How to Pitch to Hotels as a Content Creator

Landing a collaboration with your dream hotel is about more than just your follower count, it’s about presenting a professional, value-driven proposal that makes them say yes. Vague requests for a free stay just don’t cut it anymore. This guide will walk you through the entire process, sharing the exact steps to build a persuasive pitch that grabs attention, from doing your homework to crafting the perfect email and follow-up strategy.

The Pre-Pitch Prep: Do Your Homework First

Success starts long before you hit “send” on an email. The most compelling pitches come from creators who have done their homework and can clearly articulate their value. Before you even think about finding a contact, you need to get these three things in order.

Define Your Unique Value Proposition (UVP)

Every content creator out there is asking for hotel collaborations. What makes you different? This is your Unique Value Proposition. It’s what you bring to the table that no one else can. It's not "I take nice pictures." It's much deeper.

Think about:

• Your Niche: Are you a luxury solo female traveler? A budget-hacker for young couples? A family adventure expert? Get specific. A hotel specializing in romantic getaways will be far more interested in a creator who speaks to couples than a generic travel blogger.
• Your Storytelling Style: Do you create cinematic Reels with incredible transitions? Do you write compelling, in-depth blog posts that rank on Google? Do you have an authentic, hilarious voice on TikTok that gets massive engagement? Highlight your specific content strengths.
• Your Audience: Numbers are one thing, but who are those numbers? Use your analytics to understand your audience demographics (age, gender, location, interests). If you can show a hotel that 80% of your audience is located in their key feeder markets (like New York or London), your pitch instantly becomes more powerful.
• Your Metrics: Don't just list follower counts. Talk about your engagement rate, average post reach, story views, and click-through rates. A high engagement rate on a smaller, niche account can often be more valuable than low engagement on a massive one.

Build a Professional Media Kit

A media kit is your content creator resume. It’s a 1-3 page PDF document that professionally presents everything a brand would need to know about working with you. It shows you’re serious, organized, and legitimate. Trying to pitch a brand without a media kit is like applying for a job without a resume.

Your media kit should include:

• A Short Bio & Headshot: Who are you and what is your brand about? Keep it brief and personality-driven.
• Social Media Stats: List your handles and key metrics for each platform (followers, engagement rate, average reach/views).
• Audience Demographics: Showcase a breakdown of your audience’s age, gender, and top city/country locations. Screenshots from your native platform's analytics add credibility.
• Past Collaborations & Testimonials: If you’ve worked with other brands (even smaller ones), include their logos and a brief testimonial if you have one.
• Collaboration Options/Packages: List your main service offerings. Instead of just listing rates, package your deliverables. For example, "The Weekend Getaway Package" could include 1 Reel, 10 Stories, and 5 high-res photos.
• Your Contact Information: Make it easy for them to get in touch.

You can easily create a beautiful media kit using free tools like Canva.

Research Hotels That Align With Your Brand

One of the biggest mistakes creators make is spamming every hotel they can find. The best collaborations happen when there’s a genuine brand fit. Your edgy, urban style won’t resonate with an all-inclusive family resort, and their audience probably won't be interested in your content.

Use these methods to find the right hotels:

• Social Media Deep Dive: Search hashtags relevant to your niche (e.g., #boutiquehotelnyc, #mexicoluxuryresort). Look at a hotel’s tagged photos to see what kind of content real guests are taking and which other creators they may have worked with. Does their aesthetic match yours?
• Analyze their Marketing: Look at the hotel’s Instagram feed and website. What story are they telling? Who are they targeting? Use their marketing language in your pitch to show you understand their brand.
• Confirm they Actually Collaborate: See if they’ve worked with creators before. Check their Instagram for posts where they’ve credited a photographer or content creator. If they have, they’re more likely to be open to pitches. If they haven’t, you might have a harder time convincing them.

Finding the Right Contact: This is Half the Battle

Your beautiful, personalized pitch is useless if it's sitting in a generic inbox that nobody monitors. Sending your proposal to hello@[hotel].com is almost always a waste of time. Your goal is to get your email in front of the person who actually makes the decisions: the Marketing Manager, Social Media Manager, or PR Manager.

How to Find the Right Person’s Email:

• Website Exploration: Start with the hotel's website. They sometimes have a "Press," "Media," or "News" section with direct contact information for marketing or media inquiries.
• LinkedIn is Your Best Friend: This is the most reliable method. Go to LinkedIn and search for the hotel's page. Use the "People" tab to look for job titles like "Marketing Manager," "Director of Marketing," "Public Relations Manager," or "Social Media Manager." Once you find their name, you can often guess their email format (e.g., firstname.lastname@hotel.com).
• Email Finder Tools: If LinkedIn gives you a name but not an email, you can use a tool like Hunter.io or RocketReach. These platforms can find verified work email addresses associated with a specific company domain.
• Pick up the Phone: Don’t be afraid to call the hotel's main line. Simply say, "Hi, I'm hoping to get in touch with your marketing department about a collaboration. Could you point me to the best person or provide their email address?" It’s direct and often works surprisingly well.

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

Okay, you’ve done your prep work and have the right contact. Now it’s time to write an email that doesn’t get immediately deleted. Personalization, confidence, and clarity are everything.

Step 1: The Subject Line That Gets Opened

The marketing manager you're contacting probably gets hundreds of emails a day. Your subject line needs to be clear, professional, and intriguing. Avoid generic subject lines like "Collaboration" or "Question."

Try these formats:

• Specific & Intriguing: Content Collaboration Idea for [Hotel Name]
• Direct Partnership Angle: [Your Brand/Name] x [Hotel Name] Partnership Proposal
• Shared Audience Connection: Reaching Millennial Travelers in NYC

Step 2: The Opening Hook

Do *not* start your email with "My name is... and I have X followers." Lead with genuine, specific personalization. This immediately shows you've done your research and aren’t just copy-pasting a template.

Example: "Hi [Name], I've been following the launch of [Hotel Name]'s new spa facility, and the design is absolutely stunning - especially the Moroccan-inspired tile work. It’s exactly the kind of unique detail my travel-focused audience on Instagram gets excited about."

Step 3: Introduce Yourself & Your Value

Now, briefly introduce yourself. Focus not on who you are, but on the *value you bring*. Connect your audience to their target guest.

Example: "I’m [Your Name], the creator behind @[YourHandle], where I share immersive travel experiences with over 50,000 adventurous couples. With a significant portion of my audience based in Chicago and looking for unique weekend getaways, your property is a perfect fit for the content they love."

Step 4: The Core Idea - What Are You Proposing?

This is where you clearly outline what you want and what they will get in return. Be specific about your deliverables. Vagueness kills pitches. Don’t expect the hotel to figure out what a collaboration should look like.

Example: "I’d love to propose a contra-collaboration to create high-impact content showcasing a stay at [Hotel Name]. I'm requesting a 2-night complimentary stay in a room with a view. In return, I will provide the following deliverables:"

• ✓ 1 Instagram Reel (15-30 seconds), highlighting the room, dining experience, and one key amenity.
• ✓ 1 Instagram Carousel Post with 5-7 high-quality images.
• ✓ 15+ Instagram Story frames shared over the 2-day stay, with direct booking links.
• ✓ A folder of 10 high-resolution images that your marketing team will have full usage rights to for social channels and website use.

Notice how the last point is framed as a direct benefit to their marketing team. This is a powerful addition.

Step 5: The Call to Action (CTA)

End your email with a clear next step. Make it easy for them to say yes or continue the conversation.

Example: "Thank you for your time and consideration. You can find more detail on my audience and past work in my media kit attached. Are you open to a brief chat next week to discuss how we could bring this to life?"

Finish with a professional signature that includes your name, website/portfolio link, and main social media handle.

The Follow-Up Game: Mastering Professional Persistence

Marketing managers are busy. An email can easily get buried. A polite follow-up isn't pushy, it's professional. It shows you're serious about working together.

How and When to Follow Up

Wait about 5-7 business days. If you haven't heard back, reply directly to your original email (keep it in the same thread) with a short and friendly message.

Example:

"Hi [Name],

Just wanted to gently check in on the collaboration proposal I sent over last week.

Best regards,
[Your Name]"

You can send one more follow-up about a week later. After that, it's best to move on. A "no response" is a response. Don’t take it personally - budgets might be tight, they might have their calendar filled, or your pitch might just not have been the right fit at this time.

Final Thoughts

Pitching hotels successfully isn't a numbers game of sending out hundreds of generic emails. It's a strategic process rooted in research, professionalism, and clearly communicating the value you provide for them. Shift your mindset from "what I can get" to "what I can create for the hotel," and you'll see a massive improvement in your response rate.

Building a professional brand also means managing your content calendar effectively so you can deliver on your promises. That’s precisely why we built Postbase - to help creators like you plan, schedule, and analyze content seamlessly. With our visual calendar, you can confidently map out your partnership deliverables across platforms, making sure you always post on time and keeping your collaborations organized in one clean space.