What To Include In A Tour Sponsorship Deck

Sadly, none of us have figured out how to grow trees that sprout fresh hundred dollar bills, but luckily we can ask for help when it comes to funding our big ideas. Want to create an amazing sponsorship deck? You’ve come to the right place. If you’re looking to reach out for sponsors to assist you in your next tour, festival, or any cool event you’ve got in mind, here’s what you need in your deck.

What To Include In A Tour Sponsorship Deck

Let’s break it down…

The biggest issue people face when presenting their sponsorship deck is when they haven’t done the proper research before creating the proposal. The key to a good deck is to make sure to include exactly what that brand is looking for in a client. Anticipate what they want before they ask. They’ll be impressed by your preparation and see that you’re taking whatever it is you want seriously.

Please don’t send your possible sponsor a huge Powerpoint with 100 pages to read through. Established brands have a lot on their plate, and the last thing they want to do is read through pages and pages of info. Realistically, you shouldn’t be sending a Powerpoint presentation at all. Make sure to turn your presentation into a PDF or at least provide a link to it’s own website. You want to present yourself and all you have to offer in the most professional way you can.

If you know what you’re talking about, look like it!

If You Got It, Flaunt it.

Consider this. What value do you have to offer? Whatever cool personal attributes and skills you’ve got to offer, capitalize on them. Show companies that you have a way to positively impact their brand. An important aspect to this is understanding what their marketing objectives are.

Do they want to increase their revenue by x%? How can you help with that? Do they want to increase their brand awareness? Let them know how you can make that happen. Bring to the table things that can help them reach their goals, as well as yours.

With Your Brand As Your Guide, Go Forth.

Your sponsorship deck should be a reflection of who you are. Always include your logo, adhere to your brand’s theme, and be sure to throw your contact information and website on there, too. In any representation of you, you need the pathway for communication to be as clear as possible. We all love some good collaboration. Make it easy.

Back to Basics.

These next things may seem a bit obvious, but they’re absolutely crucial in creating the best sponsorship deck you can. These things should ideally be at the beginning of the deck, making your vision clear. Here is where you showcase your ideas and include the following:

• What do you want? What are you doing? What’s the point of this whole thing?
• The tour dates. When is everything going down?
• How many people are you expecting?
• Where is all this going to happen?
• How much will it be to attend?
• What’s the target audience?

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Why Should They Trust You?

You have to show your sponsors that you’ll be able to pull all this off. Show how credible you are by including things like how many followers you have across your social media platforms, your media engagements, your reach (paid media engagements), etc. 

If you’ve successfully executed an event like this before, make sure to include pics and videos from it! Especially if you’ve got some major positive feedback from attendees, definitely include that in your deck. Brands love to see the success you’ve had in the past with hopes that you can bring that positive success to their brand as well.

What Will You Do For Them?

Depending on what you have to offer, there are a lot of avenues a brand can leverage you for. Whether that be advertising at your shows through well-placed signage, social media, through you verbally endorsing their product on tour, etc. It’s up to you to talk to the brand and be aware of everything they’d want from you in exchange for the sponsorship. Even things like VIP seating at your shows, exclusive performances and promo videos are all great perks you can offer a brand.

With this in mind, this means you can have multiple sponsorships for various products. You use amps, guitars, mics, various tech, and countless other items that various brands could decide to sponsor you for. Don’t limit yourself to just one; keep your options open! In light of maintaining professionalism, just be sure not to accept sponsorships from beefing companies. Be loyal to your sponsors and they will return the favor.

How Much Should You Ask For?

It’s not uncommon for first-time sponsors to offer $500 to a band. HOWEVER, it’s up to you to show them you have more to offer. Show them that by investing more, you can bring them more success through your partnership. Depending on how successful you are, whether that be shown by how many dedicated fans you have, engagement on socials, and everything else you have to offer, you can always negotiate for more.

Confidence is Key. You Got This.

A great sponsorship deck can open many new doors for you as an artist, and having a sponsor secures not only a steady source of income to fund all your ideas, but also a whole new breed of fans who may have never heard of you otherwise.

The more insight you have into the mind of who you’re pitching to guarantees you a higher chance of being accepted. This might seem like a lot, but don’t stress too much. Believe in yourself, and your hard work will pay off.

Literally.