Influencer Outreach: How to Pitch Creators, With Examples
Influencer outreach works when the first message is short, specific and sent where the creator asked brands to write: a business email they publish, or the platform’s own creator tools. Say who you are, why this creator, what you want made, by when and what you’ll pay. Follow up once or twice, then stop.
Arrive with a shortlist from finding influencers and checking for fakes; the influencer marketing strategy guide shows where the pitch sits in the plan.
Table of Contents
- What should you research before reaching out?
- Should you DM or email influencers?
- What should an influencer outreach email include?
- What does a good influencer pitch look like?
- How do you approach an influencer with no budget?
- How many times should you follow up?
- Does Outfeed send outreach messages?
- Influencer outreach FAQ
What should you research before reaching out?
Three things: one recent post you liked and why, which becomes your first line; how the creator wants brands to get in touch, such as a business email, contact button, link in bio or media kit; and whether your product may be promoted at all. TikTok, for one, bans branded content for weight-loss products and most healthcare and medicine. Checked against TikTok: Branded Content Policy (effective 31 August 2026)
Should you DM or email influencers?
Email, or the platform’s creator tools, whenever the creator lists them; a direct message is the fallback.
| Route | Use it when | Know this |
|---|---|---|
| Business email | The creator publishes one | A YouTube channel’s email shows under View email address in its About section, only if the owner added one. Checked against YouTube Help: Business Inquiry Emails Instagram professional accounts can choose to show contact info on their profile. Checked against Instagram Help Center: How to edit your business information on Instagram |
| TikTok One | You use TikTok’s advertiser tool | You invite a creator to a project with a message giving the details and your proposed offer. Checked against TikTok Business Help Center: How to find creators who work with TikTok One (last updated June 2026) |
| Meta Creator Marketing Hub | You have a verified business portfolio | Brands send partnership requests Checked against Meta Business Help Center: Eligibility requirements for businesses on Meta Creator Marketing Hub; marketplace creators get brand messages in a Partnership messages folder. Checked against Instagram Help Center: Get started as a creator on Meta Creator Marketplace |
| Direct message | No other route is listed | On TikTok you can send one message request until it’s accepted; if it’s deleted or ignored, you can’t message again. Checked against TikTok Help Center: A few things to know about message requests |
On YouTube, Creator Partnerships inquiries land in the creator’s Creator Partnerships tab, and choosing Interested shares their contact details with the brand. Checked against YouTube Help: Get started with YouTube Creator Partnerships
Write each message yourself. Instagram limits direct messages to stop spam Checked against Instagram Help Center: Why there are limits for sending messages on Instagram, and its Terms forbid accessing or collecting information in an automated way without its express permission Checked against Instagram Terms of Use, which rules out mass-DM tools and scraped email lists.
What should an influencer outreach email include?
A subject line, who you are, why them, deliverables, usage, pay, timeline, disclosure and a next step:
- A specific subject line, not “Collab?”
- Who you are in one line, and why them, naming one post.
- Deliverables: platform, format, number of posts and the posting window.
- Usage: whether you want to reuse the content or run it as an ad. Meta partnership ads need the creator’s permission Checked against Instagram Help Center: About partnership ad permissions, and a TikTok Spark Ad needs a code the creator generates in the post’s Ad settings. Checked against TikTok Business Help Center: About Spark Ads
- Pay: what you’re offering, stated plainly. Ask for their rate card and media kit instead of guessing; our rate card template and media kit template show what each covers.
- Timeline: brief (what a brief covers), drafts, feedback and posting dates.
- Disclosure: the platform label to switch on and the words you expect (what sponsored posts must disclose).
- One next step, such as a yes or no by a date.
What does a good influencer pitch look like?
An example email for a paid TikTok deal; replace everything in brackets.
Subject: Paid TikTok collab: 2 videos in [month]?
Hi [creator name],
I’m [your name], [role] at [brand], which makes [one-line description]. Your [date] video on [topic] is why I’m writing: [one specific reason].
We’d like to pay you for two TikTok videos about [product], in your own style:
- Deliverables: 2 videos, posted between [dates]
- Pay: [fee] per video, plus [product] to keep
- Usage: we’d like to run both as Spark Ads with your authorization code, for a period we agree together
- Disclosure: the commercial content disclosure toggle on, plus #ad at the start of the caption
- Timeline: brief by [date]; drafts by [date] for one round of feedback
Interested? If so, I’ll send the brief and a short agreement.
[Your name], [brand]
TikTok’s Branded Content Policy requires that toggle on branded content. Checked against TikTok: Branded Content Policy (published 4 August 2026, effective 31 August 2026)
How do you approach an influencer with no budget?
Offer the product with no obligation to post, and say so plainly. If the creator posts, the gift still needs disclosing:
- US: the FTC’s Endorsement Guides say a material connection the audience wouldn’t expect must be disclosed, and it can be free or discounted products, whether or not a post was required. Checked against eCFR: 16 CFR § 255.5(a) Disclosure of material connections FTC staff’s June 2023 FAQ says “Gifted by [brand]” should be enough when a free product is all the creator received. Checked against FTC: FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking Checked against FTC: FTC's Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking
- UK: the CMA’s guidance for content creators (updated September 2025) treats gifts as payment Checked against CMA (GOV.UK): Social media endorsements: guidance for content creators, and the ASA and CMA guide (2023 edition) advises against “Gifted” as a label Checked against CAP and CMA: Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads (3rd edition, 2023), p. 7 and expects an upfront label such as “Ad”. Checked against CAP and CMA: Influencers' guide to making clear that ads are ads (3rd edition, 2023), pp. 7–8
- Canada: Ad Standards’ fall 2025 guidelines list #Gifted, for a gift with no requirement to post, as clear and widely accepted. Checked against Ad Standards: Influencer Marketing Disclosure Guidelines (Update: Fall 2025), pp. 7, 26
Regulator guidance, not legal advice. An example DM, with US wording:
Hi [creator name], I’m [your name] from [brand]; your post about [topic] is why I’m writing. We have no paid budget, but we’d love to send you [product] with no obligation to post. If you share it, please mark it “Gifted by [brand]”. Interested?
How many times should you follow up?
Once or twice, about a week apart, each adding something new, then stop; that’s courtesy, not a rule. If a creator says no, stop.
Email law can apply too. The FTC says the US CAN-SPAM Act covers all commercial email, business-to-business included, and requires, among other things, accurate headers, non-deceptive subject lines, a valid physical postal address and a clear opt-out, honoured within 10 business days. Checked against FTC: CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business In Canada, ISED says CASL requires consent, express or in limited cases implied, before you send commercial electronic messages, and unsubscribes actioned within 10 business days; it tells senders to look closely for “don’t contact” instructions on published contact details. Checked against Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada: Getting consent to send email Not legal advice.
Does Outfeed send outreach messages?
Influencer outreach FAQ
How do you reach out to influencers?
Use the contact route the creator publishes for business, such as an email on their profile or media kit, or a platform tool like a TikTok One project invite or a Meta Creator Marketing Hub partnership request. Say who you are, why them, what you want made, when and the pay.
Should I DM or email influencers?
Email, or the platform’s creator tools, when the creator lists them; a DM is the fallback. On TikTok you can send only one message request until it’s accepted, and if it’s deleted or ignored you can’t message again. Instagram limits direct messages to stop spam.
How many times should you follow up with an influencer?
Once or twice, about a week apart, then stop; that’s courtesy, not a rule. If a creator says no, stop. Under the US CAN-SPAM Act, opt-outs from commercial email must be honoured within 10 business days, and Canada’s CASL sets the same window for unsubscribe requests. Not legal advice.
How do I approach an influencer with no budget?
Offer the product with no obligation to post, but if they post, it needs a disclosure: the FTC says free products can be a material connection even when no post was required, and the UK’s CMA treats gifts as payment. FTC staff say “Gifted by [brand]” should be enough for a free product alone; UK guidance says use “Ad”. Not legal advice.