This is a follow-up post of one I wrote over a year ago titled How to tell if brand collaborations are legitimate. At the time my DM’s and comments were flooded with “collab” offers from all kinds of fishy accounts calling themselves brand reps and scouts. The offers were never paid and the companies were never well-known. This was also before Instagram had the ‘paid partnership’ and ‘add collaborator’ features.
Fast forward to today and the collaboration game has changed! Instagram implemented features to make collaborations more transparent. The FTC established rules and guidelines for influencers to follow. Companies are spending millions on influencer marketing and the amount is rising every year. So I’m gonna share a few tips on writing a collaboration email to send to brands!
Before reaching out to brands:
First you need to make sure your profile is optimized with the most relevant and important information. You only have a matter of seconds to impress potential partners so every little detail counts! I go in depth about creating a professional profile in this post.
Creating a collaboration email pitch!
Writing a collaboration email is not as scary as it seems! It can be really fun if you keep your doubts and insecurities from taking over.
Be Genuine.
First, think of a brand or company you love. Imagine you are writing to one individual at that company. Start off by briefly introducing yourself (where you live, something funny, catchy, or interesting about you, etc). Be friendly and personable, but keep this part short (just a few sentences is good).
Sell Yourself!
Next, it is extremely important to point out WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR THE BRAND! If it’s an athletic-wear company then point out that you share workout videos and post photos wearing workout clothes often. If it’s a restaurant then mention how often you and friends go out to eat and that you love sharing food photos on Instagram. The point is to mention something specific to their industry. Be confident and sell yourself!
Include Statistics.
Including some statistics will make you sound very professional and serious. You can include your follower count, engagement rate (search google for the equation to find yours), primary location of your followers, primary age group, and your account reach. These stats are all found in your Instagram Insights section.
SIDENOTE: You’ve most likely seen fancy “media kits” but it is not necessary to send a separate attachment that might not even get opened.
Mention compensation.
Mention that you have a negotiable rate sheet available if they are interested. Do NOT include specific rates/numbers in this email! You don’t want to risk selling yourself short or opposite, scaring them off if your rates are higher than their budget.
This is a hard area to cover because there is no set-in-stone way to determine rates. Obviously an account with 40k followers could charge more than an account with 4k. But fake followers are easy to buy so this is not the only metric to go by. Engagement rate is important because it shows how active your followers are. But again, engagement can be fibbed. I mention these things just to emphasize how many factors there are to consider. You’ll have to do some research and determine your own rates.
Keep it short & sweet.
Finish your collaboration email by thanking them for their time. Include your full name, phone number, email, and obviously your Instagram link.
Remember to keep it short and simple. You don’t need to write an essay because more likely than not, your email will be scanned over quickly. Include just the most important information.
Don’t forget a catchy subject line!
The subject line is your chance to stand out among tons of other emails! Be sure to use strong keywords. Some examples could be: local partnership, unique collaboration, interested influencer, campaign idea, marketing idea, or Instagram proposition.
I wrote an email template that I use personally. It will be available for download soon but until then, reach out if you’d like me to send it to you!
I hope you found this helpful. As social media evolves I’ll continue to share my experiences and keep you updated!
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