---
aliases: ["Sponsor Onboarding"]
Is A: Procedure
Belongs to: "[[responsibility-sponsorships]]"
Cadence: "As needed"
Owner: "[[person-luca-rossi]]"
---
# Sponsor Onboarding

First impressions set the tone for the entire sponsor relationship. A smooth onboarding process — from signed deal to first placement — signals professionalism, reduces friction, and increases the likelihood of long-term partnerships and renewals. This procedure ensures that every new sponsor receives a consistent experience: a clear brief, creative review, scheduled placement, and timely invoicing. [[person-matteo-cellini]] coordinates much of this process, but the quality bar is set here.

## Steps

- [ ] Once the deal is signed, send the sponsor a welcome email with a clear timeline for their first placement and what they need to provide
- [ ] Share the sponsor brief template: ad copy guidelines, character limits, image specs, link requirements, and the newsletter's tone and audience profile
- [ ] Schedule a 15-minute kick-off call (or async exchange) to align on messaging goals, key selling points, and any audience segments the sponsor wants to emphasize
- [ ] Receive the sponsor's creative assets and review them against the brief: does the copy fit the newsletter's tone? Are the claims accurate and non-hyperbolic?
- [ ] If creative revisions are needed, provide specific, constructive feedback with examples of what works well in the newsletter's format
- [ ] Once creative is approved, schedule the placement in the content calendar and confirm the publication date with the sponsor
- [ ] Generate and send the first invoice per the agreed payment terms (see [[procedure-invoice-processing]])
- [ ] Add the sponsor to the CRM with all relevant details: contact info, contract terms, placement schedule, and notes from the kick-off conversation
- [ ] Brief [[person-matteo-cellini]] on the relationship so he can manage ongoing communications and the [[procedure-monthly-sponsor-report]]

## Notes

- The onboarding experience is a preview of the entire relationship. If it is chaotic or slow, the sponsor will expect the same going forward. Make it crisp.
- Creative review is a service, not an obstacle. The best sponsor placements feel native to the newsletter, and that requires editorial guidance. Frame feedback as "this will perform better for you" rather than "this does not meet our standards."
- Send the sponsor a sample of a previous sponsor placement so they can see what the final product looks like. This dramatically reduces revision cycles.
- Track the time from signed deal to first published placement. If it consistently exceeds 2 weeks, there is a bottleneck in the process worth diagnosing.
- A well-onboarded sponsor is more likely to renew. Every hour invested in onboarding saves time in the [[procedure-sponsor-renewal]] process later.
