How to Pitch Yourself to Brands as a UGC Creator
Alright, let me guess!! You feel like you’ve perfected your content style, you’ve created a portfolio you absolutely love, and now you’re think you’re ready to start pitching, buttttt you’re a little scared that you won’t land any brand deals (especially ones that are PAID)?
Yuppp, I knew it! And before I even give my feedback on that let me first start by saying CONGRATS, WTF!
You’ve made it sooo much further than a lot of people ever will, and that alone deserves a huge round of applause, pat on the back, a shot of tequila, lol.. literally whatever your preferred way of celebrating yourself is you deserve to do it! In fact, let’s take a 20 second break to do that right now!
*20 second pause*
PERIODDD! Now…
Getting brands to say yes to working with you is honestly not as hard as people think. All you need is confidence and a solid pitching strategy!
Confidence is… well, should be the easy part! And if you’ve made it this far, I refuse to believe you don’t have any so no need to talk much about that. What we shoulddd be talking about, is your pitching strategy. THAT’S the tricky part.
Lucky for you though, I’m here to teach you all about it by breaking down the exact process I used to not only land me my first paid brand deal within 2 weeks of starting UGC, but it also helped me secured me my first 4 figure month within less than 90 days of sending out my first ever outbound email!
Pretty impressive right? I think so too! Let’s get into it (:
Step 1: Finding Brands to Pitch To
First and foremost it’s important to seek out brands that are already investing in UGC. This is not only going to save you SO much time but it’ll save you from the heartbreak of getting a bunch of “no’s” in your inbox, or even worse.. being ghosted. When looking for a potential brand it’s best to do follow these three steps:
1. Search Instagram Sponsored Posts
When scrolling through your insta timeline, I’m sure you’ve noticed how every 3rd or 4th post on your feed is typically an ad looking “sponsored” post. Pretty annoying right? I know, I know but it’s only annoying when you’re not using it to your advantage.
From a UGC creator viewpoint, these are goldennn, so learn to LOVE these because 9/10, if you reach out to a brand you discover from a sponsored post, you’re much more likely to receive a response!
Why is this though?
Well, if a brand is paying for ads, then that means they have an active marketing budget, and they’re more than likely in need of fresh content so they love when new faces appear in their inbox!
2. Check Their Feed
Okay boom, next up it’s time to head over to their page and see if they post a lot of UGC styled content? Hopefully the answer to that question is yes, because if so, that’s a huge green flag! Follow them… like right now!
3. Follow & Engage
Chances are they’re on the hunt for creators like you so I suggest for the next two or three days engage with them!
Like a post, comment something cute and supportive, things like that! This will help them become more familiar with you and increase the chances of them opening your DM.
Step 2: Sliding in the DMs
Once you’ve engaged for a few days, it’s time for you to make your move! Since we’re just in the DM’s we’re gonna keep it short and direct, but still very nice and personalized because you don’t want to sound like it’s a generic template that you’re just batch sending out to multiple brands a day (even though that’s lowkey kinda what we’re doing LOL). Something like this is good:
“Hey [Brand Name], I love what you’re doing with [specific product or campaign]! I’m a UGC creator who specializes in engaging, high-converting content, and I’d love to collaborate. Do you work with UGC creators? I’d love to connect ??
What’s a good marketing email I can send more info to?”
This pitch works well for a number of reasons. It’s:
- Conversational
- Shows a genuine interest
- Makes it super easy for them to respond
- Set’s you up for success because if they respond giving you their email, the ball is now in your court! Instead of waiting for them to (hopefully) reach out via email, it’s all on you!
Step 3: Sending The Email Pitch
Hopefully this is common sense, but you should never ever ever be trying to negotiate the terms of a brand deal in the DM’s (hence why we asked for an email content when we sent our initial pitch).
Communication via email is always going to be preferred. It’s way more professional and it reduces the chances of you getting overlooked. Imagine how many people are sending brand DM’s on insta.. your thread can get pushed to the bottom in a matter of a day and you know what they say right? Outta sight, outta mind. So no, we’re emailing and showing the brand exactly how professional and confident we are as a creator…PERIOD!
What kinda friend would I be if I sat here and pretended that email anxiety isn’t real, because IT DEF IS! But have no fear, you’re in good hands babe, and I’ll walk you through every detail so that you’re able to push send without having the God awful mini panic attack every creator has had once or twice before (whether they admit it or not, lol).
I’ll say this one time and one time only… DO NOT EVER send a brand an email without doing these three things:
1. Researching Their Products
Just take a few minters to scroll through the products listed on their website and pick out 1 or 2 that you would love to create content around.
2. Brainstorming Content Ideas
I like to create 3 separate video ideas that fit the brand voice and also align seamlessly with the types of videos they have posted on their page. Don’t let this confuse you though. Just because you’re curating concepts that align with their current campaign style, it doesn’t mean you can’t come up with something original!
Brand voice and keeping their identity consistent when creating new concept ideas isn’t solely just based on the idea alone. Things like editing style, lighting, location, etc. also play a major part in the outcome of the video so don’t be afraid to think outside of the box here because that’s what’s going to make you stand out the most!
Also…. Don’t be afraid to use ChatGPT! I used to be so afraid to do this because I thought the ideas would be too generic, but even if you don’t use the concept ideas they give you 100%, you can still use that as a foundation or a little fire started to something you come up with on your own. ChatGPT is an amazing FREE resource to have, so don’t sleep on it!!
3. Using a Strong Pitch Template
You’re crazy af if you think we are typing a new email every time we reach out to a brand.. Absolutely not, that’s such a waste of time!
When I reach out to brands, I use the same fill-in-the-blank template that I just tweak for personalization! I find it’s super easy and so much more time effective than drafting new emails every time I want to do brand outreach.
A full run down would be too much to pack into one blog post, but to sum it up for you the pitch I use includes:
- A small intro that reiterates who I am
- A few reasons why I love their brand
- My 3 content ideas
- A strong call to action (ex: “I would love to discuss if this aligns with your content needs and if interested, I’d even be open to sharing a script with you within the next 48 hours!”)
a little side note.. there’s a downloadable copy of the EXACT pitch template I use available in my stan store for only $7 bucks! butttt, because I have such a special place in my heart for my blog community, i created a special access link that’ll give you the template FREE!
just let me know what email address to send it to and the access link is all yours babe <3
already a member? perfect! still drop your email (don’t worry, you won’t be signed up twice)
Step 4: Closing the Deal
After you get the initial response (because my pitch will definitely make that happen for you), here’s what you’re gonna do to close the deal:
1. Ask About Their Needs
Even though they’re replying with interest, don’t just assume that your video concepts align- because there’s a chance they might not.
I know you’re super excited but instead of jumping the gun and trying to move forward right away, simply ask: “Do these content ideas align with what you’re looking for? If not, what are your current content needs?”
This way in the instance that the idea’s aren’t totally what they want, you’ll save yourself some time in the long run. Nine times out of 10, if the brand wants you to do something more specific they would let you know right away, but better safe than sorry so I always like to ask anyways!
2. Quote Deliverables & Rate
It’s likely that in the response they’ll ask your rates. If they provide details on the deliverables they want, respond with:
- Your rate
- Estimated turnaround time
In the instance that they don’t share the details of the desired deliverables, I always suggest asking what they want before giving out a quote! Keep it simple, just say something like “My rates vary depending on the project, so to ensure the best rate for our collab I’d love to know a few more details about your desired deliverables!”
Then once they reply, you can go ahead and quote them accordingly and provide them with your estimated turnaround time!
3. Sign the Contract
After a price has been agreed on, make sure there is a clear contract set in place. If they don’t send you one, it’s always best to have one of your own! This way, in the instance that there is bad business you are 100% covered.
And boom! Just like that you’ve just secured your first paid UGC deal and it’s time to start creating!!!! I’m sooo excited for you and I literally can’t wait to hear all about how it goes <3
As always, LOVE YALL FOREVER and I will see ya in a few days with more of my two cents on navigating a successful career as a content creator!
-xoxo, Dru