sales-skills/sales-sponsorgap

SponsorGap Platform Help

Step 1 — Gather context

If references/learnings.md exists, read it first for accumulated platform knowledge.

1. What are you trying to do?

   • A) Find brands that sponsor newsletters in my niche
   • B) Get contact info for sponsor decision-makers
   • C) Monitor competitor sponsorship activity
   • D) Price my newsletter sponsorships
   • E) Track sponsor outreach pipeline
   • F) Use the SponsorGap API to automate sponsor research

2. What's your newsletter niche? (e.g., fintech, marketing, health, crypto)

3. Current subscriber count and open rate? (affects sponsor targeting)

Skip-ahead rule: if the user's prompt already contains enough context, skip to Step 2.

Step 2 — Route or answer directly

| If the question is about... | Route to... | |---|---| | Newsletter monetization strategy (subscriptions, ads, pricing models) | /sales-newsletter [question] | | Sponsorship marketplace / programmatic ad network | /sales-paved [question] | | Finding newsletters to sponsor (brand side) | /sales-reletter [question] | | Growing your subscriber list | /sales-audience-growth [question] | | Email deliverability | /sales-deliverability [question] |

If the question is SponsorGap-specific, continue to Step 3.

Step 3 — SponsorGap platform reference

Read references/platform-guide.md for the full platform reference — capabilities, pricing, data model, integration recipes, code examples.

Answer the user's question using only the relevant section. Don't dump the full reference.

Step 4 — Actionable guidance

Focus on the user's specific situation:

• Small list (<5K subs): Use SponsorGap's free search (5 hand-picked sponsors, no card) to research which brands sponsor similar-sized newsletters. Focus on niche-specific sponsors where your audience alignment matters more than list size.
• Mid-size (5K-25K subs): Use the Growth tier ($89/mo, formerly "Pro") for verified contacts and competitor monitoring. Build a target list of 20-30 brands, then cold email decision-makers using the verified contacts. Growth also includes limited API access and up to 5 seats.
• Larger (25K+ subs): The Enterprise tier ($199/mo) adds Full API access, AI-powered recommendations, and unlimited seats to systematize sponsor prospecting. Combine with Paved marketplace for inbound deals. For done-for-you prospecting, Managed Services ($999 / $2,999/mo) builds a custom Airtable CRM and runs outreach.
• Timing outreach: Use spend trend data to contact brands when their sponsorship spending is increasing, not declining.

If you discover a gotcha, workaround, or tip not covered in references/learnings.md, append it there.

Gotchas

Best-effort from research — review these, especially items about plan-gated features and integration gotchas that may be outdated.

1. Verified contacts require a paid plan (the $89 Growth tier, formerly "Pro") — the Starter ($39) plan only browses ~1,000 sponsors with basic contact info, not full verified decision-maker emails/LinkedIn. The free tier gives just 5 hand-picked sponsors. (Tiers were renamed Starter / Growth / Enterprise; prices unchanged $39 / $89 / $199.)
2. API access is now tiered, not Enterprise-only — "Limited API access" starts on Growth ($89/mo); "Full API access" is on Enterprise ($199/mo). There is no public API documentation; request docs/credentials from support after subscribing. (Re-verified 2026-06-13 — older copy said API was $199-only.)
3. No Zapier/Make integration — you can't connect SponsorGap to your CRM or outreach tool via iPaaS. Use CSV export (paid tiers) or the API (Growth+) to move data. For done-for-you outreach with a custom CRM built in Airtable, SponsorGap offers Managed Services ($999 / $2,999/mo).
4. Contact data accuracy varies — verified contacts are best-effort. Always cross-reference with LinkedIn before outreach. Decision-makers change roles.
5. Spend trends ≠ budget availability — a brand increasing sponsorship spend may already be fully booked. Use trends to identify momentum, then verify availability directly.

Related skills

• /sales-newsletter — Newsletter monetization strategy (paid subscriptions, sponsorships, ad sales, pricing)
• /sales-sponsorleads — SponsorLeads sponsor lead lists (4,318+ companies, decision-maker contacts, Airtable database)
• /sales-paved — Paved newsletter sponsorship marketplace, Ad Network, Booker, Radar
• /sales-reletter — Reletter newsletter search engine (7M+ publications, subscriber data, creator contacts, API)
• /sales-do — Not sure which skill to use? The router matches any sales objective to the right skill. Install: npx skills add sales-skills/sales --skill sales-do

Examples

Example 1: Finding sponsors for a niche newsletter

User says: "I run a fintech newsletter with 8,000 subscribers. How do I find sponsors on SponsorGap?" Skill does: Walks through niche filtering, explains Pro tier verified contacts, suggests building a 20-brand target list using competitor monitoring to see who sponsors similar fintech newsletters Result: User has a targeted sponsor prospecting workflow

Example 2: Automating sponsor research via API

User says: "How do I use SponsorGap's API to pull sponsor data into my CRM?" Skill does: References API docs (Business tier required), shows how to query brands by niche, extract contact data, and push to CRM via CSV or API integration Result: User understands API access requirements and data flow

Example 3: Competitor sponsorship monitoring

User says: "I want to know who's sponsoring my competitor's newsletter" Skill does: Explains competitor monitoring feature (Pro+), real-time alerts, how to use ad copy library to see actual sponsor placements, and how to time outreach based on competitor sponsor churn Result: User sets up competitor monitoring and has an outreach strategy

Troubleshooting

Can't find sponsors in my niche

Symptom: Searching SponsorGap returns few or irrelevant brands Cause: Niche is too narrow, or brands in your space use different category labels Solution: Broaden your search terms. Search by adjacent niches (e.g., "SaaS" instead of "developer tools"). Check competitor newsletters to see who sponsors them, then search those brand names directly.

Verified contacts are outdated

Symptom: Emails bounce or LinkedIn profiles show the person left the company Cause: Contact data has a shelf life — people change roles Solution: Cross-reference SponsorGap contacts with current LinkedIn profiles before outreach. Use the funding radar to focus on companies with recent funding (more likely to have active marketing teams).

Not sure what to charge sponsors

Symptom: Brands are interested but you don't know your rate Cause: No pricing benchmark for your niche and list size Solution: Use SponsorGap's rate calculator and sponsor trend data to benchmark CPM rates in your niche. Start with $25-$50 CPM for general audiences, $50-$100+ for B2B/finance. Check what competitors charge by looking at their media kits.