Let's be honest, you're drowning in advice right now.

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Post more on LinkedIn. Run ads. Create a content engine. Start a podcast. Optimise your SEO. Build a community. Test TikTok. The list never ends and it's exhausting.

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Meanwhile, AI has multiplied everything. More tools, more tactics, more content flooding every channel. Your potential customers can't tell the difference between you and the ten other businesses saying exactly the same thing.

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You're burning out trying to cut through the noise. And here's the brutal truth: you can't out-create or out-spend the noise anymore.

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But you can bypass it entirely.

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The overlooked shortcut that actually works

While everyone else is burning cash on ads or burning out creating content, there's a simpler approach: stop building your own audience and borrow someone else's.

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I'm talking about strategic partnerships. Not the fluffy "let's collaborate sometime" nonsense but proper, research-backed partnerships that put you in front of engaged audiences who already trust the brand introducing you.

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This isn't about adding more to your to-do list. It's about being strategic with the limited time and budget you actually have.

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How one partnership event unlocked the UK market

A B2B service company wanted to break into the UK market. They could have spent months building brand awareness, running ads, cold outreach… the usual exhausting playbook.

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Instead, they did the work upfront. They mapped where their target customers were already paying attention and partnered with AWS for a single event.

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The results from one partnership event:

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• 54 qualified leads generated through the multi-channel approach
• 2 Marketing Qualified Leads and 4 Sales Qualified Leads in active pipeline
• 1 deal closed

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That's the power of borrowed credibility. AWS's audience already trusted them, so when they introduced this partner, the audience listened. No years of content building. No burning through ad budget trying to prove credibility. Just smart positioning based on insight about where their customers already were.

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This wasn't luck. It was research-backed strategy - identifying where their ideal customers gathered and partnering with the brand they already trusted.

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Finding partners: research, not guesswork

Here's where most people screw this up - they chase the flashy brand names or whoever will say yes. That's hope, not strategy.

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Our approach with every client: use insights and market mapping to find the right partners.

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Start with the customer conversations you're already having (you are having them weekly, right?).

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Ask:

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• "Where else do you go for advice in this area?"
• "What other tools or services do you use alongside ours?"
• "Who do you follow or learn from in this space?"

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Those answers aren't just nice-to-know. They're your partnership roadmap. Not the brands you think are cool, but the ones your customers actually trust.

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Then map your market properly:

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• Who solves a different part of your customer's problem?
• Where are your customers already spending time and money?
• Which brands serve the same audience but aren't competitors?
• Who has the credibility you're trying to build from scratch?

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This takes a few hours of work. But it's infinitely more effective than the scattergun "let's partner with everyone" approach.

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Make it easy for them to say yes

Most partnership pitches fail because they create more work. "Let's collaborate" is meaningless when everyone's already overwhelmed.

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Come with a specific idea that's low-effort for them:

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Start stupidly small:

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• Co-host one webinar on a topic both audiences keep asking about
• Write a guest piece for their newsletter (you write it, they just publish)
• Create a simple joint resource or guide
• Build a basic product integration that benefits both users

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Be explicit about what you bring:

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Don't make them work it out. Tell them:

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• "Our 5,000-person newsletter reaches [specific audience type]"
• "We'll handle all the content, you just need to share it once"
• "This solves [specific problem] that your customers keep asking you about"

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Prove it once, then scale:

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One small partnership executed well is worth more than five half-arsed ones. Get results from the first, then use that proof to unlock bigger opportunities.

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What actually moves the needle

From working with 100+ startups, here's what we see delivering real results (not just vanity metrics):

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Tool integrations - Unsexy but effective. When your product genuinely works better with theirs, both user bases win

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Content collaborations - Joint webinars or research where you both bring real expertise to an actual customer problem (not just promotional waffle)

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Industry associations and communities - Unglamorous but packed with engaged, relevant people actively looking for solutions

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Event partnerships - Split the cost and effort whilst both building credibility with the right audience

The partnerships that fail? When someone's looking for a quick sales shortcut rather than genuine value. Your audience spots that immediately.

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What to do this week

Stop trying to be everywhere. Pick one partnership to explore:

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1. Pull out your recent customer conversations - who do they mention? Who do they trust?
2. Map 3-5 potential partners based on that insight, not assumptions
3. Research what they're currently focused on (check their recent content, posts, announcements)
4. Come up with one low-effort idea that genuinely benefits both of you
5. Send a short, specific pitch

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You're not trying to transform your business overnight. You're trying to stop fighting for attention on your own when you could borrow it from someone your customers already listen to.

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Next week: measuring what actually matters without drowning in vanity metrics (spoiler: most people are tracking the wrong things)

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What partnership would be a game-changer for your business? Let me know!

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P.S. I spoke about this approach in detail on The PR Set podcast if you want to dig deeper.