Where do I start when looking for sponsors?

A few weeks ago, I received this question on LinkedIn …

Basically I am looking for any insight in where to start raising sponsorship dollars. I am doing this solo bike ride from SF to LA to promote Men’s Health. Before I started training about 2 months ago, was never of a bike for more then 5 miles. I am shooting to complete this 500 mile ride in 4 days.

Not being a bike rider I have found that the bike alone is fairly expensive as well as the equipment. I was curious if gaining sponsorship for this type of event is possible/probable and if so where should I start. I have about 4 months until the event so time is starting to run out.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 First off, how awesome is that! Here is someone looking to make a significant difference. I can’t imagine riding 500 miles in a month, let alone 4 days. He’s a better man than I am!

My Response:

Great work Justin!

The first thing you need to do is decide what you have to offer a potential sponsor. These are your assets. Some examples are:

• Logo on clothing you’ll wear


• Logo and description for the sponsor on your website


• Social media mentions


• Sending an email to your contact list


• Media exposure you can give to the sponsor

In other words, how will you get exposure for your sponsor. That’s what they are after. Sponsors want a way to communicate that they have something valuable to offer to your audience. How are you going to facilitate that communication?

Once you determine your assets, it’s time to start finding sponsors.

There are a TON of ways to do this. I recommend starting with your network. Find out who has a product or service that your audience can benefit from. Also, the internet is your friend here. There are many places online to find Sponsors.

For more info, download this free report.  Top 3 Resources for Getting Sponsors

If you’d like some one on one help, feel free to contact me here.

Where do I start when looking for sponsors?