Pitching yourself for paid partnerships is not easy and takes a lot of practice! Below are a few tips that are important when reaching out to brands for paid partnerships.
Apply these when listing your partnership opportunities and when connecting with brands on RD Link!
1. BE STRATEGIC, CHOOSE BEST-FIT BRANDS
In private practice (or any area of nutrition), you likely prefer to work with a certain type of person that you know you can best help. You have a certain niche and you know that not every person is necessarily a good fit for you. The same goes for brand partnerships. While you may be excited to connect with any company, you will be more successful if you are strategic in your outreach and pursue brands that are truly a good fit for you and your audience. You should feel proud to represent the company and it should feel like a natural fit, don’t force it!
2. BE SPECIFIC IN YOUR OFFERINGS
“When pitching a brand or company, don’t just pitch yourself… pitch yourself AND an idea/campaign. Show the brand that you know exactly how you could promote them in an effective and fun way. Don’t just expect them to have a campaign or idea ready for you,” Mary Ellen Phipps of @milknhoneynutrition suggests.
This really is one of the best things you can do to secure more brand partnerships.
When brands receive pitches for specific opportunities, it is easy to quickly decide if it is a good fit and if they would like to move forward. When they receive broad and general pitches (i.e. I could do recipe development or social media posts) it requires extra effort on their end to dig deeper, find out what you really do, and think of a way they may able to partner with you. Many brands will ignore general pitches or forget to respond! Make it stand out and make it easy on them!
3. KEEP IT BRIEF
It takes a lot of time to read and respond to long, detailed emails. You can easily pitch yourself in a few short sentences. Include a quick intro, why you like their products, how you could promote their products, and a call to action.
4. HAVE MORE INFORMATION READY TO FOLLOW UP
If you pique their interest, they will likely follow up with questions or seeking more information. For example, what is the reach of the station; when will you need product by; what’s included in the sponsorship package; how many attendees are you expecting at your event; what are your rates, etc. Think a step ahead and anticipate what information they will need and have the details ready to share.
5. INCLUDE A CALL TO ACTION
End your pitch with a question or call to action to guide them to the next step. For example, take a look at my attached media kit; would you like to schedule a call to connect; or could you put me in touch with your marketing team?
6. BE POLITE, PROFESSIONAL, CHEERFUL, AND QUICK TO RESPOND
Show your excitement about the brand and products and make them excited about the possibility of working with you.
7. ENSURE IT WOULD BE A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL PARTNERSHIP
Focus on the value you could provide them. Do you reach their target audience? Is the topic of your segment a good fit for their brand?