How to get Sponsored as a Fitness Competitor

Competing is expensive! Training, tanning, suits, shoes, jewelry, hair, make-up… WE GET IT! Everyone would like a little help stepping on stage in a sport they love. How can you make this happen? Why would a business be interested in taking on an athlete? The answer is simple – Exposure!

Teaming up with a competitor is a great way for a business in the fitness industry to bring awareness to their brand. The partnership has to be viewed as a Win-Win situation. To garner a sponsorship, you have to be able to provide a new audience and potential customers to their social media pages and website.

Businesses rely heavily on social media for promotion. We have listed some factors a business will evaluate when considering you to represent their brand. Sponsoring athletes is another marketing strategy in their pockets and can be very beneficial when the right ambassador is selected. In this article, we will discuss the importance of social media accounts.

Follower Count:

A brand who already has a sizeable audience on social media will expect an ambassador to have an equal or greater presence. A start up with fewer followers will simply be looking for someone to bring awareness to their page. So work hard on your social media account, after all, we are in the digital age. Businesses can measure a lot of details just from your follower count, so make sure you’re continually growing.

Is your account private or public?

There is no advantage to taking on an ambassador with a private account. If you are afraid of disclosing personal details then keep a separate business account. Just remember to make yourself seen, you must be visible to everyone.

Do you have a fitness or personal account?

Make your account very specific. You should post only fitness related posts on your feed and on your stories. If you get your personal life and your life as an athlete all jumbled up, the sponsors will assume you aren’t serious about what you do.

Not only that, you need to try to post very engaging content. Talk to your followers, give shout-outs, take suggestions, ask questions. Keep your audience engaged and you will eventually be found by the right people.

How often to you post?

The purpose of being a brand ambassador is to share products, giveaways, offers from the company that is helping you step on that glorious stage. If you rarely log into your social media accounts, there will be no benefit to the company that is providing you their products. Post your progress, share your workouts, keep your audience engaged.

The right type of content:

Yes, as an ambassador you have to create a selling point. But don’t become an advertising hub for your sponsors. Let your creative juices flow and learn to incorporate the products in your posts naturally. And also remember to still post content that has nothing to do with your sponsors. You know, keep the audience interested in everything you are offering.

How much engagement do you get on your posts?

Businesses are looking to see if your followers find your page interesting or simply scrolling past. Are you sharing captivating and quality posts? Are your followers liking and commenting? Are you responding to comments and engaging with your followers?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, you need to flip that around. Respond to all your comments and direct messages. Other than that, use the sticker option in your story to let your audience ask you questions. You can also create polls. Before you post anything, make sure your audience has something to say other than the generic “good work” and “great job”. You will surely get a better response this way.

What steps are you taking to grow your following?

You never want your account to decrease or get stale. The more your followers grow, the more opportunities you will have. So try to follow as many fitness pages you can and get shout-outs from them. You can also personally talk to the giants in the industry and get advice. You can get a greater following by sponsored posts to the relevant people. Remember to not go for buying followers or likes since it is not organic and those followers usually do not provide proper feedback. Fake followers are very obvious, brands with a marketing team will know if your followers are authentic.

Get to know the company you want to be sponsored by.

Know their products, be familiar with their sponsored athletes, and engage with them on social media. In fact, if you discuss their products without being prompted to they might reach out to you!

Getting the Sponsorship!

What’s the next step? Many companies will post their sponsorship opportunities on social media, so follow their accounts on all platforms. You can also reach out to them with an email or direct message on their social media accounts. Even if they say no at that time, you have introduced yourself.