You've been posting consistently for months. Your engagement is solid. Brands you admire are doing deals with creators half your size. So why hasn't anyone reached out?
The honest answer: most brands don't reach out cold — especially to smaller or mid-tier creators. You have to go to them. And when you do, you need to make it impossible for them to say no.
Here's the exact process we've seen work for thousands of creators on KollabKit.
Why brands partner with creators
Before writing a single pitch email, understand the brand's perspective. Marketing managers are busy. They get dozens of creator pitches every week. What cuts through isn't a follower count — it's a clear value proposition backed by data.
Brands care about three things: reach (can you put this in front of enough eyes?), relevance (does your audience match our customer?), and results (has your content driven action before?). Your entire pitch should answer these three questions.
Step 1 — Build your brand target list
Start with brands you already use and love. Authenticity shows in content, and brands can tell the difference between a genuine fan and someone who just wants money. Make a list of 20–30 brands that genuinely fit your niche.
Look for signals that a brand is active with influencer marketing:
- They're already tagging creators or reposting UGC on their Instagram
- Their feed has a strong visual identity that maps to your aesthetic
- They're a D2C brand — these almost always have influencer budgets
- Their products are in the £20–£200 range (sweet spot for creator partnerships)
Find the right contact. For smaller brands, the founder or head of marketing is often reachable. For larger brands, look for "Influencer Marketing Manager" or "Brand Partnerships" roles on LinkedIn.
Step 2 — Craft a pitch that gets opened
Your pitch email has one job: get a reply. Keep it short. Here's a structure that works:
- Subject line: "Partnership idea — [Your Name] × [Brand Name]"
- Opening: One genuine sentence about why you use or love the brand
- Your value prop: One or two sentences on your audience and why they're a match
- Social proof: One number that matters — your engagement rate, reach per post, or a past collab result
- The ask: Link to your media kit and invite them to hop on a quick call
The entire email should be readable in under 30 seconds. No essays. No attachments (links only). No subject lines with "Hi" or "Collab opportunity" — they get filtered out.
"Before KollabKit, I'd spend hours on Canva every time a brand asked for my stats. Now I just send a link — and brands actually respond." — Priya Mehta, @priya.lifescenes
Step 3 — Send a media kit that closes deals
A media kit is your professional profile — the thing that turns a curious brand into a paying one. It should include:
- Your niche and content style (in one sentence)
- Key stats: followers, engagement rate, average reach, impressions
- Audience demographics: age range, gender split, top cities
- Past collaborations and results if you have them
- Your rate card
The format matters. A PDF you made in Canva two years ago won't cut it in 2026. Brands expect a polished, data-backed page. That's exactly what KollabKit generates — automatically, from your real Instagram insights.
Step 4 — Follow up (without being annoying)
If you don't hear back in five to seven business days, follow up once — briefly. Something like: "Just bumping this up in case it got buried. Happy to share more about my audience if helpful."
One follow-up is professional. Two is acceptable. Three is spam. If there's still no reply after a second follow-up, move on and come back in three to six months.
Step 5 — Know your worth before you negotiate
When a brand responds positively, the conversation will eventually turn to rate. Most creators undercharge — especially first-timers who are just excited to get a deal.
A rough formula: $100 per 10,000 followers for a feed post, with multipliers for high engagement, a niche audience, or content rights. KollabKit's rate calculator factors in your specific metrics and niche to give you a defensible number going into negotiation.
Final thoughts
Your first brand deal is the hardest. After that, a track record builds momentum. Every collab becomes social proof for the next pitch. The key is to start — even if your numbers aren't where you want them yet.
The creators landing deals aren't necessarily the biggest ones. They're the ones who look the most professional, pitch the most consistently, and make it easy for brands to say yes.