Thread by @iamjeremyenns

Most podcasters think they need 1000s of listeners to land high-ticket sponsors.

You don't.

You can land 5-figure podcast sponsorships w/ 1000 listeners.

Here's a step-by-step guide to how niche shows can land high-paying sponsors without a large audience.

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1. The Goal Of Any Successful Podcast Sponsorship

Understand that the most lucrative sponsorship deals are those that are a genuine win-win-win for your audience, your sponsor & you.

You're not aiming for a quick cash grab, you're aiming to build a long-term relationship.

2. Understand Your Audience

Before you can write a compelling sponsor pitch, you need to learn everything you can about your listeners.

Sponsors will want as much detailed info on who they're paying to get in front of as possible before even thinking about committing.

3. Understand Your Sponsor

The more you know about your sponsors' biz models, revenue streams, audience, etc the more compelling a pitch you can make.

Find as many possible overlaps & connections between your show, their biz & your shared audience to use in your pitch.

4. Ditch CPM & Aim Niche

CPM ad deals work when you have tens of thousands of downloads per ep but are almost useless for small niche shows.

The good news is highly-aligned niche sponsors are often willing to pay up to 25x industry average CPM rates for a highly aligned fit.

5. Create Sponsorship Packages

Single ad slots are too much hassle to manage for the $.

Create 3, pre-built sponsorship packages including promo across multiple platforms, incl podcast, email, social, etc.

Your sponsor wants to reach your ppl wherever they are. Make it easy.

6. Target The Right Sponsors

Look for scrappy companies in your niche that are:

• Up and coming
• Launching new offers
• Highly targeted to your audience
• Competing against entrenched incumbents
• High-touch, personality-driven

7. Create A Professional Pitch Deck

Including all the info a sponsor would need including:

• Info about the podcast & host(s)
• Audience demo and psychographics
• Podcast/social/email stats
• Sponsorship packages
• Awards, features, etc
• Your team

8. Write A Compelling Pitch

Your goal is to make this a no-brainer for them.

This means making it obvious that sponsoring your show will benefit THEIR business in a meaningful way.

The more you know about their offers, audience & goals, the easier this will be to write.

9. Take The Lead In Negotiations

Podcasters get taken advantage of when they defer to sponsors to lead.

Stick to your pkgs & don't offer discounts. Instead, have a selection of bonuses that you can throw in to sweeten the deal and get them to agree to your package price.

10. Know Your Worth

Sponsorships are not "free money."

They require ongoing real work to manage and can risk the relationship you've built with your audience if done poorly.

Know what your show is worth & don't settle for less.

11. Focus On Getting Your Sponsor Results

The best ad reads are the ones where you can tell the host believes in the product & is genuinely excited to promote it.

Remember, the most lucrative sponsorships are long-term. Keep getting them results and the'll keep coming back.

If you want to go deeper, check out my Definitive Guide To Landing High-Ticket Podcast Sponsorships (Even With A Small Audience).

It's based on my experience helping my niche clients land & retain highly-aligned sponsors who are excited to pay real $$$.

counterweightcreative.co/definitive-gui…

@jayclouse One of your newsletters last year prompted me to aim bigger with some of my writing, and this article was the result (been chipping away since August!)

Thanks to you and @milesbeckler for the push to step out of my comfort zone and up my game!