Sponsorships and You

In this crazy day and age of Social Media. It seems like everyone is a star, wants to be a star, or thinks they are one. Delusions of grandeur abound. Maybe it's just because I am in the iron game, but this seems to be on another level when it comes to lifters. I'm Not saying that I haven't been guilty of this as well. Heck I likely will be in the future. That being said, "Hi I'm Dan. I have 19k followers. You should give me free stuff and/or pay me to post your product. etc...." Probably isn't how you should approach a potential sponsor even if you have 100k followers. So I am going to come at you straight. There's a good chance (like damn near 100%) that if you are asking for sponsorships then you aren't in a place to get one anyway.

We are a want it now society. Immediate gratification is all there is. That's why people look at you weird when you tell them if they want an 800 lb squat they need to train for 10-15 years, have great genetics, eat to build strength, and probably take some drugs. That kind commitment of time and effort just isn't palatable in most people's minds let alone in reality. That's why there aren't 1000's of 800 lb squatters out there. So let's touch on a few pitfalls you don't have to fall victim to and some actual constructive steps to getting a sponsorship.

1. Build your following: This is the last thing the quick fixers want to hear, but if you are saying you are a powerlifter and you are approaching brands that have pro powerlifters and other strength and physique athletes then you better be on their level both in ability and outreach potential. If not then get ready to grind. Don't bother messaging companies when your time could be spent improving yourself. It's just a waste of your time and theirs. There's an exception to this, but you are probably not going to like it.

2. Show the company what you can do for them. As with most things in life, IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU! This flies in the face of how we operate today, but look at it from the business' stand point. You are asking for free product, money, or possibly both. Regardless of the company's mission statement it's main job is to turn a profit. How does giving stuff away to you help their bottom line? So instead of DMing them asking for a hand out like a pan handler in the city how about you approach them with an offer of what you want to do for them? "Hey guys. I'm xxxx I love your company and would love to help you grow. I have xx followers on IG and rep you guys all the time. Can I write a blog or throw a discount to my people on IG?" Notice I am not asking them to hook me up and then I will help. I am asking to add value to them in the form of content and more sales. I know I know....you're asking what's in it for me? Getting noticed. That's what's in it for you. You are building trust and rapport. If the article you write is solid and gets a great response from readers they will probably reach out again. If not you can always follow up. After all they gave you a chance once. As for the discount code. They will be able to see who used your code and can see if you will actually be helping them or if they are just throwing money away. Hit the grind. Tell your friends about the code. Make sure this company sees you as a benefit. If it goes well then you get a chance to negotiate from a strong position. You just made them money!

3. Pay attention to what you post. Have a theme running. If you are wanting to be a fitness person then post fitness type things. Motivational quotes, fitness memes, workout pics and videos are all good. Avoid whining about your life and inappropriate pictures (depending on the company). If you want HTFU to sponsor you it's probably ok to drop a few F Bombs. Be mindful of your posts. Don't just take a picture with your shirt off with the caption of "am I hot ladies." Actually just saw this one yesterday on an account that was trying to get a sponsorship out of me. Once again IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. Be thoughtful, educational, and inspirational. No one cared how cool you thought you were in high school and no one cares now.

4. Don't pretend. There's a few things I want to touch on here. First don't lie. All it takes is a Google search to figure out you have a pretend apparel company and you sponsored yourself. Worse yet you were too lazy to do even that and you are just straight up lying. Along those same lines, although not really lying, are the supplement companies that will let you be a "sponsored athlete" in that you get product at 50% off with your special team code and then you get a percentage of profits if people use your other code to purchase. Some companies do this right and refer to you as an ambassador but others play on your vanity and refer to you as a sponsored athlete. If you are really sponsored then you are going to be getting things not paying half price for them. On the flip side this is a genius business model and if I had a supplement company that's exactly how I would grow my brand.

5. If you are smaller in your following then approach smaller companies. Find an apparel or supplement company that has more than 1000 followers but less than 10,000. This company is new and gaining a bit of traction but still needs help getting the word out. You get an actual sponsor and they get some exposure. Also they may be too new to realize your 2000 followers and 30 likes are probably not worth the 4 shirts they will send. It'll be a good learning experience all around.

6. A final thing to consider is whether or not you want to help build someone else's kingdom when you could be building your own. As you can see in points 1. and 2. it's a decent amount of work to actually get a sponsorship that matters. If you are trying to hit up an apparel or supplement company and you are willing to do that much work why not just put in a bit more work and start your own? It's  nice. You get to keep all the money and get to see the other side of the world. After the first 10 or so beggars you will probably be shaking your head at your past self. I know I did.

Assess yourself honestly. Get someone other than you to evaluate your IG or Facebook. Be okay with constructive criticism. Most importantly create value for others before worrying about what's in it for you.

PS. Alternative steps for success.
1. Start and IG
2. Say you are going to start working out
3. Put "Fit" or "Physique" somewhere in your username
4. Workout for 2 months
5. Compete in the bikini division
6. Offer "expert" online coaching
7. DM Nike for a sponsorship

Talk soon,

Dan is a nationally ranked amateur

strongman competitor in the 242lb and 275lb classes and a pro powerlifter in the RPS 275lb class. He holds instructor level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been training people for strength and martial arts since 2004.

You can follow Dan on Instagram @RoninStr and @RoninStrApparel
For training and nutrition advice and tips email roninstr@gmail.com

No Surrender!

So this is going to be a combo meet recap/motivational post. I competed this past weekend in an RPS meet over in Eaton Ohio. I want to start off by saying thanks to everyone that helped the meet run so well and for Eaton Barbell for the use of their awesome facility. If you ever get to go to one run by the Iron Mafia guys I hope you partake. They do a great job.

My goal this meet was to total over 1700 which would get me pro status for RPS and get me over a number that's been in my head for a while now. Everything started off well enough. I smashed my opening squat at 530ish and got 2 whites on my second at 562.5 which was a meet PR. Next I had planned for a shot at 590 for a 5 lb all time PR but decided I felt great and the 2nd attempt was easy so I went for 600. It felt solid, definitely was a tough rep for me, but thought I hit all standards. When I looked up I saw 2 reds for depth. After watching the video it was definitely close, but hey, if there's a doubt, there's no doubt.

So now I had put myself into a tough spot. I hadn't benched well at all the past 12 weeks due to some elbow Tendonitis. I hit 460 at the previous meet but missed 455 every time since then in training. I really needed at least a 465 to even have a shot at that 1700 total. During warm ups I worked to 405 and my elbow was screaming on that. My opener was set for 430 and I didn't know if I was going to have it in me. Luckily everything held together and the 1st attempt felt great. I knew it was only a matter of time before it flared up again though. I had planned on 455 and 470 for my final attempts but decided to split the difference and go for 468.5 in the hopes that I hit it and didn't take a third lift knowing that I would be in a good but not great position for deadlifts. The set up felt good, the lift off was solid, but as soon as I descended I could feel my arm screaming. I got the barbell about 2 inches off my chest and then the spotters had to take it. So now I am sitting at a 992 total. If I didn't hit this third attempt I would need a 708+ Deadlift to hit 1700. My best dead to date was 655 and it was a grind. In the past this is where I would put on a happy face and start joking around and acting like this is just a fun day and at least I tried my best. You know, the bull we tell ourselves to feel better about being a loser. I wrote about it in a previous article here. This is when you need to figure out if you are just competing for fun or actually trying to achieve something meaningful. I hate missing lifts in competitions. I got so pissed off in my head. I sat and stewed by myself with one of those "talk to me and I will cut you" kind of looks. My dad ,who was kind enough to watch and film the comp, came over and tried to be all positive and happy (apparently not catching my vibe). God love him, he has always been my greatest supporter in every way possible and he was absolutely trying to help. I just was in no mood to hear it. I was fuming. I decided just because your elbow hurts like a mother f***er doesn't give you the right to bitch out. Your arm will hurt but it will still produce force as long as you can push through the pain. This isn't training! We're here to win medals and crush goals! Destroy the opposition! Hurt some feelings! Sorry it got away from me there for a second. My third attempt on bench was my last chance to have any hope of accomplishing what I set out to do. I am moving across country away from my family to pursue powerlifting. I am not leaving my home for a 430 bench and total less than 1700. Long story slightly shorter, I set up and I took that weight. I'd like to say I then proceeded to absolutely destroy it, but the truth is it hurt every fraction of every second and I had to grind the Hell out of that rep every fraction of every inch. And I did.

Now I was in a much better position. I would still need a 670ish pull to do it, but 6 plates in warm up absolutely flew off the floor. I then proceeded to absolutely molest my opener at 634 lbs. I knew I would need to PR by 15 lbs to make it but the last lift moved so well I went up to 677 to put the nail in that 1700 coffin. I figured if I missed I would just roll like the bench press and make it happen. The lift was a bit of a grind but I got it with 2 white lights. Having already hit my goal I was coaxed by a buddy to go for 700 lbs. Got it about knee high and dropped, but hey, I've never even pulled on 700 before and I ended getting 2nd place in the open division finishing with over 1700 as a total, meet PRs on everything, and all time PRs on Bench and Dead.

Enough about me. Here's the nugget for you guys. It is paramount for you to decide what kind of competitor you are going to be. Are you there to just have fun? If so, great. If you are there to win or hit specific goals then you need to operate like that's what you are trying to do. Don't be satisfied with failure. Heck don't be satisfied with success. Keep pushing. Every achieved goal today means the start of day one and new goals tomorrow.

Get after it!

Talk soon,

Dan is a nationally ranked amateur

strongman competitor in the 242lb and 275lb classes and a pro powerlifter in the RPS 275lb class. He holds instructor level ranks in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He has been training people for strength and martial arts since 2004.

You can follow Dan on Instagram @RoninStr and @RoninStrApparel
For training and nutrition advice and tips email roninstr@gmail.com.