How to Reach Out to Brands as an Influencer? 13 Easy Steps

Wondering how to reach out to brands as an influencer? You’re great at creating content, but followers and likes don’t pay the bills. Brand deals do.

You post, build organic engagement, and hope a brand notices. But waiting for that first outreach takes forever.

Why wait? Thousands of creators compete for brand attention daily. And brands prefer influencers who take initiative and pitch themselves.

This article shows you how to craft personalized outreach pitches and build media kits that get results. Let’s get into it.

How to Reach Out to Brands as an Influencer

These are the steps you need to do when you want to know how to pitch to brands:

1. Research the Brand

You want to work with brands as an influencer? Get to know the brand before you pitch. Check out their website, browse their social media, and read recent news about their campaigns.

You need to know what they value, who their target audience is, and where they focus their influence efforts.

This isn’t optional. It’s all about personalization. When your values and niche match theirs, your pitch feels more relevant.

According to SurveyMonkey, 55% of consumers prefer brands that share their values. So brands want creators whose audiences are aligned too.

2. Know Your Worth

How to reach out to brands as an influencer? Before you pitch, you need to understand your actual value as an influencer.

Pull your analytics from Instagram, YouTube, or TikTok. These platforms show engagement rate, audience demographics, and reach data in their native dashboards.

If you want deeper insights, social media management tools can provide more detailed breakdowns.

But what matters most to brands is engagement rate, not just follower count. They measure ROI through engagement and conversions.

Organize this data into a clear, professional format. And you’ll need it for your media kit when you start pitching.

3. Engage with the Brand’s Content

Before reaching out to brands as an influencer, focus on building a real relationship.

Follow the brand on all their platforms and pay attention to what they post, what campaigns they run, and how they engage with their community.

When they ask questions, run polls, or make interactive content, get involved.

This isn’t a tactic; it’s authentic engagement. When brands see you commenting on their content, they notice you share their niche interests and that your followers likely do too.

For gaming brands like Razer or Elgato, they’ll immediately see you as someone with credibility in that space.

4. Prepare a Media Kit

Your media kit is your professional pitch document. Think of it as your business card for influencers.

It should include your niche, follower count, engagement rate, audience demographics, and past brand collaborations with their results. Keep it clean, visually professional, and easy to scan.

Tweak your media kit a bit for each brand. Highlight past wins that match their industry or audience. Brands use this to quickly see if collaborations with you make sense.

5. Get Ready to Send Professional Emails

Email is your way to reach out to brands. Unlike DMs, it lets you send detailed proposals, attach your media kit, show your value, and track conversations for follow-up.

It’s also the main channel brands watch for partnership inquiries. So, sending a professional email shows you’re serious about the collaborations.

Keep in mind to use the recipient’s name if you can. And keep your pitch short and to the point. Plus, always proofread before you send.

6. Write a Good Subject Line

Your subject line is your first impression, and 35% of emails get opened just based on that. So, make it count by personalizing it to the brand and showing it’s not a generic mass pitch.

That’s how to reach out to brands as an influencer effectively.

Don’t forget to mention their recent campaign, use their name, or highlight your unique value in one clear line. Keep it short, specific, and relevant.

Some examples of subject lines are:

“Gaming Creator Partnership: 45% Engagement Rate in Your Niche”
“Collab Opportunity for Your Fall Campaign”
“Your Audience + My Creator Platform”

Skip generic phrases like “Partnership Opportunity”. Personalization is what gets responses.

7. Introduce Yourself Briefly

How to reach out to brands as a professional influencer? Introduce yourself well.

People decide whether to keep reading in just eight seconds. So, start with your name, what you do, and why you’re reaching out. Keep it short.

If you’ve recently interacted with the brand like commenting on their post, trying their product, or joining their campaign, mention it. It shows this isn’t a generic pitch.

Here’s the structure: “I’m [Name], a [niche] creator on [platform]. I genuinely love [specific product/campaign], and my audience resonates with it because [reason]. I’d love to explore a partnership.”

For example:

“I’m Alex, a gaming creator on Twitch and YouTube. I recently used your HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset during a stream, and my viewers were impressed by the audio quality. I think a collaboration would make sense for your audience.”

8. Highlight What You Love About the Brand

Authenticity is what keeps brands from deleting your email. Don’t reach out to brands as an influencer if you don’t really like what they do.

So, start with mentioning specific products you like and why they matter to you. Then link that to what your audience cares about.

SocialMediaToday says 86% of people say authenticity matters. When your real appreciation matches what your audience cares about, the partnership feels natural, not forced.

For example:

“I’ve been impressed by HyperX’s focus on comfort and reliability in gaming gear. As someone who streams 20+ hours a week, your headset’s design solves problems my audience faces. That’s why I genuinely recommend your products.”

9. Show Off Your Past Work

So, what’s the next step in pitching to brands? Show them your past work. They look at that when deciding to work with you. The key here is to focus on quality and relevance.

Your portfolio shows you get results in your niche. Include your top collaborations, especially where you helped brands hit measurable goals or reach their audience.

If you can, mention the results like views, engagement, or conversions. And add testimonials or quotes from previous brand partners if you have them.

Make it easy for the brand to click through and see your work. Don’t make them hunt for evidence of your value. Links to high-performing collaboration content are your best proof.

10. Share Your Rates

You now understand your value as a creator. It’s time to be transparent about compensation.

Keep it casual and frame it as a discussion, not a demand. Instead of a fixed price, suggest a range to show you’re flexible.

Most brands base their offers on engagement and what you deliver, not just follower count. Be clear about what each level includes, like how many posts, stories, reels, or usage rights.

Brands like that upfront honesty because 85% already have influencer budgets set. They just want to see if your value fits their spend.

11. Follow Up Politely

Expect to wait days or even weeks for a response. Brand decisions take time. If you don’t hear back after 10-14 days, send a quick, friendly follow-up.

Keep it warm and genuine. Remind them why the collab makes sense and that you’re still interested.

Don’t overdo it. One polite reminder is plenty. If they don’t reply after that, move on to the next brand. Your time’s valuable too.

12. Keep a Good Relationship

Not every pitch gets a yes, and that’s okay. Always thank brands for their time, no matter what they decide.

If they say no, politely ask for feedback. Knowing why helps you improve and shows you’re mature.

Keep in touch with brands that said no. Comment on their posts and stay on their radar. Timing’s everything; they might need a creator partnership in a few months that’s a perfect fit.

The relationships you build when you’re rejected can lead to great collabs down the line. That’s how to pitch to brands as an influencer.

13. Stay Updated on Industry Trends

The creator and brand world is always changing. New platforms pop up, algorithms shift, and what audiences want keeps evolving.

Staying in the loop helps you stay relevant and gives you good reasons to reconnect with brands you’ve already pitched.

When you see a new trend in your niche, use it as a chance to reach out. Say something like, “I noticed [brand name] is moving into [new platform/format]. I think my audience would really respond to a collab there.”

It shows you’re paying attention and thinking about their growth, not just reusing the same pitch. You can also follow industry blogs, listen to creator podcasts, and connect with other influencers.

Why Do You Need to Pitch Brands as an Influencer?

Here are the reasons why you need to pitch brand as an influencer:

1. Brands Want to Find You, But Can’t

Brands are out there looking for creators like you. But the internet’s huge, and it’s tough for them to find the right influencer in your niche.

Your unique creative style, authentic connection with your audience, and skills might be what they need. They just can’t find you on their own.

When you pitch brands directly, you’re fixing that. You’re connecting your value proposition with what they’re looking for, making partnerships possible for both sides.

2. You Show You’re Serious

Reaching out to a brand as a creator shows you’re serious and professional. It proves you’re willing to put in the effort to build real partnerships, not just chase quick deals. Brands see this right away.

Most creators wait around for opportunities. So when you make the first move, you stand out.

Your outreach is your chance to make a great first impression by showing brands you’re excited and committed to working together long-term.

3. You Can Align with Brands Better

When you reach out, you can pick brands that really match your audience and values. You’ve built real organic engagement with followers who share your interests and beliefs.

So why waste that authenticity on brands that don’t fit?

By pitching thoughtfully, your content benefits both the brand and your audience, because the partnership actually makes sense.

Knowing this can help you learn how to reach out to brands as an influencer.

4. You Stay in Charge of Your Creativity

When you pitch brands directly, you’re in charge of the partnership. You’re not just accepting whatever a brand offer.

Instead, you get to suggest content ideas that your audience will connect with and that fit your niche. That way, you stay authentic to your style.

Plus, you create work you’re genuinely proud to share. It’s all about making content that aligns with your audience’s preferences and the brand’s objectives.

5. You Have More Ways to Earn Money

Ad revenue alone isn’t enough to make a steady income as a creator. But brand partnerships? That’s a whole different game.

Yes, collaborating with brands positions you as reliable and professional, which boosts your growth as an influencer.

And don’t rely on a single income stream. Influence marketing, sponsorships, and partnerships give you multiple revenue channels that protect your earnings if one platform changes its algorithm.

Read More:

6. You Can Build a Diverse Portfolio

What’s the reason why pitching brands as an influencer is a good idea? A great portfolio, of course. Your collaborations become proof of your value to future brands.

Say you’re a gaming niche influencer who’s already worked with Razer, Logitech, and SteelSeries. That portfolio says a lot.

Each partnership boosts your credibility and proves to brands that working with you gets results. Other companies see your success and want to team up too, just what they do with top Instagram influencers.

7. You Can Reach a Wider Audience

Collaborations with established brands give you direct access to their audience.

When brands share your sponsored content, they boost your reach to people who already trust them. That’s organic growth powered by partnership.

New followers from brand collaborations tend to stick around because they’re genuinely interested in your content and specialties.

Final Thoughts on How to Pitch Yourself to Brands

You’ve now covered the complete influencer outreach framework. You know how to:

research brands
show your value with metrics
build real engagement before pitching
send personalized emails
keep the relationship, even if they say no

These aren’t just steps. They’re the foundation of every successful creator-brand partnership.

The difference between creators who land collaborations and those who don’t isn’t luck. Your media kit, engagement rate, niche skills, and genuine interest in their mission are proof of that.

We hope this information has helped you grow as an influencer, and if you want to learn more from your content, you can join Gank.

We are a platform that helps you make money from your content with features like donations, merchandise sales, and special commissions. Interested?

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