Design a partnership concept between [MY BRAND AND AUDIENCE] and [PROSPECT BRAND] around [CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVE]. Use these assets and constraints: [AVAILABLE ASSETS AND CHANNELS], [BUDGET, TIMING, AND GUARDRAILS], and [PROSPECT CONTEXT]. Start by assessing strategic fit: audience overlap, use case, brand credibility, buying journey, and likely conflict or exclusivity concerns. Do not assume the prospect has a stated priority, budget, performance data, rights, or audience demographic that I have not supplied. Produce a concise partnership brief with: 1. A one-sentence partnership thesis tied to a shared customer problem.
2. A target audience and moment-of-need definition. 3. One primary activation and one lower-lift alternative, each with deliverables, owners, timeline, content approval steps, usage rights assumptions, and what each party contributes. 4. A measurement plan with a small number of leading and outcome metrics, baseline needed, tracking method, attribution limits, and reporting cadence. 5. Commercial structure options, clearly labeled as concepts rather than market facts: fixed fee, performance component, affiliate, co-marketing, or in-kind. 6. A discovery-call agenda and a concrete next step for the prospect. Prioritize a proposal that is easy to say yes to, has a defined pilot scope, and can generate learning before a larger commitment. Before answering, check that each proposed deliverable maps to the objective and available assets, and flag claims or numbers that need evidence. Ask up to 3 clarifying questions only if a required input is missing.
Fill in
| Placeholder | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| [MY BRAND AND AUDIENCE] | Describe your product, audience, positioning, reach, and relevant proof points. | CareerSpring is a job-search platform for early-career professionals; 42,000 monthly email readers and 18,000 active users; strong engagement with interview-prep content. |
| [PROSPECT BRAND] | Name the prospective partner and describe its product, target customer, and known priorities. | Northstar Bank offers checking and savings accounts for young professionals; it is promoting direct-deposit adoption. |
| [CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVE] | State the concrete business objective, such as qualified leads, trials, awareness, or retention. | Generate qualified checking-account applications and learn which financial-wellness content converts. |
| [AVAILABLE ASSETS AND CHANNELS] | List channels, inventory, talent, content formats, data, events, or product capabilities you can actually provide. | Dedicated email, two newsletter placements, webinar host, landing page, UTM links, and post-campaign survey. |
| [BUDGET, TIMING, AND GUARDRAILS] | State budget range, launch window, approval requirements, exclusivity, brand-safety, and legal constraints. | Pilot in November; no guaranteed application volume; bank compliance approval required before publication. |
| [PROSPECT CONTEXT] | Provide relevant outreach history, campaign context, mutual customers, or known objections. | Warm introduction from a shared agency contact; Northstar asked about audience age and measurement. |
How to use
- Paste only assets and proof points you can deliver, including channel reach dates and available measurement.
- Use the output to prepare a discovery call, then replace assumptions with information learned from the prospect.
- Check every deliverable for an owner, approval step, deadline, and tracking method before presenting it.
- Follow up with: “Turn the primary activation into a six-slide proposal outline using no unsupported audience claims.”
Variations
Discovery call plan
Use before the first partnership conversation.
Create a 30-minute brand-partnership discovery-call plan for [MY BRAND] and [PROSPECT]. My known context is [CONTEXT], and my tentative objective is [OBJECTIVE]. Provide an opening, 8-10 questions covering business priorities, audience, timing, decision process, measurement, budget range, approvals, and exclusivity, plus a two-minute description of our relevant assets: [ASSETS]. End with a clear next-step request. Do not presume the prospect’s needs or budget. Check that every question advances a decision. Ask up to 3 questions only if needed.
Pilot proposal
Use when a prospect wants a defined test campaign.
Build a partnership pilot proposal for [PARTNERS], focused on [OBJECTIVE], using [AVAILABLE ASSETS] within [TIMELINE AND BUDGET]. Return a one-page brief with hypothesis, target audience, deliverables, responsibilities, approval milestones, tracking specification, success criteria, reporting date, and expansion decision. Include a fallback if an approval or asset is delayed. Label commercial terms as proposed until agreed. Check that each metric has a collection method and that success criteria do not promise outcomes. Ask up to 3 questions only if required.
Outreach email
Use when you need a first message to a partnership lead.
Draft a short partnership outreach email to [RECIPIENT] at [PROSPECT BRAND]. Use this factual relevance: [WHY THEM], and propose this specific pilot idea: [PILOT CONCEPT]. Mention these real proof points only: [PROOF POINTS]. Keep it under [WORD LIMIT] words, with one clear call to action for a 20-minute conversation. Avoid inflated audience claims, generic praise, and attachment-heavy detail. Return a subject line and email body. Check every claim against my notes. Ask up to 3 questions only if needed.
Tips
- Build the concept around a customer moment and measurable action, not around a list of promotional inventory.
- Define approval ownership and usage rights early; co-branded content often stalls when neither party owns review deadlines.
- Use a pilot with a learning question, such as which audience segment or message drives qualified action, rather than promising a volume you cannot control.
- Keep attribution claims modest when the buyer journey includes multiple channels, delayed conversion, or offline activity.
FAQ
What makes a partnership proposal credible?
A credible proposal connects a real audience and customer problem to deliverables the parties can actually execute, then explains how results will be measured.
Should I include pricing in the first proposal?
You can present a structure or range after understanding scope and value. Fixed pricing before audience, rights, tracking, and deliverables are agreed can create avoidable rework.
Can AI create the partnership strategy without prospect research?
It can create a useful hypothesis from your inputs, but you should validate the prospect’s priorities, audience, approval process, and constraints in discovery.