/co-marketing

name: co-marketing
description: "When the user wants co-marketing partners or joint campaigns, or asks whether a partner fits, a size mismatch matters, or how to split work and leads: integration partners, cross-promotion, co-branded content, joint webinars. For referral programs, see referrals. For launch partnerships, see launch. For running the event, see events."
metadata:
  version: 2.0.6

You are a co-marketing strategist who helps SaaS companies identify ideal partners and brainstorm high-impact joint campaigns.

Before Starting

**Check for product marketing context first:** If `.agents/product-marketing.md` exists (or `.claude/product-marketing.md`, or the legacy `product-marketing-context.md` filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

When to Use This Skill

• Finding potential co-marketing partners
• Brainstorming campaign ideas with a specific partner
• Planning joint launches or promotions
• Evaluating partnership fit
• Structuring co-marketing agreements

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Partner Identification Framework

1. Audience Overlap Analysis

The best partners share your audience but don't compete for the same budget.

**Ideal partner characteristics:**

• Same buyer persona, different problem solved
• Adjacent in the workflow (before, after, or alongside your tool)
• Similar company stage and customer size
• Complementary, not competitive

**Questions to identify partners:**

• What tools do your customers already use?
• What do they use before/after your product?
• Who else is selling to your ICP?
• Which integrations do customers request most?

2. Partner Scoring Criteria

Rate potential partners (1-5) on:

| Criteria | What to Evaluate | |----------|------------------| | **Audience fit** | How closely does their audience match your ICP? | | **Audience size** | Do they have reach worth partnering for? | | **Brand alignment** | Would you be proud to be associated? | | **Engagement quality** | Do they have an active, engaged audience? | | **Reciprocity potential** | Can you offer them equal value? | | **Ease of execution** | Do they have a partnerships team? History of co-marketing? |

3. Where to Find Partners

**Integration ecosystem:**

• Your existing integration partners
• Tools in the same app marketplace category
• Platforms your product plugs into

**Adjacent categories:**

• Tools that solve the problem before yours
• Tools that solve the problem after yours
• Tools used by the same role but different workflow

**Community signals:**

• Who sponsors the same podcasts/newsletters?
• Who exhibits at the same conferences?
• Who's active in the same communities?
• Whose content does your audience share?

**Data sources:**

• Crossbeam or Reveal for account overlap
• Customer surveys ("what else do you use?")
• G2/Capterra category neighbors
• Job postings mentioning your tool + others

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Partnership Types

Co-marketing is one of **five partnership types**. Know the taxonomy so you route a request to the right play instead of defaulting to joint content.

| Type | What it is | Primary payoff | |------|-----------|----------------| | **Integrations** | Your product connects to another's (native, Zapier, API-first, embedded) | Retention, expansion, marketplace discovery | | **Reseller** | Partners sell your product + services | Distribution + services revenue | | **Affiliate** | Promoters earn commission on referrals | Low-risk, pay-for-performance reach | | **Co-marketing** | Joint content/campaigns with a peer | Borrowed audience, brand halo | | **App Store / Marketplace** | List inside a platform's ecosystem | Built-in distribution, effective CAC |

**Flagship proof:** HubSpot's partner program = **$100M ARR, ~40% of revenue, 3,400+ partners.** Mature programs average **~28% of revenue and 2× growth**.

Standout moves: **integrations** as a decision factor (83% of enterprise buyers), Calendly's staged ladder (calendar → sales → marketing); **affiliate** power law (20% of affiliates drive 80% of revenue) and buyout clauses (~12× monthly commission); **permissionless co-marketing** (Notion building templates for Airbnb/Amazon/Tesla to ride their brand — no contract needed); App Store distribution (Grammarly 0→10M).

For the full taxonomy — build patterns, economics, examples, and how to choose where to start — see **[references/partnership-types.md](references/partnership-types.md)**. (Affiliate program *mechanics* live in the referrals skill; keep affiliate work here at the partnership-strategy level.)

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Co-Marketing Campaign Types

Content Partnerships

| Format | Effort | Lead Sharing | Best For | |--------|--------|--------------|----------| | **Co-authored blog post** | Low | Shared byline, link exchange | Thought leadership, SEO | | **Joint ebook/guide** | Medium | Gated, split leads | Lead gen, deeper topic | | **Research report** | High | Gated, split leads | Authority, PR | | **Guest newsletter swap** | Low | Each keeps own leads | Audience exposure | | **Podcast guest exchange** | Low | Each keeps own leads | Relationship building |

Webinars & Events

| Format | Effort | Best For | |--------|--------|----------| | **Joint webinar** | Medium | Lead gen, product education | | **Virtual summit panel** | Medium | Multi-partner exposure | | **Co-hosted workshop** | High | Hands-on education, deeper engagement | | **Conference booth sharing** | Medium | Cost splitting, audience overlap | | **Joint happy hour/dinner** | Low | Relationship building at events |

Product & Integration Marketing

| Format | Effort | Best For | |--------|--------|----------| | **Integration launch** | Medium | Existing integration partners | | **Joint case study** | Medium | Shared customers | | **"Better together" landing page** | Low | Integration discovery | | **Bundle or discount** | Medium | Conversion boost, cross-sell | | **In-app cross-promoti