Gaming Sponsorships Guide For Creators

Gaming sponsorships have become a significant part of the gaming industry and creator economy, attracting more brands that recognize the potential of partnering with gamers to reach a wider audience. 

It’s no surprise that in 2023, Twitch maintained an impressive creator base of 7.5 million active streamers on the platform monthly, according to Statista.

So what are gaming sponsorships, and how do they work? Great question!

Gaming sponsorships involve a brand providing (usually) financial/monetary support to a creator, team, esports group, or event in exchange for exposure, promotion, and sometimes referred sales (also known as affiliate marketing) for their brand or product. It’s that simple.

In this article, we’ll explore the benefits, practical strategies for landing a winning sponsorship, and types of gaming sponsorships, and we’ll answer the age-old question “. You’ll gain practical guidance and insights created for gamers and brands looking to enter the world of gaming sponsorship.

Let’s dive in!

Types of Gaming Sponsorships

Not every gaming sponsorship is created equally. Gaming sponsorships can differ in some ways based on the term of the support, what (or who’s) being sponsored, and other factors.

Different types of gaming sponsorships are available, including affiliate product sponsorships, event sponsorships, team sponsorships, and individual sponsorships. We’ll list a few types of gaming sponsorship below and share a brief description:

• Affiliate Product Sponsorships: A brand provides a gamer with its products, such as gaming equipment, in exchange for promotion and exposure.
• Event Sponsorships: This involves a brand providing financial or material support to a gaming event in exchange for exposure and promotion.
• Team Sponsorships: This involves a brand providing financial or material support to a gaming team in exchange for exposure and promotion.
• Gamer Sponsorships: A brand provides financial or material support to an individual gamer in exchange for exposure and promotion.

Benefits of Gaming Sponsorships

Every mutually beneficial relationship needs incentives or reasons why you’ll want to engage in that relationship – and in the world of gaming sponsorships, it’s no different. Gaming sponsorship offers several benefits to both the sponsoring brand and the gamer, both direct and indirect.

Here are just some of the benefits a brand might gain from working with a sponsored gamer:

• Increased brand awareness: Gaming sponsorship exposes brands to a wider audience, including the gaming community.
• Access to a wider audience: Gamers have a loyal following, and partnering with them provides brands with access to this audience.
• Enhanced brand image and reputation: Partnering with gamers and gaming events can enhance a brand’s image and reputation, particularly among younger audiences.
• Increased sales and revenue: Gaming sponsorship can improve brand sales and revenue, particularly if the sponsored streamer or event succeeds.
• Opportunities for product testing and development: Gaming sponsorship allows brands to test and develop new products with gamers and gaming events.

 Here are some benefits a gamer could gain from working with a sponsored brand:

• Increased brand visibility: Gaming sponsorship offers gamers visibility across the product fanbase, including the sponsoring brand’s social media platform and properties (blog, socials, ads, videos, etc).
• Access to a wider audience: Brands have a loyal fanbase. Exposure across the brand’s channels will provide growth opportunities. 
• Increased reputation: Collaborating with larger brands allows gamers to leverage the company’s image and reputation.
• Financial revenue: Gaming sponsorship can lead to paid sponsors, which puts extra money in your pocket. As you grow your audience and brand, you’ll be able to charge more for the sponsorships companies will pay for.
• Networking: In the business world, everything revolves around human connections and meeting the folks who will positively impact your gaming career. 

Challenges with Gaming Sponsorships

While gaming sponsorships can have many appealing perks, some challenges and roadblocks exist. But with research, planning, and due diligence, you can reap the rewards of gaming sponsorships to level up your gaming career.

Here are a few things you should consider before getting started:

• Finding the right sponsorship opportunity: Brands and gamers must find the right sponsorship opportunity that aligns with their goals and values.
• Ensuring brand alignment with the gaming community: Brands need to ensure that their sponsorship aligns with the values and interests of the gaming community.
• Measuring ROI and success: Brands need to measure the ROI and success of their support to determine if it’s worth the investment.
• Managing negative feedback and backlash: Brands and gamers must be prepared to handle negative feedback and backlash from the gaming community.

How to Secure a Gaming Sponsorship

Securing a gaming sponsorship can be intimidating and take effort and time. If you take the time to plan your attack and put your best foot forward, you, too, can reap the rewards of a lucrative sponsorship for sharing your gaming greatness with the world.

Here are some helpful steps you can follow to ensure your next sponsorship outreach goes without a hitch:

• Build a strong personal brand as a gamer: Gamers need to build a strong personal brand that aligns with the values and interests of potential sponsors.
• Identify potential sponsors and reach out to them: Gamers need to identify potential sponsors that align with their brand and reach out to them with a sponsorship proposal.
• Create a compelling sponsorship proposal: Gamers must create a persuasive sponsorship proposal outlining the benefits of partnering with them.
• Negotiate terms and conditions: Gamers need to negotiate the terms and conditions of the sponsorship deal to ensure that it aligns with their business goals and values.

Keep in mind that the partnership with the brand that decides to sponsor your brand needs to benefit from the sponsorship as well. Be mindful of their needs and keep up to date on the latest news about what’s happing with the company and your industry as a whole. 

Be prepared to share data about your viewers, streaming metrics, and other valuable analytics the sponsoring company may look for.  

Conclusion

Sponsorship opportunities are everywhere. With the right strategy, you, too, can reap the rewards of a gaming sponsorship for your personal brand.

Gaming sponsorships offer benefits to both brands and gamers. Brands can benefit from working with talented content creators with adoring fans worldwide. Content creators benefit from added exposure, financial support, and access to resources like never before.

But challenges ahead must be considered, like finding the right fit sponsorship opportunity and negotiating the right sponsorship for your brand. To secure a gaming sponsorship, a creator must build a strong personal brand, identify potential sponsors, create a compelling proposal, and negotiate the right terms.

With the right strategy, planning, and a bit of luck, you’ll be on your way to landing the gaming sponsorship of your dreams.