As our sport grows, and with more and more official tournaments — primarily throughout the continental United States — the cost to compete is increasing. Sponsors can be a valuable resource in offsetting those costs for competitors.
While every sponsor is different, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution to sourcing, approaching, and signing a sponsor, there are some key components that competitors should be aware of that are universal to most sports sponsorship. By the end of this guide, you should have a clear idea of how to start your journey to being a sponsored axe throwing competitor.
“Sponsors are looking for an ambassador of not only the sport of axe throwing, but for their brand. They want someone that is relatable and easily approachable. There is less hype over ‘how well you rank’ and more so if you can bring the needed social media and tournament presence that some of our sponsors are looking for.”
Sarah Smith-Jahn — Section 715 Throwing Co.
Personal Branding
Sponsors are not necessarily looking for a high-ranking competitor. They are looking for an engaged member of the community that they would entrust to represent their brand. The key to exhibiting engagement and trustworthiness is creating a personal brand.
A personal brand creates a set of expectations for the type of content you generate. This doesn’t have to be an overwrought online persona — a personal brand can be an authentic representation of you. People, and sponsors, will rally behind your enthusiasm for the content you create.
1. 4 Key Aspects of Personal Branding
A prime example of a strong personal brand is Gary Vaynerchuk. This article goes into detail on four key aspects of personal branding, using his example:
- Creating a clear narrative aligned to your target audience.
- A social media and content marketing strategy.
- Using a uniform set of visual assets.
- Building a personal website for your brand.
2. What Does a Sponsor Say About Your Brand?
When courting sponsors, be aware of how they reflect not just on you, but on each other. For example, it would not be advisable to solicit sponsorship from both a vegan bakery and a butcher shop.
Sponsors contribute to your public image and your personal brand. In creating a clear narrative, think of your sponsors as a reflection of you and your values.
Start Small and Build
Executing a small task well is better than doing a large task poorly.
Creating a list of your talents and passions will go a long way in defining what your personal brand will be. Marketing yourself is a skill like any other, and it gets easier as you go. Seemingly small actions — getting a social media account, developing your online voice, posting regularly — get easier over time. There are endless creators online offering tips to get you familiar with social media strategy.
By discovering your sponsor’s goals, you can develop a relationship and create a plan that benefits both of you. When you meet or exceed a sponsor’s goals, it builds a resume of successful partnerships — which lets you pursue larger sponsorship opportunities later.
1. Getting Started With Social Media
Social media is integral to your personal brand — it’s an extension of how you want to present your ideas to the world. There’s no right or wrong way to post, as long as the post is an accurate reflection of how you want your personal brand to be seen. That said, a few things are worth keeping in mind when you’re starting out.
Images and video
- Prioritize simple, clean images and videos with minimal text on them.
Tagging
- Tagging 1 or 2 businesses or people is great if they’re involved in the post. If you’re posting about throwing in league, tagging WATL would be perfect.
- Mass tagging usually doesn’t return views and likes. When you tag lots of people, the post seems impersonal to those you tagged, and they may read it as overly attention-seeking.
- Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms track how many people are tagged. If it’s a lot, the algorithm usually suppresses the post’s reach — the same way it does with excessive hashtags.
Hashtags
- Always use hashtags on Instagram and TikTok.
- Use no more than 4–6 per post. Recent algorithm research shows that posting too many actually hurts your visibility.
- Research which ones will land you on your target’s pages. #WATL, #axethrowing, and #trickshot are all popular.
Platform features and rules
- Platforms push adoption of new features. If your preferred channel is showcasing a new way to post (Instagram Reels, carousel posting), using it will push your post to more viewers.
- Follow the rules of the platform you’re on.
- To go a step further, research the current algorithm for your platform. There are certain times each day when your followers are more active — post then.
- Algorithms change frequently and can be fickle. What works well now may be completely different in a few months.
For more on this: Building Your Personal Brand on Social Media.
Sourcing a Sponsor
Not every potential sponsor will be receptive to your proposal. Seeking sponsorship is a numbers game — the more you approach, the better your chance of finding that one needle in the haystack.
Talk to any business that gels with your brand. Start with businesses you have a genuine connection to: your local auto shop, coffee shop, insurance company, hobby shop, hardware store. Potential sponsors will be naturally drawn to your passion for the sport, and being active in the community may even draw them into your next league season. Keep in mind that only a fraction of the sponsors you contact will be interested in your pitch, so you’re going to pitch a lot of them depending on your goals.
Have a plan and stick to it. As practice, try pitching 3 sponsors a day for one week. If only 1 in 10 gets back to you, the math is simple: the more you contact, the more responses you get, and the higher your odds of landing a sponsor.
Networking and fostering a positive relationship with potential sponsors is key to building a sponsor portfolio. Don’t expect a sponsor to say yes right away — sponsorship is very much a relationship. Take the time to talk to them about their goals, identify where those align with your own, and express how you can help them reach their specific market. Keep communication clear and consistent, and work together to define attainable deliverables and goals.
Don’t start by approaching Fortune 500 companies. Start small and build a portfolio of successes. Over time your brand will grow — and so will the value you can offer to larger companies with deeper pockets.
1. Contacting Sponsors
- There are incredible opportunities in your own backyard. If you don’t know the sponsor you’re contacting, reach out through official channels — email, phone, or even a social media direct message.
- A large part of sponsorship is networking. Don’t hesitate to ask questions and find out who the right person to contact is. More than likely, the person guarding the gates of the company’s online media is not the decision maker you want to get in front of.
- Where you have a connection to the business, reach out in person. If you know someone with a contact at a company you’re interested in, it does not hurt to ask for an introduction.
- Create a spreadsheet, keep a notebook, or build some system to track the businesses, emails, and names of the people you contact.
- Follow up. Be persistent, and be prepared to revisit potential sponsors in the future.
Strike a balance. Think of it like applying for a job. You don’t want to annoy them to the point of being blown off — but you do want to show you’re tenacious in your pursuit of adding value to their brand.
2. Networking Tips
- Start local.
- Research the sponsor you’re approaching.
- Create content relevant to the sponsors you’re contacting.
- Focus on storytelling, and weave your sponsor into your narrative.
Your Offer to Sponsors
You can bring real value to a business through social media, product testing, and grassroots marketing.
1. What You Can Offer
- Shoutouts across your social and traditional media.
- Jersey placement — review the most recent WATL Jersey Guidelines first.
- Co-branded posts.
- Highlighting your sponsor at events.
- Personalized engagement opportunities.
- Running a promotion or giveaway.
If you have a talent — trick shots, for instance — find a way to integrate your sponsor naturally into a video through subtle use of their brand. Use their branded hat in a trick shot challenge. Pin a can from your local brewery to the target. Your creativity will be rewarded.
2. Use the WATL Sponsorship Deck
Use the WATL Sponsorship deck when pitching potential sponsors, especially larger ones. Including it shows them the reach that WATL — and WKTL — have, and helps entice them.
Bonus: if a larger sponsor is also interested in sponsoring WATL or WKTL directly, you could get a share of the sponsorship. Read more about that here.
For More Ideas
1. Further Reading & Video
Mountain biker Matt Jones has a video worth watching: How To Get Your First Sponsor. His takeaways:
- Figure out where you fit in.
- Define your personal brand.
- Find the right person to talk to.
- Make the sponsorship manager’s life easy.
- Have fun promoting the product.
He also has strong advice on reaching out to brands via social media.
Landed a sponsor? We’d love to share your story with the axe throwing community. Send Us Your Sponsor Journey →
Thank you to the members of the community who have made this resource possible, and who help it grow as we receive more of your stories.