How to Get a Fingerboard Sponsor

Let’s hear it for our more experienced readers out there! This article is for you! Let’s say you’re an advanced fingerboarder and are looking to potentially monetize your talents through a sponsor. Curious on how this all actually works? Well, the process varies depending on which sponsor you’re aiming for, but let’s take a look at one specific fingerboard sponsor and how they approach this. We’re going to be talking about companies and their sponsorship process. Since there are many different sponsors, we can easily cover others specifically in future articles, or possibly even by requests!

As you can imagine, there are many others looking for sponsorship, and a company realistically doesn’t have the time to respond to every single person seeking sponsorship. As such, for Level Up Fingerboards, there is no formal submission process, or tryouts as there may be through other companies. But generally, every company will deny requests for sponsor ship if you flat out ask them to do so. As I’m sure you are all aware, sponsorships aren’t given, they’re earned. So how do you earn them?

#1-  Don’t barrage them with clips instead build your Social Media content.

Well, one way to be sure that you DON’T get a sponsorship is to constantly send companies clips or messages regarding sponsorship. They hate that! Instead, companies actively seek out fingerboarders using your own clips and social media! The longer you’ve been posting and making content, the better; the companies want to see some kind of commitment from you to the hobby. IF they notice you, and you’re good, you’re on the right track to getting sponsored.

So, to recap, do not ever ask anyone if they will sponsor you. It will come off the wrong way and you’ll be seen as desperate. Instead, focus on your own individual brand through your social media channels, and let the companies come to you. Another way to get a specific company to notice you is by constantly buying their products and interacting with them on their social media.

#2-  Get noticed by tagging the companies you  like only if it relates to them

If there is a company in particular that you are into, feel free to tag them in posts when you make videos such as unboxings, reviews, fingerboard trick demonstrations, clips, and other ways to showcase their product. IF you can get a following of people to view your posts and visit their website after, the company will greatly appreciate that. After all, if they did sponsor you, you’d have to do this anyways, so why not start early and show them what they’re missing out on?

#3- Practice makes Perfect

To get to the level where companies will want to sponsor you, you need to practice every day. Record yourself practicing and watch the videos over again. Learn new tricks, record them, and upload them. Development of skill progression is necessary for companies to see in order to understand your work ethic and talent level. Yes, you must be talented, but know that companies do not only give deals to top level talent. IF you have room to grow and show progression, companies will want to sponsor you, no matter your skill level.

#4- Ensure Good  Quality and Professional Content

Before you upload content, remember that whatever you upload has the potential to be seen by sponsors, so make sure it is good quality and is edited professionally. You want to make sure that you watch currently sponsored riders and imitate their videos. The bar for success has already been set, and you need to be up there, not in the middle or at the bottom.

#5-  Have a pleasing personality to capture your audience

Try and make your name and your brand as public as possible to gain the notice of the companies! This can be done through increasing followers and subscribers, networking, making friends, posting in forums or on videos and social media posts, and staying on top of the latest news. Your personality is what will make or break the effort to get a sponsorship. Be yourself and don’t be fake, it will be easy to see through. Most importantly, if you have a specific company in mind, you’ll want to align your posts and content with their interests. The more common interests that are present, the more likely you’ll get an offer.

Conclusion

We’ve presented a wealth of information here, and to be honest, there’s probably enough material in this topic for several other future posts, but the one thing we all need to take away from this is that not everybody will get a sponsorship, no matter how good you are. It’s a right place right time kind of thing. Either you take the correct approach at the right time the company is looking for riders, or you don’t and that’s that. If you see a potential opportunity, and it feels right to you, then take it. Have fun!