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

• Many influencers land brand deals by pitching brands through email or on social media.
• From there, they negotiate exact deliverables, pay, and sign contracts.
• Almost a dozen influencers on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok share their exact templates.

Insider recommends waking up with Morning Brew, a daily newsletter.

Thanks for signing up!

Access your favorite topics in a personalized feed while you're on the go. download the app

Email address

By clicking “Sign Up,” you also agree to marketing emails from both Insider and Morning Brew; and you accept Insider’s Terms and Privacy Policy. Click here for Morning Brew’s privacy policy.

For many influencers, brand collaborations are one of the main ways to earn income. 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 usually the best way to get in touch for a potential partnership, according to several influencers 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 10,000 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 Insider. "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 has 9.5 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 directly, some influencers, like Gigi Kovach, who has 12,700 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 Insider. 

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

Insider spoke to 11 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 5,600 Instagram followers. He shared the email template that he also includes a resume in.
• Julie Tecson, an influencer with around 7,000 Instagram followers. She has different email templates for different purposes.
• Gigi Kovach, an influencer with around 12,700 Instagram followers. She uses this email template to pitch brands.
• Maesha Shonar, an influencer with around 23,100 Instagram followers. She shared the pitch proposal she emails to brands.
• Emma Cortes, an influencer with around 50,000 Instagram followers. Here is the email template she used to start landing paid collabs.

DM templates influencers use to pitch brands: 

• Jalyn Baiden, an influencer with around 10,000 Instagram followers. Here is a DM template she recommends using to catch a brand's attention.
• Ayomi Samaraweera, an influencer with around 24,800 TikTok followers. She shared the DM and email she used to land her first paid brand deal
• Lillian Zhang, an influencer with around 36,800 TikTok followers. Here's the DM she used to land her first paid brand collaboration.
• Ashley Jones, an influencer with around 58,900 Instagram followers. She advised on the best way to DM a brand on Instagram.
• 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 9.5 million TikTok followers. He shared two examples of DMs he sends to brands.