So you want to join Team KOMPAK?
I've honestly been overwhelmed by the number of applications I've received already to join the KOMPAK Team - and I'm writing this being only 6 weeks launched! So first, a massive thank you to everyone who has already applied it honestly means the world to me!
With this in mind, I thought it would be helpful to write a blog about what EXACTLY companies like mine would be looking for ideally in a new sponsored athlete, in the hope that it will help you increase your chances of selection and save you time when submitting your applications.
Though sometimes it can take a few weeks, I ALWAYS reply to every sponsorship application. Because I think if you have taken the time to apply then this should be reciprocated the other way as a sign of appreciation and respect.
Here are some things you should consider and take into consideration before you submit your application:
1) Do you have the time to commit to a sponsorship?
When you are working with many brands in the bodybuilding industry, they are usually very small businesses. Which means that investing in athletes is a very difficult decision to make. They often have much smaller budgets than bigger corporate brands, so deciding on who to invest time, money and energy can make a massive difference to that brand, good & bad! Being a competitor your life will naturally be more demanding and busy, so before applying you should always have a real think and be honest with yourself as to whether you have the time to commit to producing weekly or bi-weekly postings, the time to build rapport with the team behind the brand and help to develop and push the brand further. Something that is very important to me is that my athletes feel that their ideas and input are respected and make a real difference, especially considering how new KOMPAK is at this time I only want to keep making it better.
2) Have you competed before?
While it's not necessary to have competed dozen of times before you submit your application, knowing that the athlete has competed before means that they understand the importance of KOMPAK through their own experiences. Whatsmore, in complete honesty, the industry is all about connections, if you have not competed before, your followers are less likely to be interested in engaging with the KOMPAK brand, as they are not competitors themselves. This leads me onto...
3) Do the number of followers matter?
Honestly? Yes and No.
Coming from a digital marketing background, where part of my job was to find and work with a range of pro and amateur sponsored athletes; I know how easy it is to fake your comments, fake your likes and fake your followers. I would rather take someone on with say 2,000 followers, who averages 200-300 likes a post in comparison to someone with 15,000 followers with the same ratio of likes. WHY? because the person with 2000 followers might have more engaged followers, and more importantly, the right followers i.e. people who also compete! While it might be great that one potential candidate has 15,000 followers, if only a small percentage of their followers are competitors, and most of them are not even into fitness for example, it might not be worth me investing in that person. It's not just a numbers game either, it's about what else you can bring to the table such as...
4) Do you have quality images and content on your profile?
I always take the time to look through a feed if someone has applied, including their captions and images. You tend to get a vibe from just looking at this alone. For KOMPAK, the branding is very important to me, so when I look at someone's feed, I am trying to visualize how the KOMPAK brand would fit into their feed, would it 'blend' well, would this competitor be able to produce the right type of content that fits the overall brand message, image etc? What makes this even easier for me is if...
5) You are already shown to be supporting KOMPAK
Trust me when I say that I take notice of ALL the people who take the time to comment, tag the brand, mention us in their IG story etc. Another benefit to doing this is not only does it show that you truly believe and support in KOMPAK, it instantly gives me a clear idea of what sort of content you would typically produce which includes KOMPAK. So, while I'm not saying you have to buy posing shoes, competition jewellery, the whole of the pre-stage range and buy hundreds of pounds worth of product for your next bodybuilding comp, showing that you support the brand, and have had the customer experience shows to me that you really understand the brand and are behind it, which would really stand out to me overall.
6) Do you have ideas or something different to bring to the table?
I don't want my team to be clones of one another. I want people who are different and can bring something different to the team and to KOMPAK. If you bring ideas to improve and expand KOMPAK, this really could stand out to me. If you compete in a different federation to the other girls, in a different category, or even country! You don't just have to be a bikini competitor, you could be a figure or fitness model it really doesn't matter to me, it's who you are as a person! Then this again would show something unique and different. If you are a prep coach, posing coach, hold events, go to blogger events, or looking to set up a new venture in the industry, then this would be something that a) could support KOMPAK and b) be something that I can help support you with also.
7) Choose wisely what companies you work with already before applying.
100% honesty here, I am usually instantly turned off by profiles who are sponsored by LOADS of companies, or have done a tonne of collaborations with different brands. To me, this doesn't show loyalty, and can give off the vibe that you are just in it for the freebies and just to show people that you are 'sponsored' by companies. It also doesn't show me the type of person you really are if it is all about other products and companies.
Through association, some brands might not fit well with what KOMPAK is about, so this could potentially put me off approaching you or taking your application any further if you are already partnered with other brands like this.
8) Do you respond?
No sometimes doesn't mean NO forever for some athletes. I always like to keep applications that apply in the back of my mind if they are competing more that year. However, if I have responded to your application and you ignore or blank my email back, and I have thought before hitting send 'ooo but I really like her, I'm going to keep an eye on her, see how her brand develops, but just not right now', you have already cut any chance of me ever coming back to you.
And I think that's it (for now!) if I think of anything else I will add to this blog so make sure you pop back into this 'blog' section to see the latest updates. But I hope this has been insightful and interesting, regardless if you decide to apply for sponsorship or not with KOMPAK!
If you think you have some or all of these qualities above, then I would LOVE to hear from you.