In short: Endurance sport brands receive around 50 sponsorship requests a month on average. The only ones that get through are those where two things match: the athlete genuinely fits the brand, and they include all the key details right away. Most requests do not fail because of performance, but because the athlete does not know who the brand is actually looking for.
You made an effort. The email is friendly, your results are in it, a few nice pictures are attached. You send it to ten brands. And then: nothing.
Most athletes draw the wrong conclusion. They think they are not fast enough, not well-known enough, not interesting enough. In reality, their request often never had a real chance.
I see both sides of this problem. As co-founder of athleteXhub, I talk to sport brands every week, and on our platform we see every day how athletes apply to brands. In this article, I will show you what happens to your request on the other side, why most of them go nowhere and how you can do better.
What happens to your request at the brand?
It lands in an inbox with dozens of others. For our State of Endurance Report, we surveyed sport and outdoor brands at Challenge Roth 2026. The result: a brand receives around 50 sponsorship requests a month on average.
That is more than two requests per working day. Often there is no dedicated department handling them, just someone in marketing doing it on the side while they have other work to do. That person decides within seconds whether an email is worth it.
What we see: Almost the only requests that get through are those where two things are right at the same time. First, the athlete fits the brand: sport, level, target group, values. Second, all the key details are included: who you are, what you do, who you reach, what you offer. If one of these is missing, it gets very difficult. If both are missing, the request has practically no chance.
The frustrating part: for most requests, the first point is pure chance. The athlete writes to a brand they like and hopes it fits. Whether the brand is even looking for someone like them right now, they do not know.
The other side: From the brand's point of view, an unsuitable request is not rude, it is just work. Every email has to be read, assessed and ideally answered. With 50 requests a month, there is often no time left for rejections. So silence rarely means “you are not good”, but usually “you do not fit right now, and I do not have time to explain why”.
The real problem: you do not know what the brand is looking for
Most athletes do not know who a brand is currently looking for, and they hardly research it. That is the biggest mistake we see. Many treat researching what a brand actually needs as a side issue. In reality, it decides everything.
We only really understood how big the problem is when we introduced the matching score on athleteXhub. It shows for every athlete and every brand how well they fit together, based on sport, level and the brand's requirements, among other things.
What we see: For most brands, the overlap between athletes and brands is surprisingly small. For a broadly positioned brand that makes socks for many sports, around 21 percent of the athletes on our platform fit its search criteria. For specialised outdoor brands, it is just over 1 percent.
And this is the catch: the big brands that receive the most requests usually have the narrowest search. The better known the brand, the tighter its criteria, and the less a shot in the dark achieves.
That means: if you write to a specialised brand blindly, your statistical chance of even fitting its criteria is under two percent. Regardless of how well the email is written.
What brands generally look for in athletes is summarised in What sport brands look for in athletes.
Myth: “The more requests, the more chances”
Many athletes go for volume: the same email to 30 brands, one of them will reply. The numbers above show why this hardly works. Ten targeted requests to brands that are really looking for someone like you achieve more than a hundred mass emails.
From practice: That is exactly why athleteXhub shows every athlete what a brand is looking for before they apply: which sports, which level, which deliverables it expects and what it offers in return. Plus your personal matching score. So you know before you write whether you even fit the criteria. What athletes otherwise have to guess is set out in black and white in the brand profile.
When you should not send a sponsorship request yet
Not every request is better than none. Some even hurt you, because the brand recognises you the second time. Do not send a request yet if any of these four warning signs apply.
Red flag: nothing concrete in return. “I would be happy about some support” is not an offer.
Red flag: you do not know your own value. If you cannot say who you reach and what that brings the brand, you cannot negotiate either.
Red flag: no reason for this particular brand. If your email could go to any brand, it goes to none.
Red flag: a private profile. You are asking for an Instagram collaboration, but your profile is private. Sounds absurd, but we have seen it on our platform.
That is not a rejection of you, it is a question of order. Clarify your value first, then ask. How to assess your value is explained in Athlete Sponsorship: How to Set Your Price.
How to write a sponsorship request that gets through
1. Research who the brand is looking for. Which sports, which level, which athletes does it already have? What has it communicated recently? On athleteXhub you can see this directly in the brand profile, including the matching score.
2. Know your value. Who do you reach, on which channels, at which events? What can you offer the brand specifically: content, presence at races, product feedback, community?
3. Give a real reason. Why this particular brand? One sentence that shows you have looked into it carries more weight than a page of results.
4. Include all the key details right away. Short profile, sport and level, reach, planned races, what you offer, contact details. Ideally in a compact pitch deck. On athleteXhub you can download your profile as a pitch deck.
5. Make your profile public and up to date. The brand will check. Guaranteed.
6. A few targeted requests rather than many blind ones. Start with the brands where your match is highest.
A template with an example for your email is available in Sports sponsorship email: Template and example. How to build your pitch deck is shown in Build Your Athlete Sponsorship Pitch Deck.
The other side: After reading your request, a brand only wants to be able to answer one question: does this person fit us, and do I know what I will get? If they have to ask or search for that first, the request is usually already lost among 50 others in the inbox.
FAQ
How many sponsorship requests does a brand receive?
According to our State of Endurance Report 2026, a survey of sport and outdoor brands, it is around 50 requests a month on average. Most of them are not dealt with in detail because they do not fit the profile or key information is missing.
Why does a sponsor not reply to my request?
Usually because you do not fit the criteria the brand is currently looking for, or because the key details are missing. With many requests a month, there is often no time for rejections. So silence is rarely a verdict on your performance.
What should a sponsorship request from an athlete include?
A short profile, your sport and level, your reach and community, planned races, a concrete offer in return and a clear reason why you are writing to this particular brand. Ideally as a compact pitch deck.
How do I find out what a brand is looking for?
Look at which athletes the brand already supports, which sports it communicates about and which products it is currently pushing. On athleteXhub you can see every brand's requirements directly in its profile and get your personal matching score.
Should I write to many brands at the same time?
No. A few targeted requests to brands you really fit achieve more than a mass email. With specialised brands, often only a few athletes fit the criteria.
Do I need a lot of followers for a sponsorship request?
No. What matters is whether your community matches the brand's target group. A public, up-to-date profile is a must, though, because the brand will check.
About the author
Julian Zimmermann is co-founder of athleteXhub, a filmmaker and an endurance athlete. He has made sports documentaries about ultrarunners and triathletes and talks to brands and athletes about sponsorship every day. At athleteXhub, he brings both sides together.
For athletes: Before you write your next request: how ready are you for a sponsor? Find out your Readiness Score now. Then check which brands are currently looking for athletes like you.
For brands: Too many unsuitable requests in your inbox? With the Ambassador Management System, the matching score shows you instantly which applications fit your requirements, and you manage your athletes in one place. Learn more about the AMS.
Cover photo: Joel & Jasmin Førestbird on Unsplash
