Campaign idea

The Promo Partner Program

Communities and media partners who formally cross-promote. The highest share rate of any stakeholder group.

What it is

A promo partner is a community, association, publication or adjacent event that agrees to promote you to its whole audience - usually in exchange for you doing the same, plus passes and visibility.

It is the highest-effort campaign in this library and it produces the highest share rate, because unlike an attendee or a sponsor, the partner has formally committed. It is a deal, not a favour.

When to run it: Before the event
Who does the sharing: Partners
What it's for: Registrations, Brand reach
Effort: High effort

Timing: Start 4-6 months out. Partner cycles are slow and newsletters book ahead.

Why it works

You reach an entire audience at once instead of one person at a time.
The audience is pre-qualified by the partner's own topic.
The reciprocal structure means it usually costs no cash at all.
Partners renew year over year, so the second edition is far easier than the first.

How to run it

1
List every adjacent audience
Communities, associations, newsletters, podcasts, meetup groups, other events. Aim for twenty candidates to land six.
2
Lead with what they get
Passes for their members, a discount code, a speaking slot, a booth, and promotion of them to your audience.
3
Agree deliverables in writing
Two newsletter mentions, four social posts, one community announcement, dated. Vague partnerships deliver nothing.
4
Do the work for them
Supply the copy, the creative, the code and the link. The partner should have to do nothing but paste.
5
Report and renew
Show them what they drove. Partners who see numbers come back and often expand.