How to land your first brand deal (even with a small following)

The biggest myth in the creator world is that brand deals start at 100k followers. They don't. Brands increasingly prefer smaller creators — "micro" and "nano" influencers — because engagement is higher and rates are lower. If you have 2,000 people who trust you, you have something to sell.

Here's how to get your first one.

Stop waiting to be discovered

Almost no one's first deal comes from a brand sliding into their DMs. You pitch. That's the whole secret nobody tells you.

Make a short list of brands you actually use

Authenticity sells. List 10 brands you genuinely use and that fit your niche. A skincare brand you actually use is a far easier pitch than a random one, because you can speak to it honestly.

Find the right person

Look for "influencer marketing," "partnerships," or "brand" in someone's title on LinkedIn, or the partnerships email on the brand's site. A specific human beats a generic info@ inbox.

The pitch that works

Short, specific, and about them, not you:

Subject: [Brand] x [Your name] — collab idea

Hi [name], I'm a [niche] creator with a small but really engaged audience ([X] followers, [Y]% engagement). I already use and love [product] — here's a recent post that did well: [link].

I'd love to create a Reel showing [specific idea]. Would you be open to a paid collaboration? Happy to send my media kit.

Three sentences of value, one clear ask. That's it.

Expect a lot of nos

Pitching is a numbers game. Send 10, hear back from 2, close 1. That's a normal, good ratio. The creators who "get lucky" are just the ones who sent more pitches.

Once deals start coming, get organized

The moment you have more than one conversation going, things get messy — who replied, who ghosted, who owes you a contract. Keeping every deal in one pipeline (instead of scattered across your DMs) is the difference between chasing money and collecting it. That's the whole reason we built the CRM side of Vantr.

Your first deal is the hardest. After that, you have proof — and proof makes the next one easier.