{"id":4047,"date":"2026-03-26T02:51:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T02:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rss.com\/blog\/?p=4047"},"modified":"2026-03-26T03:07:43","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T03:07:43","slug":"5-tips-for-pitching-your-first-sponsor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rss.com\/blog\/5-tips-for-pitching-your-first-sponsor\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Get Podcast Sponsors"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Podcasting is a fun hobby, but it can also be a lucrative source of income<\/a> if you’re able to attract sponsors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For some podcasters, getting sponsors can feel out of reach. This is especially true if you’re just starting out or don’t have a massive audience yet. But here’s the truth: you don’t need tens of thousands of listeners to land a brand deal. You just need the right approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our social media content strategist Ashley Grant spoke with Justin Moore in February 2026. He\u2019s a sponsorship coach, founder of Creator Wizard<\/a>, and author of Sponsor Magnet<\/em><\/a>, who has personally earned over five million dollars from brand partnerships. His insights shaped many of the ideas you’ll find in this updated guide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before diving into sponsor pitches, if you have our “All in One Podcasting” plan or “Podcast Networks” plan you may want to turning on RSS.com’s PAID feature for an alternative path to monetization.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With programmatic ads inserted automatically into your episodes, you can start earning with as few as 10 downloads per month while you build your audience for larger sponsorship deals. Learn more<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83c\udf0a If you’re ready though, let\u2019s dive in to how to get podcast sponsors!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/span>1. Make It about Them, Not You<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When you try to get companies to sponsor your podcast, your motive is clear: you want to make money<\/a>. However, you need to keep in mind that your sponsor also wants to make money. That means from the very first point of contact, you need to frame the entire conversation around how they<\/em> will benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key is being able to explain how paying you to promote their products or services will be a smart investment, not just for you, but for their bottom line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the most important things to understand is that brands don’t have random piles of money sitting around waiting for pitches to come in. What they do<\/em> have are pre-allocated budgets tied to specific internal initiatives and campaigns. Your job is to show that you can help them hit goals they’re already working toward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A practical way to do this: research what campaigns the brand ran in previous seasons. If they ran a big Fourth of July promotion last year, they’ll likely run it again. And, if you pitch into that existing campaign with a clear plan for how you’ll drive results, you’re no longer asking them to create a new budget line for you. You’re asking them to redirect a portion of their budget they’ve already committed. That’s a much easier yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Justin puts it, the goal is to show the brand that working with you will help move the needle on something they already care about. It\u2019s not to convince them to care about something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>2. Do the Research Beforehand<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Research the sponsors you’re considering and make sure they align with your audience. If your podcast speaks to a specific demographic, make sure the brands you’re pitching are trying to reach that same group. (The exception: you can get creative. For example, pitching a women’s brand to a men’s podcast by framing it around gift-giving occasions like holidays or birthdays.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But good research goes in two directions: outward toward the brand, and inward toward your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research the brand’s content presence.<\/strong> Before reaching out, audit how the brand shows up on social media, whether they have a podcast, how often they’re posting, and whether they’re running paid ads. If their content is inconsistent or underperforming, that’s an opening. Instead of just pitching an ad read, you can pitch to create content for them<\/em> (e.g. videos, audio, social posts) that they can repurpose on their own platforms. This approach works especially well for podcasters with smaller audiences who can’t yet compete on reach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Survey your own audience.<\/strong> This is a step most podcasters skip entirely, and it’s one of the biggest missed opportunities in sponsor research. Your listeners represent a pool of prospective customers for brands, but you need data to prove it. A simple six or seven question survey asking your audience about their jobs, challenges, and the products they’re already using can reveal sponsors that you never would have thought of on your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, if you host a fitness podcast and your survey reveals that a significant portion of your listeners are parents homeschooling their kids, you might discover an opportunity to pitch an educational tool brand. This is something you might never have considered without that data. And when you do pitch the potential sponsor, you’re not saying “I think my audience might like your product.” You’re saying “35% of my audience told me they’re dealing with exactly the problem your product solves.” That’s a fundamentally stronger pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/span>3. Use Marketing Elements That Get Results<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Just giving your sponsor a shoutout on your podcast may seem like enough, but unless you have a large audience, it may not be sufficient on its own to convince a sponsor to invest. The more value you can offer beyond the ad read, the stronger your pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consider adding elements like these:<\/p>\n\n\n\n