How to Get Brand Deals as a Micro Influencer

Thinking brand deals are only for creators with hundreds of thousands of followers is a major mistake. As a micro-influencer, your smaller, highly-engaged audience is a superpower that brands are actively seeking. This guide walks you through the exact steps to define your brand, create stellar content, and confidently pitch partnerships that get a yes.

Define Your Foundation: Niche, Audience, and Profile

Before a single brand will consider paying you, they need to understand who you are, who you serve, and what you stand for. This isn't just about posting pretty pictures, it’s about building a focused brand that solves a problem or provides value for a specific group of people.

Find and Own Your Niche

Brands don’t pay for generic. They pay for targeted access to a specific audience. A "lifestyle" influencer is too broad, a "minimalist lifestyle for small apartment dwellers in big cities" is a niche. Why does this matter? Because a company selling space-saving furniture knows exactly who they're reaching when they work with you. Your engagement is more meaningful, and your ROI for the brand is higher.

To find your niche, ask yourself:

• What am I genuinely passionate about? You have to create content about this day in and day out. Authenticity can't be faked for long.
• What do I have real expertise or a unique perspective on? Are you a certified personal trainer, a classically trained chef, or just a self-taught expert on sustainable fashion?
• Who is my audience, and what problem do I solve for them? Are you helping new parents find affordable baby products? Are you teaching college students how to cook healthy meals on a budget?

Once you have your niche, everything you post should align with it. This consistency is what signals to brands that you’re a professional, not just a hobbyist.

Optimize Your Profile for Business

Your social media profile is your new business card. When a brand manager lands on your page, they should understand what you’re about in less than five seconds. Make sure your profile has these four elements:

1. A Clear Bio: State who you are, who you help, and what kind of content you create. Example: "Helping millennial women build sustainable wardrobes on a budget," rather than just "Lover of fashion & life."
2. A Professional Profile Photo: It should be a clear, well-lit photo of your face. People connect with people.
3. An Email in Your Bio: Don’t make brands hunt for your contact info or rely on DMs. Put a professional email address (e.g., yourname.collabs@email.com) right in your bio or contact section. This signals that you are open for business.
4. A Highlights Section That Functions as a Portfolio: Use your Instagram Story Highlights to pin examples of past work, testimonials, or content pillars (e.g., "Outfits," "Thrift Finds," "Brand Faves").

Create Content That Attracts Brands

Your content feed is your living portfolio. Brands will scroll through it to assess your quality, consistency, and engagement. They aren’t just looking for high follower counts, they’re looking for a creator who can tell a compelling story and activate a community.

Prioritize Quality and Consistency

High quality doesn't mean you need a $5,000 camera. It means putting thought into your posts with:

• Good Lighting: Natural light is your best friend. Film facing a window, not with the window behind you.
• Clear Audio: For video content, muffled or hard-to-hear audio is an instant turn-off. A simple lavalier mic that clips to your shirt can make a world of difference.
• A Consistent Vibe: Whether your aesthetic is dark and moody or bright and airy, aim for a cohesive look and feel. Use consistent presets or filters to tie your content together.

Post consistently so brands see you are active and reliable. This doesn’t mean you have to post every single day, but creating a predictable schedule (e.g., new Reels every Monday, Wednesday, Friday) shows you treat content creation seriously.

Create "Spec" Work for Your Dream Brands

The best way to show a brand what you can do is to... well, show them. Don't wait for a paid deal to create the kind of content you want to get paid for. If you dream of working with a coffee brand, create a beautiful Reel of your morning routine featuring their beans. If you love a skincare company, post a multi-slide Instagram carousel detailing your authentic review of their product. Tag the brand in the post and in your stories.

This does two things:

1. It gets you on the brand’s radar without a cold pitch.
2. It gives you a ready-made portfolio piece to include in your pitch email, showing them you’re not just saying you love their product - you’re a genuine advocate already.

Focus on Community Engagement, Not Just Likes

For micro-influencers, engagement rate is the golden metric. A high engagement rate shows a brand that your followers aren't just passive scrollers, they trust you and act on your recommendations. Spark conversations in your captions by asking questions. Respond to every comment and DM with a thoughtful answer, not just emojis. This community management turns followers into a true community, and that's what brands pay for.

Build Your Professional Toolkit

Once your content and profile are in shape, it's time to assemble the professional assets you’ll need to pitch brands effectively.

Create an Essential Media Kit

A media kit is a 1-2 page PDF document that acts as your influencer resume. It showcases your value and makes you look polished and professional. Don't overthink this - you can use a free template on a tool like Canva.

Your media kit should include:

• An "About Me" Section: A short paragraph introducing yourself and your niche.
• Key Analytics: Your follower count, and more importantly, your average engagement rate, post reach, and story views. Take screenshots right from your platform's insights page.
• Audience Demographics: This is a must-have. Include screenshots showing your audience's age range, gender split, and top city/country locations. Brands need to know this to see if your audience aligns with their target customer.
• Past Work & Testimonials: Include logos or screenshots of brands you've worked with. If you're new, feature the "spec" work you created.
• Services Offered & Starting Rates: Be clear about what you offer. Create packages to make it easy for brands. Example:
  • Package A: 1 Instagram Reel + 3 Story frames with a link.
  • Package B: 1 in-feed carousel post + 1 Reel + 5 Story frames.
  Even if you list "rates available upon request," having clear packages shows you've thought about your offerings.

The Art of the Pitch: How to Reach Out Cold

Now it's time to be proactive. If you wait for brands to come to you, you might be waiting a long time. The best deals often come from thoughtful, personalized outreach.

Curate Your Dream 100 List

Start by making a list of brands you genuinely love and use. Authenticity is your most valuable asset. The best partnerships feel natural and unforced. Once you have your personal favorites, expand by looking at who other creators in your niche are working with. Don’t forget about small and local businesses - they often have smaller marketing budgets but are more accessible and open to micro-influencer collaborations.

Find the Right Person to Email

Sending your pitch to a generic `info@` address is like sending it into a black hole. Your goal is to find the email address of a real person in the marketing, partnerships, or PR department. Scour the brand's website for a press or media contact. Use LinkedIn search to find employees with titles like "Influencer Marketing Manager," "Brand Manager," or "Social Media Coordinator." You can often figure out their email format (e.g., firstname@brand.com) with a little guesswork.

Craft a Pitch That Gets a Response

Brand managers are busy. Your pitch email needs to be short, personalized, and value-driven. Avoid long, rambling emails about your life story.

Here’s a simple template:

Subject Line: Collaboration Idea: [Your Name] x [Brand Name]

Hi [Contact Person's Name],

My name is [Your Name], and I'm a [your niche] content creator at [@yourhandle]. I have been using [mention a specific product] for [time period] and genuinely love how [mention a specific, positive result or feeling].

My community of [describe your audience - e.g., young professionals, busy moms] is always looking for [problem your audience has that the brand solves]. I believe your [product category] would be a perfect fit for them.

I have a few content ideas in mind, like a Reel showing [a specific, creative content idea] or a carousel post breaking down [another idea].

I’ve attached my media kit, which shares more about my audience details and past work. Are you currently open to new creator partnerships?

Best regards,
[Your Name]

Always attach your media kit as a PDF. And don't be discouraged if you don't hear back immediately. Follow up politely in about a week. Persistence pays off!

Final Thoughts

Landing brand deals as a micro-influencer is a direct result of laying a strong foundation, creating consistently valuable content, and professionally communicating your worth. It's not about magic or follower counts, it’s about treating your platform like a business and becoming a trusted partner for brands seeking to connect with a dedicated community.

We know that staying organized is one of the biggest challenges when you’re building your creator business. Juggling content schedules, engaging with your community across platforms, and tracking your performance can feel like a full-time job. That's why we designed Postbase to make it all manageable. Our simple visual calendar helps you plan consistently, and our unified inbox ensures you never miss a comment or DM - the exact interaction that makes your community so valuable to brands.