We are better together. I believe with my whole soul that community and partnerships strengthen every aspect of our lives and businesses.
It’s part of the reason I love co-marketing campaigns so much. When I work together with other founders and colleagues, we are able to create—and deliver—greater value than either of us could alone.
Whether you call it partnership marketing, joint marketing, co-promotion, or collaboration, we can share audiences, extend reach, and deepen relationships with each other and with our respective clients.
Because collaborative marketing promotions are so important to me — and to Joyful Business Revolution™ — I get lots of questions on how to create effective partnerships. And, while I’m sharing some of my favorite co-marketing examples, I want to get something straight:
This isn’t *just* a list of ideas. I’m sharing everything about my approach to planning and running co-marketing campaigns, including how to choose the right partners, set clear agreements, track results—and so much more.
That’s because, ultimately, I want you to feel empowered to create a win for you, a win for your partner — and of course, wins for both of your audiences.
As you read on, I want you to remember one thing: Together, we can accomplish so much more than we could ever imagine doing alone.
Co-Marketing: What is it, anyways?
Co-marketing is when two or more businesses work together to create something that benefits everyone — each partner and their audiences.
And I want to be very clear:
When I talk about co-marketing campaigns, I am not referring to paid influencer marketing.
Instead, I see this as a truly collaborative effort between businesses of similar size with overlapping audiences and different offers, and each partner brings something of real value to the table.
I’ve learned that it must feel good all around. If it doesn’t, I hit a pause button so we can review how to make it an experience that’s worth the effort for my partners and the people we serve.
My favorite co-marketing examples include:
- Webinar swaps
- Highly targeted summits
- Lead magnet exchanges
Keep in mind, too, that not every strong personal relationship makes for a good co-marketing fit. I have close business founder friends whose offers just aren’t what my audience needs, and vice versa.
That leads me to the next point — it’s important to choose the right partnerships.
What Makes a Mutually Beneficial Co-Marketing Partnership
I primarily focus on partners who serve the same ideal clients I do, but in a different way.
For example, recently I partnered with a personal stylist to create an in-person event about personal branding. Our audiences are largely the same — growing business owners- with purpose-driven businesses.
But where her focus is on styling, mine is on messaging and growing relationships—and revenue — through email marketing.
That means that by marketing the event to our individual audiences, everyone can gain value by attending.
On the flip side, I have a great relationship with a bookkeeper, but early on financial education and basic bookkeeping is not something most of my audience needs, so I wouldn’t have a lot to offer her as a partner.
With that in mind, looking for potential partners with similar audiences and different offers is a good place to start. It’s just not enough on its own.
Here’s a short checklist I use to evaluate potential co-marketing partnerships:
- Values alignment — we believe in similar things and run our businesses with similar ethics.
- Equal commitment — both of us are all in on the effort
- It’s a two-way street — the exchange has to work both ways.
- Personal connection — if I wouldn’t enjoy a long, unhurried meal with someone, they’re probably not the right fit for me.
A note on list size: It doesn’t matter as much as you might think.
I prefer to work with people whose audiences are highly engaged. 200 highly engaged people are more likely to lead to a successful event than 20,000 who are halfway checked out.
My Vetting Process
Here’s how I decide who I’ll partner with:
- I look at their lead magnet — it needs to be high-value and a genuine fit for my people.
- I ask about their audience — who they are, what they value.
- I ask what they think their audience would value from me — this often gives me valuable voice-of-customer data.
- I make sure I know and trust their work before I ever introduce them to my community.
Give Me the Examples! Co-Marketing Campaign Ideas
When you’re thinking about what type of co-marketing campaign to run, I’ve found it most effective to start with something in your comfort zone—and that you have bandwidth for.
So, if you’re very comfortable showing up live, you might consider a short live online event, especially if it’s worked for you in the past.
From there, you can decide if you have the time and energy to repeat them with a new partner.
Here are my favorite partnership marketing examples, along with when they tend to work best (and when they don’t).
Podcast Guest
- Level of Involvement: 1 (Low)
- What it is: Appearing as a guest on someone else’s podcast to share insights, tell stories, and connect with their audience.
- Pro: Opens the door to new markets, lets me explore topics I haven’t fully developed yet, and positions me alongside other voices. The episodes live on for people to find later.
- Con: You can get tired of covering the same ground if you’re invited to speak on the same topic often. Opinions and offers can also evolve over time.
- Best For: Expanding brand awareness.
- How to Make it Work: Always have a lead magnet ready so listeners can stay connected, and follow up on LinkedIn with those who engage.
My Experience: In 2025, I did a podcast blitz where I booked over a dozen experiences in relatively short order. It was fantastic for visibility, but I definitely had a lot of similar conversations—all in all fantastic for sharing a consistent vision of my brand and philosophies.
You can check out my latest podcast appearances here.
Running a Joint Event (Online or In Person)
- Level of Involvement: 3 (High)
- What it is: A co-hosted workshop, seminar, or other event where we share costs, responsibilities, and promotion.
- Pro: Split costs, expand reach, connect with new people in a deeper way, and generate great content for repurposing.
- Con: High coordination needed. Not all partners promote equally.
- Best For: Creating experiences that help people take action.
- How to Make it Work: Allow plenty of prep time, schedule consistent meetings, and build follow-up into the plan.
My experience: Partner programs like this are my favorite types of events because I show up best when I’m live—and there are ways to create a highly personal experience either in person or online. The only catch is that it’s a lot of effort and coordination, so you need great partners and a lot of bandwidth.
Both podcast guesting and running joint events fit nicely within our Joyful Marketing Plan, a four-step process (with a full-color workbook!) designed to help you discover your ideal clients.
Participating in a Summit or Bundle
- Level of Involvement: 2 (Moderate)
- What it is: Contributing a talk, training, or freebie to a larger event promoted by multiple business owners.
- Pro: Share your unique perspective, connect with other contributors, and gain insight into trending topics in your niche.
- Con: Promotions must fit into your marketing calendar, and the messaging from organizers can be hit-or-miss.
- Best For: Brand awareness.
- How to Make it Work: Repurpose your presentation or materials as much as possible.
My experience: Summit quality varies greatly from host to host. Some generate a lot of high-quality leads, and others, I’ve found, not worth the time. It always comes down to how specific the topic is and how relevant to the audience.
Lead Magnet Exchange
- Level of Involvement: 2 (Moderate)
- What it is: You promote a partner’s freebie to your audience, and they do the same for you.
- Pro: Introduces your audience to fresh resources and grows your list with people already interested in your area of expertise.
- Con: Requires careful vetting to ensure alignment — and results can be uneven if one freebie is stronger than the other.
- Best For: Audience growth and list building.
- How to Make it Work: Vet thoroughly before you agree.
My Experience: Quality really matters here. I’ve turned down exchanges where the freebie didn’t offer value to my audience. Protecting their trust is worth more to me than a quick list boost.
Looking for lead magnet ideas?
Check out this resource packed with my best practices + my advice on finding your level five buyer — the people who are ready to purchase now.
13 High-Performing Lead Magnet Ideas for Coaches and Consultants
Social Media Lives
- Level of Involvement: 1 (Low)
- What it is: A live conversation streamed on LinkedIn (or another platform) to both audiences.
- Pro: Lets you explore new topics, connect in real time, and share an unscripted, authentic exchange. Lives on after the fact for people to watch later.
- Con: Tech has to work, and both sides need to commit to promotion.
- Best For: Brand awareness.
- How to Make it Work: Promote ahead of time and send your email list a link to watch live.
My Experience: The most engaging lives I’ve done have been open conversations with partners who aren’t afraid to be real and let the discussion flow naturally.
Shared Trainings to Other People’s Mastermind Groups
- Level of Involvement: 2 (Moderate)
- What it is: Teaching inside someone else’s paid group or mastermind as a value-add for their members.
- Pro: The audience is already engaged and has invested in growth; your expertise complements what they’re already learning.
- Con: Requires calendar coordination.
- Best For: Expanding your audience and delivering high-value content.
- How to Make it Work: Know enough about each other’s work to make the collaboration meaningful.
My Experience: I’ve built some of my strongest long-term business relationships through mastermind trainings, because the setting allows for deeper connection than a one-off webinar.
Collaborative Content (Blog or Newsletter Features)
- Level of Involvement: 2 (Moderate)
- What it is: Featuring each other’s content on blogs, newsletters, or other owned media.
- Pro: A simple way to borrow audiences and expand reach.
- Con: Must be strategic and consistent; subject to algorithm changes if shared on social platforms.
- Best For: Extending reach with minimal lift.
- How to Make it Work: Coordinate so your content makes sense for their audience the day it’s published.
My Experience: These are relatively low friction and a great way to elevate content I find valuable without a whole lot of effort.
Connection Table Dinners
- Level of Involvement: 2 (Moderate)
- What it is: Small gatherings (in person or virtual) for authors and entrepreneurs to connect.
- Pro: Supports authors, builds relationships, and generates referrals.
- Con: Takes time to organize; hosting costs can add up.
- Best For: Referral building and deepening relationships.
- How to Make it Work: Keep the group to eight or fewer, curate the guest list, and prepare conversation prompts.
My Experience: These are more about connection than short-term wins. But because of the intimate conversations, it leads to a great sense of community and strong personal relationships — and it almost always leads to opportunities, if not right away, then down the road.
Looking for more out-of-the-box marketing ideas to help you get off social media?
You’re in good company. This resource gives you my favorite “beyond social media” marketing strategies: It’s 2025. It’s Time to Start Marketing Without Social Media.
Don’t Neglect the Follow Up
No matter which type of co-marketing you choose, remember that the real value comes from the people you meet along the way — whether your partners or your growing audience.
Make sure you keep nurturing those connections in a human way so it’s not just a one-and-done interaction. If a 1:1 follow up is needed, add it to your calendar.
If you’re growing stronger relationships with your audience, a simple nurture sequence and regular follow-up cadence is an absolute must.
Tips for Designing & Executing the Perfect Co-Marketing Campaign
The best partnerships don’t happen by accident. In fact, they don’t just *happen* at all. I’ve had the best experiences by creating collaborations that are intentional, clear, and built to work for everyone involved.
Over the years, I’ve learned that there are a few non-negotiables that separate a successful partnership marketing effort from one that tanks before it has a chance to succeed.
We’re such relationship-driven people at Joyful Business Revolution that collaboration is almost second nature. We’re constantly asking, How can we collaborate? Who can we collaborate with? But even when it feels natural, I’d caution to you to be strategic and keep these things in mind:
1. Start with the end in mind.
Before you commit to anything, get crystal clear on the goal for each person’s goals. Is this about brand awareness, lead generation, sales, or something else? Using those goals as a lens makes every decision or agreement much more straightforward.
2. Be upfront about expectations.
Spell out who’s doing what, when, and how. That includes timelines, promotional responsibilities, content deliverables, and follow-up. If you leave it vague, you’ll leave room for disappointment.
3. Put it in writing.
Even if you’re close friends, it’s worth having a written agreement. I’ve used everything from simple Google Docs that list responsibilities to formal contracts for more complex partnerships like summits, joint offers, or anything with shared revenue. The point isn’t to be “formal” for the sake of it—it’s to protect the relationship by making sure you’re on the same page.
4. Build in regular check-ins.
Campaigns run more smoothly when you’re in touch. I like to set up quick weekly or bi-weekly calls to share updates, solve problems, and keep momentum growing.
5. Make it easy to succeed.
Give your partner what they need to promote you well—graphics, email copy, talking points, even swipe text for social posts. And ask them what they need from you. The easier you make it, the more likely everyone is to follow through.
6. Protect your audience’s trust.
Only promote offers you’ve vetted and believe in. A co-marketing partnership is as much a reflection on you as it is on your partner.
7. Be willing to make bold asks—and reciprocate.
If you want to build collaborative partnerships, you have to be willing to ask for what you really want, even if the answer might be “no.” That might mean asking someone to co-host an event, promote your offer, or introduce you to their audience. But it has to go both ways—be ready to do the same for them.
8. Put relationships first.
Approach every partnership from a place of service, not just strategy. When you consider how you can help your partner succeed (not just how they can help you) and lead with value and generosity, the opportunities tend to multiply.
Measuring the Results of Your Co-Marketing Partnership
When I talk with people about tracking results, they often jump straight to complicated tech solutions. But you don’t need a full analytics stack to know whether a partnership is working.
Sure, data helps and you should always look at it, but here are some simple, effective ways to track both quantitative and qualitative results:
- New leads – How many subscribers or contacts joined your list during the campaign?
- Conversions – How many sales, bookings, or sign-ups came directly from the partnership?
- Engagement – Did people click, reply, or share more than usual?
- Audience overlap – Were you introduced to new people you wouldn’t have reached otherwise?
- Feedback – What did your audience say? Did your partner share positive comments from their side?
I’m a big believer in sharing numbers openly with my partners. When I can say, “This campaign brought in X leads and Y conversions, and here’s what my unsubscribe rate looked like,” it gives them confidence that working together is worth their time.
It’s also okay to ask for their results. I don’t see it as a faux pas at all because it helps us both understand what worked, what didn’t, and how to make it better. I truly believe that the more transparent we are, the easier it is to refine, improve, and spot new opportunities.
And there’s another big benefit.
Having those results in your back pocket makes it easier to pitch new collaborations. You can point to proven successes instead of relying on potential.
And don’t stop talking to the people you’ve met just because the campaign ended. Keep the conversation going in a human way, with a simple sequence or regular check-ins to deepen those relationships.
Remember, We Are Better Together
Every co-marketing campaign I’ve run has reinforced that partnerships amplify the impact we’re all able to make. When you’re intentional about who you collaborate with, clear about what success looks like, and willing to show up fully for each other, you can create wins for yourself, your partner, and both audiences.
So start where you are. Pick one type of campaign from the list above, reach out to a partner who excites you, and make a bold ask.
Because together, we can accomplish so much more than we could ever imagine doing alone.
Ready to make your next co-marketing partnership your best one yet?
Book a strategy call and we’ll tackle exactly what’s holding you back or slowing you down. We can:
- Identify your best partnership opportunities – so you’re collaborating with the right people on the right campaigns.
- Craft magnetic messaging and nurture sequences – so your audience stays engaged long after the first touchpoint.
- Streamline and systematize your offers – so you can run successful campaigns again and again without starting from scratch.
Or we can focus on whatever marketing challenge is top-of-mind for you right now.
