This segment of the Sponsorship 101 series addresses personal conference sponsorship as a whole: the pros and cons of being sponsored.
One of the most commonly discussed blog conference-related topics is personal conference sponsorship. Because many are unable to fund the fees associated with attending solely on their own, attaining sponsorships becomes an attractive idea. But here’s the truth about sponsorship: many pitch for it, yet few actually attain it. So if you feel like you’re the only person who doesn’t have a sponsor, I am here to tell you that’s not the case.
As with anything, there are pros and cons of having personal sponsorship to a blog or social media event. While having a sponsor is helpful financially, some say it’s better to experience conferences without the strings attached to said sponsor.
Here’s what some of you had to say when I took this topic to Twitter:
@CharmedValerie: Only con is that it’s an EXTRA thing to do & may take away a bit from the experience (I find it totally worth it tho)
@MainlineMom: No obligation to anyone but yourself. Possibly more likely to pay close attention to get value for YOUR dollar.
@RobynsWorld: Pro of not being sponsored is that I don’t have to “work” for anyone but me while I’m there, con is obviously out of pocket costs
Like I said, pros and cons.
Pros of Sponsorship (the “obvious”)
- Alleviates all or part of financial commitments
- Builds a connection with the company, which may lead to future partnerships
- Can be a learning experience for you, which may create more confidence in your brand and blog
Cons of Sponsorship (the “less thought about”)
- Researching personal sponsorship guidelines for conferences
- Brainstorming or searching for possible sponsors that are a good fit takes time if you don’t already have working relationships with companies
- Creating your pitch letter can take a good deal of time if you really want the company to see you’ve researched them and personalized the letter (which you should).
- Possibility of sending multiple pitch letters, which again can be time consuming to personalize all.
- Sponsorship obligations before conference can create a lot of extra work
- Sponsorship obligations during the conference can be distracting or take away from your ability to truly experience the conference due to be focused on making sure you promote your sponsor
The point of this post in the Sponsorship 101 series was to reiterate that along with personal conference sponsorship comes work. Many immediately think about the positives of having a sponsor, and while the pros are incredible ones, it’s important to be realistic about the time and work commitment that comes along with having a sponsor.
Tomorrow is the last day of the Sponsorship 101 series. Stay tuned to find out how the Sponsorship 101 series can be right at your fingertips to use as a helpful resource when pitching for your conference sponsorship!
What other pros and cons can you think of for conference sponsorship?
I think it’s important to think about the Cons. I didn’t pursue any sponsorship for Blissdom for that very reason.
Absolutely. Sometimes sponsorships are more work (for the blogger) than originally anticipated.