How to write a brand pitch email that gets a reply (with templates)

Most creators wait for brands to find them. That works eventually, but it means the brands that reach out first are the ones with the biggest outreach teams, not necessarily the ones you actually want to work with. Pitching flips that. You pick the brands, you set the tone, and you show up with an idea instead of waiting for a brief.

The catch is that most pitch emails get ignored, and not because the creator is too small. They get ignored because they're long, vague, and all about the creator. Here's how to write one that a busy marketing person actually reads to the end and answers.

What a brand is really asking when they open your email

Put yourself on the other side for a second. Someone at the brand opens their inbox and sees forty messages. Yours is one of them. In about ten seconds they're trying to answer three questions:

1. Who is this and is their audience my customer?
2. What exactly do they want to do for us?
3. What do I have to do next, and how much effort is it?

Every line of your pitch should help answer one of those. Anything that doesn't (your life story, a list of every brand you've ever liked, three paragraphs about your content philosophy) is friction.

The structure that works

A good pitch is short. Aim for 100 to 200 words in the body. If it scrolls on a phone, it's too long.

Here's the shape, top to bottom:

1. A specific opening line

Skip "I hope this email finds you well." Open with something that proves you know the brand. A product you actually use, a campaign of theirs you noticed, a launch that's coming up. One sentence.

I've been using your trail runners for two years and they've shown up in about a third of my hiking videos without you ever asking.

That line does more than any compliment could, because it's specific and it's true.

2. Who you are, in one or two sentences

Your niche, your platform, and the one number that matters most for this brand. Not every number. The one.

I make hiking and backpacking content on YouTube and Instagram for about 30,000 people, mostly beginners planning their first multi-day trip.

Notice that's about the audience, not the creator. "Mostly beginners planning their first multi-day trip" tells a gear brand far more than a follower count does.

3. The idea

This is the part most pitches skip, and it's the part that gets replies. Don't say "I'd love to work together." Say what you'd make.

I'd like to film a "first overnight trip on a budget" video where your shoes are the one piece of gear I tell people not to cut corners on.

A concrete idea gives them something to say yes to. "Let's collaborate" gives them homework.

4. Proof it'll work

One or two numbers, honestly chosen. Your median views on the relevant platform are more credible than your best post. If you have a past sponsored result, a strong save rate, or a comment section full of people asking "what shoes are those?", say so.

My recent long-form videos get a median of around 18,000 views, and gear questions are the most common comments I get.

5. A clear, easy next step

Make the reply as small as possible. Ask one question they can answer in a line.

Would you be open to me sending over a short outline and rates?

Or offer your creator profile or rate card as a next step, rather than attaching everything at once.

6. A clean sign-off

Your name, your main handle, and one link to your best work or profile. That's it. No banner images, no quote from a philosopher.

Subject lines that get opened

Your subject line has one job: get the email opened by the right person. Clever is fine. Clear is better.

Some patterns that tend to work:

• Idea first: "Video idea: first overnight trip, featuring your trail runners"
• Collab plus niche: "Collab idea from a beginner hiking creator"
• Timely: "Idea for your spring launch (hiking creator, 30k)"
• Mutual fit: "Your customers are my audience, quick idea"

Things to avoid:

• "Collaboration opportunity!!!" (looks like every other pitch, and a little like spam)
• "Partnership" on its own (tells them nothing)
• All caps or lots of punctuation
• Misleading lines like "Re: our call" when there was no call. You'll lose trust before they read a word.

Keep it under about 60 characters so it doesn't get cut off on mobile.

Who to send it to

The best pitch in the world sent to a generic info@ address often lands with customer support, who will politely forward it to nobody.

Where to look for the right person:

• The brand's website: look for a press, partnerships, creators, affiliates or influencer page. Many brands list a dedicated address.
• The brand's social bios: some put a "collabs" email in their profile.
• LinkedIn: search the company for titles like influencer marketing, creator partnerships, social media manager, brand partnerships or community manager.
• Their existing creator partners: if other creators tag the brand in sponsored posts, the brand clearly has someone running that program. Find that role.

What to include (and what to leave out)

Include:

• Your niche and audience in plain words
• One or two numbers that match what this brand cares about
• A specific content idea
• A link to your best relevant piece of work or your creator profile
• A simple question as the call to action

Leave out, at least in the first email:

• Your full rate card (offer it, don't dump it)
• Big attachments. Many inboxes flag them, and nobody wants to download a PDF from a stranger.
• Apologies. "I know I'm small but..." does you no favours. Let the audience description do the work.
• Demands. Save the detailed terms for when they've said they're interested.

Should you mention your rate in the first pitch?

Usually not. The first email is about getting a yes to the conversation. If you drop a number before they've engaged, they may decide it's too high without ever hearing why it's worth it, or you may quote too low without knowing their budget.

There are two exceptions. If you're pitching a small, very specific package (say, a single story set at a fixed price) and you want to make it an easy impulse decision, a price can help. And if the brand's creator page explicitly asks for rates up front, give them.

Otherwise, ask whether they'd like an outline and rates, and send them in the second email.

The follow-up schedule

Most replies to pitches come after a follow-up, not the first email. People are busy, emails get buried, and the person who opened yours meant to reply and forgot.

A simple cadence that's persistent without being annoying:

When	What to send
Day 0	The original pitch
About 5 to 7 days later	A short follow-up in the same thread
About 10 to 14 days after that	A final, gracious close-out
Then	Stop. Add the brand to a list to try again in a few months with a new idea

Always reply in the same thread so they can see the original. Keep each follow-up shorter than the pitch.

First follow-up:

Hi Sam, just bumping this in case it got buried. Happy to send a quick outline for the first overnight trip video if it's of interest.

Final follow-up:

Hi Sam, I'll leave this here for now so I'm not filling your inbox. If creator partnerships open up later in the year, I'd love to be considered. Thanks either way.

That last one often gets a reply precisely because it's the easiest to answer. Even a "not right now, try us in Q1" is useful, because now you have a real contact and a real date.

Three full templates

Adapt these. Don't send them word for word, because the whole point is that the opening line and the idea are specific to the brand.

Template 1: Smaller creator, product you already use

Good when you're under about 20,000 followers and have a genuine history with the product.

Subject: Idea for your oat milk (from a home baking creator)

Hi Priya,

I've been using your barista oat milk in my recipes for about a year, and it's the one my followers ask about most when I post a bake.

I share simple dairy-free baking on Instagram and TikTok for around 9,000 people, mostly home bakers who've recently gone dairy-free and are trying to get their old favourites back.

I'd love to make a short "dairy-free swaps that actually work" Reel with your oat milk as the swap for cream in a classic recipe. My Reels get a median of around 6,000 views, and my saves are consistently high because people bookmark recipes to try later.

Would you be open to me sending a quick outline and rates?

Thanks, Jordan @jordanbakes

Why it works: it's honest about size without apologising, and it leans on the strongest signal a small creator often has (saves, and a clearly defined audience).

Template 2: Mid-size creator, pitching a campaign

Good when you have a solid audience and want to pitch something bigger than one post.

Subject: Back-to-school series idea (study creator, 85k)

Hi Marcus,

Your planner launch last August was all over my comments, so I had a feeling you might be planning something for this year too.

I make study and productivity content on YouTube and TikTok for about 85,000 people, mostly university students in their first two years.

The idea: a three-part series called "Set up your semester," with one long YouTube video on planning your term and two TikToks on weekly and daily setups. Your planner would be the system I build everything around, not a quick mention in the middle.

My long-form videos get a median of around 40,000 views, and my TikToks around 25,000. I've done two previous stationery partnerships and can share results from both.

If that's interesting, I can send a one-page outline with timelines and rates. Would that be helpful?

Best, Aisha @aishastudies

Why it works: it's pitching a campaign, which is easier for a brand to budget and usually better value for you than one-off posts. It also mentions past partnerships and offers results without dumping them.

Template 3: Reconnecting with a brand you've worked with, or pitching a new angle

Good for repeat work, which is usually the easiest money you'll ever make.

Subject: Follow-up to our spring post, idea for summer

Hi Elena,

The spring post we did together is still one of my most saved pieces this year, and I've had a steady trickle of people asking where to buy the sunscreen since.

I've got an idea for summer: a "what's actually in my beach bag" video where your SPF stick is the hero product, plus a follow-up story set with a discount code so you can track sales directly.

Since the spring post, my audience has grown to about 52,000, and my median Reel views are now around 22,000.

Want me to send over dates and a quote?

Thanks, Noor

Why it works: it opens with a result they already care about, offers a trackable element (a discount code), and assumes the working relationship rather than starting from scratch.

Mistakes that kill pitches

Mass emailing the same message. If you could send your pitch to fifty brands by changing only the name, it's not a pitch. Brands can tell, and many will ignore it on sight.

Getting the brand's name or product wrong. Double check. Copy-paste errors from a previous pitch are the fastest way to the bin.

Pitching brands whose customers aren't your audience. A luxury watch brand is not a good fit for a student budgeting channel, no matter how big it is. Fit beats reach.

Writing an essay. If your pitch has more than two short paragraphs before the idea, cut it.

Following up every two days. Persistence is good. Pressure isn't. Two follow-ups, spaced out, then move on.

Keep track of who you've pitched

Once you're pitching regularly, it gets messy fast. Who did you email? When? Did they reply? When's the follow-up due? A simple spreadsheet with brand, contact, date sent, follow-up dates and status is enough to start. If you'd rather keep pitches, replies and the deals they turn into in one place, Vantr lets you track brand deals and their deliverables from first contact through to the invoice.

The important thing is that no pitch dies because you forgot to follow up.

Frequently asked questions

How many brands should I pitch at once?

Quality over volume. Five well-researched, specific pitches a week will usually do more than fifty generic ones. As you get faster at research, you can pitch more without losing the specificity.

Should I pitch if I have under 5,000 followers?

Yes, especially to smaller brands, new brands and local businesses, where a tightly defined audience matters more than reach. Lead with who your audience is and what you'd make. Some of the best early deals are with brands that are also small.

Is it okay to DM brands instead of emailing?

A DM can work as a first touch, especially for smaller brands where the founder runs the account. For anything involving money, move to email as soon as you can so there's a proper written record.

What if a brand replies asking me to work for free product?

That's a decision for you. Gifted collaborations can make sense early on if you'd genuinely want the product and there are no strings. But if they want specific deliverables, deadlines or usage rights, that's work, and work should be paid. It's fine to reply with your rate and see if there's budget.

The short version

A pitch that gets replies is short, specific and about the brand's customers, not about you. Open with proof you know the brand, describe your audience in plain words, pitch one concrete idea, back it with an honest number, and ask a question that takes ten seconds to answer. Then follow up twice, politely, and move on. Do that consistently and the brands you actually want to work with start saying yes.