Follow my journey in Fitness and Health, as a Working Mom, Spokesperson, Athlete : So you want to represent a Brand...

13 years ago I sent my first Athlete package to PVL (Fit Foods) enquiring for sponsorship. I was a trainer at a very busy downtown Toronto gym and loved their products.

Back then it was a large manila envelope with my bio, goals, what I could do for them, several printed photo’s and a disk with more pics to showcase my look.

I must admit I did not get a reply the first, second, third or even fourth attempt. However, my perseverance prevailed and they finally contacted me.

I was determined to represent this company, I used their products, recommended them to my clients and more importantly I believed in them.

When the athlete relation’s manager (customer service at that time) finally contacted me I was over the moon.

They gave me the chance to demo at events, stores and shortly after I pursued an account manager position, which led to where I am today.

Now I am no longer with Fit Foods. However, I am still in the industry as a competitor and an account manager of 100+ stores. Roughly a year ago I also became involved in recruiting and working with athletes for two Social Media teams.

I often get asked for sponsorship and I have to say I am usually disappointed with what athletes present to “Sell” themselves.

So I decided to put together some tips that I believe are the necessities in pursuing sponsorship .…

1: Bio, your accomplishments, goals, what you can bring to the brand. That being said I don’t need to know what happened in the 3^rd grade. Keep is short precise and engaging. If you struggle with this write a list of questions and answer those.

2: Good Pictures (NO IG selfies). Have some professional fitness shots. If you have never done a shoot make sure your first one is not all lingerie. (Unless Playboy is who you are looking at). Look at Inside Fitness, Muscle Insider, Oxygen and various fitness magazines for inspiration.

3: Know the companies products, message, branding. (Spelling the company name right is key…Trust me I’ve seen it happen)

4: Social Media: Post often, engage your followers, be proactive, and interesting. What is your message? What is your personal brand?

5: Watch your content. I know certain brands shy away from profanity, nudity etc…(know your target audience)

6: Try to stay as close in shape as you can. We all know there is a big difference between stage ready and real life, but trying to represent an active look is also very important. This also varies from Bodybuilder to Bikini.

7: Be professional, look at this as your way to expand and grow, the more you give to a brand and show your value the more you will get out of it.

8: Remember people are always watching…You never know what opportunities can be arise, look at this as a job. Treat it as such…

9: Use the Social Media channels available to expand your audience. Twitter, Snap Chat, IG, Facebook, I know it is a lot but once you get into the groove it becomes easier.
Work at your social media, follow, like, tag, and commenting, are all part of the social media game, dedicate sometime each day to build your following...

10: Find a brand that aligns with your own message. Don’t jump from brand to brand just seeking sponsorship. Be authentic and operate with integrity. Follow through on your commitments and most of all be persistent. You don’t stop training if something does not change after one workout. You continue to improve and go back to the drawing board.

At the end of the day what most brands look for when signing athletes or ambassadors is what can you offer their company. Remember, with so many athletes looking for sponsorship, what makes you unique? How can you add to their team and more importantly their sales...