How to Get Sponsored by Red Line Oil

Red Line Oil is in almost every corner of motorsports, from NHRA Top Fuel and stock cars to drifting, Supercross and snowmobile racing. Mark Beatty, Red Line's brand director, has raced his whole life and sent out his share of proposals, so he knows both sides of the table. He's also one of the most specific brand people I've had on stage about exactly how to apply. If you want to be on Team Red Line Oil, here's what he's said at my Sponsorship Summits and PRI Show seminars.

Be a customer first

Beatty runs his program on a lesson he learned early in business: "I do business with those that do business with me." His first filter is whether you already buy Red Line. "If there's a person that's gone out there and they've made the investment to buy Red Line oil, they've been using Red Line oil, then all of a sudden it's like, okay, so you've been doing business with me, so now it's my turn to look at trying to do some business with you," he said. ▶ Watch Mark Beatty explain this

The quickest way to lose him is a car that changes oil brands every season. "One year I see a Motul decal on their car and then next year I see a Liqui Moly decal on their car, and then all of a sudden they're asking me for help," he said. "If you're looking for sponsorship, especially from an oil company, I'm sorry, I have no interest in being the next man up." He thinks it hurts the racer too: "It cheapens them as a brand and it cheapens me as a brand if I jump in on that." ▶ Watch the clip

The way around that is to build the relationship before you ask. At my Motorsports Sponsorship Summit, he described the racer who has been "proudly displaying their decal on the car. Maybe you're even tagging them in social media without even quote-unquote being sponsored by them." After a few years of that, "it's an easier conversation when you reach out and say, hey, I'd like to talk to you about what's it take to take our relationship to the next level." ▶ Watch the Summit session

Apply online, in the window, every year

Red Line takes applications through a sponsorship button at the bottom of its website. "I open up the sponsorship September 1st of every year and it's open till October 31st, so I close it basically on Halloween," Beatty said. Everyone reapplies every year, even the big names. "If they're not willing to go to our website and do that, to me then maybe the sponsorship is really not that important to them." He then spends November and December going through every application. ▶ Watch Beatty on the process

Answer the questions the form asks, and give him your links. "If you make us go out and find you instead of giving us a link, to be honest with you, I just don't have that time. I'm a one man band," he said at the PRI Show, where he mentioned 600 applications in just two months. The questions are there for a reason: "What I do is use it to judge if somebody's really interested in being a part of it." ▶ Watch the PRI seminar

Show him a real racer on social media

Beatty reads every applicant's social media himself. Follower counts aren't the point. "I don't necessarily care how many followers a person has, but I care about the content," he said. His test is a phrase he uses a lot: "Real knows real." A real racer's page stays focused on racing, while with others "it kind of wanders all over the place." ▶ Watch the clip

He also wants to see that you enjoy it. "I click on every single person that applies. I click on your social media, and I scroll it. And the people that are having fun out there, it shows in your social media, and that's the type of person I want on Team Red Line," he said. ▶ Watch the PRI seminar

Why does he care so much about credibility? Because racers can reach people he can't. "If the guy next to you is having a problem, you can walk into the back door of their trailer. I can't," Beatty said. A real racer can tell the next pit over what oil or rear end grease he's running. "They can have the conversations that we can't have, because real knows real." ▶ Watch the full session

Expect product, not cash

Be clear on what Red Line offers. "We don't necessarily offer any monetary sponsorships. It's just simply one of the things that we don't do," Beatty said. Most racers start on a product discount, and there are a few levels. "It gives us the opportunity to test waters together." A handful of teams earn a no-charge program, but he reminds racers that "no charge isn't free to me. There's a hard cost associated with that." ▶ Watch Beatty on what a deal looks like When Red Line spends money, it's on series, "where all racers benefit," rather than individual racers. ▶ Watch the full session

Help him sell oil

Because product costs him money, the best partners help Red Line sell more of it. "I can't give away oil or I can't give away a discount on an oil if we're not selling oil," he said. One of his first questions to a team is about the engine shop: "Who builds your motors? Talk to me about them." Red Line often uses its race teams to get introduced to their engine builders. He also values teams that help with product development. He described working with a Mustang team that had transmission heat problems, where Red Line's fluids lowered transmission temperatures "some 75 degrees." ▶ Watch the Summit session

His closing advice is simple: "Work hard, don't give up." If the first try doesn't work, adjust your approach and come back next year. ▶ Watch the full session

Your checklist for Red Line Oil

• Run Red Line products and stick with them before you ask. Brand-hopping is a dealbreaker.
• Display the decal and tag Red Line on social media before you're sponsored.
• Apply through the website between September 1 and October 31, and reapply every year.
• Answer every question on the form and include your social media links.
• Keep your social media focused on real racing, and let it show you're having fun.
• Expect a product discount, not cash, and earn your way up.
• Introduce Red Line to your engine builder and help them sell oil.