How to Write a Pitch Letter That Gets a Brand’s Attention

It’s no secret that the wild, wonderful world of online influencers is getting more and more crowded every day. PR agencies are flooded with emails from aspiring influencers looking for collaboration opportunities. The competition can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. We want to give you the tools to write a pitch letter that stands out from the crowd and gets you collaborating with brands.

Network first. Pitch second.

We cannot stress this one enough. PR people get so many pitch letters a day that most of them wind up in their trash folder. This is a hard truth, but it is nearly impossible for them to respond to every random influencer request.

You know what pitches get read? Pitches from influencers they know.

We understand that that meeting PR people can be tough. Many of the top beauty publicists are based in cities like New York or Los Angeles. If you aren’t local to those cities, how could you possibly get to know these people? The answer is to get involved in the blogging community before you start pitching brands. Nowadays, no matter where you live, there is probably a local blogger who is successful. Start by befriending her or him. Once you feel comfortable, you can politely ask how they go about getting sponsored work. Who knows, maybe that blogger can help you make a valuable PR contact.

The other way is to attend blogger events. They are costly, but the results are worth it. Industry insiders attend those events. So make sure you leave with one or two real contacts you can use.

Toe the line between professional and casual.

Now that you have made relevant contacts, you can begin reaching out. Since you ‘know’ the person you are pitching, it isn’t necessary to be super formal or stiff. That tone could be off putting and confusing to your recipient. You also don’t want to be too flippant or casual. This person is a professional contact, not your bff. So you need to toe a fine line between stiff and casual. We will get into detailed specifics of what should be in your pitch letter a bit later, but we recommend that you open your email with a brief personal anecdote and then get right into the meat of your pitch.

Don’t write too much.

Remember how we said PR people do not have a lot of time? They don’t — even if they know you. So keep your pitch letter brief and to the point. We recommend two or three solid paragraphs to get the point across and start a conversation.

Include an actual idea in your letter.

If you are going to pitch a PR person, the best thing you can do is include an actual idea for how you plan to frame their product. This accomplishes two things: It alleviates some of the leg-work the publicist has to do and it also gives the publicist an idea of how to get your pitch confirmed with his or her team (yes, PR people also have to get approvals!).

For reference, here is a pitch letter sample!

Dear Anna (make sure you use the person’s name)!

My name is Sarah from ABC YouTube channel. I really enjoyed meeting you at BeautyCon! I hope your vacation last month was amazing and relaxing. I’m writing to gauge your interest in partnering with me for an upcoming video series I am doing.

I am planning to do a three-part video series about celebrity-inspired makeup hacks. With red carpet season coming up, I thought this would be timely and interesting to my subscribers who love my accessible makeup tutorials. I would like to use some of your new products in the video series.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and discussing this idea in more detail. I am happy to hop on a call to discuss more details about the video series. Additionally, please find my media kit attached for your reference.

Best, Sarah

This letter accomplishes a few things:

• It is professional but still personal.
• It is short.
• It gives an actual video idea.
• It leaves the pitch open to discussion
• A media kit is provided (do not make a PR person hunt for your stats!).

Maintain the relationship even when you’re not pitching.

After you work with a brand, don’t ghost on them like a bad boyfriend. Send a quick recap after your content goes live with stats on the number of views, clicks, and any other relevant stats that may be of interest to your PR contact.

Also, don’t forget to occasionally check in with your contact to keep the relationship going. If you see the brand getting good press in the news, reach out with a quick congratulations. Just remember to keep these types of emails very brief and don’t send them too often.

How have you had success pitching to brands?