Pitching to Brands: The Do’s and Don’ts to Remember

A common question from upcoming Content Creators is, “How do I start pitching to brands?”

Even though I have brands reach out to me most of the time, I still pitch to brands that I’m interested in working with. As I’ve continued to pitch myself, I’ve gained knowledge of what should be included in your email and what you need to avoid.

We talked about How to Pitch Yourself to Brands a few months ago. If you haven’t checked out that post, make sure you do! Although I shared tips on what you should say to brands, there are still “do’s and don’ts” you should always keep in mind.

The Do’s of Pitching to Brands

Find the right person to contact

Before you start pitching to brands, it’s important to find the right person to send your email to. Usually, you can find the email on their website under ‘Contact Us’.

I always go with the email that clearly states it’s for collaborations or partnerships. You want to find the right email because you don’t want your pitch to end up in the wrong inbox!

Another way to look up emails is by using a website called Hunter.io. You can type in the brand’s website and find a list of their active emails. I learned about using this free tool in a Facebook group! You can do up to 50 searches per day for free.

One of my favorite ways to find brand contacts is by searching on LinkedIn for the brand’s marketing team. This helps me to find a specific person to reach out to and it’s easier to personalize my emails for them.

If neither of these options works, there’s nothing wrong with messaging the brand and asking them for their Influencer partnerships contact information.

Have a Media Kit

Media Kits are similar to a resume. It’s a quick summary of the purpose of your brand, who your target audience is, past collaborations, and your analytics.

Check out this post: Why A Media Kit is Important for Influencers to find a breakdown of what you should include on it.

Having a Media Kit is great when you start pitching yourself to brands. You never know if a brand will ask for it, so it’s important to always keep it updated and ready to send. Show the brands you’re pitching to that you’re credible!

Focus On Providing Value

A mistake we as bloggers can make is making the email all about us and what we want. It’s important to talk about the value YOU can provide them and why they should work with you. Research the brand’s website and find out who its target audience is and what their values are.

One thing I love to do is read the backstory of the brand I’m interested in reaching out to. You can usually find more information about them and why they started their brand under the ‘About Us‘ section on the website. If I read something about the brand that I know my audience would resonate with, I make sure to add that into my pitch.

When the brand you’re pitching aligns with the purpose of your content, you can have a successful and mutually beneficial partnership.

The Don’ts of Pitching

Send Your Rates

It doesn’t matter how excited you are, don’t bring up money until later on in the conversation.

When you send your first email, focus on the value you can offer and the type of partnership that would be beneficial. You also don’t want to send your rates because you never know what budget the brand currently has. The last thing you want to do is over or underprice yourself.

You want to ask questions! Find out what goals they want to reach and what type of content they’re looking for. Knowing that information will help you decide the rate you should charge! Also, don’t be afraid to negotiate so you and the brand can meet in the middle.

Related Post: How to Negotiate Brand Deals as an Influencer

Discredit Yourself

Here is an example of discrediting yourself:

“Hi, my name is X and I was emailing you in hopes of discussing a partnership with your brand. I know I don’t have many followers or high engagement, but I’d love to review your products on my page!”

You’re already letting the brand know why they shouldn’t work with you. It’s important to be confident in what you can offer whether you have a huge following or not. If you can’t see your value, then you can’t expect anyone else to.

Let’s say you don’t have a huge following, what else could the brand gain from working with you? Do you have a great connection with your audience and know they trust you? Do you have the target audience the brand is trying to reach? Can you create and edit good-quality content?

Figure out what makes you stand out from other creators and use that when pitching. When you’re confident in yourself and know your worth it will show!

Not Following Up

The last don’t of pitching yourself to brands is not following up after you send your pitch. An ideal time to follow up with a brand is one week. It’s important to remember you’re not the only creator emailing them.

Here is a good way to follow up:

“Hello, I wanted to follow up regarding my email about the partnership opportunity. The initial email is attached below. Please let me know if you’re interested in working together!”

Don’t feel discouraged if you don’t receive a response. You can always pitch them again once you’ve gained more experience. Just because it’s a “no” now doesn’t mean it’ll be a no next time!

Pitching yourself to brands will seem intimidating at first, however, if you have confidence in the content you create, then eventually you’ll become comfortable with it.

Make sure you continue to be yourself and stand out from the crowd of other creators in your niche! Think about what makes you unique!