FlashGameSponsorship.com - Is a sponsorship right for you? What is the best way to get one?

* NEW VERSION OF FGS AVAILABLE - CLICK ABOVE

More Flash Game Sponsorship Information

So you have weighed your options and decided you want to find a sponsor. What are the next steps?

If this is your first game then there are some very important things you need to keep in mind.

Finish your game first!
Sponsors will only judge what they can see and will put very little faith into what you “say” you will do. The reason is simple. They are flooded with alpha versions or “ideas” for games with elaborate promises on what the final version will be like. The VAST majority of these promises are never fulfilled, so nearly all sponsors will immediately discount them. If you have already produced some quality games or have built a relationship with the sponsor, then you will have earned the right to have them judge you on what you “say” you will do instead of only what you have already done.
Make sure your game is easy to play and fun from the start.
Initially someone is only going to spend a few seconds looking at your game. If they can’t figure it out or see a compelling reason to “try” to figure it out they will quite playing. Just think how fast you judge a game yourself. Now imagine having to go through 10’s of games every day trying to find the rare “good ones.”
Upload your game to your web site and protect it (see http://www.flashrights.com/).
Make sure you lock the game so it can only play from your “preview site” and then encrypt it. If you are only going to submit your game to the “big” sponsors, you likely have little worry of them stealing it. However, if you are going to try the 100’s of smaller portals this is an extremely important step.
Compose a professional and interesting teaser message.
Remember, sponsors are flooded with “check out my game” emails. The vast majority of these games are “not good.” A person's time is valuable and they need to decide if it is worth their time to check out your game. Give a *brief* overview of your game and try to make it enticing. Then offer a link to play it. If they like your game they will send you a response back.
Send your email message to MANY potential sponsors.
You have already spent a lot of time preparing your message, it takes very little to send the same message to each portal. Here is a list of potential sponsors. Also be sure to include: ArcadeTown.com, ArmorGames.com, CrazyMonkeyGames.com and Kongregate.com. Why these four? They are all large, reputable portals with budgets available to pay nice sums for quality games. There are many other great sites but I’ve dealt personally with these four so I’d recommend any of them to a developer.
Be Patient!
Trust me… this part is hard (very hard) but it is worth it. Often it will take several days for someone to get back to you. It is great to start communicating with sponsors as soon as they write you, but do not make any deals until you have given others the chance to contact you. Wait at least four days for people to get back to you. It would probably be best to wait a full week, but I know how difficult that can be.
Negotiate.
95% of the sponsor’s initial replies will go like this “Nice Game. How much do you want?” I believe the perfect answer is something like “Thank you so much for your interest in my game! Honestly I don’t know what the game is worth so I’m sending it around to several portals including you.” Offering a number puts you in a weak position as they might simply accept it. You don’t really know what your game is worth. $500 might seem like a lot to you but maybe another portal would pay $1000, $1500, $2000 or more! [Check here to see how much other games received for a sponsorship]
Treat everyone respectfully and professionally and select the best offer.
The best offer might not always be the biggest dollar amount, sometimes the portal will offer you bonuses if the game does well or support on future games. Generally, going with the highest offer is your best bet, but sometimes future consideration could play a big factor.