Sponsorship

[Grey.mare]

Hi 😊 I was just wondering if anyone had any hints/tips or tricks on how to gain sponsorship from companies!

I’m currently competing 2 horses in the south east at affiliated BE and BD competitions at BE 90 and BD Novice level with the aim to possibly move up a level in both by the end of the season! We’ve been pretty consistent this year with a placing every time out and they tend to draw some attention. Obviously horses are expensive and I have a part time job along side them and university but was wondering the best way to possibly get a backing from a company without them noticing us first?

Also if you sponsor someone/own a company what is it that you look for in choosing someone to promote you?

Thanks in advance 😜

 

[fidleyspromise]

A company that sponsors someone is looking for them to be an ambassador for their brand - look at the top riders recently that have been dropped by their sponsors as they are portraying the wrong image to their market ie. horse owners/riders. They want to know that who they sponsor will behave responsibly.
You need to be clear in what will they gain from sponsoring you?
(I've read loads on this recently but need to stop procrastinating and get this assessment done. Will provide more in-depth info later if someone else doesn't).

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/how-to-get-a-sponsor-as-a-rider-406126
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...-Rider-what-would-you-expect-from-sponsor-etc

 

[teddypops]

I know loads of people who have gained sponsorship just by asking local companies. Also on Facebook groups, you see businesses looking for people to apply for sponsorship, so keep an eye out for those.

 

[WelshD]

Proper sponsorship is hard to secure, you need a good reputation to secure a worthwhile deal.

Other sponsorship would appear to fall in to two categories:

-those who are sponsored by a family business, employer, parents business etc

- those who are given a nice fleece rug and a jacket and who are expected to plug the business with every win and at every other opportunity.

I was shocked when a local 'sponsored rider' approached me for feed prices (I work in a feed shop) for the very brand she was promoting - turns out that aside for a few bags at the start and the odd voucher she gets nothing else for her tireless plugging of the company.... I suppose it may work both ways in giving her a bit more respect from fellow competitors but I couldn't help feeling it was a raw deal on her part especially as it excluded her from classes aimed at amateurs etc

 

[Theocat]

Proper sponsorship is hard to secure, you need a good reputation to secure a worthwhile deal.

Other sponsorship would appear to fall in to two categories:

-those who are sponsored by a family business, employer, parents business etc

- those who are given a nice fleece rug and a jacket and who are expected to plug the business with every win and at every other opportunity.

I was shocked when a local 'sponsored rider' approached me for feed prices (I work in a feed shop) for the very brand she was promoting - turns out that aside for a few bags at the start and the odd voucher she gets nothing else for her tireless plugging of the company.... I suppose it may work both ways in giving her a bit more respect from fellow competitors but I couldn't help feeling it was a raw deal on her part especially as it excluded her from classes aimed at amateurs etc

Agree with this. The reality is that what you need is cash, and what you'll end up with is equipment that you probably already have - and you'll have to work hard to keep promoting the sponsor.

I suspect it would be easier and more cost effective to do a few more part time hours, if you can possibly manage it.

 

[ozpoz]

Keep up with Facebook and Twitter - there are often promotions for brand ambassadors there. Then write nicely to companies and ask them, or if you feel confident, approach them on trade stands looking smart and professional and follow up with an emailed resume of results and everything else that would make you their ideal brand ambassador.

 

[MagicMelon]

As everyone has already said, you dont really get money, you get freebies. I was lucky enough to be sponsored by 2 national companies - one was extremely kind and paid for one BE entry for me for a big event but otherwise both gave me equipment (whatever they sell themselves) which was fantastic dont get me wrong but it doesnt help much with the financial side if thats were you're struggling (unless you were sponsored by say a feed company and given feed for free as that'd help bring that cost down). I did better years ago (pre-children and mortgage etc.) when I used to buy a cheap unbacked pony at the beginning of summer, back it and get it out competing then sell it at the end of the summer for at least £2k more than I bought it for (not bad for 3 months work and having fun with it) - that then helped go towards entry fees for my other horses/s.

 

[Grey.mare]

Thankyou all for your advice (Sorry a bit late replying i struggle to use the forums on my phone)

I'd love to be able to buy a cheap pony to then sell on but unfortunately just dont have the room.

Did contact a company in the hopes of gaining sponsorship however did not work out. Am possibly looking at contacting some other companies to and was wondering if anyone would be willing to read a draft of my email and give me some pointers?

if anyone has any time it is copied below! I am aiming to approach some supplements and bedding/hay/feed companies in the hopes of possibly gaining some product sponsorship, as you guys have pointed out above these types of sponsorships are brilliant and will enable me to use any saved money towards entry fees (and vet bills currently).

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to you to ask if you would be interested in sponsoring a hard working young rider who has genuine experience with your company and is motivated to succeed.

My name is Maria --; I am a 19year old rider based in -- currently competing my horses in all disciplines. I currently own 5 horses, 3 of whom I compete alongside completing my degree; however due to an injury my string is currently down to 2. My goal is to eventually turn eventing and competing in to my career and compete internationally to 2* and above. I have been riding since I was 6 and have owned my own horses for coming up to 10 years. All of my horses have been blank canvases that I have trained to get them to their current level.

Paragraph about my own experience with the company

Blue is a 13 year old grey mare who is currently on a comeback after a rough few years with some training setbacks and is off to a flying start being placed nearly every time out. This year our BE results are as follows
Munstead Be80 10th
Horse Heath BE 80 7th
Borde Hill BE80 11th
And finally at our first step back up to 90 to finish 16th at Rackham.

Oscar is a 7-year-old Irish sports horse gelding in his second season of eventing! He manages to draws eyes wherever he goes both for the right and wrong reasons! He’s got a bright future ahead of him, which he proved by winning his first event of the season with a 24.2 dressage score with loads more to come. Our aim is to try and compete in a BE90 by the end of this season! I hope he will be the horse to eventually take me to my first international in the future.

Archie is a 12-year-old piebald rescue cob. He competes predominantly in dressage however does also love to jump and does the odd day out jumping or eventing with the Pony Club! He is currently out of action with a bone bruise but was competing at Novice and ready to make the move up to Elementary and was aiming for Medium by the end of the year. Our greatest achievement to date was coming 3rd at the British Riding Clubs nationals in April 2017.

My horses are based at home in a private yard where friends and clients come to use the facilities; we hope to eventually expand this in to a small livery yard in the not too distant future. On top of this I also have a freelance business which I run alongside my degree.

I attend shows and events nearly every weekend through both the summer and winter seasons, so I am always out and about. I train regularly with my instructor, international event rider ___, in an attempt to achieve the best results possible. On top of this I have a small but active Instagram account (3k and counting) and a Facebook page where I post training updates and competition results. Both of these can be found under MJAEquine. I could therefore use these to further promote your products. I am an active member of the Pony Club as both a rider and a coach giving me a broad network to promote within.

If you choose to support me, I will promote your business to its maximum potential at every chance I have and at each event I attend. I can also promote your company at events whether attending as a competitor or as a spectator or when training my freelance clients.

Advertising of my sponsors can be available using the following:

- Saddlecloths
- Clothing
- Rugs
- Social networking sites
- Lorry signage
- Arena signage
- For product based sponsorship, I can provide reviews and pictures of the products in action.



I have attached some images of my horses and I out training and competing.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email, I look forward to hearing from you in due course.

Regards

Maria ___

 

[Shay]

You need to say what you are doing now - not what you want to do in the future. Where will their sponsorship be shown? How will this assist with targeting their audience? What social media exposure can you offer? How does your competition history / reputation enhance that of their product? Research your companies and tailor your approach to them. Can you imagine how many of this type of template email companies get?

Personal approaches always work better. But you really need to understand what audience they a re aiming for and how your competition exposure is going to enhance that. No company is going to give money to an "up and coming" at low level competition who might not be able to show their company in the best light. With the best will in the world - you are interested in your horses. Companies are not. Images and pretty descriptions are irrelevant.

Try for something more like - I won this national award, competed at this particular level, this finals place there. (Top 3 - top 10 at a push. no lower) This contributed to your stated target audience in this way. I can contribute to your sales in this way...

You also need to say what you are specifically looking for. Do you want bedding for the horses? A training grant or bursary? or just an embroidered saddle cloth?

 

[FunkyFilly28]

I would definitely look at smaller businesses and places like your local tack shop. I work for a fairly large equestrian company and we receive sponsorship requests every day. We tend to look for well established riders competing at quite a high level although have taken on mid level riders with a strong presence on social media and are really on brand. Regular updates on social media are key with fairly decent photos. Unless it is a bursary, you will likely only receive products rather than funding.

Your email is professional and polite but too long in my opinion. I would introduce yourself, recent results, aims for the season and a line or two about the horses you're currently competing. Provide links to all your social media so that they can easily be seen. If the company is interested then they can follow up with you and request further info if needed. It's good that you've listed what you can offer in terms of sponsorship. Depending on the company, you may also be able to provide content for them, for example blog posts and videos. This could be a way to standout if you are able to offer this.

Be aware that it does take considerable time promoting the company you're being sponsored by. They will expect regular updates on social media and possibly photos, product reviews etc.

Best of luck!

 

[paddi22]

we deal with sponsorship all the time. At the moment your letter is too text heavy, it needs to be cut down a massive amount so people can scan it and get the important info quickly

the most important info a sponsor wants to know is

1. Analyse your facebook follower profile/instagram - it shows the breakdown of the male/female, age group and where they are from. This is the main thing advertisers want.

2. Get as much info you can about numbers of followers on social media, amount of hits on website. Sponsors want to know what kind of reach you have. Get these into bullet points

3. Work out exactly what you can offer sponsors. Exactly where will their logo be shown, how much coverage can you give them and where.

4. What do you want - pin it down

I agree with shay, knock off all the info about your horses, definitely don't put in your results or the sentences about your yard etc. Knock off the stuff about your future aims, everyone aims for badminton ideally! What are you doing now and why would they be interested.

I copied this off another site for work before, but its a good template

A rough template could look like this:

-Introduction — Introduce yourself, your team, club or event. Tell your story, describe what you do and why you seek sponsorship.
-Show your potential — Talk about the size and makeup of your audience and the possibilities for sponsors. If you already had a sponsor in the past, mention them and what they got out of working with you.
-Talk about them — State why you approached this particular company. Show that you have done your homework and that you have developed an idea how you could help them, e.g. that you have a lot of overlap in audience.
-Deliver the sell — Directly ask for sponsorship while clearly stating the business benefits for the other side. Lay out your different (tailored) sponsorship packages so they can weigh their options and make a choice. State that you’d be happy to go over the specifics with them.
-Call to action — Finally, ask them to get in touch with you, fill out a form or do whatever you want them to. Don’t forget to give your contact details. It’s best to give both a phone number, an email address and a mailing address. You can also include your team website. And don’t forget to thank them for their time!

 

[sbloom]

Agree with what others have said but I know we as a company would be very unlikely to consider someone who isn't already using our product and clearly already believes in it.