Minecraft Forums

Hey there everyone!

This post is a kind-of compilation of what I've been saying in many of my past posts regarding sponsorships. I just felt the need for there to be a small series that contains my ideas about asking for and receiving sponsorships. This is the second installment of that series.

This post is mainly geared towards the people who want free servers. However, people working with server hosting companies should also read this thread (and possibly link back to it if deemed useful enough) so they know what to look out for.

This post is also a collab with Xirian. Kudos to him for working with me.

Oh, yeah, and before I forget. The examples in this post are NOT actual posts that people have written. However, they are based on actual posts. I have seen each and every one of something like these examples on the forums in my time here.

Alright. Enough about this post. Let's get the ideas on.

- Entei

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Alright.

I've said this many times before, and I will probably continue to say this -- the key to ANYTHING in life is PROFESSIONALISM. I don't care whether you are looking to get into the circus or looking for a free server on the forums. Professionalism is the key. If you aren't professional enough, nobody will take you seriously. Even if you're 12-years old and very professional, people will take you much more seriously than someone who is 30-years and types un-cohesively at a first-grader's level.

However, I've been been asked many times before - What is professionalism?

That's a really good question, a question that I've been trying to figure out the answer to for the past five-to-ten years. I've narrowed it down to three simple rules. What I'm about to write may seem like common logic to some people, but - believe it or not - there are still many, many people one these forums who do not follow a single one of these rules.
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Rule #1) Grammar is the key
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Now, you might be thinking: are we going to have to re-learn the difference between passive and active constructions? The answer, my friends, is NO. I do realize that English may not be everyone's first language, and that's perfectly fine. English isn't my first language either. However, you will need to mind at least your spellings, your punctuation, and your capitalization. This might seem like common logic to some folks, but - believe it or not - there are still people out there who ask for free servers with requests with no punctuation or capitals. Here's an example of one:

Plz can i have free server i m not willing pay i need 40 slots 3gb free and remember free if u want to mek me an offer plz skype me [SkypeName] thnx

Every time I see one of these sort of posts, I just want to throw up. I'm sure that everyone on these forums has at least a first grade education. If so, people should at least pay attention to their grammar.

Here is the same post as above, but re-written in semi-correct grammar:

May I please have a free server? I am not willing to pay. I need forty slots and about three gigabytes. Remember: FREE. If you want to make me an offer, please add me on Skype. My name is [SkypeName]. Thank you.

Better, right? That doesn't make me want to throw up as much. However, this is not going to do. As someone from a hosting company, I want more information, which leads to the second rule:
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Rule #2) Remember who and what you're dealing with.
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A sponsorship request is a business request. It's pretty serious. Think of it like this: you would not give your teacher/professor a paper written in texting language, would you? You'd get marked down quite drastically. The same is true on the Forums. People want to see the serious side of you.

Also, since this IS a business deal, you need to provide as much information as you possibly can in your post so that hosts know what you want, and what - exactly - you will be doing for it. I would suggest you take the time to write your own, handcrafted, post, but if you don't have the time or the level of focus to do that, you may use a template, like the one provided here. http://www.minecraft...r-servers-here/ . Templates like these tell the hoster exactly what you want, down to how you want to be contacted. Like I said before, mind your grammar when filling out this template.

Here's an example of me filling out the template (I don't have the time right now to hand-craft an example; there are plenty of good ones on the forums):

Your Name: Entei Suzuki-Minami
Name of proposed server: HelinsikiServer
How much RAM you want: 1-2 GB
How many player slots: 10-20
Why you want this server: Our city's community center wants a small Minecraft server for some community bonding projects.
On a scale of 1-10, how badly do you want the server?: 7.6
Proposed Plugins: None.
Do you already have a community? If so, how many active players? If not, how will you be getting players?: We already have an active community of about 20-30 people. We want this server so that we can occasionally do team-bonding activities - nothing more.
What makes your server special? Why should I join your server instead of that other server?: This server will be used for a city's community. Please PM or Skype for more details
What is your preferred method of contact? Skype? PM?: Both are fine. My Skype is [SkypeName].
What you will do for the company in return: We will be willing to advertise you both in our community center building and on our website.

**NOTE: If you input these criterion, you will most likely end up NOT getting a server. You need to think up of something more special than this pitiful excuse.**

If you DO decide to handwrite a post, make sure it covers the important details of a sponsorship request. See the template for more information. However, remember to keep your message short, sweet, and to the point.

If you need any help with writing formally, I suggest taking a look at On Writing Well by Zinsser and The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. Those two books are truly phenomenal.

However, I've seen posts out there that are crafted really great-like but don't know what they're asking for. They might say "You can have whatever you want in return for the server" (which is a bad idea, by the way), or maybe "I don't know what this server is going to be yet, but I'll figure it out soon enough". Nobody will take you seriously like that. Which brings me to my third point,
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Rule #3) Know EXACTLY what you want and what you are going after.
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This rule may seem very arbitrary, but it is actually one of the most important. I cannot tell you how many requests I have seen in my time here that have said, "Whatever the host wants". That's not acceptable. You need to know precisely what you want in your server and how you can go about implementing it. It's going to need to be at least semi-plausable if you want people to trust you.

Some examples of "semi-plausable":

"My server will have 10 or so resource-intensive plugins" (asking for a 2GB server)
"As we have a very active community, we will be happy to give you 25% of all donations we receive" (coming from a request for an already-established server)

Some examples of not-so-plausable:

"I don't have money to buy a server" (If you don't have money, you shouldn't be asking for a server. You should be worrying about if you're going to eat for the next meal)

"We will give you mod status on the server" (If everyone accepted these requests, we'd (the hosts of the forums) would be overloaded with things to do.)

"I deserve a ______ present." (There are orphans in Africa who can't even get clean water to drink. #FirstWorldProblems, anyone?)

Also, you need to know your limitations. If you have a tiny community, don't go out asking for a 64 GB dedicated server. If you claim to have a very large community, 1) go solicit donations from them to buy a server, and 2) don't go for things like a 1-2 GB server. Go for a dedicated 8GB+ server instead. If you only want to play with friends, don't ask for a 2GB server. Ask for a 256MB-512MB server.

So, you're going to have to know what you want, know your limitations, and also know what is realistic. For example, if your server involves the use of a commissioned custom plugin, some hosters may ask you why you would have enough money to commission a custom plugin, and yet not have money to buy a $5 a month package. Also, (this is really important), I'm sure you know that servers cost money to run and support. A 4GB server costs a good $25 a month just for the hardware, not to mention the time and effort that the hosting companies have to put in to ensure that their support is top-notch. Do NOT ask for a 4GB+ server just because, "Oh, it's only 4GB." You're going to have to have a really good reason if you want companies to give you that kind of money.

Oh, yeah, and while we're on the subject of being realistic, I'd thought I'd put this out there: NOBODY will sponsor you for YouTube videos unless if you have over 10,000 subscribers or so. So, to all you fledgeling YouTubers out there, I'm sorry, but you're going to need to find something else that works. May I suggest Hamachi?

Once you have gotten exactly what you want thought out, it's time to WRITE. Detail your server in the most detail possible. Instead of saying,

My server will be a magic-based server with 5 different routes to success

Write about WHAT your magic-based server will be like. Will it be set in Victorian London or in future New York City? What are the five routes to success, and what will each one be like? If you can go into fine details on what you want your server to be, with an original idea, you will very likely get a sponsorship.

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I've written many other posts about these issues before, but this is by far the longest and most descriptive I have ever written. To recap,

1. Use proper grammar


2. Know who your target audience is


3. Know what you want

If you follow all of these rules when writing a request for a sponsorship for an awesome idea for a server you have, you will most likely receive a sponsorship. It's been proven many times.

If you need a real-life example to follow, check out D3adman5225's post here: http://www.minecraft.../#entry19745196 , or TheKiwiHead's post here: http://www.minecraftforum.net/topic/1606872-sky-realm-unique-skyblock-community/ . They are prime examples of what you should be doing. They follow all the guidelines I have written in my post, and D3adman has even filled out the template to go with the handwritten application. (And yes, I have received full permission from them to use their threads as examples.)

Comments, Questions, Concerns? Please PM or Skype me! My Skype name may be found on my profile.

Again, I'd like to thank Xirian for helping me a lot. I really appreciate it, man!

This post took 3 weeks in the making, coming up with ideas, writing them all down, and revising the post until it is what you see now. If this post helped you in any way, shape, or form, feel free to post below with any compliments you might have, and maybe give out a bit of reputation by clicking the green arrow in bottom right corner. A lot of effort went into this post, and we'd appreciate it if you could possibly take a few minutes out of your busy day to thank us.

We wish you luck in your sponsorship endeavors!
Entei
Xirian