Learn how to master the gift of Influence
Some of our favorite high-performance books about influence and persuasion are:
What is a brand pitch?
A brand pitch is simply a way for influencers and creators to promote brands that they love and get compensated for it. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved!
The influencer gets to share their favorite products with their audience, and the brand gets free marketing from someone with an engaged following. This can be in the form of product placement, promotion through social media, or even just a mention in a blog post. Of course, not all brand pitches are created equal. A good brand pitch will be relevant to the influencer's audience, authentic, and strategically planned.
You want to clearly and effectively present your brand or your product in a concise email or portfolio.
When done well, a brand pitch can be an incredibly effective form of freelance revenue.
Who do you reach out to?
Always get in contact with the decision-maker. There are a couple of ways to find this person but we’ll cover two here:
#1 DM the brand
“Hi, I am a [your niche] creator and I am a big fan of [Brand Name].
[Insert the products/collection you like and/or reason why you are indeed a fan]
Can you connect me with your influencer marketing manager?
I would love to see if any of your upcoming projects would be a good fit for my audience.
Thanks so much!
[YOUR NAME]
#2 Go to LinkedIn
Look up the brand and search for Marketing Director, Influencer Marketing Manager/Director.
Click the person who is associated with that role, connect with them, and shoot them a short introductory message.
How do you introduce yourself to new brands and pitch yourself as an influencer?
It's always tricky to reach out to someone you've never met before, but a strong brand pitch email template can help you break the ice. This is your opportunity to grab a marketing manager's attention and demonstrate the value you bring to the brand, so make sure you're carefully planning your outreach.
What should you include in a pitch deck?
Your actual pitch content will vary depending on the brand you are reaching out to and the role you would like to fill. But it's a good rule of thumb to include these eight content categories.
- Your Photo
- Your Contact
- A short bio
- Your Metrics (audience demographics, engagement rate, follower count across all your active platforms)
- Your best content examples (previous brand partnership photos if you have them)
- Screenshots of videos (Reels + TikToks and/or YouTube) that hyperlink to the actual videos
- The brand's needs
- How you bring value to the brand
*Bonus* Metrics of your previous partnerships if you have them (testimonials and stats).
The Brand Partnership Bible goes into more detail about how to create a yes-worthy influencer portfolio and pitch.
How long should a pitch be?
We don’t recommend you have more than 10 slides in your portfolio.
2-4 Slides are ideal.
Each slide should have a purpose and be directed toward a specific objective. Your goal is to pique interest in your pitch, not to over-explain every aspect. You want to win a further conversation. Having a limited number of slides will force you to narrow down your information and focus on what is most important.
Here is an overview of how you could lay out your pitch deck slides:
- Title to introduce yourself
- The value you will offer to the brand (describe your niche and other projects you have worked on)
- The audience you can reach (describe your community and why they are worth reaching)
- The solution you provide (say the brand you are pitching needs more Gen Z buyers, and your audience is primarily Gen Z)
- The marketing strategy you will use to reach new customers within your audience
- Your page metrics
- The competition — describe your competitive landscape and why and how you stand out from them
Notice the price of your service is nowhere on here. Don’t present your rates yet. Sell them on YOU first and encourage them to book a call or a Zoom to further discuss partnering together.
Your call to action should always be a meeting because #1 it gives you the ability to share your personality and brand vision on a deeper level and #2 it’s hard to tell someone no, not interested on a call.
Summarize the information as well as possible.
When you have in mind the information you need, remember that you have little time to convince your future client. Keep everything short and sweet. Less is more. Make sure everything is clear and concise.
Get them to ask questions
Use your best content as examples of previous work, share interesting data such as statistics and percentages about your audience that attract the attention of your potential deal partners (ie: story polls you’ve taken about the brand niche or even the brand specifically).
If they are intrigued and ask questions, you have another opportunity to pitch further - on a call.
Connect
Social media is about connections. Try to connect deeply with the brand’s needs and desires. You want to be empathetic and down-to-earth. You want them to feel that you understand their brand and that you can help them tell their story in a new and engaging way to your audience.
Rehearse
If you’re sealing the deal over a Zoom or a call, it’s a good idea to practice in front of a mirror or record yourself. This may seem strange or uncomfortable initially, but it will help you improve your persuasion techniques.
Your pitch has to be natural, pleasant, in a confident tone, and as fluent as a normal conversation.
How to Craft Your Brand Pitch Email
The most common way of pitching to a brand is via email or the brand’s DMs. If you go this route, make sure you're personalizing all your emails to the brand you're pitching.
DO NOT send mass pitches. It is a waste of time. You will not land the connection and risk appearing unprofessional.
Introduction
Your subject line and introduction are very important. You have to be able to grab the attention of the recipient of your message to show them that they are not going to waste their time. Usually, the recipients of these types of emails are busy people, so it's your job to find a way to draw them in.
Highlight what you love about YOUR brand as well as THEIRS
Companies are always looking for people who are passionate about their own brands. If they know you are actively seeking to improve your content and community of followers, they are much more likely to trust you as part of their marketing outreach.
Let them know what you have been utilizing lately to grow your audience and engagement. Show them your knowledge and love for their brand and how you would combine the two in a successful partnership.
Again, metrics
You've already captured the person's attention with your subject line and your introduction, now it's time to drive your point home. Your goal is to quickly show how you can make a difference in their business, so give them easy access to the information they need. Show them numbers on things like:
- Followers
- Engagement rate
- Monthly visits
- Audience demographics and brands you have worked with
- Monthly audience growth
Remember, love for a brand is one thing, but that alone doesn't mean you offer value to the recipient.
When it comes to price, pitch packages
Pitch packages, never single placements, it will ALWAYS lead to more money. Want to learn how to master this strategy? It’s covered heavily in The Micro Influencer’s Brand Partnership Bible. Check it out there!
Learn to deal with rejection
Being rejected by brands can be tough to deal with, but you have to understand it’s part of the job. Don’t let it bring you down. You will get countless “no’s” in this industry but it doesn’t mean no forever, it just means “not right now.”
First of all, remember that you're not alone. Many influencers, brands and creators have been rejected by companies at some point in their careers. So you're in good company!
Secondly, take it as a learning opportunity. What could you have done differently? What can you do better next time? Use the rejection as motivation to improve your pitch, content and engagement rate.
Finally, don't take it personally. Oftentimes, brands have set marketing calendars and it is possible they have hit their quota for influencers that month. Don’t stress it, pitch them again in 4-6 weeks and see what they say. You have to learn to believe in yourself enough to pitch again. Their no is not a reflection of your ability.
Practice and patience make the master.
Remember that there are plenty of other fish in the sea, and as long as you consistently work on your content-creating skills and build your audience, you'll find a brand that appreciates your work.
Recap
Well, there you have it. Everything you need to know about pitching yourself to brands. This may have felt like a whirlwind of information and you may feel a little overwhelmed at this stage of your journey. We promise it gets better.
When creating your brand pitch, take time to think about the value you offer. You want to prove to potential partners how amazing you are.
If you want some advanced help we highly recommend that you get The Micro Influencer’s Brand Partnership Bible. This guide will teach you how to get land the "yes" from brands and forge successful partnerships. It's filled with tips and tricks straight from industry experts, so you can be sure you're putting your best foot forward. Ready to become a brand pitch master? Get The Brand Partnership Bible today!
