People truly don’t realize how much copywriting skills come in handy with EVERY. SINGLE. ASPECT. of business, especially entrepreneurship. Keep reading for the exact email I used to land a huge brand partnership without ever having pitched a brand before.

(By the way, if you’re interested in learning how to write your own high converting copy & pitches, you should 1000% check out my signature course Copy Class.)

This is the story of how I used my copywriting expertise to land a 4-figure podcast sponsorship deal with a HUGE brand (without even having a podcast yet).

A couple of months ago I decided I wanted to start a podcast. It was something that had been on my mind and heart for a while but I’d never had the time or energy to truly sit down and think about what it would entail or what message I really wanted to share. After a big life shakeup and personal transition (read: unexpected separation from my partner of 3.5 years, having to leave the apartment we shared in Seattle and move back to my childhood home across the country with my few remaining worldly possessions), I felt a STRONG call to get creative and start sharing my story.

Once I made the decision to start the podcast for real, the theme and title came to me VERY quickly (which is how I know it’s an aligned decision). I wanted to create a space for entrepreneurs like me who wanted practical business advice, but who also wanted a safe space to talk about the mental health side of entrepreneurship. And so ‘Find Your Magic’, the podcast where mental health meets entrepreneurship, was officially born!

Wanna get sh*t done faster and better? The magic of hiring people & delegating tasks…

After three years of being in business for myself, I knew I wanted to delegate tasks that weren’t in my “zone of genius”. I wanted to focus on finding guests who could provide value to my audience of entrepreneurs AND who were into talking about mental health stuff. I wanted to focus on the content and conversations, not the technology and production part.

So, I researched podcast producers who could edit and post episodes, help create an outline for show notes (I do write my own show notes and episode titles, I AM a copywriter, after all!), and create audiograms for my guests to share on their social media. I found Hayleigh Hayhurst of Espresso Podcast Productions in Seattle and have loved working with her. Hiring out these production tasks was the best decision I could have made.

I also hired a professional musician/producer, Jules Grant, to create an original theme song for the show. I absolutely LOVE having my own original music that reflects my personality and vibe (gimme a funky horn section any day!). There’s something joyful that stirs inside me every time I hear the intro (instead of just going with generic licenced background music).

If I could give any entrepreneurs or podcasters one piece of advice it would be this: DELEGATE THE TASKS YOU DON’T WANT TO DO. Seriously. It will save you so much time and resources in the long run.

“But Kelsey, I can’t afford to pay people up to a grand a month to take care of the tasks I don’t want to do!” Actually, you can…with brand partnerships and affiliate programs.

Here’s how I pitched my unpublished podcast to brand sponsors and landed a deal potentially worth thousands

First, I made a list of brands I ACTUALLY use and believe in; brands that could directly impact and affect my audience in a positive way. I made a deal with myself that I wasn’t going to made advertisements for random or irrelevant companies simply because they were willing to pay me for air time. I was only going to talk about brands that helped me in my business and/or my mental health.

The first step is making sure you approach brand partnerships from THAT aligned and engaged space – explaining how their product or service has truly helped you improve your life and how you’d be excited to share your story with a wider audience. It just hits different.

Once I had my list of brands, I went to LinkedIn. I found their company page, clicked the “people” tab, and typed “marketing” into the search bar.

I found the person or people who were in charge of digital marketing, influencer marketing, advertising, brand experience, etc. and I sent them the following SHORT note via LinkedIn:

“Hi [NAME], Kelsey here- I’ve been an avid user and HUGE fan of [YOUR BRAND] for 2+ years; I’m also a copywriting expert & educator launching a podcast to [YOUR BRAND’s] target audience…I’m sending you an email w details about how I can help get your brand in front of 1000’s of my highly engaged audience of entrepreneurs interested in mental health. Chat soon! – Kelsey”

I found their email addresses on the company website and sent the following pitch email (I’ll break this email down bit-by-bit below)

Hi [NAMES] –
Kelsey here- I’m a copywriting expert & mental health advocate whose business is built entirely on Kajabi…I’ve been a huge fan of your platform since day 1 and am so grateful for your all-in-one solution – Seriously, Kajabi has eliminated the need for so many “extra” platforms, I can’t speak highly enough of your brand.

…Start by introducing myself and RIGHT AWAY say how I use their brand (KAJABI!) in my everyday life and why I love them. It’s about those details that show you’re a true fan which means you’re going to be a great advocate.

I’m writing about a potential partnership for my new podcast I’m about to launch on…you guessed it…KAJABI!
This would be a mutually beneficial relationship for a few reasons;

• You’d get access to my highly engaged audience of ~20K entrepreneurs who follow me for my copywriting, marketing, and business advice (i.e. your target audience!)
• You’d get access to all my guests‘ extensive audiences- all of whom are creative entrepreneurs & business owners (including some “business famous” celebrities & influencers)
• It would be HIGHLY targeted messaging; as the sponsor of my podcast, you’d essentially get an aligned influencer marketing campaign and case study in one fell swoop.
• For myself, I’d be able to offset the cost of my podcast producer to continue to create and grow my highly professional podcast, “Find Your Magic”

…Next, I tell them exactly why I’m writing: a potential partnership for my new podcast. The most important sentence in this entire email is “this would be a mutually beneficial relationship for a few reasons”.

If you take my signature course Copy Class, you know I teach you how to make your copy – and especially your emails! – about the person reading them. The reasons in the bullet point list above let the brand know EXACTLY what’s in it for them and makes them 300% more likely to write me back (yes, that’s a real marketing statistic).

For an idea of my reach and personal brand, here’s the scoop: My audience is made up of ~80% female entrepreneurs 25-35 who either already own their own business or are about to launch one. I have many course creators, life coaches, and service providers- all who follow me for copywriting and marketing expertise, as well as my advocacy for mental health in the entrepreneurial space.

…Then I let them know that my audience is made up of their exact ideal customer. I am essentially a shortcut for them to reach their target, niche demographic.

I’m also a kickass speaker. I’ve been tapped for international events like Inbound, SXSW, YMS, and more. Personality-wise? I’m like if Marie Forleo and Glennon Doyle had a baby sister who looked like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. You can get a feel for my presence and style on my Instagram page.

…LAST, I tell them about me (see how I made this email almost entirely about THEM up to this point?) and I give them some context and social proof that I’m actually an expert who knows what she’s talking about.

Let me know who I can speak to about this partnership opportunity? Thanks! Kelsey Formost
PS- Sneak Peek of the Podcast cover art below!

...I sign off with a question that is also a “call to action”. I’m asking them to write me back and leaving an open question that it would be beneficial to them to answer. I also ended the email with my professional podcast cover art to show that I was for real.

Now that you’ve read my pitch email, you know the brand partnership I landed was with none other than the #1 most trusted knowledge commerce platform in the world: KAJABI!

Kajabi is my dream sponsor for so many reasons and I couldn’t be more thrilled that their team decided to partner with me. The main reason? Kajabi is an excellent resource for YOU GUYS…here’s why.

I run every single aspect of my business on Kajabi; on ONE streamlined and easy-to-use platform I…

• Host all my online courses
• Process all my payments (including monthly “payment plan” charges that they do for me automatically!)
• Host all my digital products and downloads (like templates)
• Created a beautiful, professional online store for all my digital products and memberships
• Made seamless opt-in landing pages and marketing funnels
• Run all my email marketing (this alone saved me over $100 month of paying for another platform!)
• Host my podcast for no additional charge…

…AND MORE!

If you want to learn about all the ways I use Kajabi to eliminate stress, save money, and scale my business you can go to kelseyformost.com/kajabi to read all about it. PLUS, as a reader of this blog and/or listener of ‘Find Your Magic’ you can get an exclusive 30-day free trial of Kajabi’s platform (if you go directly to their site you only get a 14 day trial! Those extra two free weeks are a HUGE help, trust me!)