Entry 280-3
Talking Sponsorship with Todd Witt
Editor’s Note: Todd Witt of Corinth, Mississippi, a regional Strike King pro and fishing guide on Pickwick Lake, has guided for 10 years and competitively fished for bass since the late 1980s.
Part 3: Me and the Media
Question: Todd, what else do you do for Strike King as a regional pro that many fishermen might not know about?
Witt: I work with the press, which means I take outdoor newspaper writers, magazine writers and TV show hosts fishing. I teach them how to fish Strike King’s lures and do all I can to help them catch fish (not show them how many fish I can catch). If the press mentions Strike King’s lures, shows pictures of me wearing Strike King hats or shirts or discusses my technique for catching bass with Strike King products, I’ve helped Strike King sell lures. So, I must be willing to give up some personal fishing time to take members of the press fishing to promote Strike King lures. 
You must look for the media, because they won’t always come to you. I try to take them to a place where I’m confident they’ll be successful at that time of year.
Question: How do you contact the press and get them to fish with you?
Witt: As you fish tournaments and meet members of the press, try to stay in contact with them and let them know what you’re catching and where you’re catching it. As they get to know you better, they’ll fish with you and learn how to catch a lot of bass and they’ll believe you when you tell them you’re catching numbers of bass. When the media fishes with you, they’re just like any other client. 
They want to be with guides who can help them get stories and photos. As long as you stay in touch with them, they’ll travel with you regularly and write about you.
Remember, outdoor writers and TV hosts look for topics to write about. If you provide information and fishing trips, they’ll go with you. If the outdoor writer or the TV host you take fishing gets the story and/or the photos or the video footage they need, they don’t mind mentioning the products you use. I’ve learned through working with the press our relationships are mutually beneficial.
Contents:
- Part 1: From a Fisherman to a Pro
- Part 2: The Unseen Pro
- Part 3: Me and the Media
- Part 4: From a Press Guy to Fishing Buddy
- Part 5: Steps to Getting a Sponsorship
