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Tips For Creators
March 23, 2022
8
min read
Noam Yadin

The best influencer email template to contact brands

YouTubers, podcasters, Twitch streamers and even newsletter writers - do you want to start partnering with brands and don’t know where to start? Do you struggle with crafting engaging, attention-grabbing messages that will resonate with different companies? 

It’s clear that brands usually have departments specializing in creator outreach. However, that shouldn't deter content creators away from bravely reaching out to companies for potential partnerships. 

Why should creators pitch to brands?

No one knows your content, audience, and what works/what doesn’t better than you. Don’t get us wrong, we are major data junkies over at ThoughtLeaders but, stats can only show you so much. While brands can easily (with help from our platform) analyze a channel’s subscriber count, average views and of course, sponsorship history, it's important for creators to highlight what they can bring to the table. For example, there are hundreds of Booktubers sharing their love for books on YouTube, and as a Booktuber, you may feel that you don’t have as big of a following base or don’t have enough views on your videos. But, your videos about thriller books may be topping the charts. Highlighting this seemingly small detail can definitely help you not only get the attention of brands, but help you stand out in a saturated content space. 

This leads us to the next critical point - 

What should you do before pitching to brands?

Research the brand

It may seem pretty obvious but the more research, the better - especially when it comes to grasping the brand's attention for the right reasons. One of the best ways to resonate with a brand is by giving them the information they need to know, in the most efficient way possible - and that is done by doing all the right research. 

  • Who is the brand's target market?
  • What influencers do they currently work with?
  • Learn more about their products/services 
  • Do their values align with the content on your channels? 

Get to really know your subscribers

In order to make sure you can share with brands all the information they need, it's a pretty good idea to dive deep into your follower demographics. Key aspects you should highlight are: audience locations, average age groups, potential gender split, and content that may be relevant to the service/product you are reaching out to.  

Here is an example:

What can you provide for the brand? 

Whether you have thousands of followers or millions of followers, these people turn to you because they enjoy your content. So, it's important that you don’t change your content because of potential brand partnerships - treat your content like a brand of its own so companies know what to expect from working with your channel. 

With this in mind - you should connect and relate to the brand you are reaching out to while staying in tune with your content. For example, imagine you are a lifestyle-based podcaster that focuses on being transparent about motherhood and you are trying to reach out to HelloFresh. Instead of changing up your content to focus entirely on food, you can highlight in your outreach: how difficult it is to come up with creative dishes for your kids, the timesaving aspect of ordering HelloFresh, and even the ability to turn cooking into a full-blown family activity. 

Take a deep breath - now it's time to start pitching…

What is an outreach email?

Think of it like an elevator pitch - you have just a few sentences to grab the attention of the brand and persuade them that you are the ideal influencer for their campaign. The email should be no longer than 2-3 paragraphs and should get right to the point. Your email pitch should include:

  • Attention-grabbing subject line - the influencer marketing department in brands get swamped with emails so it's important to make sure yours gets seen. Two things to consider? Add your channel name to your subject line and keep it direct and to the point.
  • Brief introduction  - about you, quick summary of your content and maybe even some values/interests. Keep in mind, brands invest a lot of time, energy and money into influencer marketing in order to have a human promote their products/services. So, be the human they need. 
  • Audience - share all the information you gathered about your audience. This allows the brand to not only understand if there is an overlap between your audience and the audience they are trying to reach, but also lets you prove that you really know your influencing abilities. 
  • Offering - Don’t forget to add in your sponsorship rates. For example, “My typical sponsorship rate is $X for a 60-second pre-roll integration”. How do you calculate your sponsorship rate? Check out our sponsorship calculator!
  • CTA - confidence is key so make sure to end the email in a way that lets the brand know you are ready to begin with the integration. For example, “once you send me the talking points to include in the integration, I will record a draft for you to approve…” 

Here are some extra tips to keep in mind:

  • Follow up, follow up, follow up - If you don’t receive a response back from a brand, don’t give up. Wait a few days to a week and then write a follow-up email. When it comes to follow up emails, the structure should be much shorter. Also, make sure to check the email address for errors. 
  • Don’t be shy to reach out via other outlets - If you pitch the brand via email and you don’t get a reply, don’t let this deter you from trying to reach the company through Linkedin, Instagram, or even TikTok. 
  • Ensure you give all the information in order to eliminate miscommunication and consistent back-and-forth - it’s important that the email you craft includes all the important information, including your expectations and availability.   

You may be saying to yourself - how hard can sending a short email about my channel to a brand be? Well, you’re right, it shouldn’t be difficult or nerve-wracking…if done right. In order to save you the hassle of figuring out what to say, how to say it and, of course, formatting, we are sharing with you our email template for reaching out to brands for potential partnerships.

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