In this post, you’re going to see the full breakdown of the email Tim Noetzel sent that got him featured on a Youtube channel with 414k subs.
Tim’s partnership led to over $17k in coaching sales and 1,000 new email subscribers. You can read the full in depth breakdown of what happened here.
But today we’re taking a magnifying glass to the simple email Tim sent the got his foot in the door.
This is the #1 strategy we help our clients execute.
We call it “Partnership Marketing” which is when you provide something valuable to a company, and they promote you to their audience in return. It’s that simple (you can read our full guide to partnership marketing here).
The hard part is standing out in the inbox (especially when reaching out to big content creators) since everyone gets flooded with email.
That’s why we teach all our clients to write their pitches using the Anchor, Win, Ask formula (AWA).
Here’s a quick summary of each of these 3 key ingredients for a great pitch:
- A relational anchor: This explains your connection to the partner so they can see you’re not a random weirdo (even if the connection is just that you’re a fan of their work).
- A win for the partner: This explains why the partnership will benefit them.
- A clear ask: Your partner should be able to respond with a simple “Yes, I’m interested,” or “No thanks.”
Nailing each of the 3 keys to a great pitch is what got Tim landed on Forrest Knight’s Youtube channel with over 414k subs.
So now that you know what partnerships are and what a great pitch should contain, let’s break down Tim’s cold email.
The Relational Anchor
Highlighted in the image below is the anchor of the email. Check it out.
Notice how in the first five words of the email by mentioning his list, Tim has already proven that he is not just some rando from the internet and also that he has potential value to add.
We encourage all our clients to include a screenshot in their pitch emails since it shows you physically typed in and looked at the partner’s content (vs. just scraping contact info and blasting templated emails).
The only improvement for Tim’s anchor is on this last line:
You’ve got a great reputation, and after watching several of your videos, you definitely deserve it!
It’s a bit generic and anyone could have written it. A better version would reference a specific piece of content and one takeaway from it vs. the more general line above.
Overall, Tim’s anchor gets an A!
The Win For The Partner
Highlighted below is the win section of Tim’s pitch. Give it a quick read.
The goal of the win is to demonstrate that:
- You recognize a specific problem/challenge their audience has, and…
- You have the expertise to help them solve that problem/challenge
Here Tim omits pinning down a specific problem he can solve for Forrest’s audience which makes Tim’s value a little less clear. You also want to stick to one specific partnership type rather than offering up a variety of options. Your pitch should be easy to say yes to!
Of course, Tim’s email still worked with Forrest and it’s probably because Tim included information in the anchor about his list and that he coaches developers to get freelance gigs.
The Clear Ask
The ask is just one sentence at the end of the email makes a clear ask that’s easy to say yes or no to.
In Tim’s case he wrapped the email with, “Are you interested?”
Since Tim didn’t specify what type or partnership he was interested in, the ask is a little vague.
A slightly revised ask could read, “Are you interested in interviewing me on your channel about how developers can get more freelance gigs?”
Making a clear ask upfront can clear up a ton of confusion when it comes time to execute the partnership and it gives you a better chance of actually getting featured where and how you want.
Check Out Tim’s Case Study For The Full Story
Getting your foot in the door is just the first step to any successful partnership.
Check out my full interview with Tim and the detailed review of his partnership with Forrest here, and how he turned this one guest interview into 1,000 email subscribers and over $17,000 in sales.