A sponsorship proposal is the document you use to convince a brand to invest in you. A media kit is the factual backing behind it: your numbers, your reach, and what a brand can showcase through you. This guide describes how to build both, and which figures belong in them.
The Difference Between a Proposal and a Media Kit
The two documents do different jobs, and you use them at different moments.
A media kit is your standard presentation: a fixed overview of who you are, your numbers, and what you offer. You update it a few times a year and send it to anyone who asks for it. It's factual and not tailored to one particular brand.
A sponsorship proposal is a targeted request to one specific brand. It builds on your media kit, but adds why this particular brand fits you, what you concretely want to do for them, and what you're asking for in return. A proposal without that focus reads like a mass email and gets passed over.
In practice, you put together a solid media kit once, and write a short proposal per brand — half a page to a page and a half — that refers to it or sends it along as an attachment.
What Belongs in the Media Kit
A brand wants to quickly gauge whether you fit their target audience and whether you're reliable. Keep the kit visually calm, with a few good photos and little text per section.
| Section | What to Include |
|---|---|
| Short introduction | Name, level, discipline, horse(s), where you ride and train |
| Reach per channel | Followers, average engagement, reach per post or story |
| Audience | Broad breakdown: age, country, rider versus enthusiast |
| Competition calendar | Number of starts per year, level, notable competitions |
| Past partnerships | Brands you've worked with and what you delivered |
| What you offer | Concrete forms of visibility (see below) |
| Contact | Email and the channels where you can be reached |
Keep the numbers honest. A brand that later finds out your figures were inflated will stop working with you — and word travels fast in a small world.
The Numbers That Matter Most
Many riders lead their proposal with follower count. A brand looks further, because a large but passive audience delivers little. The numbers that matter:
- Reach per post — how many unique people typically see a post. For most accounts, that's well below the follower count.
- Engagement — likes, comments, saves, and shares combined, divided by reach. An engagement rate of roughly 3 to 6 percent counts as healthy on most platforms; below that, the audience is fairly passive, above it, distinctly strong.
- Click-throughs — if you've already shared discount codes or links: how many people clicked or bought. This is the most convincing figure for a brand, because it shows direct results.
- Composition of your audience — a smaller audience full of riders in your discipline is more valuable to a tack or feed brand than a large, mixed audience.
Give figures as realistic averages over recent months, not the outlier from your best post. Mention the measurement period, so the numbers are verifiable.
Substantiating Reach and Exposure
"Exposure" is often used as a vague term, but you can make it concrete. Translate it into the number of moments a brand becomes visible through you, and attach a figure to as many of those as possible.
Think of these sources of visibility:
- Social media — planned posts and stories per month, with the expected reach per piece.
- Competitions — a logo on your rug, saddle pad, or truck is seen by the audience on site and in competition photos and livestreams. Estimate the number of starts and the average audience per competition.
- Clinics and open days — physical contact with exactly the brand's target audience.
- Reuse — content you create that the brand then posts on its own channels. That extends the reach beyond your own followers.
Some riders calculate an estimated media value: reach multiplied by a rate per thousand views. That gives a rough indication, but use it cautiously. The assumptions are soft, and a brand sees through overly optimistic calculations. A sober overview of concrete visibility usually convinces better than a polished final figure.
A Sample Structure for the Proposal
The proposal itself is short and focused. A workable structure:
- Opening and reason for contact — why you're approaching this particular brand, and that you know and use their products.
- Who you are — two to three sentences: level, discipline, horse, and what you're working toward.
- Your reach — the key figures from your media kit, kept brief.
- What you propose — the package: number of posts, mention on your rug or truck, presence at clinics, content they may use. Make it concrete enough for a brand to evaluate.
- What you're asking for — products, a discount, or an amount. Name a target figure or form; "some sponsorship" gives a company nothing to weigh.
- Closing — an invitation for a short call or meeting, with your media kit attached.
If you want, offer a few variants — for example, a product package and a more extensive package with a cash contribution. That lets the brand choose a level that fits their budget, instead of saying yes or no to a single fixed proposal.
Practical Points When Making It
A few things that make the difference between a proposal that gets ignored and one that gets a reply:
- Send a PDF, not an editable file that can shift. That keeps the layout intact on every screen.
- Keep it short. Media kit: two to four pages. Proposal: half a page to a page and a half. A brand reads it in between other work.
- Address a person, not "the marketing team." Find the right contact and use their name.
- Update the numbers before you send. Outdated figures undermine your credibility immediately.
- Keep track of what you send to whom, and follow up politely once after a week or two.
For the context around these documents — what types of sponsors exist and what's realistic at each level — see Attracting Sponsors as a Rider. Also keep in mind that free products and cash contributions can count for tax purposes; for your own situation, see VAT and Tax for Horse Businesses in the Netherlands.
See also: Attracting Sponsors as a Rider · Level: For Professionals · Glossary for this level