It’s no secret that the main way influencers make money is through brand partnerships. While the megas – and even some micros – tend to get such work through agencies, many independents go straight to email to reach out to brands for collaborations. Meanwhile, other influencers will contact brands by cold DMing them on social media, like Instagram for a collaboration. 

A unique tactic that some influencers are adopting is by posting onto Instagram about products they already love and tagging the brand. I even did this recently – I wear Miista shoes all the time and so tend to tag them if they appear in my post. Upon posting, the influencers then reach out to the brand to introduce themself and explain why they love the brand and therefore would like to work with them. Top tip: ask for a direct PR contact while you’re there. 

It may come as a surprise but LinkedIn is also a great platform where influencers can connect to brands. For instance, TikTok star London Lazerson uses LinkedIn to DM CEOs.

In addition to the pitch, many influencers create and attach a media kit — a document that includes basic information about an influencer’s account, engagement data, previous work, collaborations especially, and contact information.

Some influencers will send a media kit to every advertiser they work with. They keep this document up to date by adding new metrics and collaborations every few months. 

If you’re fairly new to this type of reaching-out don’t give up if you don’t hear back ASAP – it takes time to figure out what type of pitch sticks and grabs the attention of brands. 

Try to think 0f pitching yourself and your talent as similar to consulting. This means that pitch proposals where you showcase your value proposition, the timeline, and the deliverables, are the perfect way to do that.

If you’re looking for some inspiration on how to develop a media kit and pitch proposal, Insider has some great templates;

Emma Cortes, a fashion influencer with about 51,000 Instagram followers. She shared the email template she uses to turn gifting offers into paying deals.

Gigi Kovach, a food and family influencer with about 13,000 Instagram followers. She shared the 200-word email pitch she uses to reach out to brands.

Julie Tecson, a nano influencer with about 7,100 Instagram followers. She shared 3 email templates she uses to pitch brands for different types of sponsorships.