How I Landed a $15K Sponsor (LIVE Pitch Breakdown)

Recently, I had a call with the Chief Marketing Officer of Lulu (who sponsored my in-person event, Sponsor Games, this year) to pitch him on sponsoring our 2026 event.

And lemme just say:

The stakes were pretty frickin high.

I almost lost a bunch of money on Sponsor Games last time, so I reeeeeally needed this to work if I want to at least break even lol.

Today I wanna break down exactly what happened on the call (and the 7 lessons that can help YOU land your next sponsorship).

(BTW - he agreed to let me RECORD THE CALL! Crazy. Watch the full pitch call here)

Preparing for the Pitch

Before the call, I did 3 things:

✅ Reviewed our last interaction

When you pitch a brand, it's important to make them feel SEEN and REMEMBERED (not like "just another name on your outreach list").

So I went back through every email, every DM, every social media comment between me and Matt.

I wanted to remember:

• What was the last thing we talked about?

• What did he love about Sponsor Games?

• What assets did I send him?

Brands appreciate when you remind them of the small details!

✅ Researched Lulu’s current priorities

Next, I stalked everything Matt and Lulu had been up to recently.

I paid close attention to:

• their website

• their Instagram

• and Matt’s LinkedIn lol

One particularly interesting thing I noticed was Matt's recent LinkedIn post about his "Ten Taco Theory."

(Basically, how print-on-demand removes the massive capital risk creators used to face when launching products).

Now this… this was GOLD.

Because this gave me something suuuuuper specific to reference on the call.

It would also show Matt I was paying attention to what mattered to HIM… not just what I wanted from him.

✅ Reviewed the post-campaign report

After our last event, I sent Matt a detailed report with everything we delivered:

• Branding on event site & signage

• Engagement metrics from emails + social media posts featuring their brand

• Video assets we created (that weren't even in the original contract… but I included them because they were AWESOME lol)

I needed to remember EXACTLY what value we delivered so I could speak about it confidently.

The Pitch Call

Alright, call time.

Right away, Matt said something that made me wanna jump through the screen:

“The return on my spend was people leaving that event feeling like they got a lot of value and remembering the brands that were associated with it.”

THIS is the dream sponsor, y’all.

Because unlike many sponsors, Matt understood that the ROI is more than how many immediate clicks and sales you can get.

It's about visibility.

Now I had the green light to sell him on intangible value, not just measurable metrics (i.e. sales, clicks, etc).

How "Free" Work Became My Best Sales Tool

Remember the video assets I mentioned earlier?

Well it turns out, these assets actually performed BETTER than the in-house content Matt's team created.

That was my cue! 😏

Think about it...

If our content was outperforming their in-house team, that means there's wayyyy more value here than just logo placement.

So I leaned in and asked Matt:

“Have you ever done allowlisting campaigns?”

Turns out he hadn't ever considered it before.

And just like that, I shifted from being "someone selling him a sponsorship" to someone consulting him on his marketing strategy.

Which means...

I could also charge MORE.

(If you're not familiar with allowlisting, it's when a brand pays to boost YOUR content on YOUR platform. That way it looks like it's coming from you, not them... and it typically works much better than traditional advertising).

Sponsorships… But Make It “À-La-Carte”

Now for the FUN part 🤩

Instead of me pitching him a pre-packaged deal, we started brainstorming ways to customize it:

✅ Welcome dinner sponsor

✅ Lanyard logo

✅ Presenting sponsor on the badge

✅ $2,500 commitment to sponsor an attendee

But what he said next blew my mind:

“What about sponsoring the FOAM on the lattes?

Wait… WHAT? 😂

(Last year at Sponsor Games, we had this incredible coffee cart that did custom foam art. And this year Matt wanted to sponsor the foam. THE FOAM. How craaazy is that?!)

It's actually kinda genius… people would share it on Instagram, it would get organic reach, and it’s just plain cool lol.

But would he take the deal?

Could I double the price?

The Ask (How I Went From $7,500 to $15,000)

I had originally planned to pitch Matt a $7,500 sponsorship package for Sponsor Games 2026 (same as last time).

But earlier in the call, Matt mentioned something that put me in a position to pitch him wayyyy more:

“If I pay a $15,000 sponsorship to somebody, I’m going to know my team can repurpose that content for the whole year.”

Wait.

Did he just… give me his budget?

He absolutely did lol.

So instead of pitching him the $7,500 package I'd planned, I decided right there to DOUBLE my pitch:

“I would love to give you ALL of those things if you’d be interested in being the presenting sponsor. The price tag there would be $15,000.”

Matt thought for a few seconds.

My heart was POUNDING.

Then he looked at me…

Opened his mouth…

And said:

“Okay, let's do it.”

I couldn’t believe it…

PRESENTING SPONSOR LOCKED IN FOR $15,000!!!

(My actual reaction lol 👇)

(Quick side note: Notice how Matt never asked about the number of attendees? That's because he cared MORE about the experience quality and brand association. And it makes sense too... getting his brand in front of a high-quality audience is more valuable than 100K random people!)

7 Lessons You Can Steal From My $15K Pitch

Whether you're pitching your first sponsor or your fiftieth, here's what you can steal from this:

Lesson 1: Do your homework. I spent 30 minutes reviewing our history and his recent activity. That prep made me look like the most organized person he'd ever worked with.

Lesson 2: Listen for budget signals. When Matt said "$15,000," I didn't ignore it. I used it as my anchor.

(🤑 Pro tip: If a brand asks YOU for pricing first, don't give a number. Instead ask them for a budget range).

Lesson 3: Think beyond the contract. Those bonus video assets we created last year became the reason he said “YES” to double the investment this year.

Lesson 4: Be a consultant, not just a creator. I didn't just sell him sponsorship packages. I showed him new marketing strategies (allowlisting) based on HIS goals that he hadn't even considered.

Lesson 5: Build relationships, not transactions. This wasn't a cold pitch. It was a continuation of a partnership that already worked. That's why repeat business is so valuable.

(🤑 Pro tip: Even if this is your first sponsor pitch, you can still lead with relationship-building. Comment on their posts, share their content, learn about their campaigns… so when you DO pitch, you're not a random stranger lol).

Lesson 6: Don't be afraid to ask for more. I could've stuck with $7,500 and called it a win. But I listened, adjusted, and doubled my ask. The worst they can say is no.

(🤑 Pro tip: Half the battle is believing you're WORTH more. If you struggle with confidence during pitches, read this)

Lesson 7: Get creative with sponsorship opportunities. Foam sponsor. FOAM. Who thinks of that? But it’s brilliant because it’s shareable and memorable.

If you wanna see the whole pitch call (including all my nervous prep beforehand lol), click here to watch the full video.