I’m a yoga teacher, yes, but my job description doesn’t end there. Part of my job is also a blogger, and because of this, I’m pitched frequently by PR companies, company owners, and other bloggers looking to collaborate. Some pitches I get are fantastic, and some are awful. As yoga teachers run retreats and workshops, getting sponsorship may really help elevate and market your event, so it’s important to learn how to pitch well. Pitching and Sponsorship is actually one of the longer workshops I run at our Namaslay® Business and Marketing Retreats (our next one is in Austin in September, 2019).
Why might a yoga teacher want to pitch for a sponsor for their retreat? Let me count the ways.
For retreats, you could pitch for a company to send product for swag bags, and this would sweeten the deal for the prospective retreat goer. It adds to the experience and your overall brand. Let’s say you pitched for yoga straps. Perfect! Now your retreat participants don’t have to bring a strap with them and they get something great that they can use to take home with them.
For yoga workshops, you could pitch for a local company like a cafe to donate product like a $5 gift card and you could all go out for coffee afterward, further fostering a sense of community within your following. Or, recently, one of our Namaslay® YTT graduates, Danielle, did a workshop with a theme on reducing waste, and she pitched eco-friendly companies that made sustainable products for swag. There’s so much you can do with pitching and sponsorship, but you’ve got to have a great pitch in order to get a response.
Here are three things I always include in every pitch I send:
Media Kit - A media kit is a digital packet that gives an overview of who you are, what you do, who your following is, etc.
Call to Action - At the very end, I always end with a sentence that encourages them to be in touch quickly so we can get workin’ on the collaboration.
How it Benefits Them - Often times, pitches just explain what they want, but they don’t explain why it’s beneficial to everyone. For example, let’s say you’re asking for 20 $15 gift cards to the local mom and pop health food store in town for your retreat. The store owner might think, ‘Ok you want me to donate essentially $300?! And I get nothing in return!?’ It needs to spelled out to them that by including the gift cards, they will get exposure through your social account when you share the swag bag unveiling, and that they will get local people into their stores (who will likely buy more than $15 worth of goodies). Remember that in this day and age, people have very little time, are easily distracted, and usually just skim over things. You’ve got to spell out how it behooves them to work with you.
At our Namaslay® Business and Marketing Retreat, we actually go over various pitches together and identify their shortcomings, and then we write our own, and go through them sentence by sentence until you’ve got the ideal pitch. Our participants have had great success securing deals for their swag bags, blogs, and more! I’m so thankful to be able to share tips and tricks to help others make their dreams come to life!