How to Pitch Brands for Paid Deals (Templates That Get Replies)

To pitch a brand for a paid deal, send a four-line message to the person who runs influencer or creator marketing: why their product, one video idea built for them, a link to three sample videos, and your rate with turnaround time. End with a yes or no question such as "Want me to film it this week?" Send it by email or Instagram DM, and follow up once after five to seven days.

Most pitches fail because they are about the creator, not the brand. They list follower counts, tell a long story and finish with "let me know if you're interested". A brand manager skimming forty messages does not have to reply to that. This guide gives you the full process: who to contact, where to find them, DM versus email, a copyable template for each, what to attach, a follow-up schedule and the mistakes that get pitches ignored.

Who to pitch and where to find them

The right person is almost never the generic support inbox. Look for these job titles: influencer marketing manager, creator partnerships, social media manager, brand manager, or head of marketing at smaller companies. At very small brands the founder often handles it.

Start with brands that already work with creators. Later's guide to pitching brands makes this point: brands that already work with influencers are more likely to have a budget and a process for it. Check whether a brand tags creators, posts paid partnership labels or reposts creator videos. That is a good sign someone is paying for content.

Where to find the contact:

• The brand's Instagram profile. Business accounts often list a partnerships email in the contact button or bio.
• The brand's website. Look for a creator, ambassador, affiliate or press page, and check the footer.
• LinkedIn. Search the brand name plus "influencer", "creator" or "partnerships". A short, polite connection note works, then send the pitch.
• Past creator posts. See who tagged the brand, then look at which agency or person they thanked in captions.
• Brand marketplaces and creator platforms. If a brand posts open briefs, answer the brief instead of cold pitching.

Make a list of 30 brands: ten you love, ten that already hire creators in your niche, and ten that sell products your audience would plausibly buy. You will send more pitches than you get replies, so a list keeps you consistent.

If you are brand new to this, read the broader how to get brand deals guide first. This one is only about the pitch itself.

DM vs email: which one to use

Use email when you have a name and an address. Use a DM when you only have the brand's Instagram or when the brand clearly runs partnerships there. Often the best approach is both, spaced a few days apart, with the same four lines.

• Email: easier to attach a media kit, easier for a manager to forward to a budget owner, and it lives in a searchable inbox. Use a clear subject line such as "Video idea for [Brand]: [specific idea]".
• DM: faster and more casual. Brands that run a lot of creator content may have a person monitoring DMs. Keep it shorter than an email and avoid attachments.
• Do not use comments. Public comments asking for collaborations are noise to a brand. Save them for real engagement.

Avoid generic info@ or support@ addresses. Hubfluence's guide to brand deals notes that a generic address is rarely read by anyone who can approve a collaboration.

The 4-line pitch template

Short messages get replies because they are easy to answer. Here is the structure:

1. Line 1: why their product. A specific thing you noticed or already use. Not "I love your brand".
2. Line 2: one video idea built for them. A concrete concept, one sentence. This proves you thought about their product, not just your payment.
3. Line 3: a link to three sample videos. One link that opens a page or highlight with three videos closest to what you are proposing.
4. Line 4: your rate and turnaround. A price and a delivery time. This lets them decide quickly.

DM version (example):

"Hi Priya, your new cold brew has been in my morning routine for a month. Idea: a 20-second 'desk-to-gym' video showing it fits a busy day. Samples: [link]. $150 per video, delivered in 5 days. Want me to film it this week?"

The $150 figure is an example, not a benchmark. Use your own rate card, and if you do not have one yet, start from the time the video takes you and the usage the brand wants.

Email version (example):

Subject: Video idea for Brightside Coffee: desk-to-gym in 20 seconds

"Hi Priya, I have been using your new cold brew since launch, mostly because it does not go flat in a gym bottle. Idea: a 20-second 'desk-to-gym' video showing it fits a busy day, with a text hook about the 3 PM slump. Three samples of similar videos: [link]. My rate is $150 per video with delivery in five days, and usage rights are quoted separately. Want me to film it this week? Thanks, Sam"

Notice what is missing: your follower count, your life story, a paragraph about why you started creating, and a request for free product. If they want the numbers, they will ask, or they will click your media kit.

What to attach or link

Keep the message short and put proof behind a link. Later's guide lists what a media kit usually includes: a short bio, social stats, audience demographics, a platform overview, and examples of previous work with results. Gerald's 2026 guide suggests keeping it to about two pages and refreshing it every few months.

• Three sample videos on a single page, in order of relevance to the brand.
• A one-to-two page media kit with a bio, audience location and age range, platform stats and any past brand results.
• Rates or a note that rates are available on request. Putting a rate in the message saves a back-and-forth.
• Proof, if you have it: a screenshot of a previous brand's results, with permission.

If you have no past brand work, your three best videos in the same style as your pitch are your portfolio. Making one sample specifically for the brand is stronger than another general reel.

Follow-up schedule

Most replies come after a follow-up, not the first message. Brand teams are busy, and a quiet inbox is not a no. A simple schedule:

1. Day 0: send the pitch.
2. Day 5 to 7: send one follow-up. Hubfluence recommends a single follow-up after five to seven days.
3. Day 14: a last short note with a new angle, such as a second video idea. After this, stop.

Follow-up example: "Hi Priya, bumping this in case it got buried. Another idea if the first does not fit: a 'three-ingredient iced coffee' video using your cold brew. Still happy to film this week."

Do not follow up daily. Do not send guilt messages like "I haven't heard back". Move to the next brand on your list and keep a simple sheet with brand, contact, date sent, follow-up date and status.

When a brand answers with a question about rates, usage or exclusivity, reply the same day. Slow replies on your side make you look unreliable before the project starts.

Mistakes that get pitches ignored

• Writing three paragraphs. If it needs scrolling, it will not be read.
• Opening with your stats. Lead with their product, not your numbers.
• No idea in the message. "I'd love to collaborate" gives them nothing to say yes to.
• Ending with "let me know if interested". Ask a direct question that is easy to answer, like "Want me to film it this week?"
• Asking for free product. If you want a paid deal, give a rate.
• Pitching a brand you have never used or looked at. Brands can tell. Spend two minutes on their last ten posts first.
• Mass-blasting a template. Change the product detail and the idea every time.
• Hiding your rate. If they cannot afford you, finding out in the first reply saves both sides time.

Make the pitch a repeatable routine: three tailored pitches a day for a week gives you fifteen conversations to learn from. Track which line gets replies and adjust that line. You do not need a perfect message. You need a short one that you send consistently.

If cold pitching is not the route you want, Elev8or Collabs is built for creators to find brands that are already looking for them.