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  • Startup Founder Sold A Sponsorship With Zero Social Following

    Startup Founder Sold A Sponsorship With Zero Social Following
    2026/08/03
    "I don't get a lot of brand deals because I refuse to dance on TikTok." Justin hears this excuse constantly, so he's putting it to bed with Bill Flitter's story — a 20-year advertising vet who landed a massive sponsorship for his youth sports startup in just two emails and two weeks. Why a complete outsider to "selling" sponsorships closed a deal faster than most seasoned creators The moment a sponsor said "yes, go for it" with no limits — and why that stunned Bill The exact proposal structure (three tiered options) that made the pitch easy to say yes to How a personal, hyper-local PS line added instant credibility with zero track record The mindset shift — from "I need this deal" to "I have something of value" — that changes your pricing, follow-up, and confidence Follow our guest: Bill Flitter, founder of Sideline (fan engagement and loyalty platform for youth sports tournaments) here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billflitter/ Grab my book, Sponsor Magnet, to learn how to transform your influence into income: https://sponsormagnet.com Want one-on-one sponsorship coaching? Join Wizard's Guild: https://wizardsguild.com 00:00 Why "I Don't Dance on TikTok" Isn't the Real Problem 00:37 Meet Bill Flitter and His Youth Sports Startup, Sideline 04:02 The Cold Email That Started It All 05:07 "Now What?" Navigating the First Sponsor Call 09:01 Naming Rights, Surprise Coupons, and the Campaign That Worked 14:06 The Mindset Shift: From Needing the Deal to Having Value 16:00 Why Silence Isn't a No — The Follow-Up Strategy That Pays Off 17:13 Adding Credibility With Zero Track Record 19:28 What To Do When a Brand Goes Quiet For collaborations or partnerships, shoot us a note: inquiries@creatorwizard.com
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    20 分
  • How I Lost a $6K/mo Brand Deal With Perplexity

    How I Lost a $6K/mo Brand Deal With Perplexity
    2026/07/27
    What happens when a $6,000/month brand deal falls apart at the finish line? I'm walking you through the entire Perplexity partnership from the very first LinkedIn DM to the moment it collapsed — including the actual proposal, real pricing, and every package I put together. The exact video pitch I sent instead of just replying to their DM (and why it worked) How I structured a 4-tier proposal ranging from $4K to $16.5K/month Why I include a "measuring success" page in every proposal I send The moment they came back with a custom package request — and how I built "Package 1.5" on the fly What actually happened when the deal fell through, and why I'm not mad about it The mindset shift that turns you from a commodity into a true brand partner This one's different — it's a radically transparent look at a deal that didn't work out, not just the wins. If you've ever had a partnership die right before the finish line, this is for you. Grab my book, Sponsor Magnet, to learn how to transform your influence into income: https://sponsormagnet.com Want one-on-one sponsorship coaching? Join Wizard's Guild: https://wizardsguild.com 00:00 I Lost a $6K/Month Perplexity Deal 00:28 The Cold LinkedIn Message That Started It 02:14 Prepping for the Call the Right Way 05:04 Building the Proposal: What I Heard 06:56 Package 1: LinkedIn Essentials ($4K/mo) 07:31 Package 2: The Amplified Package ($7.5K/mo) 08:56 Package 3: Community Builder ($12K/mo) 12:03 Package 4: Full-Funnel Partnership ($16.5K/mo) 12:56 Why I Include a "Measuring Success" Page 16:02 Their Counter-Offer and Building Package 1.5 18:33 The Contract Stalls, Then Falls Apart 19:05 Lessons Learned From a Deal That Died For collaborations or partnerships, shoot us a note: inquiries@creatorwizard.com
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    23 分
  • Your Follower Count Isn't What Sponsors Are Buying

    Your Follower Count Isn't What Sponsors Are Buying
    2026/07/20
    How Elizabeth turned 4,000 Instagram followers into $10,000 in sponsorships in under two months — without a big platform, a media kit, or any sponsorship experience before meeting Justin. Why year one and year two of her live event barely broke even (and what changed in year three) The "marketing consultant mindset" that separates creators who keep sponsors from creators who lose them Why 30-35 cold pitches converted to zero deals — and what finally worked instead How to pitch retention campaigns instead of conversion when your audience is small The 3-tier sponsorship package structure that made it easy for brands to say yes Elizabeth is a business coach based in Virginia who runs an annual in-person event in Virginia Beach. Three years in, and this was the first year her event turned a real profit — all because of the sponsorships she landed after meeting Justin at a mastermind. Grab my book, Sponsor Magnet, to learn how to transform your influence into income: https://sponsormagnet.com Want one-on-one sponsorship coaching? Join Wizard's Guild: https://wizardsguild.com 0:00 From 4K Followers to $10K in Sponsorships 1:01 Meeting Justin and Going to Sponsor Games 1:48 Year One: Beginner's Luck 2:16 Year Two: The Lessons in Failure 4:50 The Marketing Consultant Mindset 7:28 Breaking Down the Event's Profit and Loss 9:19 No Creator Is Too Small 10:23 Structuring Sponsorship Packages 13:20 Pitching Retention Over Conversion 16:01 The Marketing Push That Filled the Room For collaborations or partnerships, shoot us a note: inquiries@creatorwizard.com
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    18 分
  • Leaking our Private Sponsor Planning Call

    Leaking our Private Sponsor Planning Call
    2026/07/13
    Learn how to use a book to build your brand: https://www.creatorwizard.com/lulu Thanks to Lulu for sponsoring this episode! Ever wonder what goes into planning a live event where attendees walk away with actual brand deals? In this behind-the-scenes team call, Justin sits down with his event producer Sarah and coaching program director Bianca to plan Sponsor Games 2027 — and get real about what worked, what didn't, and what needs to change. Whether to chase niche industry sponsors or stick with broad creator-economy brands Why the brand deal giveaway needs to be baked into the programming instead of bolted on How to fix the "chicken or egg" problem of surveying attendees before ticket sales roll in The behind-the-scenes story of landing a surprise Hard Rock Cafe sponsorship Whether Sponsor Games might be leaving San Antonio for a new city in 2027 Grab my book, Sponsor Magnet, to learn how to transform your influence into income: https://sponsormagnet.com Want one-on-one sponsorship coaching? Join Wizard's Guild: https://wizardsguild.com 00:00 Behind the Scenes: Planning Sponsor Games 2027 01:16 Meet the Team & Last Year's Wins 01:54 Should We Bring In Niche Industry Sponsors? 04:29 Why Newer-to-Influencer Brands Are Easier to Land 06:55 The Logistics Nightmare of Giving Away Brand Deals 08:32 Fixing Our Attendee Survey Strategy 09:22 Was the Brand Deal Giveaway Actually Worth It? 12:58 The Fix: Bake It Into the Programming 14:29 Revisiting Our Northstar Goal 16:09 How Do We Actually Pull This Off? 19:54 Rethinking the Sponsor Agreement Structure 21:13 Why We Need Sponsor Testimonials 23:01 Are We Inserting Ourselves Too Much? 26:11 Building Multi-Year Sponsor Relationships 28:36 Niche vs. Broad: Choosing the Right Sponsors 30:17 Surveying Past Attendees for Better Pitches 32:00 Finding Adjacent Brands Creators Actually Use 34:20 The Hard Rock Cafe Deal Story 35:45 Are We Moving to a New City? 36:50 Positioning the Sponsorship Pitch for 2027 38:48 Lulu's Return as Title Sponsor 40:36 Staying True to What Actually Works For collaborations or partnerships, shoot us a note: inquiries@creatorwizard.com
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    43 分
  • The Brand Stopped Responding. Now What?

    The Brand Stopped Responding. Now What?
    2026/07/06
    Ever send a pitch, follow up once, and then just... stare at your inbox wondering if you blew it? In this episode, Justin breaks down five specific follow-up approaches you can use when a brand goes quiet after your pitch — so you can stop second-guessing yourself and start getting responses. Why "just circling back" is killing your follow-ups (and what to say instead) The channel-switching trick that gets replies in minutes, not weeks How to use the ROPE method to make your follow-up impossible to ignore The "lunch and learn" pitch that positions you as a resource, not a beggar When it's actually time to let a lead go (and how to do it without burning the bridge) Grab my book, Sponsor Magnet, to learn how to transform your influence into income: https://sponsormagnet.com Want one-on-one sponsorship coaching? Join Wizard's Guild: https://wizardsguild.com 00:00 Why Your Follow-Ups Aren't Working 00:28 Approach #1: Stop Just "Circling Back" 02:01 Approach #2: Change the Channel 03:16 Approach #3: Get Specific with the ROPE Method 06:26 Approach #4: Offer Something Unexpected 10:47 Approach #5: Knowing When to Let It Go For collaborations or partnerships, shoot us a note: inquiries@creatorwizard.com
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    15 分
  • How 1,300 LinkedIn Followers Landed Them Google

    How 1,300 LinkedIn Followers Landed Them Google
    2026/06/29
    Two travel creators landed Google through LinkedIn — with fewer than 1,300 followers. Juliana and Martine are a husband-and-wife travel creator duo who turned every brand campaign they complete into a public portfolio piece. In this episode, they break down exactly how they use LinkedIn to get on the radar of marketers at major brands — and why follower count has nothing to do with it. Why posting about your creator business on LinkedIn feels cringe at first — and how to push through it The "post-campaign summary" content strategy that gets brands to repost your work for you How to think about LinkedIn as a portfolio, not a social platform Why they pitch outbound every single week even as inbound starts rolling in What joining a sponsorship coaching system did for their confidence and deal quality Grab my book, Sponsor Magnet, to learn how to transform your influence into income: https://sponsormagnet.com Want one-on-one sponsorship coaching? Join Wizard's Guild: https://wizardsguild.com 00:00 Why Travel Creators Should Be on LinkedIn 01:56 Pushing Through the "Cringe" of Posting 03:18 How to Approach Your First LinkedIn Post 04:49 Juggling LinkedIn With Your Normal Content 06:10 What Content Performs Best on LinkedIn 08:30 Working With Non-Travel Brands Like Adobe 11:37 Thinking About Every Campaign as a Portfolio Piece 12:36 Balancing Inbound vs. Outbound Pitching 14:04 Why Follower Count Doesn't Matter on LinkedIn 15:00 The Cold Connection Request Strategy 15:22 How Sponsorship Coaching Changed Their Business 17:27 Building a System vs. Waiting for Deals 20:27 Advice for Creators Just Getting Started on LinkedIn For collaborations or partnerships, shoot us a note: inquiries@creatorwizard.com
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    22 分
  • I Convinced a 700K Newsletter to Stop Ignoring Ads

    I Convinced a 700K Newsletter to Stop Ignoring Ads
    2026/06/22
    You have a 700,000-person newsletter and almost zero sponsorship revenue. That's exactly what's happening at footballguys.com — and it's one of the biggest opportunities I've ever seen. Why reactive sponsorship strategies keep you stuck working with the wrong brands How to build a dream brand list that actually serves your audience The psychographic survey trick that turns a pitch into a no-brainer for advertisers Why CPM pricing is killing your leverage — and what to do instead How sponsorships can become your most predictable revenue stream Grab my book, Sponsor Magnet, to learn how to transform your influence into income: https://sponsormagnet.com Want one-on-one sponsorship coaching? Join Wizard's Guild: https://wizardsguild.com 00:00 Leaving Money on the Table at Footballguys.com 01:16 Why They Only Took "Easy" Sponsors 02:52 Editorial Standards and Saying No to Bad Fits 04:02 The Problem with Reactive Sponsorship Strategy 05:24 Building a Dream Brand List Around Your Audience 06:12 Psychographic Surveys and Audience Segmentation 08:18 Reversing the Survey to Engineer Your Pitch 09:44 Overcoming Internal Resistance to Change 11:29 Why Sponsorships Can Be Your Most Predictable Revenue 13:08 AI as a Strategy Tool for Sponsor Outreach 14:08 Sponsorships as Audience Service (Not Just Revenue) 15:34 Every Revenue Stream Has Its Version of Hard For collaborations or partnerships, shoot us a note: inquiries@creatorwizard.com (mailto:inquiries@creatorwizard.com)
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    16 分
  • I Grilled an Ad Agency CEO on How They Pick Creators

    I Grilled an Ad Agency CEO on How They Pick Creators
    2026/06/15
    Learn how to use a book to build your brand: https://www.creatorwizard.com/lulu Thanks to Lulu for sponsoring this episode! Brands like Nestlé, Unilever, and General Motors are spending millions on creator partnerships right now - but most creators have no idea how those decisions actually get made. Today, I’m talking with Gabe Gordon, CEO of Reach Agency, about… Who really controls the short list of creators that get picked for campaigns Why "here's my rate card, where's the brief" is the wrong way to approach agencies How brands are using creator content far beyond a single sponsored post The uncomfortable truth about AI slop - and influencer slop Why LinkedIn might be the most underrated tool for landing brand deals What actually earns you a long-term brand partnership (hint: it's not your follower count) Follow our guest: Gabe Gordon - gabe@reach.agency | reachagency.com Grab my book, Sponsor Magnet, to learn how to transform your influence into income: https://sponsormagnet.com Want one-on-one sponsorship coaching? Join Wizard's Guild: https://wizardsguild.com
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    36 分