Find brands investing in creators
Companies that just started sponsoring podcasts or working with creators have a marketing budget and a new channel to fill. Upriver sees the partnerships; the note opens on them.
The conversation
Sample accounts and numbers, for illustrationYouFind companies in our ICP that started a podcast sponsorship or a creator partnership in the last 90 days and had none in the year before, show the show or creator and the date, skip anyone in our CRM, and give me the head of marketing or partnerships at each with a verified email and a first line that names the campaign.
Unify3 checks · Upriver, web research and CRM
- Read podcast sponsorships and creator partnerships from Upriver for ICP companies, dated, and kept the ones that started in the last 90 days with none in the prior year.
- Read each show or creator and what the brand promoted there.
- Removed customers and open deals in Salesforce and found the marketing or partnerships lead through the contact waterfall.
Twenty-seven ICP companies started sponsoring or partnering in the last 90 days with nothing in the year before. Twenty-two are not in your CRM, and eighteen have a verified marketing lead.
- 27
- first-time sponsors last 90 days
- 22
- not in the CRM
- 18
- verified marketing lead
- 4
- placed by an agency brand contact used
| Company | Show or creator | Started | Promoting | Contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwind Labs | The Ops Desk podcast | 6 weeks ago | A new routing product | Dana Holt · VP Marketing |
| Brightpath | Two support-leader creators | 3 weeks ago | A free assessment | Elena Marsh · Head of Growth |
| Merridian Systems | Support Leaders Weekly | 9 weeks ago | A webinar series | Nils Berg · Partnerships |
| Lumen Freight | Logistics podcast, regional | 2 weeks ago | Recruiting drivers | Tara Quinn · Marketing lead |
Sponsorships and dates come from Upriver. What the brand is promoting is read from the show. Why they chose the channel is a question for the email.
YouWhich of these are a real marketing push, and which are a one-off?
UnifyFifteen look like a push: more than one placement, or a placement plus a campaign page. Twelve are a single read with nothing behind it yet.
- 9 weeks agoMerridian Systems starts a weekly show sponsorshipEight consecutive episodes since, and a landing page for the webinar series. A push.
- 6 weeks agoNorthwind Labs sponsors The Ops DeskFour episodes, a dedicated offer code, and paid search on the product name began the same week. A push.
- 3 weeks agoBrightpath partners with two creatorsTwo posts each, promoting an assessment. Small, but it is a program, not a test.
- 2 weeks agoLumen Freight sponsors one regional episodeRecruiting, not marketing. One placement, no campaign page. Set aside.
- Push versus test
- Repeated placements and a campaign page together mark a push. A single read with nothing behind it is a test, and the note waits for a second one.
- Not a fit
- Lumen Freight is sponsoring to recruit drivers. That is budget, but not marketing budget. Listed, not drafted.
YouWhich of the 27 sponsored a B2B sales or marketing podcast, and what do they sell?
UnifySix of the 27 bought a B2B sales or marketing show as their first placement. Four are below, and what each promotes shows who it is trying to reach.
- 1Halcyon · The Revenue Room6 episodes
- 2Kestrel Analytics · Demand Gen Live4 episodes
- 3Calderon Health · B2B Growth Weekly2 episodes
- 4Oakline Software · Outbound Notes1 episode
Show categories come from Upriver, and what each brand promotes is read from the episode.
YouDraft the notes for the fifteen and route them.
UnifyFifteen drafts are with the owners. Each names the show or creator and what the brand is promoting there, and asks about the campaign.
- Day 1Email
The Ops Desk read
Dana, caught the Northwind spot on The Ops Desk. The offer code suggests you are measuring it, which most first sponsorships skip. Is the routing product the whole push this quarter, or the first of a few? Curious how the show is performing against paid search.
- Day 4LinkedIn
Connection note
One line about the episode, nothing about the product.
- Day 8Email
Only if no reply: one example from a brand at the same stage, and the same question.
Set up
- Fifteen drafts routed to owners Each names the campaign. The twelve one-off placements wait for a second signal.
- Monthly refresh from Upriver New sponsorships and partnerships are read monthly; a test that becomes a push moves onto the list.
- Agencies separated Four placements were made by agencies. The brand-side lead is the contact; the agency is listed for reference.
The sponsorship is public and dated. The budget behind it is inferred, and the email asks about the campaign rather than the money.
Creator-spend prospecting, with and without Unify
A brand that just bought its first podcast read is telling you it has budget and a plan. Almost nobody is listening for it.
| Without Unify | With Unify |
|---|---|
| Sponsorships are noticed when a rep happens to hear the ad | Upriver reports podcast sponsorships and creator partnerships by company, dated |
| There is no way to know whether a brand's creator activity is new or has run for years | First-time sponsors and brands whose pace rose this quarter are separated from long-running ones |
| The contact is a generic marketing inbox | The marketing or partnerships lead comes with a verified email |
| The email pitches the product with no reference to the campaign the brand is running | The first line names the show or creator and asks about the campaign |
Start from this prompt
Make it your own in Unify, then review the results.
Find companies in our ICP that started a podcast sponsorship or a creator partnership in the last 90 days and had none in the year before, show the show or creator and the date, skip anyone in our CRM, and give me the head of marketing or partnerships at each with a verified email and a first line that names the campaign.
What else you can ask for
The walkthrough is one path through this workflow. These are the turns people take most often.
- Pace risingWhich ICP brands doubled their creator partnerships this quarter compared with last, and who runs marketing at each?Try in Unify
- One category of showWhich companies sponsored a B2B sales or marketing podcast for the first time this quarter, and what do they sell?Try in Unify
- Agencies separatedSeparate the brands sponsoring from the agencies placing the deals in this list, and give me the brand-side marketing lead only.Try in Unify
How it changes by who you sell to
- Software
- Software brands sponsor podcasts when they move from product-led to marketing-led growth. Ask for ICP companies with a first podcast sponsorship this quarter, and open on the show they chose rather than on the spend.
- Retail and e-commerce
- Consumer brands live on creator partnerships, so the signal is a change in pace, not the first deal. Ask for brands whose creator activity rose this quarter, and take the head of marketing or partnerships as the contact.
- Media
- Media companies and agencies both buy and sell creator reach. Ask Unify to separate brands that are sponsoring from agencies placing the sponsorship, and to contact the brand's marketing lead.
- Financial services
- Fintech and insurance brands sponsor personal-finance shows when they push a consumer product. Ask for institutions with a new podcast sponsorship in that category, and keep the note formal.
- Education
- Course providers and education companies partner with creators to reach learners. Ask for education brands with new creator partnerships this quarter and the growth or marketing lead at each.
Next in prospecting and research
+4Local businessesBuild a local-business territory listLocal businesses are found by category, city and what they run, and the owner is the buyer. Build the list, verify the contact, and skip the ones you already know.
+1List buildingBuild a lookalike list from your best customersStart from the accounts that actually closed and expand outward on what they share.
ICP planningDefine your ICP and first buying signalsStart from your website and customers to draft a practical account profile and a small signal watchlist.
Connect what this workflow uses
Each guide covers the connection, what Unify reads and writes, and what to check before the first run.
- Connect SalesforceAuthorize Salesforce in Unify, configure CRM field mappings, and choose when to enable writing.
- Connect HubSpotConnect HubSpot to Unify, map Company and Person fields, and plan CRM exclusions and supported write-back.
- Connect GmailConnect Gmail to Unify for sequence emails and replies.
Questions about this workflow
What does Upriver report?
Podcast sponsorships, creator partnerships and brand positioning by company. Unify uses it to find brands investing in creators, to date the activity, and to tell a first-time sponsor from one that has run for years.
Why is a first sponsorship a signal?
It means a marketing budget was approved and a new channel opened, which usually comes with other spend. The page treats it as a reason to write, not as proof the brand wants your product.
Who is the contact?
The head of marketing, growth or partnerships at the brand, found and verified through the contact waterfall. Where an agency placed the sponsorship, the brand-side lead is used and the agency is listed separately.
What does the first line say?
It names the show or creator and what the brand promoted there, and asks one question about the campaign. It does not mention the sponsorship cost or claim to know the results.