Elizabeth Henson

How to Land Sponsorships as a Small Business: A Live Coaching Session with Justin Moore

5/20/2026

Date

If you have ever wondered whether sponsorships are actually possible for a business like yours, this episode is going to open your eyes. Elizabeth sits down with Justin Moore, sponsorship coach and author of Sponsor Magnet, for one of the most practical and eye-opening conversations about brand partnerships you will find anywhere. And fair warning: you will probably look at your business completely differently by the end.

Sponsorships are not just for influencers with massive followings. If you have a local audience, an email list, an event, or an engaged community, there is real money being left on the table if you are not thinking about brand partnerships. Justin built his expertise the hard way, starting with his wife April’s YouTube channel in 2009, making every mistake in the book, and eventually earning close to six million dollars in sponsorship revenue. Now he teaches creators and entrepreneurs how to do it themselves, no manager, agent, or broker required.

What changed everything for Elizabeth was learning to stop pitching what she had and start pitching what brands actually need. Most sponsorship proposals get ignored because they lead with the creator’s audience size or event details instead of connecting to something the brand already cares about. Justin calls this the difference between holding your hand out and sliding a solution across the table. In this episode he walks through his ROPE method, a four-part framework for writing a sponsorship proposal that ties your pitch to a brand’s existing goals, proves your audience already has affinity for their product, and gives them something concrete and easy to say yes to.

They also get into why accepting an affiliate commission instead of negotiating a flat-rate sponsorship deal often costs you far more than it saves. Affiliates give brands almost no control over how their product is represented, no content rights, and no guarantee of quality. A paid sponsorship changes that dynamic entirely and positions you as a consultant and strategic partner rather than just someone with a link to share. Elizabeth shares what happened at her own in-person event when one sponsor went all in on a flat-rate deal versus another who negotiated into affiliate commissions, and the difference in results was impossible to ignore.

The highlight of this conversation is a live coaching moment where Justin pulls up the Novo website in real time and builds a pitch from scratch, showing exactly how the ROPE method works in practice. If you have ever stared at a brand’s website and had no idea how to approach them, this section alone is worth the whole listen. Come ready to take notes and start seeing what is already possible for your business.

SHOW NOTES:

00:00 The sponsorship opportunity most people miss

04:30 How Justin Moore got started

07:30 Why small and local businesses can earn big

09:00 The city newsletter doing it right

10:45 What Elizabeth did differently this year

13:30 Why your last pitch probably didn’t work

17:10 The ROPE method explained live

22:00 Live coaching: pitching Novo in real time

26:40 Affiliates vs. sponsorships (the real difference)

32:40 When you should walk away from a sponsor

37:45 The live learning moment Elizabeth didn’t expect