The Cold DM hack that landed me a Newsletter Sponsor | Marketing Shots

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Hello, awesome marketers and founders.
This is Luv, and here’s your weekly Marketing Shot :)

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Today, I'm sharing something that's going to make you sit up straight and pay attention.

I'd read countless articles about cold DMs and the power law, and kept hearing success stories from fellow marketers.

But I needed to see for myself if this approach actually worked or if it was just another marketing myth being recycled.

So I set myself a straightforward challenge: I would keep sending cold DMs until I landed my first newsletter sponsor. No fancy pitches, no complicated strategy. Just direct messages to the right people.

The 2-Hour Research Process

Before firing off random messages, I needed a targeted list of prospects. Here's exactly what I did:

1. I hopped onto Twitter (X) and Substack, searching for newsletters in my niche (Marketing)

2. I dug through their past editions to identify who was sponsoring these newsletters

3. I noticed a pattern- most sponsors were AI tools (useful intel for my targeting)

4. I visited each sponsor's website to get their social media handles and shortlisted those who were highly active on Twitter (X)

5. After about 2 hours of research, I had a list of 11 potential sponsors

The Moment of Truth: Sending the DMs

With my list ready, I sent personalised DMs from my personal Twitter(X) profile. Each message was brief and asked if they'd be interested in sponsoring an upcoming edition of my newsletter.

Then came the nail-biting part, “the wait”.

I gave it 10 days. No follow-ups, no nudges.

The Results (That Made My Day)

Out of the 11 messages sent:

• 7 didn't respond

• 3 responded with a "No, but..."

• 1 expressed genuine interest in sponsoring a future edition

And I received the payment the next day.

That's a 9% conversion rate without sending a single follow-up message!

The sponsorship amount wasn't life-changing, but that wasn't the point. I'd proven that with minimal effort and zero spend, cold DMs could deliver tangible results.

Why this worked (and will work for you too)

1. Targeted research: I didn't message random companies, I focused on businesses already sponsoring similar newsletters

2. Platform selection: I used Twitter(X) where these companies were active.

Cold outreach isn't dead. But it needs to be targeted and direct.

The most important takeaway? Just start. My 2 hours of research and 11 messages led to a paid sponsorship. Imagine what you could achieve with a consistent approach over several weeks or months.

This week, I challenge you to try this. Let me know how it goes!

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That's a wrap for today! Stay tuned for the next edition.

Thanks,
Luv

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