Partnerships as a growth channel: what co-marketing really costs

As paid acquisition gets more expensive, well-structured partnerships have become one of the most useful growth channels for consumer and B2B brands alike.

Done well, a partnership lets two brands share an audience, split production costs and borrow each other’s credibility. Done badly, it’s a logo swap nobody notices. The difference is in how it’s structured.

How to make partnerships pay

• Same customer, different problem: Partner with brands that serve your exact customer but don’t compete with you.

• Make something real together: Go beyond newsletter swaps. A limited product, a useful toolkit or a joint content series gives people a reason to care.

• Agree the measures upfront: Decide how you’ll track results and share data before launch, so both sides know whether it worked.

This is where commercial experience matters: finding the right partner, structuring a fair deal and making the creative land.

Here’s how we run business development for clients: researched target lists, outreach written for each person, introductions and a monthly pipeline report, with nothing sent until you approve it.