How to Pitch Brands on Instagram (and Actually Get Paid)

Most creators wait to be discovered. They post consistently, grow steadily, and hope that one day a brand will slide into their DMs with a budget attached. Some do. Most don't — not because those creators aren't worth working with, but because brands receive hundreds of inbound enquiries and tend to work with people who make the decision easy.

Proactive pitching changes the dynamic. Done well, it positions you as a professional, not a supplicant. This guide covers exactly how to do it — who to contact, what to say, and how to use your analytics to make a compelling case.

The mindset shift: You're not asking a brand for a favour. You're offering them access to a specific audience that trusts you. That's a business proposition. Pitch it like one.

Before You Pitch: Get Your House in Order

Brands do a quick profile check before they respond to any pitch. If what they find doesn't match the claim you're making, the conversation ends there. Before you send a single email, make sure:

Your bio is clear — who you are, what you cover, who your audience is. "UK lifestyle creator | 18–35 women | 14K followers" is better than a vague tagline
Your last 9 posts look good — brands look at your grid as a portfolio. If it's inconsistent or low quality, clean it up first
You have a contact email visible — in your bio or link in bio. A brand shouldn't have to DM you to figure out how to work with you
You know your key numbers — average reach, engagement rate, top audience demographics. You will be asked, and hesitating looks unprofessional

Who to Contact at a Brand

This is where most creators go wrong. Sending a pitch to a brand's generic Instagram DM or contact@ email means it lands with customer service, not marketing. You want to reach the person who holds the creator partnerships budget.

Search LinkedIn for the brand + "influencer marketing" or "social media manager." These are the people who manage creator partnerships at most mid-size brands. For larger brands, look for "Creator Partnerships Manager" or "Content Partnerships".
Find their email format. Tools like Hunter.io or even a Google search for "[brand] email format" will often reveal whether they use firstname@brand.com or firstname.lastname@brand.com. Then construct the address.
Check if the brand has a creator portal. Many larger brands (ASOS, Gymshark, Boots etc.) have formal creator or affiliate programmes. Google "[brand] creator programme" or "[brand] creator application" before cold-emailing.
Use Instagram DMs only as a last resort. DMs to a brand account typically reach social media managers, not marketing decision-makers. If you do DM, keep it to two sentences and direct them to email you.

The Pitch Email: What to Include

Keep it short. The person reading your email gets dozens of these. Five focused sentences will perform better than three enthusiastic paragraphs. Here's the structure that works:

Subject line: Creator partnership — [Your Name] / [Niche] / [Follower Count]

Hi [Name],

I'm [Your Name] — a [niche] creator based in [location] with [X] followers and an average engagement rate of [X%]. My audience is predominantly [age range, gender, geography].

I've been a genuine [brand] customer for [time period] and think there's a natural fit — particularly around [specific product line or campaign theme].

I'd love to share a brief partnership proposal if you're open to it. I can offer [specific deliverables — e.g. one Reel + two Stories per month] with full performance reporting post-campaign.

My recent analytics are attached. Happy to jump on a quick call if easier.

[Your Name] [Instagram handle] | [email] | [media kit link]

A few things to note about this template. It leads with your numbers, not your feelings about the brand. It specifies deliverables rather than leaving it vague. And it references something specific about the brand — which signals you've done minimal research, not just sent a mass template.

The Analytics Attachment: What to Send

Your pitch email should be accompanied by a one-page media kit or analytics snapshot. At minimum this should include:

Follower count and platform
Average post reach (last 30 days)
Engagement rate (calculated correctly — see our engagement rate guide)
Audience demographics — age, gender, top countries
Two or three examples of previous brand work (if you have them)
Your rate card

Brands increasingly expect creators to arrive with data, not just screenshots. A professional analytics profile — showing verified, real numbers — removes the friction from their due diligence and significantly increases your conversion rate from pitch to deal.

Dos and Don'ts

Do:

Personalise every pitch with one specific brand reference
Lead with your numbers, not your enthusiasm
Specify deliverables clearly upfront
Follow up once, 5–7 days later
Have a rate in mind before any call
Ask for a brief before producing anything
Send a performance report after every campaign

Don't:

Say "I've always loved your brand" without specifics
Ask what their budget is before stating your rate
Agree to gifted-only without calculating the value
Send work before a contract or written agreement
Follow up more than twice
Drop your rate when pushed — reduce scope instead
Forget to disclose #ad or #sponsored

What to Do When They Say No (or Nothing)

Most pitches don't convert on the first attempt. That's not failure — it's pipeline. A brand that says "not right now" is a warm prospect for three months later when your numbers are stronger or their next campaign cycle starts. Keep a simple spreadsheet of who you've contacted, when, and what happened. Follow up on the ones that went quiet. Reply to rejections with a brief, gracious "no problem — I'll keep you in mind for future campaigns" and move on.

The creators who land the most brand deals aren't necessarily the ones with the biggest audiences. They're the ones who pitch consistently, present professionally, and treat it like a business development function — because that's exactly what it is.

Automate Your Pitch with Real Data

Reachproof's Brand Pitch Generator creates outreach messages using your real analytics — your actual reach, engagement rate, audience demographics, and suggested rate. Instead of writing from scratch every time, you get a personalised pitch built on verified numbers that you can send immediately.

Generate Your Brand Pitch →

The best time to start pitching was six months ago. The second best time is today — with the right numbers to back you up.