When trying to be signed by a Company, here is some information to understand what they may be looking for. Educate yourself about the company, brand, products and more information to have a better understanding in what the goals of the company are. Having this knowledge is key in setting up a win win during the negocation.
During the term of this Agreement, the Endorser grants and consents to the Company’s unlimited commercial use of the Endorser’s name and likeness. The rights to publicize the Endorser’s name and photograph is up to the Company’s sole discretion and can be used to advertise, promote, endorse and publicize products, as well as the Company’s business. Publicity and promotional materials and appearances can be used worldwide, in any media selected by the Company. This is including but not limited to print, radio, television, electronic, telephone, wireless or internet.
This is just an example and each agreement varies. Please understand the company and their needs to make it a win-win.
Normally it is the marketing department who is in charge of booking Talent, Athletes, Demo Reps and so forth. Sometimes they have Team Managers, Sponsorship Department or it will vary. Each Company is different because all companies have different budgets for this section within each company. Basically, Google the company below, find and email or phone number to that specific company and just simply ask, “Who is in charge of booking your athletes?” It is as simple as that. Then when you know who it is, win them over and show them why they need to sign you as their athlete. Prove to them you are worthy and you will be signed.
Gaining exposure for a company or for the athletes themselves is one of the most valuable benefits athletes can achieve in a collaboration with various media venues. The exposure gained through television, news stations, radio, newspapers and other media outlets plays and integral role in your perceived value. In other words, media involvement and exposure affects how valuable you are and impacts your “worth”, as well as the salary you’re paid as an athlete.
Companies pay a lot of money for advertisements in magazines and other media outlets with the intention of getting an effective return on their advertising investment. Full page 8 x 10 advertisements can cost more than $10,000 a month depending on the magazine, the number of paid subscribers the magazine has and the venues to which the magazine is distributed. Your business relationship with a company can become the replacement for investing in magazine ads or other advertisements. Rather than spend money on glossy advertisements, companies pay athletes a monthly salary or a fixed rate for services resulting in “exposure” for the company. This exposure can be gained through your media outlets or social networks from your fan base, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more. The bottom line is: the more exposure you can provide a company, the more “valuable” you become to them and other companies who are looking for athletes to promote their services or products.
Once you prove that you’re able to help the company and their brand gain exposure with potential customers, you’ll become a valuable asset to have on their side as they strive toward their financial goals. If you have fans numbering in the tens or hundreds of thousands, or better yet in the millions, following you, you’ll be worth a lot more than an athlete who only has a following of a hundred or so. Your value as a promoter of the company’s products and services is directly related to the amount of exposure you get and the amount you can bring to the company. Your worth lies in the fact that you can turn the people who follow you into customers for the company. As this translates into more sales and profit for the company, you will gain further benefits in salary and perks as an athlete in promotions. Herein, lies the whole point and reason of developing a mutually beneficial relationship with companies who’re seeking athletes to promote their products and services.
A common practice amongst new stations and other media sources is that they actually pay broadcast companies for newsworthy stories. News stations love a powerful, motivational, life-changing story that can positively impact others. Many times they’ll air these types of stories for free simply because they’re great stories that can increase the station’s rating and the number of viewers. News stations want to hear from you if you’ve got an inspirational story to tell.
You may wonder what the secret is to getting news stations or other media sources to become interested in you. The secret is simple: You must contact them. It sounds easy and, in essence, it really is. All you have to do is reach out and contact them by email or phone, and they will direct you to the right person to speak with about your story. The media is always looking for human interest stories, but the more motivational, inspirational and meaningful the story is, the more airtime and exposure you stand to gain.
It’s recommended that you contact local news stations, television and radio stations, and newspapers about your story. Likewise, conduct a Google search for contact information for local media sources in your area. A website such as www.NewsLink.org can help you connect with the media.
Being prepared and having a media kit ready will make it easier for those in the media to do a story on you. To determine whether or not they want to do a story on you, members of the media will ask you many questions about your life. If you provide them with ready-made content in the form of a media kit, it will help you get your foot in the door with a powerful, meaningful story.
An important component of your media kit will be a collection of professional photos. The media will want photos in high resolution with 300 dpi (dots per inch), video content and other materials. It’s recommended that you make a Dropbox account(www.DropBox.com) and put everything in one folder so you can just send your media contacts the link to the folder, providing them with access. This is much more effective than sending 50+ emails that they have to organize and sift through. DropBox gives you up to 2GB of free space to store your files.
Here is a list of what you should have in your Media Kit so you are prepared when someone from the media asks for it:
After your story is shared on television or radio, be sure to get a copy of the clip by asking the media venue how to obtain one. Ask beforehand to make sure it will be recorded. Tell your contact at the station that you want to get a copy for your personal use. Even though you plan to use the footage to promote your story and coverage on your personal website and through social media, it’s best to not let them know this as they may not give you a copy.
Once you acquire the digital format of your story, upload it to your YouTube and Facebook account so you will be able to use it for leverage when dealing with companies. The footage will serve as proof that you can get on TV and get more exposure for the company. As for newspapers, get copies of them when they run stories about you. Contact the editor directly and ask if you can get the PDF copy of the news article. Having a PDF file allows you to incorporate it into your Media Kit and those interested can have it printed in perfect condition later. In regards to radio stories or interviews, get a copy of the interview or live broadcast in MP3. Get a copy of any other media clip, article or press so you can add them to your Media Kit as proof of your value to companies.
It’s a good idea, for the present as well as for your future career, to build a business relationship with the person that did a story on you. Afterwards mail them a thank you card and check in with them every few months if something new is going on. Keep them up to date with the new events you’ve participated in, as well as with what is going on and coming up in the near future. The media loves to share follow-up stories to keep their viewers current on the most cutting edge news. Since you have already built that relationship, the turnaround time to get air time will be much easier as the years pass. Each time you repeat the process, ensure that you’re getting copies of everything so you can continue to build your media kit.