You want to land a sponsorship deal in eSports. What are the key steps you need to take?

Know what you want, have a brief understanding of what they might want, and have a lot of patience. You'll be told no a hundred times but that one yes makes it all worth it. Building a proper relationship is so important, avoid cold outreach and mass emails - take time and effort to approach each situation in a unique way to them, it may not work out initially but that goes a long way to leave a memorable pitch. Of course make sure your proposal/deck is tip-top and covers everything a brand may want to know about you and your project.

3. Figure out what makes your offering stand out from the rest. Whether it's your killer gaming skills, entertaining content, or the awesome community you've built, make sure to shine a spotlight on what sets you apart. 4. Make sure your content is top-notch. Whether you're streaming, creating videos, or posting on social media, high-quality content keeps viewers coming back for more and makes sponsors sit up and take notice. and Finally, no. 5. Do your homework on potential sponsors. What are their marketing goals? Who are they trying to reach? Tailor your pitch to show them exactly how teaming up with you can help them achieve those goals.

1. Focus on Providing Value: Be Reliable and Proactive, Go above and beyond expectations. Deliver high-quality work on time and anticipate what others might need.

A few key steps in my opinion: Identify Value Proposition: Offer unique eSports expertise and broad audience reach. Provide innovative engagement strategies for optimal brand exposure. Understanding Objectives: Dive deep into sponsors' goals. Create tailored sponsorship plans to meet their objectives. Client-Centric Planning: Craft proposals with client empathy. Maintain balance between proposal and requested commercials. Follow-through and Accountability: Commit to delivering promises. Ensure transparent communication and thorough reporting. Utilize data-driven insights for tracking partnership impact. Cultivate long-term relationships by showcasing ROI.

2. focusing on providing value, building relationships, and playing the long game, you'll establish yourself as a trustworthy and valuable resource. This will naturally lead to more opportunities and potential benefits coming your way in the future.

a) find a clueless Marketing guy not focused on KPIs but on being "cool" - preferably in an industry far, far away from media and consumers (Deutsche Bahn, T-kom, DHL etc) b) if not possible look into fashion and tech c) last option hardware...but local and not HQ as they might be smart enough. d) dont sell facts but the "wow"...as there are little to no facts pointing to esports as a viable marketing option e) go to Saudiland as the last haven of cluelessness f) look into working and/or landing a real job

Too often people focus on the value they want from sponsors and fail to understand how their offering can help the brand they want to sign. Is your company really aligned with the brand's vision? What is it they want? How does your offering help them? How can you help them win in a way nobody else can? Focus on their gain. Do your research and invest the time.

Going back to my previous point, sponsorship is a numbers game. Sponsors want to use the value you add and monetize it. And while in a lot of cases you can receive sponsorship just by being yourself, a tailored pitch, targeted at a specific sponsor can give you the edge over others looking for the same deal. A research may help you anticipate their needs and what they might ask, and be ready to tell them how you can achieve it together.

There is tone of possible sponsors out there and it would take you years to talk to all of them. With that being said the logical step is to shortlist the sponsors that you think your brand will synergize with. Otherwise you are litterlly throttling your own progress. "Hard work is not as good as productive work"

"Researching" your sponsors will fall short every time with current market conditions. You really need to "know" them. Have a face to face, put yourself in the shoes of their user. Try the product. More chats. How does your gaming event/brand fit into their family? Would they appreciate your presence? If you both just want cash, it's not a good fit, def not in 2024 and you won't see them in '25 (was it ever?). If a brand doesn't understand or genuinely asks "what do I get from sponsoring this event?" probably best to move on, as there is almost zero chance their activation, presence or booth will be staffed in a meaningful way that will A. Add to the user/guest experience and B. Lead to a positive outcome or sales for their brand.

Focus on the Value Proposition you have for your potential sponsor/partner. How do your assets and delivery to your community translate to brand affinity and support for the sponsor? They want to be embraced by your fans and showing them how helps them plan for best ways to engage.

Start with outlining what your partner can gain and what you bring to the table to deliver this value. The rest of your pitch tells a story that proves and validates your initial outline and value proposition. Don't overpromise. Be real. Use facts.

In preparation, it's important to consider who might be sitting at the negotiation table. You need to convince both the data and fact-oriented marketing personnel, as well as those driven by emotions. Therefore, always try to establish a connection between KPIs and the emotional component, so that your pitch is not only operating on one level but is positioned to resonate with everyone.

This is, by all accounts, a sales part of your job. You have to convince them you're marketable. Now, a fun personality helps, but at the end of the day, you need some proven results to drive it home. Viewership, performance in tournaments, even just the fact that you participate in lots of events that others might see – sometimes, that can be enough. Sponsors who select you are responsible for you, and it affects their job, so you have to look at it from their perspective. Are you worth it?

Highlight what the sponsor can gain from partnering with you, such as access to your engaged audience and creative marketing opportunities. Share innovative ideas that will capture their interest and demonstrate how the sponsor can leverage your brand for mutual benefit. Avoid standard sponsorship deliverables; instead, tell a compelling story and present a clear vision of how your collaboration can achieve great results. Research thoroughly, implement your findings, and make your pitch stand out.

Contact first, get on an introductory call ideally have your INTRODUCTION deck ready without having any proposal or commercial. Selling blindly is based on luck. Be smart no one will buy something they dont need or want to start with.

Be direct and precise, and try not to sell anything in the initial contact. Ask for an informal conversation or simply an exchange about the current situation, etc. In this introductory conversation, it is important to find out WHAT is currently occupying my counterpart the most, what are their challenges, and how can I assist them with it. The opportunity to solve an existing problem or save time for my counterpart is what brings you closer to a deal.

During this phase is where everyone stays too humble . Be confident with what you can offer but most importantly is you need to listen! Listen to what your sponsors want! Always go for a win win situation no matter what and the relationship will last longer.

Having competent representation familiar with how these types of agreements are structured including non-competes, exclusivity, deliverables, payment, and approval provisions is crucial as each entertainment vertical and each platform has different requirements so having attorneys, agents, managers, or other independent advisors with extensive relevant experience is key to maximizing and understanding the full extent of an agreement both long-term and short-term. This is not legal advice and is intended for educational use only.

Be open to all the possible deal structures, prepare that before you get on the third call where you present the commercial offering. Be flexible and build your deal based on the market, your position in that market and your sponsors position in the market. It doesnt make sense offering a million dollar proposal to a company that spends 100k in marketing.

If you get a positive response from your sponsors, you need to negotiate your deal. You want to be confident, flexible, and realistic in your negotiation. You want to discuss the terms and conditions of the sponsorship, such as the duration, the compensation, the expectations, and the deliverables. You also want to clarify any questions or concerns you or the sponsor might have, and seek legal advice if necessary. You want to reach a mutually beneficial agreement that reflects your value and satisfies your sponsor.

1) Find someone who has a problem 2) Find the solution to that problem 3) Give that person the key to the solution 4) Exchange the solution for something of value to you 5) Help that person overcome their problem 6) Repeat

Hire a salesperson! Identifying the right person, getting infront of them, knowing what to say, discussing, negotiating, closing are all things that could be done / helped / assisted / improved by the right type of salesperson!

A sad reality is that the highest echelon of investment is dominated by corporate culture. For many of us, including gamers and esports athletes, life is far removed from the world of suits and ties. However when looking for a sponsor, you might need to be prepared to go there. Keep in mind that the bigger the goals and opportunities become, the more likely it is to sit accross a person who's more focused on business and finances instead of gaming and esports and you will have to appeal to him.