15 email and DM templates influencers use to reach out to brands for paid partnerships

Eli Stone creates short-form content on TikTok and Instagram.

Eli Stone

Many influencers land brand deals by pitching brands through email or on social media.
If the brand replies, they negotiate exact deliverables, pay, and contract terms.
Fifteen influencers on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok share their exact pitch templates.

Brand collaborations are one of the main ways to earn income as an influencer. Usually, these brands will pay influencers to post sponsored content on their respective social media promoting the brands’ services or products in a way that resonates with their audience.

Making the first move by emailing a brand or reaching out to them on a specific social media platform is the best way to get in touch for a potential partnership, according to several influencers Business Insider has spoken with. 

Nano influencer Jalyn Baiden focuses her outreach on Instagram. Baiden left her day job in digital marketing in 2021 to pursue content creation more seriously and now has around 11,000 Instagram followers. Her DM template that she used to successfully pitch brands has helped her earn enough to sustain her lifestyle in Virginia. 

“So far, I’ve made 40% of my old salary in the last four months,” Baiden previously told BI. “It’s crazy to even say that out loud.”

Here is the Instagram DM template Baiden has used to reach out to brands: 

Hello! My name is Jalyn, and I’m a content creator from Richmond, VA. I’m super interested in partnering with [brand] and would love to send a collaboration proposal to your marketing team. Could you please let me know the correct email contact? Thanks so much!

Read more templates she uses to get paid deals that helped her earn five figures

Meanwhile, London Lazerson, who currently has 9.4 million TikTok followers, uses one of two LinkedIn templates he’s perfected to reach out to brands. The strategy earned him six figures in 2021.

Here is one of the LinkedIn templates that Lazerson has used to cold-contact brands: 

Hey, my name is London Lazerson. I’ve got 8.5 million on TikTok. I would love to work with you. I don’t know what that looks like, but let’s talk. Check me out. [Link to his TikTok profile.]

Take a look at more LinkedIn templates he uses to get in touch with CEOs for brand deals

Although social media is a powerful tool to get in touch with brands, some influencers, like Gigi Kovach, who has 12,400 Instagram followers, prefer to focus their efforts on email. Kovach has a “pitch bank” of email templates and chooses one based on the company, product, or experience. Each template has a clear indication of her rates and what goes into that amount, so brands know exactly what they’re paying for. 

“It’s not just some arbitrary, ‘you owe me $500,’ it’s a breakdown of everything that they’re getting in return for that $500,” she previously told BI. 

Here is a template she’s used to successfully pitch a brand over email

BI spoke to 15 influencers who shared their exact DM and email templates used to land brand collaborations.

Email templates influencers use to pitch brands:

Jack Betts, an influencer with around 5,400 Instagram followers. He shared an email template that also includes his resume.Julie Tecson, an influencer with around 7,000 Instagram followers. She has different email templates for different purposes.Gigi Kovach, an influencer with around 12,400 Instagram followers. She uses this email template to pitch brands.Maesha Shonar, an influencer with around 24,200 Instagram followers. She shared the pitch proposal she emails to brands.Rayquan Smith, an influencer with around 27,000 Instagram followers. He emails brands to score NIL-focused brand deals.Diti Goradia, an influencer with around 40,000 Instagram followers. Her email template landed her deals with fashion and beauty brands.Emma Cortes, an influencer with around 49,300 Instagram followers. Here is the email template she used to start landing paid collabs.Dominic Schlueter, an influencer with around 57,000 Instagram followers. His email template links to his other social networks, like his podcast. Eli Stone, an influencer with around 103,000 Instagram followers. He used this specific email template to reach out brands.

DM templates influencers use to pitch brands: 

Jalyn Baiden, an influencer with around 11,000 Instagram followers. Here is a DM template she recommends using to catch a brand’s attention.Ayomi Samaraweera, an influencer with around 26,000 TikTok followers. She shared the DM and email she used to land her first paid brand dealAshley Jones, an influencer with around 62,300 Instagram followers. She advised on the best way to DM a brand on Instagram.Lillian Zhang, an influencer with around 103,200 TikTok followers. Here’s the DM she used to land her first paid brand collaboration.Tori Dunlap, an  influencer with around 2.4 million TikTok followers. She shared two templates she uses to pitch brands on Instagram.London Lazerson, an influencer with around 9.4 million TikTok followers. He shared two examples of DMs he sends to brands.