How to get your team sponsored

Written By Tom "Hucky" Fairbairn
18 June, 2010 03:09 AM

I was inspired to write this article last week. I was reading the comments on this news post and shaking my head in dismay at the people ragging on this team for getting a sponsorship. Most comments were the typical "they're too shit to be sponsored", "give it to a decent team instead" and "lol who are these noobs". Granted, they might not be the best players and they might have ripped off MYM's logo a little, but I still found most comments thoroughly disheartening to read.

There are clearly incorrect assumptions at play in the minds of some users here. Most critically, the majority of people seem to be under the impression that companies actively seek out sponsorship opportunities with gaming teams. 99% of the time this is not the case at all, and it's definitely not something you should (or can) rely on. Rather, gaining sponsorship for your team will almost always require a decent amount of initiative from everyone in your team.

If you want to better your chances of sponsorship, you need to lay some solid groundwork for your team. Most importantly however, you must take initiative.

Solidify your lineup. Get to know your teammates, chill together, play some scrims and get active. There's no point pursuing a sponsorship if you don't practice and play together regularly. It's one of the core elements of a successful formula for any team in any game.

Build your profile. Make a public announcement about your lineup to get your name out there, enter some competitions and establish a presence in the community. Initially this might seem useless and you'll probably cop some banter, but in the end it will all be water off a duck's back. Any publicity is good publicity.

Fix up, look sharp. Have some flashy avatars and signatures made, sort out a nice looking ingame tag and conduct yourselves diplomatically in & out of game. Very few people realise that common courtesy and professionalism, even if only perceived rather than performed, go a long way in even the harshest of communities. Ignore the haters, and treat others as you'd have them treat you.

Establish a web presence. This really isn't hard at all, and there are a lot of free solutions which will suit your team just fine. If you're stuck finding something, just ask someone on the forums to guide you in the right direction. Aim for something with an easy-to-use CMS which affords you the ability to post news, photos and match results; anything to make your site look active and full of content. If you have features like player profiles and team rosters, make sure they're complete and correct at all times, especially when you launch the site. 

Consider your financial status. Most fledgling teams won't need to register an ABN to receive sponsorship, but if you plan to attempt to turn your team, website or organisation into a profitable venture you will need one. Receiving funds or products from sponsors isn't a problem for non-ABN holders as long as your team is a non-profit organisation (excluding things like prizemoney). You may want to set up a bank account for your team or assign someone in your team to manage finances - this will make collecting and dispensing funds easier.

Scope out potential candidates. When considering which companies to approach, always keep an extremely open mind and don't be afraid to aim high. Build an extensive shortlist and consider the pros and cons of each individual organisation. If you're planning to approach multiple companies, bear in mind that some companies will not sponsor your team if you're involved in a concurrent partnership with a competing brand. For example, Logitech and ZOWIE would be unlikely to engage in simultaneous sponsorship agreements with your team, as they sell competing products.

Narrow down your options. Collect contact information for each company, eliminate all unsuitable options and make a final list of potential partners. List any relevant idiosyncracies next to each company - for example, if you were contacting SteelSeries by phone you might need to do so after midnight, as they're located in Denmark.

Make a plan of attack. List all your upcoming tournaments and events, break down the details and figure out a miniature 'pitch' for each event. Focus on the value you can deliver to your sponsor and the amount of people you can expose their brand to. Qualify your pitch with ideas of how you plan to get your sponsor's message across - whether on shirts, ingame, on stage or through more creative forms of promotion. Show applied knowledge of marketing (if possible) and a desire to have them sponsor you and only you. Identify what makes you different from every other team in the world (if you can't you don't deserve to be sponsored). Don't embellish on critical details to make yourselves look like big shots if you know you're not. You are only as big as your overall presence in the community and on the internet; this information is easily accessible for sponsors via a quick Google search.

Tailor each response. Every company is different, and as such every company is going to require a different proposal. Never use a template proposal or send "bulk" proposals - these are easy to spot for even the most inexperienced marketing staff and are likely to be disregarded instantly. If you're having difficulty writing proposals ask someone with marketing knowledge, look around on the internet for advice or try basing your template loosely on a job application.

Skip the small talk. Don't bother with petty questions like "are you guys sponsoring teams at the moment?" or "what do you guys look for in a potential sponsored team?". Most companies will read all their incoming correspondence if it is presented unoffensively, so make your words count and get to the point early in your message. Email is the best method of contact if you're uncomfortable talking face to face, and is usually a good way to guarantee that your message will get through.

Be ready for anything. When making initial contact, whether by email or otherwise, make sure you're thoroughly prepared. Always expect a successful exchange and be ready to rattle off any information that is requested.

Ask for a written agreement. Never, ever, EVER assume that any organisation or individual will honour a verbal commitment. The business world is ruthless and at the end of the day, everyone is out to protect their own interests and make a dollar. It's generally good manners to kick things off yourself by listing your terms in plain writing. These might involve advertising, clothing, gear, accomodation, travel expenses or a simple link exchange. After you've done this, make some conservative offers of compensation; things like ingame tags, a website banner, a signature logo and general product promotion will be well received. Be creative, but also be mindful not to offer anything that you can't provide immediately.

Honour the agreement. The worst thing you can do is breach the terms of an agreement which you initiated yourself. Most companies won't ask much of you and will be relatively easy going when it comes to agreeing on your partnership terms. Let me reiterate once more - don't promise what you can't deliver.

Consider everything and everyone. There's no harm in undertaking what might seem like a meaningless initial partnership. Even a link exchange can turn into something extremely beneficial for your team over time. Be open and accepting of every opportunity that arises - they may turn out to be few and far between.

Maintain frequent contact. This doesn't mean informing your partner every time you beat a team in your CEVO-A group. Let them know if you're doing something for them - promoting their brand, submitting a press release for publication on a community website, entering a competition or working on a new feature for your website which will benefit them.

Keep your eyes peeled. Don't stop at one sponsor! If you make the right moves you should be able to hook up a major sponsor, game server sponsor, ventrilo sponsor and web hosting sponsor in no time. There are thousands of companies out there competing with each other for exposure in eSports communities and there's no reason you should stop at one. That being said, don't over extend yourself and don't put all your eggs in one basket.

I hope this has given at least a few people a fresh perspective on just how easy it is to get your team sponsored. If anyone has questions, needs assistance or would like to see a sample proposal feel free to ask in the comments.

Update 18/06/10 - added sections on tailoring your proposals and plannning ahead. Credit to Cameron "camstar" Rambert for his input on these sections.

- Tom