment then you can request to use equipment for certain perks.

2.D. Where Do I Find Sponsors?

“Where are the sponsors?” - well they are pretty much everywhere. All you need to do is pay closer attention. 

• Start with looking at past events from your industry and check the sponsor list. This basic idea is enough to get you started.
• Utilise your network and ask them if they know brands or companies who are looking to partner with event planners
• Don’t dismiss the power and pull of smaller brands. Often smaller brands, who want visibility, are more open to sponsorships.
• Linkedin is a great platform to identify brands who are most likely to benefit from your partnership. You can even send connection requests to relevant POCs.
• Go back to sponsorship deals that went cold or were not a right fit in the past. Reaching out to your existing sponsor list is another great way to get sponsorships.

Have the basics covered? It’s time to craft an amazing sponsorship email. Read on.

3. The Sponsorship Request Etiquette: 5 Steps To Crafting A High Conversion Sponsorship Email

There is a delicate balance you need to strike when requesting sponsorship. You can’t come across with a ‘who-cares’ attitude but neither can you come across as desperate. There is a
strategy for requesting sponsorship. One, that begins even before you pen down that email. 

Here are 5 steps to follow to craft a sponsorship email that gets you a call-back.

Step 1. Get To Know Your Sponsor

Generic emails requesting sponsorship will give you 0 results. Instead, spend time researching your potential sponsor.

* Identify the type of events they have sponsored in the past.

* Look into the sponsorship type to identify an average budget range.

* Head to LinkedIn and identify the right POC for sponsorships.

If there is a mismatch between your sponsor's area of interest and your event, your sponsorship letters won’t get any responses. The right sponsors are one who have expressed interest in similar events in the past. The above 3 factors will help you identify sponsors who are more likely to convert and support your event.

Step 2. Chart Out The Benefits

You don’t invest without returns. Neither will your sponsors. Create a docket listing all the financial and qualitative benefits your sponsors can expect from your event. Common benefits can include:

• More visibility for the brand and company.
• Higher conversions owing to the above visibility.
• Interest in a sponsor’s product/service will lead to higher sales.
  These are general benefits that most sponsors look for. Your task is to customize this as per your sponsor’s need. For instance, if your sponsor’s current concern is conversions then your request will highlight the solution. Curate a specific sponsorship letter to get maximum call backs.

Step 3. Create Sponsorship Packages.

Budgets vs benefits is what you need to focus on. Create a tier-based package for different budgets. Ensure you list down the benefits, inclusions, and value of each package. This helps sponsors:

• Have more options to invest even when with a limited sponsorship budget.
• Conveys the sentiment of ‘we want you’ to sponsors.
  While making the sponsorship packages highlight the differences between packages. Also highlight any discounts or coupons you offer.
  

Step 4: Make It Personal.

Once you have identified the POC for sponsorship, personalize the email you are sending. Personalization is often mistaken to be just adding the POC’s name and calling it a day. Personalizing your sponsorship email template involves:

• Write a short brief about why you want to collaborate with the sponsor.
• Specific points about how the sponsor's products/services are the perfect fit for your event.

Add a humane touch by sharing a snippet of why the sponsor’s work inspires you.Sometimes though you may accidentally send the email to the wrong POC or to someone who no longer is associated with the sponsor company. In such cases, apologise and ask for details of the person handling sponsorships. 9 out 10 times you will find that people will gladly point you in the right direction.

Step 5: Be Consistent With Follow-ups

The first 4 steps along with our Email Sponsorship templates (see bottom) will help you shoot the email. The next bit is harder. Ensure you consistently follow up with the sponsor. Don’t badger them with emails every 30 minutes though.

• Chart out a schedule and follow up every 3 days, every 2 days, and so on.
• Make sure the follow-up emails aren’t generic. You can pre-empt and address any questions the sponsors may have after reading your first email.

When do you stop following up? This can feel confusing because you don’t want to lose an opportunity but also don’t know if the sponsor is interested. As a general rule of thumb, if you don’t hear back within 30-45 days then its best to move on and focus on other sponsors.

4. Drafting A Sponsorship Email: The Do’s

Kick aside the writer’s bloc, grab a pen and paper and we will help you draft your first sponsorship email in under 30 minutes.

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Greetings: Warm and Approachable‍

”Hey [name]”, “Hello [name], How are you?”, these are professional and yet warm greetings to begin your email. Avoid time-based greetings like good morning and good evening. It’s likely the recipient might read these much later than intended and get confused.

Also always address the POC with the right spelling of their name. Verify this tiny but essential detail before you hit the send button.

‍Introduction: About Your Role and The Event

Introduce yourself and your role before diving into the details of the event. Mention what the event is about and who is the target audience. Mention a line about your experience in hosting events.

For instance “Come July, we are hosting an event to launch our new sneaker and apparel range. This is the 10th edition of our annual event”.

Don’t beat around the bush and make this your opening line. Add keywords in your introduction that you know will grab the sponsor's attention.

‍Benefits: Both Qualitative and Quantitative

Dive into the benefits your sponsors gain when associating with your event. You can show previous event data to corroborate your statement.

For instance “XYZ experienced a 20% boost in their product sales from our event”. “ABC enjoys a coveted space at our event owing to our loyalty program”. “INC. corporation amassed 50,000+ followers during the 8th edition of our event”.

You can also use the sponsor's own data and highlight your claims. For instance, “Last year you grew by 300 clients, by associating with our event you can experience 3X growth”.  This is a great way to get the sponsors attention.

‍Package: Clear Yet Brief‍

Lay down the different pricing tiers and their corresponding benefits. You can add this as a separate attachment to your email or embed a table in your email. Label your packages ‘Basic’, ‘Plus’, and ‘Premium’ to help sponsors identify the package that suits them best.

Also use bold colors to differentiate the benefits under each package. You can also mention which packages are preferred by other sponsors and why. If you have clauses of ‘No-Contact’ or ‘Lock-In’ then mention those to get more brownie points. First-time sponsors are just as nervous associating with you so show them how flexible you are. Always leave room to connect even if sponsors want a curated package.

‍Conclusion: Clear Call To Action ‍

Here you have the option to add testimonials or a successful case study. Be sure to conclude with a clear call to action. You can mention “Let’s connect via [call, email]”. “Here’s my calendar if you want to know more about our event”. Make sure your closing statement is clear but not pushy. Also, unpopular opinion, but let sponsors know that even if they say no, they can always reach out to you later. Remember you are building a long-term connection. Even if you don’t get financial benefits immediately, who knows you might just get a referral.

Template 1: The Introductory Sponsorship Email Request.

Template 2: Detailed Sponsorship Letter

Follow-up Template:  Follow Up With Sponsors.

6. Our Email Hygiene Checks

Before shooting that email do these checks.

 1. Spell check the email because grammatical errors are a No-No 

2. Do a test run to check if your email lands in spam or not. 

3. Check if all attached links (calendar, pricing, website, event landing page) are working and linking to the right place.

4. Make sure you spell the sponsor’s name, and names of products and services, correctly.

5. Recheck all event details (date, month, venue, schedule) before sending the email.

6. Enable the ‘undo’ option on your email to be on the safe side.

7. Sign off the email from your company’s president or founder. This adds credibility and gives sponsors the confidence that your email is not part of a scam.

7. When Not To Press Send On That Sponsorship Email: The Don’ts

Timing is important when engaging with sponsors. There are times when all the above tricks and hacks can land you a sponsorship deal. Yet a few errors can leave you with no sponsorship, starting with:

1. Surface Level Research:

Hold off on the sponsorship request if all you know about the sponsor is their name and industry. Research is key in curating the right pitch. Hire a team to dedicate time to sponsor research.

2. Misfit:

You inherently know the sponsor will say no. The reasons can be a mismatch in brand values, sponsor’s needs, or service offerings. Listen to your gut and your data and pull the plug on that sponsorship.

3. Sponsor’s Financial Standing:

‍Sponsors can go through financially turbulent times. If you are hearing of layoffs, reduced staffing, and limited production done by the sponsor, then it’s likely they won’t be sponsoring your event.

4. Fragmented Event Strategy:

‍If key elements of your event are undecided - including event venue, event theme, and event budget then it's best to hold off the sponsorship requests. In such cases, your sponsorship attempt will backfire because you will have no answers to the sponsor’s request for details.

8. Deliver On Your Promise To Sponsors With Eventify.

You got the sponsorship deal. Congratulations! But what next? Often event planners feel overwhelmed with the ‘how’ of fulfilling promises made to sponsors. The best strategy can fail if your event is executed haphazardly with limited visibility to sponsors.

Eventify helps you monetize digital real estate with our mobile event app and our event management software to promote sponsors. Splash screens, signage, and sponsor logos can be displayed on our app and by using our latest large-screen display option. Our features coupled with efficient tech are all you need to make your sponsorship and event a success.

Happy Events!