How to get sponsored

General Yo-Yo
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hi so I want to get sponsored but I don’t know how

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Did you fill out the application form?

Why do you want to be sponsored?

What do you have to offer a yoyo company?

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  1. what form?
  2. I want to get sponsored to get product and meet new players who are also in the team
  3. I don’t really know
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I don’t think getting free stuff is good motivation for anything in life but I wish you the best in trying to get sponsored. Reach out to sponsored players and see how it happened for them. I would guess most sponsored players never thought they had a chance of getting sponsored.

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and then what?

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I hear asking for a sponsorship is not the way to get a sponsorship.

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I wouldn’t know, as I’ve no interest in getting sponsored. But I have known players who got sponsored. They were all active in the community, made good videos, tutorials, stuff to help other players get better, and weren’t looking for free stuff or asking to get sponsored.

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I got sponsored for being good at partying and socialising in general whilst bad at yoyoing so… :man_shrugging: :joy:

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get gud

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It’s honestly fine to ask, but it’s kind of like a job application

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Be likable/known, contribute to yoyo in a meaningful way (ex: tutorials), talk to people, use the company’s product already.

I am sponsored by airetic strings and retic yoyo. I developed a friendship with rob over some of the yoyos he designs and the tutorials I make, and then one day he sent me some nylons to try and eventually asked me to be an airetic rep.

Retic sponsored me because this forum helped neil discover me haha, but thats not normally how one gets sponsored.

Needless to say, you should already use and enjoy a company’s product before you go seeking a sponsorship from them. Nothing worse than joining a team whose product you hate.

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No offense, but, being sponsored is a job, the company is making an investment in their players, and needs to get a return on that investment. You should have reasons why you want specific companies to sponsor you, and how you would be of value to that company.

The majority of the sponsored players I have met have either consistently done very well at regional level contests for a few years, have a great social media presence, or both. Again, exposure for the company’s products is return on the company’s investment.

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har har

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I get that and I don’t just want free stuff I want to help the company

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For companies that have stuff widely available, this makes sense. However, if a company requires you to buy their stuff before they sponsor you is a red flag. When I’ve been scoping out new players I send them some stuff (for free!) for them to try before they committed to anything. Similar to what Rob did for you.

All of the players on my team have been recommended to me either by someone external who I like and trust, or by someone already on my team. Then, I interviewed them via DM to see if their goals and my goals aligned. Sometimes it didn’t work out, in one or the other direction. Some players simply aren’t interested in such a small company. Some players have odd goals or sketchy public behavior. Sometimes my yoyos are too weird. Once, I reached out to someone but I had zero stock left so we just chatted for a bit, and then they got picked up by a much bigger company. Slipped through my fingers!

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Get good and be cool. Those two things are equally as important.
Do that for an extended period of time. Companies will notice you.

Oh, and make sure you are prepared for the commitment. it is not how you think it is.

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getting sponsored isn’t something you should aim at directly. if you want to get sponsored, do what you do best (ie. post on ig, post on YT, go to contests)
you should probably learn about sponsorship first.

  1. Sponsorship is a business partnership. It is not an level you get to after you win a certain number of contests, and it is not just an opportunity to get free stuff.
  2. From a yoyo company’s perspective, they sponsor players in order to help promote their brand or their products.
  3. In return they may give you free product to use, fly you to yoyo contests or other promotional events, and they might even design a signature model yoyo with you that has your name on it.
  4. however, it is crucial you don’t forget that the reason they will offer or give you these things, is because they have found that you are a good representative for their brand, and are useful for raising awareness for their products and mission.
  5. If you want to be sponsored, you need to show companies that you will be worth their time and money to invest in you, and as you prove yourself more and more, a good sponsor will know when to take things to the next level.
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are you active on IG or YT?

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