Im looking to get info about how to get sponsorships, I have no idea of the process
The first thing you have to do is to answer the question “what is in it for your sponsor?”
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Getting sponsors is easy, if you understand how sponsorships work.
As noted above, sponsorship is about providing value to the person or firm who is offering money, product or other support in exchange for their investment. It is a type of marketing, most of the time.
For that reason, it has little to do with “how much you need the money.” Think carefully about what the benefit would be to the sponsor if they work with you. Are you a talented, up and coming rider whom others look up to and want to emulate? Are you a well known rider who wins consistently? Will people buy the sponsor’s product or service because they see you using it as part of your program? If so, you have a compelling offering for a sponsor to consider.
Should we assume you are interested in getting sponsorship for yourself as a rider or are you looking for sponsors for a show, clinic, program, etc?
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Oh, this is a good question. Makes all the difference in how the question is answered.
If you are looking for sponsors for a show or clinic it sometimes works just because many businesses like to support local things, even if they know they will not get much out of the sponsorship.
My wife and I sponsor a rider. We do not sponsor her with any expectation of financial return. We are retired and we have no business to advertise. If a rider came to us with a scheme touting financial profit in return for a sponsorship, that would be a huge turn-off.
Well most towns/cities have no idea what value a horse show makes on the local economy.
To prove the impact one year we had the competitors pay the local services used in $2 bills… the buzz around the town was where did this $2 bill come from.
This is a huge question, you need a prepared, professional answer and if possible you need a creative solution beyond just tagging and banners.
Also: make sure your social media is impeccable. No political opinions, no trashy drinking photos etc. Ideally nothing but noncontroversial sport/animal related original content posted several times a week.
Ask smaller businesses you are familiar with and have supported. Ask in person when you can. The feed store where you drop $800 a month. The lady on etsy you bought a cute saddle pad from. Tell them how much you like their products and how you want things to be mutually beneficial. Be prepared for them to offer in-kind sponsorships, not just money-- money is much harder to get!
