One of the most productive projects we completed at work last year was to create a course for a blockchain education partner with massive reach. We had the content, they had the contacts.
Since it was a win for both sides, I figured we could scale this approach. I set a goal to get at least one other partnership of this kind in place for 2026.
In late December, I started reaching out to potential partners. Most of them had some kind of form you could fill in if you wanted to apply for distribution of your content through their network. I submitted several of them and waited.
Nothing happened. So, I started to follow up. One partner in particular I was keen on. They had a great B2B network of relevant companies who might benefit from learning about our tech. The process seemed easy enough. And I already had a connection to them since they owned a company I used to work with. But first, I had to find out: Who do I follow up with in the first place?
The form I had submitted did not give me any contact information. I went on LinkedIn, browsed the company’s list of employees, and found some who seemed to be in content-related departments. I took some best guesses at their email addresses, wrote a nice short message, and hit send.
At first, I only followed up with one person. She didn’t reply. I sent her another message a week or so later. Then, another one. Still, nothing.
Then, I tried another person. Sent him an email. And another one. And one more. Never too hasty. Always a few days apart, at minimum. One day, he got back. “Thanks for suggesting this! It looks great! I will put you in contact with our content partnership team.” He pointed me in the right direction and sent me on my way.
Now, I had a new contact. I didn’t hear from the lady in charge after a few days. So? I followed up. “Hi! Might you have any updates for me or next steps I can follow?” She came back to me and said they were very busy, but that the team was reviewing our application, and that she hoped to have news soon.
Then, she went quiet again. Guess what I did? I followed up. Every now and then, I forgot. I let it sit dormant for a week or two or three. But on occasion, I’d remember, and whenever I did, I sent another message. “Hi there! Any news? Just checking in!”
This is the part where I would be happy to tell you that, eventually, we scored the partnership. But we haven’t. I’m still following up.
The process has continued for many months now. I still don’t have an answer. It seems like they are interested but busy with other, more important work. I’ve counted at least nine follow-ups so far. How many more will it take? I have no idea! But I’ll keep following up.
If you do it nicely, following up is free, takes little time, and carries close to no risk. You can always start yelling later if you really need to. But if you’re trying to make something happen with little leverage, the best way is to stay friendly but persistent. Show people you’re willing to help, and that, even after many unrewarded attempts, you’re still here. It’s the most convincing “statement” and, often, the only one you need to eventually win folks over.
Keep following up.
