First, call the highest person in the account you want on the air: the president, CEO or VP of communications. Have a chat with that person about your station. If you’re lucky, they are a listener.
Tell them why you think they would benefit from being a sponsor. And don’t forget to mention reaching listeners on smart speakers.
When they inevitably tell you that you’ll need to talk to the marketing director, Ask them if they would forward your email to them. The marketing director will definitely talk to you if your email comes from the CEO.
Next, pitch why the company would benefit from sponsoring your station. At this point the marketing director may tell you that they have an advertising firm that handles everything. Ask them who handles their account at this advertising firm or who is their planner. This creates the opportunity to warm up the account decision-makers before talking to the account’s advertising firm. When the account forwards your information to the advertising firm, the firm is more likely to listen to you as well.
It can also be a good idea to see if your own station’s marketing folks know anyone in the firm; people move around and stay connected through LinkedIn. Having a good process is key to success.