Podcast Sponsorship – Erica Duran
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SUMMARY
Erica Duran, who is a business coach for online entrepreneurs and runs a freedom lifestyle business, shares tips on how you can get a podcast sponsorship and even stay in luxury resorts for free.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
One form of podcast sponsorship is staying at luxury resorts for free in exchange for advertising on your podcast and social media channels.
Reaching out to sponsors:
- Take inventory of goods, services, and things you enjoy.
- Reaching out to them on Twitter or Facebook.
- Email the email address on their website.
- Ask who the right person to talk to is.
How to gain a podcast sponsorship:
- Be visible; commenting, liking, posting, sharing your sponsor’s stuff
- When writing to businesses, you can write “I’m interested in featuring your resort or your product on my podcast. Who’s the right person to speak to?”
- Your services and products must me be in alignment with the sponsors’ businesses.
Look at your previous jobs. It helps you find a podcast sponsorship if you know the lingo of the industry.
To get a podcast sponsorship, simply ask. You’ll never know unless you ask.
TRANSCRIPTION: PODCAST SPONSORSHIP – ERICA DURAN
Kamala Chambers
On this episode, we’re going to be talking about how to get a podcast sponsorship or for your blog or your social media presence. Stay tuned for this training Tuesday.
Luis Congdon
Today’s guest is Erica Duran. She is a Business Coach for modern online entrepreneurs. She runs a Freedom-Based Luxury Lifestyle Business and helps people travel the world.
We’re excited to have Erica Duran on today’s Thriving Launch episode.
All right, Thriving launchers, we’re here with Erica. I can’t wait to talk about getting a podcast sponsorship, and how you’re able to live in resorts that sponsor your podcast, which is exciting for all of us here at Thriving Launch.
So Erica, are you ready to launch?
Erica Duran
I am!
Luis Congdon
Fantastic.
When I heard you say that you lived at resorts because of a podcast sponsorship, my ears perked up. I know a lot of us here at Thriving Launch are podcasters or thinking about starting a podcast, and we believe that getting a podcast sponsorship is fascinating because a lot of people want to make a living or at least make some extra income from their podcast.
One of the first things I would love to know is what does that even mean that you live at the resorts that provide a podcast sponsorship?
Erica Duran
Yes.
What A Podcast Sponsorship Means
Erica Duran
Having a podcast sponsorship basically, means I get room and board in exchange for advertising their resort on my podcast and social media channels. I also have cash sponsors where I have different sponsorship packages they can purchase and customize.
But my primary goal when I started the podcast was I didn’t want even to start it or think about working on it until I obtained a podcast sponsorship which is backward from what’s taught in the podcasting community. It was taught that you have to have all these downloads and all first.
I knew how much work it was. I was like, “I’m not going to do this unless I have a podcast sponsorship.”
So basically, a podcast sponsorship means that the resorts let me stay there and I cover them through video for my YouTube channel. I know they can’t see me doing the podcast from the actual resort but I think the energy is there, and then there are some commercials in the mid-roll and so forth for the resort.
Kamala Chambers
That’s so great. I love that having a podcast sponsorship is something unique and something I’ve never heard anyone do before, which is fantastic. I know that I did this a little bit.
I traveled with a production company, and we did video production. We were able to get all our hotels, our meals, our tours, and everything covered because we said, “Hey. We’ll feature you in our DVD,” back when that was the thing. To do that with your podcast is innovative.
I’d love to hear, what is the first step that you’d recommend people do to reach out to individuals who provide a podcast sponsorship?
Going After A Podcast Sponsorship
Erica Duran
I think that the first thing you should do is take inventory of the products and services, and things that you enjoy because it’s just going to make it a more pleasant working environment. You’re going to be more passionate about going after those sponsors.
Something that’s in alignment with both your audience and you is a great first step to making a massive list of anytime you think of a company or a service provider, or so forth. Have this ongoing huge list.
Honestly, just some pure hustle reaching out to them on Twitter or Facebook or just emailing the email on their website and asking who the right person to talk to is.
A lot of success with looking for a podcast sponsorship has been when sponsors start following you first. It helps open up the door.
It’s not a sure thing, but I have a better chance if they follow me first.
Kamala Chambers
That’s great.
I could see what it’s like to walk through the world with you where every product you pick up you’re interested in, you think, “Hmm. I wonder if this would make a good sponsor.”
Erica Duran
It does happen like that. I started using 17 hats in my business, and I loved it, and I got all my clients using it. Then I reached out to their sales executive and asked if we could partner up, and they said “Yes.”
Kamala Chambers
Why do they want to be sponsors with you? What kind of incentive? How do you frame it as an incentive for them to be sponsors for your show?
Erica Duran
I have all my demographics in what we are going to provide them.
For example, when I was brand new and didn’t even have a podcast, I was going after sponsors, and I couldn’t very well show them download numbers or listener numbers.
Benefits Of Providing A Podcast Sponsorship
Erica Duran
But what I could show them was “We’re going to tweet about this five times a day. It’s going to be on rotation on our social media so about every 30 days, you’re going to get a boost again. It’s going to live forever.”
All the benefits that we could give them, we pitch them basically on these things, and sometimes, they say “That’s great, but we don’t participate on Twitter. You don’t have to tweet.” They’ll customize it to them, and we just go from there. Just build a relationship from there.
Kamala Chambers
I love that, and that’s what it is. Getting a podcast sponsorship is always about building relationships and looking for how you can add value to someone else’s life, and business.
What else would you say or some of your key tips for gaining a podcast sponsorship?
Be Visible To Gain A Podcast Sponsorship
Erica Duran
This causes an interest in people or sponsors start following you.
It’s easier to get a podcast sponsorship if they follow you first.
So being visible, maybe commenting, liking, posting, sharing their stuff and getting in front of them could perhaps perk up their ears and they start following you.
Kamala Chambers
Do you have a home too or you just live at these resorts? I’m just curious.
Luis Congdon
Blue vagabond.
Lifestyle Of Having A Podcast Sponsorship
Erica Duran
That’s part of having a podcast sponsorship. All the digital nomads I knew and who wrote books have this vagabond lifestyle. I didn’t want to be a backpacker, so I took this route instead.
I would say my home base is Newport Beach, California but I haven’t been there too often since 2012. If I have a huge project that needs to get done like writing my group program, I did rent a vacation villa on a golf course in Arizona just to get some quiet and punch that project out. But other than that, I don’t have a permanent home right now.
Kamala Chambers
Well, we know what that lifestyle looks. We move around a lot.
Right now, I started having a place in the city and a place on a little island. We just kept our little place on the island and just spend mostly for traveling. It’s a refreshing way to live and fantastic time that we can live that way.
Erica Duran
Yeah. It’s amazing that the technology that we have allows us to do this. We’re just the luckiest generation probably ever.
Luis Congdon
Reaching out to companies for a podcast sponsorship is something I’ve done and enjoyed doing. It’s a lot of work upfront reaching out to people because some people will open their emails and not respond. Some people respond with questions, and you got to go back and forth.
Have you figured out some key things with that initial email or that initial reaching out that helps get them to respond, and maybe get them on the phone with you or to keep things moving forward?
Erica Duran
Yeah.
It’s probably the reverse of what I did.
Writing To Get A Podcast Sponsorship
Erica Duran
I used to write these long, heartfelt emails explaining everything, and you don’t even know if that email is going to get to the right person. So now, I write just one or two lines. “Hey. I’m interested in featuring your resort or your product on my podcast. Who’s the right person to speak to?” That’s all I would do now to get them on the hook first.
Then, I do a long pitch or a long, heartfelt email if that was what was needed for those particular companies providing a podcast sponsorship. I saved time there.
Another thing I do is have a VA do the pitching or the contacting. I wrote the email, but she sends them. This is obviously a time-saver in my day. But the big thing is there is no fear like, “Oh. This resort’s too big,” or “This product’s too big.” She just sends it because she has no emotional attachment to it. If I did it myself, the letters might not get out because of my procrastination on self-doubt kind of thing.
Luis Congdon
This s is something cool. As we’re listening to you know, Kamala and I thought we’ve reached out to a lot of companies. We have a podcast sponsorship, and we have different sponsors. A lot of companies send us stuff without us even asking, but we’ve never considered the idea of a resort.
I know a lot of people here at Thriving Launch are travelers or want to live out of your backpack and travel the world. Landing a podcast sponsorship is a fantastic thing to do, and you can apply it if you have a blog or a YouTube channel.
Just remember, as we talk about it in the podcasting sphere, you can take it and apply it to any business media that you have and offer the same thing.
When you get that person that says, “That sounds interesting,” or “We’re interested,” what do you do from there?
Erica Duran
Then, I send them the longer letter of exactly what we do and what we can provide them and see if that’s a good fit for them along with demographics.
Being A Good Fit With A Podcast Sponsorship
Erica Duran
I think the one key is it has to be in alignment. Because I have coaching clients that want to start a podcast and go after resorts but let’s say they are graphic designers or web designers. Well, that doesn’t fit. You could twist it. I have a wedding planner client. She could do it from resorts because they host weddings there.
What you’re doing and offering has to be a good fit with the company providing a podcast sponsorship.
You can’t sell tennis balls and expect to get a resort.
Luis Congdon
That’s good feedback. That’s something a lot of beginning entrepreneurs or beginning people will do whether it’s their pitches or their social media stuff. They’ll start with a website that offers free Instagram training but they want to be known as a copywriter. There’s an alignment thing that isn’t correct.
Or if you run a blog and your blog is about traveling the world, fantastic. You can reach out to those companies. But, if you reach out to a clothing company, then you might need to tie it in somehow like I’m going to take pictures as I travel the world and talk about how your clothes work in hot climates, cold climates.” But you need to figure out that tie in. That’s brilliant.
A lot of entrepreneurs are thinking about their messaging and what they’re selling. It’s very brilliant to think about that whether you’re looking for a podcast sponsorship or you’re talking about what you’re offering and what you send out to the world as far as your pitch or the thing that grabs people.
Erica Duran
Yes.
Importance Of Background When Landing A Podcast Sponsorship
Erica Duran
Another thing you could think about is your previous lives or previous jobs.
I’m in alignment because I have a hotel degree and I worked as a hotel executive for 15 years. So in that industry, I have an upper leg so to speak because I speak their language. I know their business model and what happens if they don’t sell a room that night, and all this stuff. It helps if you know the lingo.
I was in the industry too long ago to have any contacts left, but that would be an amazing thing if I didn’t have to start from ground zero again and with building relationships.
I joked that I loved being in the hotel industry because I enjoy the properties, the surroundings, and the views but I hated the job of it. So being able to be in the same environment but on my terms is quite ironic or funny to me.
Kamala Chambers
That’s great. You got the best part of it.
Erica Duran
Right.
Kamala Chambers
I like to get painfully practical with things on getting a podcast sponsorship, and maybe some of you guys are wondering “How much should I charge? What monetary value should I put on per second of a commercial reel?”
Charging A Podcast Sponsorship For Promotion
Erica Duran
I didn’t want it to be complicated as far as the number of downloads or anything.
We just put packages together, so there’s a mention in the intro, a mention in the outro, show notes page, links, and a 30 – 60-second mid-roll commercial plus social media.
For example, let’s just say $500 an episode to make it simple. You could be leaving money on the table that way, but it’s just simple. The podcasting is such a small part of my business. I don’t need that to be complex.
Kamala Chambers
Yeah. Simple is good, and it sounds straightforward, which is great too.
There’s a big range. We’ve heard of someone charging thousands of dollars for that spot versus someone charging 50 bucks for a place like that.
Erica Duran
Right.
Kamala Chambers
There is a huge range, and you have to go with what works for and your business.
Erica Duran
Yeah.
Experiences Vs. Monetary Compensation On Having A Podcast Sponsorship
Erica Duran
Just like my coaching client packages, they go up every year. These will go up every year as well as the show gets bigger and so forth. If the resort wants us to do extra things like feature certain activities, then we’ll charge more, or we’ll just be thankful that we got to do the activity.
Getting a podcast sponsorship is more of an experience sometimes than getting the actual monetary compensation.
It’s because my monetary compensation comes from my actual clients.
Kamala Chambers
Yeah. It sounds like you would rather do an exchange for goods than for the money.
Erica Duran
Yeah. That’s how it seems to keep coming up for me in at this moment right now. In the future, I don’t know because once you get to a certain level, it’s easier to just pay for it than deal with all the sponsors and doing all the other marketing.
There might come a time when I’d rather just pay for it and be more anonymous at the resort instead of everyone knowing who you are when you check in.
Sometimes, it’s a little uncomfortable, and you just want a day off.
Kamala Chambers
Yeah. I get that. Living on a small island, I get that.
Erica Duran
Oh yeah, of course.
Kamala Chambers
Before we close out, are there any last tips you want to make sure the Thriving Launchers walk away with regarding a podcast sponsorship?
Simply Ask When Looking For A Podcast Sponsorship
Erica Duran
I think the one thing that people don’t do when looking for a podcast sponsorship is just simply asking. I know that sounds basic but I see it in my clients all the time.
When they first come to me, they don’t have any clients because they’re not offering anything. They’re not making offers.
You’ll never know unless you don’t ask. I think that’s what’s missing a lot out there.
Kamala Chambers
It’s true.
Having Erica Duran on the show has been great.
Luis Congdon
Thank you so much for joining us today, Erica.
Kamala Chambers
Yeah, absolutely.
Erica Duran
Yeah. No, thank you. It was great to meet you guys.
Kamala Chambers
We’ve been talking about how to get a podcast sponsorship.
Thank you so much for tuning everyone and keep thriving.
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