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Co Marketing

Corey HainesCommunityCreated by Corey Haines

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  • Business and productivity
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From the author

When the user wants to find co-marketing partners, plan joint campaigns, or brainstorm partnership opportunities. Use when the user says 'co-marketing,' 'partner marketing,' 'joint campaign,' 'who should we partner with,' 'integration marketing,' 'cross-promotion,' 'collaborate with another company,' 'partnership ideas,' or 'co-brand.' For customer referral programs, see referrals. For launch-specific partnerships, see launch.
— the description by Corey Haines

AutoGineer summary

Written by AutoGineer from the skill’s own files, not by the author

This skill provides a comprehensive approach to co-marketing for SaaS companies. It helps users identify ideal partners through audience overlap analysis, score potential collaborations, and select the right partnership type—ranging from content and events to product integrations. The skill includes templates for outreach, campaign planning, and structuring agreements to ensure mutual value and measurable success.

What it does

  • Identifies potential partners based on audience overlap and complementary product workflows.
  • Provides a scoring framework to evaluate partner fit and engagement quality.
  • Outlines various co-marketing campaign formats including content, events, and product integrations.
  • Offers templates for cold outreach to potential partners.
  • Defines key metrics for measuring the success of joint marketing initiatives.
  • Provides a checklist for managing the full lifecycle of a co-marketing campaign.

When to use it

  • When you need to find new partners to expand your reach.
  • When planning a joint campaign, webinar, or content piece with another company.
  • When evaluating if a potential partnership aligns with your brand and business goals.
  • When you need to structure a formal agreement for a collaborative project.

Advantages

  • Leverages borrowed audiences to lower customer acquisition costs.
  • Provides a structured taxonomy to distinguish co-marketing from other partnership types like affiliates or resellers.
  • Includes actionable templates for outreach and campaign planning.
  • Focuses on data-driven partner identification using account overlap analysis.

Usage examples

“Who should we partner with for a co-marketing campaign?”
The agent will guide you through audience overlap analysis, asking about your ICP and existing integrations to identify adjacent tools that share your audience.
“Draft a cold outreach email to a potential co-marketing partner.”
The agent will generate a professional email template tailored to your specific company and the partner you are targeting, highlighting the mutual value proposition.
“How do we structure a joint webinar with a partner?”
The agent will provide a planning checklist covering lead sharing, asset creation, promotion commitments, and success metrics.

Install

  1. Download the skill as a ZIP:

    https://autogineer.com/agent-skills/coreyhaines31/co-marketing/download
  2. Unzip it into the cross-client skills folder of your project:

    mkdir -p .agents/skills && unzip co-marketing.zip -d .agents/skills

Documentation by Corey Haines

You are a co-marketing strategist who helps SaaS companies identify ideal partners and brainstorm high-impact joint campaigns.

Before Starting

Check for product marketing context first: If .agents/product-marketing.md exists (or .claude/product-marketing.md, or the legacy product-marketing-context.md filename, in older setups), read it before asking questions. Use that context and only ask for information not already covered or specific to this task.

When to Use This Skill

  • Finding potential co-marketing partners

  • Brainstorming campaign ideas with a specific partner

  • Planning joint launches or promotions

  • Evaluating partnership fit

  • Structuring co-marketing agreements


Partner Identification Framework

1. Audience Overlap Analysis

The best partners share your audience but don't compete for the same budget.

Ideal partner characteristics:

  • Same buyer persona, different problem solved

  • Adjacent in the workflow (before, after, or alongside your tool)

  • Similar company stage and customer size

  • Complementary, not competitive

Questions to identify partners:

  • What tools do your customers already use?

  • What do they use before/after your product?

  • Who else is selling to your ICP?

  • Which integrations do customers request most?

2. Partner Scoring Criteria

Rate potential partners (1-5) on:

CriteriaWhat to Evaluate
Audience fitHow closely does their audience match your ICP?
Audience sizeDo they have reach worth partnering for?
Brand alignmentWould you be proud to be associated?
Engagement qualityDo they have an active, engaged audience?
Reciprocity potentialCan you offer them equal value?
Ease of executionDo they have a partnerships team? History of co-marketing?
3. Where to Find Partners

Integration ecosystem:

  • Your existing integration partners

  • Tools in the same app marketplace category

  • Platforms your product plugs into

Adjacent categories:

  • Tools that solve the problem before yours

  • Tools that solve the problem after yours

  • Tools used by the same role but different workflow

Community signals:

  • Who sponsors the same podcasts/newsletters?

  • Who exhibits at the same conferences?

  • Who's active in the same communities?

  • Whose content does your audience share?

Data sources:

  • Crossbeam or Reveal for account overlap

  • Customer surveys ("what else do you use?")

  • G2/Capterra category neighbors

  • Job postings mentioning your tool + others


Partnership Types

Co-marketing is one of five partnership types. Know the taxonomy so you route a request to the right play instead of defaulting to joint content.

TypeWhat it isPrimary payoff
IntegrationsYour product connects to another's (native, Zapier, API-first, embedded)Retention, expansion, marketplace discovery
ResellerPartners sell your product + servicesDistribution + services revenue
AffiliatePromoters earn commission on referralsLow-risk, pay-for-performance reach
Co-marketingJoint content/campaigns with a peerBorrowed audience, brand halo
App Store / MarketplaceList inside a platform's ecosystemBuilt-in distribution, effective CAC

Flagship proof: HubSpot's partner program = $100M ARR, ~40% of revenue, 3,400+ partners. Mature programs average ~28% of revenue and 2× growth.

Standout moves: integrations as a decision factor (83% of enterprise buyers), Calendly's staged ladder (calendar → sales → marketing); affiliate power law (20% of affiliates drive 80% of revenue) and buyout clauses (~12× monthly commission); permissionless co-marketing (Notion building templates for Airbnb/Amazon/Tesla to ride their brand — no contract needed); App Store distribution (Grammarly 0→10M).

For the full taxonomy — build patterns, economics, examples, and how to choose where to start — see references/partnership-types.md. (Affiliate program mechanics live in the referrals skill; keep affiliate work here at the partnership-strategy level.)


Co-Marketing Campaign Types

Content Partnerships
FormatEffortLead SharingBest For
Co-authored blog postLowShared byline, link exchangeThought leadership, SEO
Joint ebook/guideMediumGated, split leadsLead gen, deeper topic
Research reportHighGated, split leadsAuthority, PR
Guest newsletter swapLowEach keeps own leadsAudience exposure
Podcast guest exchangeLowEach keeps own leadsRelationship building
Webinars & Events
FormatEffortBest For
Joint webinarMediumLead gen, product education
Virtual summit panelMediumMulti-partner exposure
Co-hosted workshopHighHands-on education, deeper engagement
Conference booth sharingMediumCost splitting, audience overlap
Joint happy hour/dinnerLowRelationship building at events
Product & Integration Marketing
FormatEffortBest For
Integration launchMediumExisting integration partners
Joint case studyMediumShared customers
"Better together" landing pageLowIntegration discovery
Bundle or discountMediumConversion boost, cross-sell
In-app cross-promotionMediumUser activation
Community & Social
FormatEffortBest For
Social media takeoverLowAudience exposure
Joint giveaway/contestLowList building, engagement
Slack/Discord community collabLowCommunity building
Joint AMA or Twitter SpaceLowThought leadership

Brainstorming Partner Campaigns

When brainstorming with a specific partner, consider:

1. Shared Audience Moments
  • What trigger events matter to both audiences?

  • What seasonal moments align with both products?

  • What industry trends affect both customer bases?

2. Combined Value Propositions
  • What can customers achieve with both tools that they can't with one?

  • What workflow does the combination enable?

  • What pain point does the integration solve?

3. Unique Assets Each Brings
Your AssetsTheir Assets
Your audience size/engagementTheir audience size/engagement
Your content expertiseTheir content expertise
Your product capabilitiesTheir product capabilities
Your brand credibilityTheir brand credibility
Your customer storiesTheir customer stories
4. Campaign Idea Prompts

Ask these to generate ideas:

  • "What would we create if we had to launch something in 2 weeks?"

  • "What content do both our audiences desperately need?"

  • "What would make customers say 'finally, someone did this'?"

  • "What exclusive thing could we offer together?"

  • "What data do we both have that would make a compelling story?"


Approaching Potential Partners

Cold Outreach Template
Subject: [Your Company] + [Their Company] co-marketing idea

Hey [Name],

I'm [Role] at [Your Company]. We [one-line description].

I noticed we share a lot of the same audience—[specific observation about overlap].

I have an idea for [specific campaign type] that could work well for both of us: [one-sentence pitch].

Would you be open to a quick call to explore?

[Your name]
What to Prepare for the Call
  1. Account overlap data (if available via Crossbeam/Reveal)

  2. 2-3 specific campaign ideas (not just "let's do something")

  3. Your audience metrics (list size, traffic, engagement)

  4. Examples of past partnerships (shows you can execute)

  5. Clear ask (what you want from them, what you'll provide)


Structuring the Partnership

Key Questions to Align On
  • Lead ownership: How are leads split or shared?

  • Promotion commitments: What will each party do to promote?

  • Asset creation: Who creates what? Who approves?

  • Timeline: When does each phase happen?

  • Success metrics: How will you measure success?

  • Follow-up: Will you do more together if it works?

Simple Co-Marketing Agreement Outline
  1. Campaign description: What you're doing together

  2. Responsibilities: Who does what

  3. Timeline: Key dates and deadlines

  4. Lead handling: How leads are captured, shared, followed up

  5. Promotion: Minimum commitments from each side

  6. Branding: Logo usage, approval process

  7. Costs: Who pays for what (if any)

  8. Metrics sharing: What data you'll share post-campaign


Measuring Co-Marketing Success

Quantitative Metrics
  • Leads generated (total and per partner)

  • Lead quality (MQL/SQL conversion rate)

  • Revenue attributed

  • Audience growth (new subscribers, followers)

  • Content engagement (views, downloads, shares)

Qualitative Metrics
  • Ease of collaboration

  • Partner responsiveness

  • Audience reception

  • Brand lift

  • Relationship strengthened for future campaigns


Co-Marketing Checklist

Partner Identification
  • [ ] List tools your customers already use

  • [ ] Check Crossbeam/Reveal for account overlap

  • [ ] Score top 5 potential partners

  • [ ] Research their past co-marketing activities

Campaign Planning
  • [ ] Agree on campaign type and goals

  • [ ] Define lead sharing arrangement

  • [ ] Assign responsibilities and deadlines

  • [ ] Set success metrics

Execution
  • [ ] Create shared assets (landing page, content, etc.)

  • [ ] Coordinate promotion schedules

  • [ ] Brief both teams on talking points

Post-Campaign
  • [ ] Share metrics with partner

  • [ ] Debrief on what worked/didn't

  • [ ] Discuss future collaboration opportunities


Task-Specific Questions

  1. Are you looking for partners or planning a campaign with a specific partner?

  2. What type of co-marketing are you most interested in? (content, events, integrations, community)

  3. What's your audience size? (email list, social following, traffic)

  4. Do you have existing integration partners?

  5. Have you done co-marketing before? What worked/didn't?

  6. What's your timeline and budget for co-marketing?


Tool Integrations

For implementation, see the tools registry. Key tools for co-marketing:

ToolBest ForGuide
CrossbeamAccount overlap with partnerscrossbeam.md
IntrowPartner program management, deal registrationintrow.md
PartnerStackPartner and affiliate program managementpartnerstack.md

  • referrals — For customer referral and affiliate programs (customers referring customers)

  • launch — For product launches with partners; covers co-marketing as a "borrowed channel"

  • content-strategy — For content planning including co-created content

  • sales-enablement — For partner-facing collateral and enablement materials

Files

evals/evals.json

{
  "skill_name": "co-marketing",
  "evals": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "prompt": "We make a project management tool for design agencies. Who should we look for as co-marketing partners?",
      "expected_output": "Should check for product-marketing.md first. Should apply the Partner Identification Framework with audience overlap analysis. Should identify ideal partner characteristics: same buyer persona (design agencies), different problem solved, adjacent in the workflow. Should suggest specific partner categories: design tools (Figma, Adobe), proposal/contract tools (Bonsai, HoneyBook), client communication (Notion, Slack), invoicing/payments (Stripe, FreshBooks), file storage/handoff (Dropbox, Frame.io). Should recommend audience scoring criteria. Should suggest sources to find partners: integration ecosystem, Crossbeam/Reveal for account overlap, customer surveys, G2/Capterra category neighbors, podcasts/newsletters they sponsor.",
      "assertions": [
        "Checks for product-marketing.md",
        "Identifies same persona / different problem characteristic",
        "Suggests specific partner categories in workflow",
        "Mentions Crossbeam or account overlap data",
        "Lists multiple sources to find partners",
        "Applies scoring criteria"
      ],
      "files": []
    },
    {
      "id": 2,
      "prompt": "We're partnering with a competitor — wait, not a competitor, a complementary CRM company. Help us brainstorm 5 campaign ideas we could run together.",
      "expected_output": "Should apply the brainstorming framework: shared audience moments, combined value propositions, unique assets each brings. Should propose campaign ideas across multiple types from the campaign type tables (content partnerships, webinars/events, product/integration marketing, community/social). Should suggest specific ideas like: co-authored blog post or research report, joint webinar, 'better together' integration landing page, joint case study with shared customer, integration launch, bundle/discount, conference booth sharing. Should ask the campaign idea prompts to spark ideas: what would we create if we had to launch in 2 weeks, what content do both audiences desperately need, what data do we both have that would make a compelling story.",
      "assertions": [
        "Applies brainstorming framework",
        "Proposes campaigns across multiple types (content, events, integration, community)",
        "Suggests specific actionable ideas",
        "Mentions integration or 'better together' angle",
        "Uses brainstorming prompts"
      ],
      "files": []
    },
    {
      "id": 3,
      "prompt": "Draft a cold outreach email to a potential co-marketing partner. They're a content management platform and we make a marketing analytics tool. Both serve B2B marketing teams.",
      "expected_output": "Should use the cold outreach template structure. Should include: subject line with both company names, brief role intro, specific observation about audience overlap (not generic), one concrete campaign idea (not 'let's do something'), clear ask for a quick call. Should keep it short and personal. Should optionally mention call prep: account overlap data (Crossbeam/Reveal), 2-3 specific campaign ideas, audience metrics, past partnership examples, clear ask of what's wanted and what's offered.",
      "assertions": [
        "Includes subject with both company names",
        "Specific observation about audience overlap",
        "Includes one concrete campaign idea",
        "Includes clear ask for a call",
        "Keeps it short and personal",
        "Mentions what to prepare for the call"
      ],
      "files": []
    },
    {
      "id": 4,
      "prompt": "We've identified 5 potential partners but only have time for one campaign this quarter. How should we pick?",
      "expected_output": "Should apply the partner scoring criteria: audience fit, audience size, brand alignment, engagement quality, reciprocity potential, ease of execution. Should recommend scoring each partner 1-5 across these criteria. Should weight by current goal (e.g., if lead gen is priority, weight audience size and audience fit higher; if relationship building, weight brand alignment and engagement quality). Should consider partner's history of co-marketing — those with partnerships teams and past co-marketing activities execute faster. Should recommend running a small content partnership first (low effort) to test the relationship before bigger commitments.",
      "assertions": [
        "Applies partner scoring criteria",
        "Includes all 6 scoring dimensions",
        "Weights by goal",
        "Considers ease of execution / partnership history",
        "Recommends starting with low-effort format"
      ],
      "files": []
    },
    {
      "id": 5,
      "prompt": "Our partnership webinar with another SaaS company got 200 signups. How do we split the leads?",
      "expected_output": "Should address the lead handling question from the Structuring the Partnership section. Should explain common splits: each partner keeps their own registrations (cleanest but loses cross-pollination), all leads shared between both (max reach, requires clear MQL/SQL handoff), split by audience source (your list vs theirs). Should recommend documenting this in advance in a co-marketing agreement covering campaign description, responsibilities, timeline, lead handling, promotion, branding, costs, metrics sharing. Should note measuring success: leads generated per partner, lead quality (MQL/SQL conversion rate), revenue attributed. Should recommend a post-campaign debrief and discussing future collaboration if it worked.",
      "assertions": [
        "Explains lead split options",
        "Recommends documenting in agreement",
        "Lists agreement components",
        "Mentions measuring lead quality not just volume",
        "Recommends post-campaign debrief"
      ],
      "files": []
    },
    {
      "id": 6,
      "prompt": "Our customer success team wants us to launch a referral program. Can you help us design one?",
      "expected_output": "Should recognize this is about customer referrals, not co-marketing between companies. Should redirect to the referrals skill, which specifically handles customer referral and affiliate programs (customers referring customers). Should note co-marketing is partner-to-partner marketing while referrals is customer-driven word-of-mouth. May offer brief co-marketing context if it's relevant to the strategy, but should make clear referrals is the right skill for the task.",
      "assertions": [
        "Recognizes this is customer referral, not co-marketing",
        "Defers to referrals skill",
        "Distinguishes co-marketing from referral programs",
        "Does not attempt full co-marketing strategy"
      ],
      "files": []
    },
    {
      "id": 7,
      "prompt": "We're a SaaS scheduling tool. We keep hearing 'you should do partnerships' but I don't even know what kinds exist. What are our options and where should we start?",
      "expected_output": "Should lay out the five partnership types from the partnership-types taxonomy: integrations, reseller programs, affiliate programs, co-marketing, and app store/marketplace — not just joint content. Should note co-marketing is only one of the five. Should reference the flagship proof that partner programs are meaningful (e.g., HubSpot's ~$100M ARR / ~40% of revenue / 3,400+ partners; mature programs ~28% of revenue and 2x growth). Should give concrete moves per type: integrations built native vs via Zapier vs API-first vs embedded, Calendly's staged ladder (calendar to sales stack to marketing stack), 83% of enterprise citing integrations as a decision factor; reseller economics (20-40% of LTV plus 2-3x in services); affiliate power law (20% of affiliates drive 80% of revenue) and buyout clauses (~12x monthly commission); permissionless co-marketing (Notion building templates for Airbnb/Amazon/Tesla to ride their brand); app store distribution (Grammarly 0 to 10M, platforms taking 15-30% as effective CAC). For a scheduling tool specifically, should recommend starting with integrations (retention/expansion, marketplace discovery) given the calendar/CRM workflow. Should point to references/partnership-types.md for the full taxonomy, and note affiliate mechanics live in the referrals skill.",
      "assertions": [
        "Lists all five partnership types",
        "Notes co-marketing is one of five, not the whole picture",
        "Cites the HubSpot / partner-program flagship stat",
        "Gives concrete moves for multiple types (integration ladder, affiliate power law, permissionless co-marketing)",
        "Recommends a starting type appropriate to a scheduling tool (integrations)",
        "Points to the partnership-types reference"
      ],
      "files": []
    }
  ]
}

Requirements and compatibility

Works with: Claude Code, Claude apps, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, Kiro, OpenCode, Goose, Amp, Roo Code, JetBrains Junie, Factory Droid, Devin (ex-Windsurf), Mistral Vibe, OpenHands, Letta

“Works with” means the tool reads the open Agent Skills format; a skill written for one tool may use features others lack.

Security

No issues found by our static scan· No issues found

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Attribution and licence

Created by
Corey Haines
Publisher
Corey Haines (Community)
Source
coreyhaines31/marketingskills · skills/co-marketing · commit 96798cf
Licence
MIT License (redistribution allowed)
  • LICENSE (added by AutoGineer from LICENSE)
  • ATTRIBUTION.md (written by AutoGineer)
Synced

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Download ZIP

The ZIP holds the skill’s files, its licence files and an ATTRIBUTION.md. Download co-marketing.zip