How to Pitch to a Brand as a Micro Influencer

Pitching brands as a micro-influencer can feel like shouting into the void, but a strategic pitch can make all the difference between being ignored and landing a paid partnership. Learning to craft a compelling, valuable, and professional pitch is a skill that will set you apart. This guide breaks down the entire process into clear, actionable steps, showing you exactly how to prepare, write, and follow up on a brand pitch that gets results.

The Prep Work: Laying a Strong Foundation Before You Ever Hit "Send"

A great pitch starts long before you open up your email. Your online presence, your understanding of your own value, and your knowledge of the brand you're reaching out to are the building blocks of a successful collaboration. Rushing this stage is the number one reason pitches fail.

Define Your Niche and Unique Value

Brands partner with micro-influencers not for massive reach, but for targeted, engaged communities. Simply saying you're a "lifestyle" or "fashion" creator isn't specific enough. Dig deeper. Are you a creator focused on sustainable fashion for petite body types? Do you create content about budget-friendly vegan recipes for busy parents? That level of specificity is your superpower.

Once you've defined your niche, you need to understand what makes you valuable. Ask yourself:

• Who is my audience? Be specific. Not just "women 25-34," but "women aged 25-34 who live in major cities, are interested in wellness, and have a moderate disposable income."
• What problem do I solve for them? Do you provide meal prep ideas that save them time? Do you show them how to style thrifted clothing? Do you demystify personal finance?
• What is my engagement rate? As a micro-influencer, your engagement - the percentage of your audience that actively likes, comments, and saves your posts - is your most powerful metric. A high engagement rate proves your small community is highly invested.

Your unique value is the intersection of these three things: a specific audience, a clear purpose, and provable engagement. This is what you're selling to the brand.

Build a Professional Media Kit

A media kit is your business card, resume, and portfolio all rolled into one professional document. It immediately tells a brand that you take your work seriously. It's typically a 1-3 page PDF that you can attach to your pitch email. Don't overthink the design, clean and clear is better than cluttered and confusing. You can easily build one using tools like Canva.

Your media kit must include:

• A Short Bio & Headshot: Who are you and what is your content all about? Briefly tell your story and state your mission. A professional-looking photo builds immediate trust.
• Audience Demographics: Include screenshots from your platform's analytics showing your audience's age range, gender breakdown, top countries, and top cities. This helps a brand instantly see if your audience matches their target customer.
• Key Performance Metrics: Don't just list your follower count. Focus on the numbers that show true influence. Include your average engagement rate, average post reach, average story views, and monthly profile visits.
• Examples of Past Work: If you've worked with brands before, showcase your best content with some key results (e.g., "Generated over 400 link clicks for XYZ Brand's campaign"). If you haven't, include 2-3 examples of your highest-performing personal content.
• Services & Rates: Clearly outline the packages you offer (e.g., 1 Instagram Feed Post + 3 Stories, 1 dedicated TikTok video) and provide a starting price range. Being upfront about your pricing positions you as a business owner, not just a fan looking for free items.

Master the Art of Brand Research

Sending a generic, copy-pasted email is the fastest way to get your pitch deleted. Personalization shows that you've done your homework and are genuinely invested in building a partnership. Effective research goes beyond just knowing what the brand sells.

1. Analyze Their Social Presence & Values

Spend at least 30 minutes scrolling through their Instagram, TikTok, and other relevant channels. What is the tone of their captions? What visual style do they use? Read their "About Us" page. What is their mission? Do they champion sustainability, inclusivity, or community? Your pitch should reflect their language and align with their values.

2. Look for Past Influencer Collaborations

Check their "tagged posts" section and look for sponsored content. Who are they working with? Are they mostly big celebrities, or do they work with micro-influencers like you? This gives you an immediate signal about whether they're even open to your pitch. Paying attention to what they paid other creators to do gives you a blueprint for the kind of content they value.

3. Find the Right Contact Person

Don't send your email to a generic `info@brand.com` address if you can help it. Go to LinkedIn and search for employees at the company with titles like:

• Influencer Marketing Manager
• Social Media Manager
• Brand Partnerships Coordinator
• PR Manager
• Community Manager

Finding a specific person's name makes your email instantly more personal and more likely to reach the right inbox.

Crafting the Perfect Pitch Email: Your Step-by-Step Guide

With your research done and media kit ready, it's time to write the email. The goal is to be concise, valuable, and easy to respond to. Keep it short enough that someone can scan it on their phone.

Step 1: The Subject Line: Get Them to Click

Brands receive hundreds of emails a day. Your subject line needs to stand out from the noise and clearly state your purpose. Avoid vague subjects like "Collaboration Request" or "Hi!"

Effective Subject Line Formulas:

• Specific Creator Niche: "[Your Niche] Creator with an Idea for [Brand Name]"
  Example: "Sustainable Living Creator with an Idea for Grove Collaborative"
• Introduce Yourself Directly: "Idea from Influencer [@yourhandle] for [Campaign Name]"
  Example: "Idea from Influencer [@ecolivingjane] for your Earth Month Campaign"
• Value-First Angle: "Reaching [Your Audience Type] for [Brand Name]"
  Example: "Reaching Boston-Based Foodies for The Daring Kitchen"

Step 2: The Opener: A Personal, Authentic Connection

Start your email by showing you're a genuine fan, not just looking for a paycheck. Reference something specific that shows you've done your homework. This builds an immediate rapport.

"Hi [Contact Name],

My name is [Your Name], and I run the account [@yourhandle] where I share [your niche content]. I've personally been using your [Specific Product Name] for the last six months and have been so impressed with [mention a specific quality or result]. I especially loved the post your team shared recently about [mention a specific campaign or post]."

Step 3: The Value Prop: Link Your Audience to Theirs

This is where you bridge the gap between your content and their marketing goals. In one or two sentences, explain why a partnership makes sense.

"My audience of [describe your audience in 1-2 words, e.g., 'conscious consumers'] is constantly looking for high-quality, ethically made home goods. With an average engagement rate of 5.8% on my posts, my content drives a lot of conversation around finding brands that align with their values - which is why I thought of you first."

Step 4: The Pitch Idea: Show, Don't Just Tell

This is the most critical part of your pitch. Don't just say "I'd love to collaborate." Bring a concrete idea to the table. Proposing a concept shows initiative and creativity. It makes it easier for the brand manager to say "yes" because you've already done some of the creative thinking for them.

"I have a few ideas for how we could showcase [Brand Name] to my audience in an authentic way. For example:

• An Instagram Reel: Creating a 'Before & After' showcasing how I organized my pantry using your storage containers, with practical tips my audience would love.
• A Carousel Post: A '3 Ways to Style' post featuring your [product], demonstrating its versatility for different occasions. This format performs really well with my followers.
• An Instagram Story Series: A 'day in the life' segment showing how your products fit seamlessly into my daily routine, with direct swipe-up links to your site.

I have a few more concepts mapped out and would be happy to put together a full proposal."

Step 5: The Closing and Call to Action

End the email professionally and make the next step incredibly clear. Don't leave them guessing what you want.

"I've attached my media kit for more details about my audience and past work.

Are you the right person to discuss influencer partnerships? If so, I'd love to connect further when you have a moment.

Best regards,

[Your Name]
[Link to your main social media profile]
[Link to your portfolio/website, if you have one]"

After You Send: The Follow-Up Strategy

More than half of deals are closed on the follow-up, so don't be discouraged if you don't hear back immediately. A polite and professional TACTICAL follow-up game can make all the difference.

The Art of the Gentle Nudge

If you don't hear back, wait 5-7 business days. Then, send a brief follow-up. Don't be pushy or passive-aggressive. Your goal is simply to bring your original email back to the top of their inbox.

Find your original email and reply to it so the context is preserved. A good follow-up sounds like this:

"Hi [Contact Name],

I hope you're having a great week! Just wanted to briefly follow up on my email below and see if a potential partnership might be of interest.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

All the best,
[Your Name]"

If you still don't get a response after one follow-up, it's generally best to move on.

What If They Say "No"?

Rejection is part of the game. A "no" rarely means "we hate you." It could mean their budget is already allocated, they aren't running campaigns right now, or your niche isn't a perfect fit at this moment. Always reply with grace.

"Thanks so much for getting back to me, I really appreciate it. I'll continue to support [Brand Name] regardless! Perhaps the timing will be better in the future."

This professionalism leaves a lasting impression and keeps the door open for future opportunities.

Final Thoughts

Pitching a brand is not about asking for freebies, it's a strategic business proposal where you clearly demonstrate the value you can bring. By focusing on deep research, personalized outreach, creative ideas, and professional follow-up, you can transform from a hopeful fan into a valued marketing partner.

Once you start landing those brand deals, staying on top of your content schedule becomes essential. Brands expect professionalism, and that means delivering content on time, every time. Having an organized content planner is huge, and that's a big reason why we built Postbase. My favorite part is the visual calendar view, it lets you plan and see both your organic and sponsored posts across all platforms in one spot, so you can easily manage your deliverables without the stress of messy spreadsheets and last-minute scrambles.