This guide was created entirely by Daniel Hawes. Check him out and like his page.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dani-Hawes/311759318855636?sk=wall#!/pages/Dani-Hawes/311759318855636
This man is amazing. He sent in a sponsorship request to Rayne and look where he is now!
Also, this guide was written for longboarders but it works for pretty much all sports.
One thing I want to mention is you should get out there, have fun, and get experience. Get out and meet other riders and shred with them. Stay stoked!
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Introduction: Things To Consider
So, you have been skating for a while now. Participated in some races, gone to some free rides, met some rad people from your countries scene and you think you want to start taking things to the next level by getting some support from your favourite companies? Here you can find out some info on the best way to go about seeking out potential sponsorship and how best to approach companies.
First off, let me say this. If you are a grommy grom (or older but it's mainly kids who are guilty of this) who has only been skating for the past year then it's not worth your effort. Just because you learn't how to coleman slide within a month and do a standup 180 in 2 months does not mean you are ready to be sponsored, even if mum and dad did let you race in that one outlaw once... You have a lot of crashing to do, a lot of shit to eat, a lot of traveling to pay for, a lot of work hours to do, and a lot of saving money to do. I have lived off 2 minute noodles for years to save enough money to travel and race and until you are as malnourished as I am, just keep skating and learning. (Click to read on)
For those of you who have been starving themselves to death to pay for travel, gear and races and for those of you who have had their fair share of gnarly crashes and scary situations, this is for you.
First things first, don't ask what a company can do for you. Ask what you can do for your (chosen) company. Being sponsored isn't about getting free gear and money, it is about working for that company and representing them as best as you know how. Potential sponsors are looking for people who are key members of their local scenes, people who have a positive record of putting on events, traveling, participating, making videos, taking photos and just being a rad person who people enjoy. If you skate with the same 5 guys every weekend and have never met any other riders or put any effort into attending events and getting yourself out there then start working on that for the next year or more and come back to this article then.
Best Options For You:
OK, so you have been skating for the past 2 to 4 years or hopefully more. You have integrated yourself into your local and your national scene. You have worked yourself to the bone and given up hard drugs, pubs and good times so that you can travel and skate with new people in new communities. You could probably use some extra help now from your favourite company so that you may crack an egg in the frying pan once a week and take a break from your normal diet of 2 minute noodles.
The first step is to ask yourself, ''which companies are most likely to be interested in me''. The best places to start looking are local companies. Try your local skateshop. I am not talking about your local money hoarding surf shop which stocks everything that will make a quick buck, but an actual skate shop run by actual skaters, who refuse to sell out and start mass stocking scooters and rip sticks just to make dough. Finding sponsors is very much like finding work. It is a proven fact that you are more likely to gain employment if you currently have a job, you are more likely to to pick up woman if you wear a wedding ring. The same applies with seeking sponsors. If you can find a local and preferably small company to have a relationship with then a year down the track you are able to prove to the next company you apply to that you are capable of representing brands in a positive manner and that other businesses think you are worth spending time and money on. Start small and work your way up. Don't send your first requests to Gatorade or Coca-Cola, choose small and local companies who will benefit from your ''work''.
Where To Begin:
As I mentioned before, finding sponsors is much like finding employment. Many of the same rules apply and thinking of it this way will make things a bit easier to comprehend. First thing to do is of course, find the company you wish to apply to. Do a little research on the company, find out what they are about and what they do, study their facebook and most importantly their website.
After you have done a bit of research it's time to make first contact. All websites will have contact information on them. If there is a phone number, ring it and do the following. It's faster. If you are having trouble finding them, scroll down to the bottom of the home page and look at the small writing, there should be contact details there. Don't send your request and information to this generic email. It will likely be an email like ''bobsbiscuits@info.com''. There is a couple of reasons not to send your request to bobs biscuits. Firstly is that whoever is paid to answer the @info emails is probably being paid 5 bucks an hour and has no interest in you, the company they work for or reading through your letter and looking at your photos. The second, is that quite often emails from strange addresses will automatically be sent to the spam folder and there is a chance it wont be seen which would be a shame after all the hard work you have put into it.
Send an email to the @info address which says:
''To whom it may concern,
I was hoping to send an email to your company in regards to potential sponsorship opportunities and I was wondering who the best person to contact would be and how I would might contact them.
Sincerely,
Yo mama''
Of course if the email address is Steve@info.com then your email will start with ''To Steve'' or ''Dear Steve'' depending on how comfortable you are with your sexuality...
Your initial email should be nothing more than what is above. It is simple and tells Ms. secretary exactly what you want which makes her job easier. Copy and paste what I have written above and use it. I promise you that you will receive a positive response from it every time with the information you are looking for. Once you have your response, which will normally come back pretty quickly send another email back to Ms. Secretary thanking her. Again, not long winded just,
''Thanks for that Ms Secretary, I will get onto Steve right away.
Sincerely,
Yo mama''
First Contact:
OK, now it's business time! You have your reply from Ms. Secretary. She is all hot for you for making her job so easy and she has sent you an email, phone number and a name. She has also sent you an email, phone number and name of the person you should contact about sponsorship... Haha, see what I did there?
Now you need to get your writing skills on. No ''LOL'', ''ROFL'', ''C U 2MOZ''. I am talking about writing like a human being, and creating something that doesn't restrict the ability to be comprehend it's message to snot nosed little teenagers. You are writing a job application, remember that.
When you write a job application, there is a specific way to do it and specific details that should not be withheld.
.Your age
.Your nationality if writing to people overseas
.Why you are writing (in regards to what)
.What you have been up to recently (races, traveling, organisation)
.Your plans (races, travels, organisation)
.Your achievements (podiums, best placings, reaching goals, rankings)
.Why you are so so awesome (community member, supporter of kids and scene, fan of their company, already representing these brands, why should they sponsor you)
.Attachments (photos 4 MAX, videos 2 MAX, your webpages -not FB-)
.An invite to contact you for ANY further questions (...please do not hesitate to contact me with any further questions. Sincerely, Yo mama)
All of these things should be in your sponsorship request. There is also one more thing that should be there, which is an explanation of what the hell downhill skateboarding is. Most people have no idea. If you are contacting Rayne or Otang or any other rad company like that, then of course it is not necessary. I work on this general rule. If I have no knowledge of this company participating, sponsoring or advertising downhill skating then they don't know what it is and the description is necessary.
My requests begin with this:
''Dear Cocker spaniel,
My name is Daniel Hawes, I am a 24 year old, internationally competitive downhill skateboarder from Australia and I am writing to you in regards to a possible sponsorship opportunity with Mrs Macs pies.
Downhill skateboarding is exactly what the name suggests. Races are held on mountain roads and speeds from 70 to 110 km/h are reached, depending on the track. The sport began in the early 70s but slowly lost popularity with the growth of street skating which we all know today. Downhill skating is now growing in popularity every year and with more and more people getting involved in the sport, it is now bigger than ever. Races are now held all over the world and receive mass media coverage in each country in the form of television, radio, newspapers, magazines and online media.''
Again, this is quick and easy. It gives a clear picture of what your about without taking up to much of their time. 99% of people will continue reading after hearing ''skateboard'' and ''110KM/h''. For that reason it is good to have this at the beginning of your letter.
Other than that, follow the check list above and make sure all of this information is included. Attach your raddest photos (not hundreds, just 2 or 3) and if you have one, a cool video of you doing your thing. Try not to make your email to long winded. These people have jobs and time is money, if they see an essay before them they are likely to skim and that is not a good thing.
PROOF READ. Get your mates, your mum, dad, teacher, missus or boyfriend to read it over and correct it. Read it out aloud and see how it sounds. Check your spelling and grammar. I would recommend writing your letter so that it is generic, meaning that you only have to change the name of the person it is to and the name of the company you are sending contacting.
If you write a request which says ''Orangatang are my favourite wheels and all I ride'' Make DAMN sure you change the word ''Orangatang'' to ''Abec11'' when you send Abec an email. I know someone who has done exactly that and it makes you look like a liar and a goof.
After this, it is all up to you. You will get a reply which will either be positive and have some more questions and comments for you or it will say ''thanks, but no thanks''. Don't be disheartened. 99% of companies won't be interested. Feel free to ask them for feedback on your request to if they seem friendly and if they have any tips for you. Don't be rude or offensive to them, they likely know people who you may wish to contact in the future.
Final Thoughts:
A common answer to the question ''how do I get sponsored'' is ''don't worry about getting sponsored, just go skate and when you get good enough you will be noticed''.
This is a common misconception. Don't get me wrong, you should skate for fun, but there is nothing wrong with making your skating a little easier on yourself by gaining some some assistance from a company. We all dream of getting an email from our favourite brands saying that they saw you skate the other week and they want you on their team and this is not an un realistic thing and it does happen. Keep in mind though that as longboarding grows and more and more truly awesome skaters and companies emerge, your chances of being noticed get slightly slimmer. There is nothing wrong with letting a company know who you are. You could be qualified as a mechanic and be really good at it but if you choose to just fix cars with your mates, in your shed on weekends, the chances of a business calling you up and saying ''we want you to work for us'' is next to none. Like I said, treat it as looking for a job. It is not the be all and end all though. Fun, enjoyment and self progression should be your numero uno priorities.
Kids, go for gold with this. Contact companies and see what they say. Practicing how to write, punctuate and spell is important and only practice can make it perfect. Doing these requests is a good way to practice and learn and who knows, maybe you will get something cool out of it. Keep in mind though that if you are a kid or you are new to skating, your chances of gaining sponsorship are lessened. Before you gain sponsorship you have to pay your dues. There are people out there who have been skating longer than you and even I have been breathing and they have never received help from a company. These people have skated upwards of 30 years, they have broken bones, burnt skin, smashed heads and eaten shit on many occasions. They have paid their dues to skateboarding and deserve to be sponsored far more than you or even I. A big reason for me writing this is not only for you groms but for some of the older guys out there who really should be repping and being repped by skate brands, I hope a couple of them read this and give it a go. If you have a rad old dude in your crew, encourage him to contact his favourite company.
Don't ask for money if a company replies to your request with ''what did you have in mind''. Chances of them paying you to wear their logo is next to none. Ask for product. If you don't have to buy it then you save money, which is as good as making it. You can always sell any extra product you receive too which is advertisement for the brand and get's their product out there, seen and used and after all, that's your job as a sponsored rider.
Always check the companies website for a ''how to get sponsored'' page. If you send them an email when there is a clear set of instructions on their site about how to apply for sponsorship then they have to waste time replying to you simply because your to lazy/stupid to search their website and that will get you off to a bad start.
Good luck guys and girls. My fingers are crossed for you and I hope all your dreams of being a pro sic cLInt come true.
-- Who needs surf, who needs snow? These concrete waves break 24/7 and its always fresh powder on my local hills...
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