Thanks for your interest sponsoring Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster! Hopefully this info will help you understand who I am, what we do at the BB, and how we do it.

Who Am I?

I’m a media guy.  I’ve literally done every form of media: print (newspapers, newsletters, fiction and non-fiction books, wrote/shot/edited magazines), TV (talent and producer), data products (industry indices and data tools like BassGold.com) and of course all forms of digital.  I’ve also had the good fortune to have had success in all of them.  Here’s a brief list of the most applicable stuff:

• 1990s: While running a publishing company in Washington, DC, became a senior writer for Bassmaster Magazine and B.A.S.S. Times.
• 2001: Launched BassFan.com and the BassFan World Rankings.  First-ever coverage of pro bass fishing like a professional sport/sports page, first-ever stats for pro bass fishing, and many other firsts.  At the time, BassFan’s traffic dwarfed Bassmaster.com’s and ESPN’s bass fishing page.
• 2005-06: Co-hosted with Mark Zona the weekly ESPN in-studio show “Loudmouth Bass,” which was like “Pardon the Interruption” meets “Saturday Night Live.” People still talk about that show….
  

  On the initial (not the final!) Loudmouth set.

• 2007: Sold OutdoorsFan Media (BassFan, etc.) to Intermedia Outdoors.  OFM was 5 websites, 2 national bass tournaments and  TV shows, the largest grassroots bass tournament membership base in the world, and an annual magazine.
• 2010: After my non-compete expired, launched the BassParade blog which quickly became the #1 blog in bass fishing.
• 2011: Folded BassParade to focus on mobile: the Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster email. Also launched the BassGold.com bass-patterning app.
• 2014-2015: The BassBlaster became the #2 daily read in bass fishing behind Bassmaster.com.
• Right now my company produces the BassBlaster and advises on the production of its sister publication Target Walleye/Ice, is slowly revamping BassGold.com, and does digital media consulting for companies inside and outside the fishing biz.

Not a fan of talking about myself, but if you’re new to bass fishing I hope that helps you understand a bit about me.

What’s the BassBlaster?

Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster is a mobile-focused digital media platform – the flagship product is the email…for now (in Q1 2017 we launched texting).  It still is the ONLY mobile-focused media product in bass fishing, and is the #2 daily read in bass fishing behind Bassmaster.com.  As you probably know already, the BassBlaster is:

> Funny/entertaining (rated PG at the most)
> Distinctly my personality
> Insightful
> Educational

People read the BassBlaster to be entertained, and get informed at the same time.  They can’t wait to receive it.  Here’s what the stats looked like halfway through 2017, will leave it up to you how to value them:

[The average forwarding rate we got from a recent survey was 4.1.]

Re: email open rates, we feel our opens are pretty much 100% because:

• The BB is highly vertical – if you aren’t a diehard bass fisherman, you don’t want it 2x a week.
• While our email sending service (Constant Contact) does list open rates, they’ve told us that they can’t measure all opens on all devices, and can’t measure opens on nearly all mobile devices…which is where most BBs are opened.
• When we give people the option to unsubscribe from the BB email list, we get anywhere from 10s to a little over 100 – far less than 1% of the subscriber list.

What I Do

The BassBlaster PUSHES fun, entertaining, fast-read digital content to diehard bass-heads using mostly the two major mobile delivery platforms: email and social media.

While we do produce some original content, most of what we do is “riff on” other people’s content, including your content. This means we find content we as bass fishermen like, and make it fun and informative to read with a distinct personality and POV.  This is why our readers – weekend warriors, kids, fishing industry folks and professional anglers – literally love the BassBlaster. Few examples:

• I love the info as much as the zaniness. If that’s a word. Great job.
• Great variety of news articles that are quick, interesting, funny and informative. It’s my must-read each week
• Really enjoy being able to keep up with the bass fishing in one place.
• The hilarious jokes, commentary and memes prove these email blasts are worked on very hard, the reason I don’t skip around and just read the picture captions.
• I get a smile on my face every time you send BB out. As I read thru it, the smile continues to grow. I appreciate it. You just make it FUN.
• Keep em coming. Great job and thank you.
• It is great!!!!

Content

As with all good media, CONTENT – good content – is primary.

> If your company produces good content – social content, videos, tips, etc. – we will use it and get more people to read it. We “riff on” (have fun with) your content, or content that features your product(s) or sponsored anglers. By making your content fun/entertaining in the distinct BassBlaster way, this ensures that it is read, viewed, etc. We increase engagement.

> If you or your sponsored anglers don’t produce much content, or much good content, the BassBlaster may not be a match for your company unless you can still benefit from the BB’s reach.

The BassBlaster is all about the content!

Banner Ads

1. Advertising is NOT the primary benefit of being a BassBlaster partner.

Content is the primary benefit. Every BassBlaster issue has ads from all sponsors because most – not all! – companies value them. Some also feel strongly about the branding and product awareness that ad space provides. But the value in BassBlaster and any digital media) is NOT banner ads…which is why I don’t have “advertisers!”

2. I do NOT sell click-throughs (CTRs)!

I don’t sell click-throughs and won’t because they don’t work and never have. I have never sold against click-throughs even going back to the first BassFan.com days in 2001 because they have never worked. If you want to know more about this, happy to discuss it with you, but the bottom line is: I’ve been in digital for almost 20 years now, and have tried everything. If it worked, I’d be doing it because I want to serve you. On the flip side, I’m not going to endorse something that won’t serve you.

I realize marketers like stats and measurement, which is one reason I send quarterly updates out to all sponsors. I also remain open to any non-CTR ideas to create valid indices. Would love to help if I can.

How I Do Business: Relationship

The core of what I do is the relationship – with the readers/fans, and with you. It’s everything. I won’t jeopardize either one.

When it comes to the relationship with fans/readers, I do not run advertorial, do not blatantly promote, do not “test” ads/promotions for periods of time, do not have special sections featuring one sponsor, and do not only mention sponsors’ products.  I try to be honest and fair, and I am a diehard bass-head too.

I only accept sponsors whose products or services I can endorse because the BB is just like a TV show: It’s a personal form of communication, so any sponsor products that appear on it are viewed as personal endorsements from me.

For this reason and a couple others, I have turned down at least as many potential BassBlaster sponsors as I’ve accepted.

I have to serve the fans, and you.  Making sure the sponsor relationship is right starts before you become a sponsor.  Meaning: Is the person-to-person relationship (me and you) right?  Are the products right for the Blaster – what we do and how we do it?  Is your media/content right? Do the expectations match up?  Can I serve you well?

This encompasses everything from how we communicate with each other to the crazy low rates I charge.  I could charge far more based on the BassBlaster’s reach and frequency – I guess I will raise rates at some point – but I want to make sure the relationship starts off right for both of us.

Communication is important in a relationship. Usually, staying in touch happens organically throughout the year, but to make sure it happens every quarter or so I send out a BassBlaster update to all sponsors.

That’s about it!

Thanks much for your interest in Jay Kumar’s BassBlaster.  Hope this information helps you understand what I do and how I do it, and helps you decide whether you want to be a part of it.  If you’re interested in being a BassBlaster sponsor, just hit me at bassblaster -AT- bassgold.com and we’ll see where it leads!