This Book 3X'd My Revenue the Very Same Month I Read It

“In fact, some of these memories, upon repeat reflection, may actually bring more enjoyment than the original experience itself. So buying an experience doesn’t just buy you the experience itself – it also buys you the sum of all the dividends that experience will bring for the rest of your life.”

“Who is your perfect customer? Who can you best serve? Who can you be the undisputed market leader for exactly? Who would you love to duplicate as a client over and over again? You need to define this in detail, and then back it up with ALL of your positioning, messaging, and marketing. The difference is life-changing, and the more targeted you go, the easier it’ll be to scale a wildly successful business.”

“This long-term view of partnerships always felt obvious. My goal was never to make the most money possible on each deal, but rather to increase the number of times each client hired us. I figured we’d make more money and attract sponsors like a magnet if we became their favorite people to work with.”

“Most people approach problems during negotiations from a ‘winner-takes-all’ perspective. But that rarely leads to a positive outcome.

Sure, you may maximize your revenue in the short term, but the likelihood of getting repeat business from that company is now near zero.

Instead, if you can empathize with them and understand that they’re real people with their own motivations, hopes, and fears, finding a mutually beneficial compromise becomes the clear goal.”

“The brands and companies that kept hiring April and me over and over always told us the same thing: ‘We love working with you because it’s seamless. You always deliver stuff on time. We rarely need revisions on what you deliver. And you’re polite.’”

“Do you think brands have time to keep tabs on every single potentially influential customer? Especially if you’ve never publicly stated your love for the brand? The best way to command their attention is to start shouting them from the rooftops!

Tag them on social media. Include a shout-out in your next newsletter, then email them the blurb. The more you become a ‘known quantity,’ the quicker you’ll be remembered when the brand recruits for its next campaign.”

“Firstly, when you reach out to brands, your pitch has to focus on them rather than you. I know how stoked you might feel that your latest podcast episode got five times the usual downloads, but the brand doesn’t care.

They don’t know who you are. OOPS. They just deleted your email. Your #1 priority must be articulating how to help the brand achieve specific business outcomes. Outcomes that are rarely as simple as ‘get more views.’”

The R.O.P.E. Method:

Relevant - to a campaign the brand is either currently running or has run in the past.

Organic - you can tie your pitch back to organic work you’ve already published that illustrates your audience has an affinity for their brand or product.

Proof - you can show how you’ve helped other brands achieve results.

Easy to Execute - when the brand says they’re interested.

“If it’s clear from the beginning there’s no ‘win’ for your audience, you have to mandate that it will be part of the deal (or walk away).

Brand offering a hybrid deal of $3K + a recurring 30% commission for anyone who signs up? Tell them you’d like to reduce your commission component to 15% and offer a 15% discount to your audience.

Do you know how impressed the brand will be that you’re so invested in ensuring this will succeed that you’ll accept less money? Very.

Remember, every deal has to be Win-Win-Win.”

“Searching for partners sucks. Help them end their search with you! You’re both on the same team. You’re not fighting each other. This is not a battle. You’re running the same race. They want to hand it off to you so you can take it to the finish line. And guess what? They’re going to pay you money for this! In fact, they’ll pay you lots of money if you can make their lives easier.”

“Trust me: the sponsorship process (and life) will be more pleasant when you assume people are nice, not evil.”

“The late delivery problem got so bad that my agency eventually developed a short list of creators we knew always submitted their drafts on time.

When we were recruiting for new campaigns, if there was even a remote chance those reliable creators could be a fit, we’d prioritize them in our recommendations.

Remember, the bar is low. It’s in the basement, actually. If you turn your drafts in when you say you will, you’ll be way ahead.”

“Your goal is to strike a balance between ‘doormat that agrees to every revision request’ and ‘divo/diva that asks for thousands to change a five-second voiceover.’”

“When you’ve just published your sponsorship and submitted all the final paperwork, chances are the brand is at peak happiness. You’ve been a joy to work with, they loved the assets you produced, and your professionalism is on full display. Now is the time to ask the brand for a glowing testimonial!”

“The knowledge you have and what you create is valuable. Your instincts are good. You do not work for free. Educating brands can be a joy. You are not just a creator, you’re a consultant. Brands are not your enemy. The choices other creators make do not affect you. You work with brands, not for them. You do not need anyone’s permission to pitch brands. There is more than enough money to go around. You are in control at all times. Because you are a Sponsor Magnet.”