Marketing Proposal Writing

I went through 50+ briefs from brands like Apple, P&G, and Nike and created a template I now use with my clients. Here’s how it works: THE PROCESS • Schedule a 30-minute briefing call with the client. • Go question by question together. Record the call and take notes. • Ask for all the extra files and links that you need.  • Fill in the missing pieces and get to work. 1️⃣ BACKGROUND • Product: What’s the product and its value proposition? • Pain: What pain point does it solve? • Promise: How will it improve your users’ lives? • Proof: (e.g., results, experience, awards, testimonials, press.) • Purchasing: How and where do people buy the product? ＊＊ 2️⃣ CHALLENGE What's the main problem we're tackling? 💡 Follow this structure: [Business problem] because [customer behavior/belief]. (e.g., Our Gym’s revenue is down because people prefer to work out at home.) ＊＊ 3️⃣ GOALS •Main campaign/project goal: (e.g., get 100 new users) • Desired Action: What do we want people to do as a result of the advertising? • KPIs: How will we measure this? For example: Leads, Clicks, Conversion rate, ROI, Traffic, etc. I. {KPI} II.{KPI} III. {KPI} • Desired Beliefs: What do we want them to think/feel about the brand? I. {KPI} II. {KPI} III. {KPI} ＊＊ 4️⃣ AUDIENCE Who is our ideal customer? • Demographics: (Job, age, sex, income) • Behavior and feelings: (Consumption patterns, attitudes, habits, hobbies, hopes, fears, frustrations, responsibilities, daily schedule) • Where do they hang out? (Influencers to follow, communities, blogs, podcasts) • Stage of Awareness: I. Unaware II. Problem Aware III. Solution Aware IV. Product Aware V. Most Aware ＊＊ 5️⃣ COMPETITION AND MARKET • Alternatives: What will the prospect buy, do, or think if they don’t choose you? • Competition's advantage: What is making the competition successful? • Position: What is the brand’s position in the marketplace? (e.g., underdog, premium, etc.) • Trends: What trends or events make the product relevant right now? • Unique attributes: What features/capabilities do we have that alternatives do not? • Enemy: What or who are you against? ＊＊ 6️⃣ PREVIOUS MARKETING • What's been working so far: • What hasn’t been working: ＊＊ 7️⃣ PRACTICAL • Project Timeline: • Available resources: (e.g., In-house designers, stock photos, and software subscriptions.) • Legal considerations: • Production budget: • Things that must be included: (Taglines, slogans, images, etc.) • Media preferences: Where will they run the ads? ＊＊ 8️⃣ Additional Material Ask for some (or all) of the following materials: • Tone of Voice guidelines • Visual guidelines (fonts, colors, logo) • Links to previous campaigns • An intro to your Head of Sales or a BDR • Pitch decks • Interviews and customer surveys • Testimonials and reviews • PR articles and podcast episodes • User tests • Demo recordings • Relevant articles and publications ＊＊ And that's it! I hope you find it helpful :)

🚨 Most sponsorship proposals fail because they’re sales decks, not stories. Too many rightsholders still lead their proposals with what they have to sell — logo placements, hospitality, social media slots. But brands don’t buy assets. They buy outcomes. 🤝 Sponsorship isn’t sold on assets. It’s sold on ideas. That’s where creative strategy is the missing bridge. A great sponsorship proposal doesn’t just list rights. It shows how those rights can be activated through stories fans care about, and how those stories ladder up to a brand’s marketing and business objectives. 💡 Without creative strategy: Rights feel generic, interchangeable, and hard to justify. 💡 With creative strategy: Rights become a platform for culture, emotion, and growth. The difference between a sponsorship that gets signed and one that gets ignored comes down to how well you connect the dots between: • Rightsholder value (audience, assets, moments) • Brand ambition (category growth, audience penetration, equity building) • Creative strategy (the story that makes it irresistible) 👉 In a cluttered market, creative strategy isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s the glue that turns inventory into impact. Yet, week in week out I still see rightsholder proposals that lack that bridge. If you don’t understand how brands grow > work with those who do If you don’t have the time to customise for categories > work with those who do If you don’t know how to think about creative strategy > work with those who do Having spent most of my career advising brands how to grow through sponsorship (and having reviewed thousands of proposals for both Coca-Cola & Sky), get in touch if you want your sponsorship proposals to no longer be ignored. #sponsorship #marketing #brands #creative #strategy #sports #sportsbiz #sportsbusiness #sportsmarketing #sportsindustry

I’ve scored more than 40 RFP submissions in the last 90 days (media buying and/or marketing and comms.) Seriously, this is the stack and it’s about ½ of what I've read. From that- I've come up with a checklist that will stop you from writing an incomplete proposal and take you into finalist status. 1. Check. The. Boxes. Mirror the RFP structure the organization has put out and answer every prompt. If we ask for goals in your case studies, give them. Are creative examples required? Put them in. 2. Social media impressions aren’t outcomes. Stop with the vanity metrics. We need to understand if you make things HAPPEN. Show business impact: leads, lift, conversion, cost per result, CTR. 3. Prove you understand the problem. Understand the brand and the challenge before you start to write your response. Then summarize the brand challenge in their language. Bonus points for adding 1–2 data points that will direct the organization towards success. 4. Use relevant proof. Parallel case studies beat “your greatest hits” every time. I've seen the EXACT SAME examples in three of the RFP's I've scored lately- you don't know who is reading your work and may have seen your other responses. 5. Name the actual doers. Who is leading strategy, buying, creative, reporting? Don't just send a stack of resumes. And be realistic. Don't name your president when you know that appearance will be rare. 6. Methodology > vibes. If you’re “now doing buys” and not just a PR or content work company anymore OR if you're a traditional broadcast company at heart- show your process, not just results. 7. Don’t just say what you do, show how you do it. “Statewide reach” is a claim. What’s the plan that gets you there? 8. Create a Table of Contents that matches the RFP sections. And then add anything else to the TOC that you feel is important. This way you address everything we're asking for + share your bonus information on why you’re the one to do the job. 9. Put Quality Assurance into this team process like your life depends on it. Double-check. And then check again. No leftover text from another proposal. Ever. I unfortunately have seen it. If you’re writing an RFP response anytime soon: save this. Want a 1-page RFP response template? Comment “RFP” and I’ll share it. I hope this was helpful!

Half the battle of winning clients is fought in a single document. Perfect data? Check. Solid strategy? Check. Detailed budget? Check. Yet something was missing. Until a mentor shared a truth that changed everything: 'A proposal isn't a document. It's a story about their future success.' The next proposal I wrote? Approved in one meeting. Instead of starting with "Our company offers..." I opened with "Imagine your brand..." Instead of listing services, I painted pictures of results. Instead of spreadsheets of numbers, I showed the journey to their goals. The simple framework I now use: • Page 1: Their current challenge (shows I listened) • Page 2: Their desired future (creates vision) • Page 3: The bridge to get there (our solution) • Page 4: Proof it works (case studies) • Page 5: Clear next steps (makes it easy to say yes) Decision makers don't just buy services. They buy their next success story. What's your best tip for winning proposals? #MarketingStrategy #BusinessGrowth #MarketingWithSibin

The ideas never stop when you're integrating design with data. "My client needs visuals that communicate complex data... It’s not easy, but I know it’ll help make the message clearer." "Let’s update this report... but the brand identity must remain strong..." “This could elevate their presentations... but how do we balance trends and branding?” When working with my client, they didn’t have a clear strategy for combining data with visuals. And the results? The data was there, but the message didn’t resonate. The visual elements didn’t connect with the audience as effectively as they should have. Before we developed a robust strategy, I knew something had to change. They needed clarity. They needed focus. They needed a design strategy that could elevate their message. Soooo… We started treating data visualizations as both art and science. Here’s what changed: ✔️ We started with a clear understanding of the data. ✔️ We defined their audience and their needs. ✔️ We blended modern design trends with timeless branding elements. ✔️ We strategically used design trends without overshadowing the brand identity. ✔️ We focused on balancing short-term trends with long-term brand goals. This strategy became our anchor. It ensured the message was engaging and clear. It helped integrate the right design trends while maintaining consistency. And it gave the data and brand identity the spotlight they deserved. Here’s to staying focused, creating meaningful design, and finding the perfect balance between timeless branding and new trends

Both my parents were teachers, so I grew up surrounded by lesson plans and stacks of acetates for the overhead projectors (yes, I'm that old). I swore I’d never follow in their footsteps. Yet, here I am—training teams, helping people learn and grow (though, thankfully, the tech has moved on a bit). The principles used for training are also used to develop winning proposals: 1️⃣ Backward Design In training, we start with the learning outcome. In proposals, we focus on the decision criteria. Every step guides the audience to the desired result—understanding and confidence. 2️⃣ Cognitive Load Theory Learners can’t absorb too much at once, and neither can evaluators. We structure content with logical flow, concise text, and visuals to simplify complexity. 3️⃣ Scaffolding Whether teaching new skills or writing a proposal, we build understanding step by step. We layer in details to reinforce the message. 4️⃣ Multimodal Learning Some learners thrive on visuals; others prefer text or interactive elements. Proposals are no different—we use formats like infographics and videos to connect with every evaluator. 5️⃣ Feedback Loops In training, feedback refines learning. In proposals, iterative reviews sharpen content and alignment so the final submission hits the mark. Proposals, like great training, aren’t just about information—they’re about creating an experience that resonates and persuades. What’s one learning-inspired strategy you’ve used in proposals? #LifelongLearning #ProposalProTips #StrategicProposals #ProposalManagement #ProposalWriting ‐-------------------------- 👋🏼 Hi, I'm Ceri Mescall 📄 Follow me and Strategic Proposals in North America for more great content 🏆 Hire us to help you win more and stress less

When we talk about tailoring our data presentations for our audience, a key consideration is their level of data literacy. This directly influences not just the content of our presentations, but also how we choose to present it, including the words we use in our voiceovers. If you're planning to incorporate visuals (and it's highly recommended that you do), it's crucial to not overlook your audience's data viz literacy as well. Data visualization literacy encompasses the ability to create, interpret, and understand data visuals. A lower level of data viz literacy means your audience might not be familiar with various chart types and may need guidance on how to read them. For such audiences, throwing complex visuals like bubble charts or, even more daunting, box plots at them might not be the best approach. In situations where the data viz literacy is particularly low, you might consider simplifying your visuals or even using textual descriptions to communicate the key messages. However, in most cases, adopting simple techniques can greatly enhance understanding. One such technique is the "gentle reveal" approach, advocated by Nick Desbarats, which involves introducing elements of a complex chart one at a time with explanations. Similarly, Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic's method of building graphs in steps can be extremely helpful for presenting intricate graphs in a more digestible manner. These strategies can make a significant difference in ensuring your audience not only sees your data but truly understands it.

Many people underestimate the power of visuals in content. They assume visuals are just decorative or secondary to the text. - It’s not about using random stock images. - It’s not about filling space with irrelevant graphics. - And it’s definitely not about ignoring the synergy between text and visuals. Here’s the truth: Content with effective visuals performs significantly better. Research shows that articles with relevant images receive 94% more views than those without. The best content does one thing exceptionally well: it integrates visuals seamlessly. When someone engages with your content, they should feel: "This visual enhances my understanding." And - "I trust this source for valuable insights." Here’s how to achieve that: 1. Conclude with a visual that reinforces your call to action. 2. Choose visuals that complement your message. 3. Use infographics to simplify complex information. 4. Ensure images are high-quality and relevant. This strategy boosts engagement and strengthens your message. And that engagement? That’s where your next breakthrough lies.

5 years of working with clients taught me that most proposals are written backwards. Designers spend the first 3 paragraphs talking about themselves. Their experience. Their tools. Their process. The client doesn't care yet. They care about their problem. Here's what actually works: Open with their world, not yours. Show them you've looked at their product. Reference something specific. Make them feel seen before you make your case. Lead with outcomes, not deliverables. "I designed a landing page" is forgettable. "The redesign cut their bounce rate by 35%" is a conversation starter. Keep it short. A proposal is not a portfolio. It's a door. Your job is to get them to open it, not walk them through the entire house. End with a clear ask. Not "I look forward to hearing from you." Say "Are you free for a 20 minute call this week?" Ask 1 or 2 smart questions. It shows you read the brief. It makes you memorable. It starts a conversation before they've even replied. The best proposal I ever sent was 9 lines long. It landed one of my best clients. Stop writing essays. Start writing hooks. What's the one thing that changed how you write proposals? Drop it below.