Co-branded promo copy by Hive Backstage

---
name: co-branded-promo-copy
description: Draft co-branded promo copy for partners (radio stations, local blogs, neighborhood businesses, lifestyle brands) that names the partnership clearly, includes the partner's specific reader or audience benefit, and gives both sides a clean asset to publish. Trigger whenever an operator says "draft the radio promo", "write the blog partner copy", "we are doing a co-promo with [partner]", "build the partner asset", "we need the cross-promo copy", or asks for the language that runs on a partner's channel pointing back at a venue show. Also trigger when the operator is negotiating a co-promotion and needs the asset that lands the deal. This is the top-of-funnel partnership skill. Distinct from a paid ad (the operator should brief their agency or platform on that), the venue's own email (use the relevant email skill), and signup copy (use `signup-popup-copy`).
---
# Co-branded promo copy

## What this skill does

This skill drafts the copy that runs on a partner's channel as part of a co-promotion. The partner could be a radio station running a contest, a local blog publishing a post, a neighborhood coffee shop putting up signage, or a lifestyle brand emailing their list. The point of the copy is to convert the partner's audience without sounding like a venue press release dropped into someone else's surface.

The skill writes from the partner's voice, not the venue's. The partner publishes this copy. Their audience reads it. The venue is the subject, not the speaker.

This is the most under-leveraged top-of-funnel channel in independent venue marketing. Done well, co-promo brings net-new fans who never would have found the venue otherwise.

## When to trigger

Trigger when an operator is running a co-promotion and needs the partner-facing copy. Trigger on "co-promo", "co-branded copy", "radio promo", "partner blog post", "cross-promo copy", "the [partner] is featuring us, write the asset", or when the operator says they have a deal with a partner and need the language.

Do not trigger for the venue's own announce email (use pre-show-announcement-email), for paid ads (the operator briefs their agency or platform), or for signup copy (use signup-popup-copy). This skill is partner-channel copy only.

## Required inputs

Ask for these in one message before drafting. Co-promo copy needs more inputs than most skills because two brands are involved.

The venue name and a one-line description of the room.

The partner. Who they are, what their channel is (radio station, blog, business with a foot-traffic surface, lifestyle brand with a list), and their audience in one line. "Local indie music blog with a 20,000-name newsletter" tells the skill what shape to take.

The show. Artist, date, doors, venue. The ticket link or the URL the partner will point at.

The shape of the co-promotion. Examples: the partner is running a ticket giveaway, the partner is publishing a feature, the partner is including the venue in a roundup, the partner is sharing the venue's announcement to their list, the partner is doing in-store signage, the partner is doing a swap (you promote them, they promote you). The shape determines the copy.

What the partner's audience gets. The reason the partner's audience cares. A ticket giveaway has the prize as the hook. A blog feature has access or insider angle as the hook. A roundup has the venue as one of several recommended things to do.

The partner's voice constraints. Some radio stations have copy length rules. Some blogs require certain tagging or disclosure. Some brands have specific rules about what can appear next to their logo. The operator should know these. If they do not, ask once.

Channel and format. Radio script (read length), blog post, Instagram carousel, in-store signage, partner email, partner SMS. The copy shape varies. The skill writes only the format requested.

Any compliance language required. Sweepstakes have specific legal text. Most jurisdictions require an "no purchase necessary" line, an entry method, and odds language for a giveaway.

## Voice

This skill is the exception to the "venue voice profile is the source of truth" pattern. The voice is the partner's voice, not the venue's.

If the partner has a known voice the operator can describe ("the station is conversational and DJ-driven", "the blog is gear-nerd and dense"), match that voice. If not, default to the partner's channel norm: radio stations talk to listeners, blogs talk to readers, lifestyle brands talk to customers.

The venue is named in the copy but it is the subject, not the speaker. The copy says "[Venue] is hosting [Artist]" not "we are excited to host [Artist]".

Hard voice rules:

No em-dashes. Use commas, semicolons, or periods.

No fragment chains.

No fabricated specifics on the venue side or the partner side. If the operator did not give you the partner's audience size or the show's history, do not invent it.

No "exclusive". The word is overused in co-promo and almost never accurate.

No hype superlatives. The copy lives on a partner's channel where the partner's reader has built-in skepticism. Hype reads worse here than anywhere else.

## The four common co-promo shapes and what the copy does

### Shape 1: Ticket giveaway
The partner gives away tickets to their audience. The hook is the prize.

Structure: short intro to the show, the prize specifically, the entry mechanic, the deadline, compliance language. The copy is more functional than editorial because the entry mechanic is the action.

### Shape 2: Editorial feature on the partner's channel
The partner writes about the show as content. The hook is the angle.

Structure: a lead that names why this show is worth featuring (in the partner's voice), one paragraph on the artist or the angle, ticket information at the bottom. The copy reads as editorial recommendation, not as a press release.

### Shape 3: Roundup mention
The venue is one of several things in a "this week" or "this weekend" list on the partner's channel. The hook is the venue being a credible pick.

Structure: 60 to 100 words. One paragraph naming the artist, the date, why this specific show is worth the recommendation in this specific roundup, and the link. The copy is the shortest of the four shapes.

### Shape 4: Partner email or SMS share
The partner forwards venue content to their list. The hook is the partner's endorsement.

Structure: a one or two sentence intro from the partner (in their voice) framing the recommendation, followed by the venue's existing announce content quoted or summarized. The copy is a clean intro the partner can paste above the venue's content.

## Output structure

Always use this exact structure. Produce only the shape and the format the operator requested.

```
# Co-branded promo: [Venue] x [Partner]

## Format: [Radio script / Blog post / Instagram carousel / Signage / Partner email / Partner SMS]
## Shape: [Ticket giveaway / Editorial feature / Roundup mention / Partner share]

[Copy text]

## Compliance and footnotes
[If the shape is a giveaway, list the required compliance text the operator should confirm with legal.]
[If the partner has tagging or disclosure rules, repeat them here so the operator does not lose them.]

## Hand-off note to the partner
[Two or three sentences that go to the partner with the copy. Explains how the copy was built, where the partner can flex, and what the venue can change if the partner needs adjustments.]
```

## Hard rules

The partner is the speaker. The venue is the subject. The copy never says "we are excited" from the venue's mouth.

Name the partner specifically in the copy, by their name. The cross-promo lands when both sides are visible.

Compliance language is mandatory on giveaways. Do not draft a giveaway without the operator confirming the entry mechanic and the deadline. Default US-market language includes "No purchase necessary. See [URL] for full rules." The skill flags this for legal review.

Radio scripts are timed, not worded. A 30-second read is roughly 75 to 85 words. A 60-second read is roughly 150 to 170 words. The skill labels the read time in the deliverable so the producer can confirm.

The roundup mention is the shortest. The roundup is a list of recommendations; the venue's entry needs to be a clean line item, not a press release.

The hand-off note is for the partner, not the venue. It explains where flex is acceptable. If the partner's editorial team rewrites the copy, the venue knows what is locked (date, artist, ticket link) and what is open (voice, framing).

Ticket links go in plain text, not behind copy. Partners often paste the asset into their CMS where button styling does not carry. The link as a URL is more durable.

## Common failure modes to avoid

Writing in the venue's voice. The copy will not run. The partner's audience will reject it as a press release.

"Exclusive" framing. The word is overused and almost always inaccurate.

Generic editorial. "This is a show you do not want to miss" is the failure pattern. The copy names a specific reason why this partner's audience should care about this specific show.

Long radio scripts. The script needs to read in the time allotted. Word count maps to seconds.

Missing compliance text on giveaways. Legal exposure is real. Always include the standard language and flag it for the operator to confirm.

Treating co-promo as a venue ad. The partner gets nothing from running a venue ad on their channel. The copy frames the recommendation as something the partner's audience wants, not something the venue wants.

Failing to acknowledge the partner. If the venue's name is in the copy three times and the partner's name once, the partner will not run it.

## What to deliver

Return:

The copy for the requested format and shape, in the structure above.

Compliance and footnotes section filled in if applicable.

Hand-off note to the partner.

End with two or three sentences naming any input that was thin (often the partner's voice or the partner's audience description) and the single piece of input that would sharpen the next pass.