How to Submit Sponsorship Drafts Like a Professional (Not a Hot Mess)

I'll never forget one creator I hired through my agency who was supposed to deliver 15 pictures for the brand to approve that she'd be posting over the next few months.

When we followed up with her about when she'd be able to submit, we received 15 separate emails, each with a single photo attached.

"But surely the pictures were titled in such a way that it was clear which ones were which, right Justin?"

Oh, my sweet summer child.

It didn't end there.

We started receiving more emails from the creator, each with different captions they planned to use.

Did the creator indicate which captions were supposed to go with which picture?

Hah. Hahaha. Hahahahahahaha.

Multiply this chaos by 20 partners and you can see how much extra work sloppy submission practices adds to the plate of your contact.

Instead, be a professional.

Create a comprehensive submission document that outlines all your deliverables clearly.

For example, if you're doing a podcast sponsorship, include precisely what you'll add to the show notes like:

• CTA (Call-to-action), e.g., "Click here to find out where to purchase!"

• FTC disclosures like #ad, #sponsored, or "Thanks to ACME for sponsoring me!"

• Any campaign hashtags the brand requests, e.g., #ACMErocks

• Proposed title: [Will you include the brand/product name in the title?]

• Podcast thumbnail: [Will you include the brand/product logo in the cover art?]

Every platform will have unique publication characteristics, so it's your job to proactively highlight things like the caption, associated text, or links you plan on using.

Also, verify whether the brand wants to preview the entire asset or just the ad read.

One time, April and I landed a sponsorship with a cleaning brand and we only sent them the two-minute integration that talked about their product.

"Looks great!" they said.

We then inserted that ad toward the front end of a longer 15-minute "Clean With Me" video and published it.

The brand freaked out because they felt another product April had used was "competitive."

No, that wasn't in the agreement. And no, they never mentioned that previously.

But it still put us in a tricky spot.

The brand ultimately calmed down and agreed it wasn't a huge deal, but it quickly could have escalated.

It's on you to get the brand's buy-in for every tiny detail so there are no surprises.