Identify co-marketing partners and plan joint campaigns
A co-marketing skill for SaaS - identifying and scoring ideal partners, brainstorming joint campaigns, and structuring agreements.
Why it matters
Help SaaS companies discover ideal co-marketing partners with overlapping audiences and design high-impact joint campaigns that generate qualified leads and expand market reach through strategic collaboration.
Outcomes
What it gets done
Score and rank potential partners based on audience fit, brand alignment, and reciprocity potential
Brainstorm campaign formats from webinars and content partnerships to integration launches and social collaborations
Structure partnership agreements with clear lead-sharing, promotion commitments, and success metrics
Draft outreach messages and prepare partnership calls with audience data and specific campaign ideas
Install
Add it to your toolbox
Run in your project directory:
curl -fsSL https://spark.entire.vc/get/ag-co-marketing | bash Overview
Co Marketing
This skill covers SaaS co-marketing: identifying and scoring complementary partners, brainstorming joint campaign formats across content/events/product/community, drafting outreach, and structuring agreements with success metrics. Use it when finding co-marketing partners, brainstorming joint campaigns, planning a partner launch, or structuring a co-marketing agreement.
What it does
This skill helps SaaS companies identify ideal co-marketing partners and brainstorm high-impact joint campaigns, checking for existing product-marketing context files first to avoid re-asking known information. Partner identification runs an audience-overlap analysis, looking for partners who share the same buyer persona but solve a different, complementary problem - adjacent in the workflow, similar company stage, and not competing for the same budget - scores candidates from one to five across audience fit, audience size, brand alignment, engagement quality, reciprocity potential, and ease of execution, and sources candidates from the existing integration ecosystem, adjacent-category tools, community signals such as shared podcast or newsletter sponsors and conference exhibitors, and data sources like account-overlap tools, customer surveys, review-site category neighbors, and job postings mentioning multiple tools together.
Campaign types are organized into four categories, each with effort and best-use notes: content partnerships such as co-authored blog posts, joint ebooks or guides, research reports, newsletter swaps, and podcast guest exchanges; webinars and events such as joint webinars, virtual summit panels, co-hosted workshops, shared conference booths, and joint happy hours; product and integration marketing such as integration launches, joint case studies, better-together landing pages, bundles or discounts, and in-app cross-promotion; and community and social formats such as social takeovers, joint giveaways, community collaborations, and joint AMAs. Brainstorming with a specific partner considers shared-audience trigger moments and seasonal alignment, combined value propositions only achievable together, each side's unique assets - audience, content expertise, product capabilities, brand credibility, customer stories - and specific idea-generating prompts like what to create if a launch had to happen in two weeks.
For outreach, it provides a cold-email template that notes audience overlap and pitches a specific campaign type, plus a call-prep checklist covering overlap data, two to three concrete campaign ideas, audience metrics, past-partnership proof, and a clear ask. Structuring the partnership covers key alignment questions - lead ownership, promotion commitments, asset creation and approval, timeline, success metrics, and follow-up plans - and a simple agreement outline covering campaign description, responsibilities, timeline, lead handling, promotion minimums, branding approval, costs, and metrics sharing. Success measurement covers quantitative metrics like leads generated per partner, MQL/SQL conversion, attributed revenue, and audience growth, plus qualitative ones like collaboration ease, partner responsiveness, and relationship strength for future rounds. A checklist spans partner identification through post-campaign debrief.
When to use - and when NOT to
Use it when finding potential co-marketing partners, brainstorming campaigns with a specific partner, planning joint launches or promotions, evaluating partnership fit, or structuring co-marketing agreements.
Inputs and outputs
Given a product and target audience, or a specific named partner, it produces a scored partner shortlist, campaign format recommendations matched to effort and goal, outreach copy, and a partnership structure outline with success metrics.
Integrations
Account-overlap tools like Crossbeam and Reveal, partner-program management tools like Introw and PartnerStack, plus related skills for referral programs, product launches where co-marketing is a borrowed channel, content strategy, and sales enablement.
Who it's for
SaaS marketing teams looking to find complementary partners and run joint campaigns - content, events, product or integration, or community - without competing for the same budget as their own paid acquisition.
Source README
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
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
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-promotion | Medium | User activation |
Community & Social
| Format | Effort | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Social media takeover | Low | Audience exposure |
| Joint giveaway/contest | Low | List building, engagement |
| Slack/Discord community collab | Low | Community building |
| Joint AMA or Twitter Space | Low | Thought leadership |
Brainstorming Partner Campaigns
When brainstorming with a specific partner, consider:
1. Shared Audience Moments
- What trigger events matter to both audiences?
- What seasonal moments align with both products?
- What industry trends affect both customer bases?
2. Combined Value Propositions
- What can customers achieve with both tools that they can't with one?
- What workflow does the combination enable?
- What pain point does the integration solve?
3. Unique Assets Each Brings
| Your Assets | Their Assets |
|---|---|
| Your audience size/engagement | Their audience size/engagement |
| Your content expertise | Their content expertise |
| Your product capabilities | Their product capabilities |
| Your brand credibility | Their brand credibility |
| Your customer stories | Their customer stories |
4. Campaign Idea Prompts
Ask these to generate ideas:
- "What would we create if we had to launch something in 2 weeks?"
- "What content do both our audiences desperately need?"
- "What would make customers say 'finally, someone did this'?"
- "What exclusive thing could we offer together?"
- "What data do we both have that would make a compelling story?"
Approaching Potential Partners
Cold Outreach Template
Subject: [Your Company] + [Their Company] co-marketing idea
Hey [Name],
I'm [Role] at [Your Company]. We [one-line description].
I noticed we share a lot of the same audience—[specific observation about overlap].
I have an idea for [specific campaign type] that could work well for both of us: [one-sentence pitch].
Would you be open to a quick call to explore?
[Your name]
What to Prepare for the Call
- Account overlap data (if available via Crossbeam/Reveal)
- 2-3 specific campaign ideas (not just "let's do something")
- Your audience metrics (list size, traffic, engagement)
- Examples of past partnerships (shows you can execute)
- Clear ask (what you want from them, what you'll provide)
Structuring the Partnership
Key Questions to Align On
- Lead ownership: How are leads split or shared?
- Promotion commitments: What will each party do to promote?
- Asset creation: Who creates what? Who approves?
- Timeline: When does each phase happen?
- Success metrics: How will you measure success?
- Follow-up: Will you do more together if it works?
Simple Co-Marketing Agreement Outline
- Campaign description: What you're doing together
- Responsibilities: Who does what
- Timeline: Key dates and deadlines
- Lead handling: How leads are captured, shared, followed up
- Promotion: Minimum commitments from each side
- Branding: Logo usage, approval process
- Costs: Who pays for what (if any)
- Metrics sharing: What data you'll share post-campaign
Measuring Co-Marketing Success
Quantitative Metrics
- Leads generated (total and per partner)
- Lead quality (MQL/SQL conversion rate)
- Revenue attributed
- Audience growth (new subscribers, followers)
- Content engagement (views, downloads, shares)
Qualitative Metrics
- Ease of collaboration
- Partner responsiveness
- Audience reception
- Brand lift
- Relationship strengthened for future campaigns
Co-Marketing Checklist
Partner Identification
- List tools your customers already use
- Check Crossbeam/Reveal for account overlap
- Score top 5 potential partners
- Research their past co-marketing activities
Campaign Planning
- Agree on campaign type and goals
- Define lead sharing arrangement
- Assign responsibilities and deadlines
- Set success metrics
Execution
- Create shared assets (landing page, content, etc.)
- Coordinate promotion schedules
- Brief both teams on talking points
Post-Campaign
- Share metrics with partner
- Debrief on what worked/didn't
- Discuss future collaboration opportunities
Task-Specific Questions
- Are you looking for partners or planning a campaign with a specific partner?
- What type of co-marketing are you most interested in? (content, events, integrations, community)
- What's your audience size? (email list, social following, traffic)
- Do you have existing integration partners?
- Have you done co-marketing before? What worked/didn't?
- What's your timeline and budget for co-marketing?
Tool Integrations
For implementation, see the tools registry. Key tools for co-marketing:
| Tool | Best For | Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Crossbeam | Account overlap with partners | crossbeam.md |
| Introw | Partner program management, deal registration | introw.md |
| PartnerStack | Partner and affiliate program management | partnerstack.md |
Related Skills
- referrals - For customer referral and affiliate programs (customers referring customers)
- launch - For product launches with partners; covers co-marketing as a "borrowed channel"
- content-strategy - For content planning including co-created content
- sales-enablement - For partner-facing collateral and enablement materials
Limitations
- Use this skill only when the task clearly matches its upstream source and local project context.
- Verify commands, generated code, dependencies, credentials, and external service behavior before applying changes.
- Do not treat examples as a substitute for environment-specific tests, security review, or user approval for destructive or costly actions.
FAQ
Common questions
Discussion
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