How to Pitch Brands: Email Templates That Get Replies

To pitch a brand, email the person who runs its creator partnerships with a short note: why your audience fits its customer, 1 content idea built for it, 2 or 3 numbers that prove you can deliver, and a clear next step. Link your media kit, follow up twice about a week apart, then move on to the next brand.

This guide covers where to send a pitch, how to write it, when to follow up and what to say when a brand pitches you, with 5 templates you can copy.

Should you pitch brands by email or DM?

Email first, when you can find the right person. Brands say they prefer it, and it gives you room for an idea, proof and a media kit link.

In impact.com's 2023 survey of 250+ US and Canadian marketers, creators and brands split on channels. These are impact.com's own figures:

DMs still work for smaller brands where the founder runs the account, and for a short opener that asks for the right email. Save the full pitch for the inbox.

Who should you pitch at a brand?

The person who decides on creator partnerships. Titles vary, so look for influencer marketing, creator partnerships, social media or brand marketing managers, plus any agency that runs the brand's creator program.

Ways to find them:

• Check recent creator posts in your niche. Instagram's paid partnership label names the brand once it approves the tag, which shows you who's buying creator content right now.
• Search LinkedIn for the brand name plus "influencer" or "partnerships".
• Look for a partnerships email on the brand's website, press page or Instagram bio.
• Ask creators you know which agency handled their deal with the brand.

Start with brands you already use. If a post will say you use the product, the FTC's Endorsement Guides require that you were a "bona fide user" of it when you made the endorsement (16 CFR 255.1(c)).

Before you send anything, run the brand vetting checks on your own account. Expect the person you pitch to run them before they reply.

What should a brand pitch email include?

A subject line that names the idea, 1 line on why you fit, the idea itself, proof and an easy next step. Keep it under 150 words and let the media kit carry the detail.

• Subject line: the brand, your niche and the idea, in under 60 characters.
• Opening: 1 sentence on why their customer is your audience, with a number.
• Idea: 1 concept built around their product, in 2 sentences.
• Proof: 2 or 3 numbers or results, plus a link to your media kit.
• Ask: a specific next step, like a 15-minute call or the dates of their next campaign.

Subject lines to adapt:

• [Niche] idea for [Brand]'s [product or launch]
• [Brand] x [your handle]: a [season] campaign idea
• [X]% of my audience is [Brand's customer]
• Creator concept for [product], built for [audience]

There's a legal side too. The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide says a subject line "must accurately reflect the content of the message" and that the law "makes no exception for business-to-business email," so read it before you send pitches in bulk.

Which pitch templates can you copy?

Start from these 5 and rewrite every bracket. A pitch that still reads like a template is easy to ignore.

Cold pitch email

Subject: [Niche] idea for [Brand]'s [product or launch]

Hi [first name], I'm [name], a [niche] creator on [platform]. [X]% of my audience is [Brand's customer], and they ask me about [the problem the product solves] all the time.

The idea: [2 sentences on a concept built around the product, such as a 30-day test with a video on day 1 and day 30].

Recent numbers: [median views per video], [engagement rate and how it's calculated] and [a past result with a number]. My media kit is here: [link].

Would a 15-minute call next week work, or is there someone else on your team I should send this to?

[Name] | [handle] | [business email]

Short DM opener

Hi [Brand] team, I'm [name], a [niche] creator with [followers] followers, mostly [audience]. I have an idea for [product] I'd love to send to whoever runs creator partnerships. What's the best email for that?

Follow-ups

Send the first in the same thread, 5 to 7 business days after the pitch:

Hi [first name], following up on my note about [idea]. Since I wrote, [a new detail: a fresh result, a seasonal hook or a new audience number].

Happy to shape the idea around your next campaign. Who's the right person if it's someone else?

Send the second about a week later, and make it the last:

Hi [first name], I'll close the loop here so I'm not crowding your inbox. If [Brand] plans creator work for [season or launch], I'd love to be considered.

My kit is here: [link]. Thanks for reading.

Reply to an inbound offer

Hi [first name], thanks for reaching out. I'd love to hear more about [campaign].

To put a quote together, could you share the brief and deliverables (platforms, formats and number of posts), your timeline for drafts and posting, where and for how long you'd use the content (paid ads included), any exclusivity you need, and your budget range?

Once I have those, I'll send a quote within [2] business days. Thanks, [name]

Turning a gifted collab into a paid one

Hi [first name], thanks again for sending [product]. My audience responded well to it: [a stat such as saves, comments or link clicks on the post].

I'd love to build on that with a paid partnership, such as [deliverable] for [launch or season]. Could we find 15 minutes to talk scope and budget?

When should you follow up, and when should you stop?

Follow up once after 5 to 7 business days, once more about a week later, then stop. Each follow-up should add something new, like a fresh result or a seasonal hook.

Track every pitch in a sheet with the brand, contact, date, idea and status. It keeps you from pitching the same person twice in a week.

What should you do when a brand pitches you?

Reply within a day, ask for the details you need to price the work, and hold your quote until you have them. The inbound reply template above covers the questions.

Usage rights, paid ads access and exclusivity can be worth as much as the content itself, so get them in writing first. Our guide to pricing a brand deal shows how to price each line.

Once you agree, plan the disclosure. The FTC's Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers (2019) says to disclose any financial relationship with a brand and to place the disclosure where it's hard to miss. Free product counts too, since the Endorsement Guides treat it as a material connection (16 CFR 255.5).

Handling inbound offers and contracts is part of our Brand Partnerships and Legal & Business Affairs services. If you'd like that support, apply for representation.