No matter how good you are as a YouTube creator or how many followers you have, you cannot afford to wait for brands to notice you. If you want to get sponsorship deals, you should be proactive in reaching out to brands. Additionally, you need to position yourself to find and negotiate a YouTube brand deal.

When reaching out to brands, you should do more than just DM a brand and hope for the best. You should present yourself in a way that makes the brand feel you are the best option for them. In this article, we will guide you on how to pitch brands and even get them to notice you.

How to Reach Out to Brands for Potential Collaborations

Perhaps you have already mentioned your preferred brands in your shorts or long-form videos, hoping they will take notice and ask you to collaborate. You may have even tagged them in your videos. While these are steps in the right direction, the likelihood of securing brand deals from such efforts is low. After all, there may be several creators using the same strategy.

Instead of using such a blind brand strategy, you need to be proactive. Be sure to create a thoughtful pitch that will make brands notice you. When doing that, a good method is using email rather than social media DMs. 

Here are the steps to follow when pitching to brands as a YouTube creator:

Strategic Brand Selection

The perfect partnership programs are those created from a genuine belief in the brand’s products. According to one study, 83% of brands say they consider a genuine love for their products as a sign of a potentially successful partnership. Partnering with your favorite brands can add a feeling of trust and authenticity, which can increase your audience’s engagement and enable you to deliver better results. This can also reinforce your personal brand.

When you collaborate with a brand you truly believe in, your followers will take note, just as they do with fake collaborations. This is despite the fact that you want to connect with your audience in an authentic way. The best collabs are those where the brand feels natural with yours. 

You can narrow your partnership in two ways:

Content Niche

Consider the topics you create content on. For instance, if you create fashion content, you might want to partner with clothing brands. Other brands that can fit include career development and lifestyle. 

Avoid limiting yourself to one niche. For instance, if you are in the beauty niche, you can partner with spa services, food products, and skincare brands.

However, avoid partnerships with brands that will feel forced. For instance, if you are a creator of tech videos, partnering with a clothing brand may feel inauthentic and forced. This can have negative consequences in an era when authentic content is winning over polished content.

Create a List of Your Target Companies

You can now shortlist your companies using different factors, such as:

• Alignment with your content themes, as noted in the previous point.
• Ability to generate your audience's interest. Take note of the videos or posts getting the highest engagement.
• Products you have experience with. This will make the recommendation feel authentic.

Find the Contact Person

You will need to find the contact of the person responsible for approving brand collaborations. You can find that through different methods, such as:

• LinkedIn Search. This can provide you with the professionals of the marketing professionals at the company. When using this method, take note of who works for the brand, the partnership head, the content head, and the head of social media marketing. Check whether you can find their names and email addresses so you can customize the pitch.
• Leverage creator platforms. Platforms such as impact.com allow creators to search, filter, and apply for campaigns that match their audience's needs. It is, therefore, a good place to find local partners to work with.
• Check the brand’s website. This may provide important details of the right team members to contact. At times, you may find the email address under Our Emails or the Contact US page.

Create an Outstanding Brand Collaboration Sales Pitch

You can now create a sales pitch highlighting what you have to offer and why you believe you are the perfect match for the brand. 

Some of the details to include in the sales pitch are:

• A quick introduction about yourself.
• A link to your social media profiles.
• Your platform analytics and follow-up details,
• Industry experience.
• Customized list of content deals.
• Previous successful collaborations.

Make sure the pitch is short and sweet. Also, be direct to evolve the brand to respond. You can also use the following tips to increase your chances of success with the brand pitch.

Create a Media Kit

Add a media kit that will set you apart from the competition. A media kit works the same way as a resume, showcasing your skills, campaign results, and experience. 

An outstanding media kit should consist of:

• A bio. Talk about yourself, your background, and your expertise. Share your social media profile.
• Content samples. You should add a screenshot consisting of your recent Instagram reels, posts, and other content you may have published.
• Performance metrics. Showcase your performance metrics, such as follower growth, likes, comments, shares, and conversion rate.
• Testimonials. If you have any customer reviews, share them with the potential brand.
• Rate cards. Share some rates so that the potential brand can determine if you fit within their budget.

When well created, a media kit can help you show the value you can offer the brand and the expectations they should have.

Ensure the Pitch is Tailored to the Brand

If you use a cookie-cutter pitch, you are unlikely to achieve the results you want. Therefore, ensure you customize the pitch to each brand's needs. 

You can use the following tips to do that:

• Address the person you are reaching out to by their name.
• Reference a certain campaign or product that can resonate with your brand.
• Focus on metrics such as follower count, past clients, and audience demographics.

Ensure you understand well the value you are offering and how it aligns with the brand’s needs. Having a personalized pitch can help you stand out from the competition.

Fast and Efficient Communication

When the brand doesn't respond, don't give up yet. Following up can be a powerful tool to land that deal. On the other hand, when you get the deal, deliver gold and exceed their expectations. According to one study, 43% of brands say they would have no problem committing to a long-term partnership once they realize a creator offers fast, professional communication.

On the other hand, if you ghost brands, they will not want partnerships with you in the future. Therefore, build relationships with the brand by responding quickly, professionally, and clearly.

Pursue the Smaller Brands Too

Many creators often focus on the big brands with well-developed influencer marketing programs. If you target the same brands, it will mean more competition for you. On the other hand, smaller brands don't get many applications from other brands, which means less competition.

According to one study, 81% of brands with influencer programs are approached by fewer than five creators weekly. That means when you pitch to them, your pitch is less likely to get lost in the brand inbox or get ignored.

A good idea would be to begin by researching brands with smaller or no influencer programs. These are likely to attract fewer creators, providing better opportunities for future brand collaborations.

Top Tips on Pitching Brands on YouTube

To increase your chances of success when pitching brands on YouTube, use the following tips:

• Don't give up. If you don't get a response, don't assume that your pitch has been rejected. Remember that brands often receive tons of applications, and they have to filter them to find their perfect match. At times, your email may get filtered into the spam folder. Therefore, follow up after 7 to 10 days if you don't get the initial response.
• Keep analyzing and optimizing. Check your media kit to see whether it clearly communicates the benefit you offer to your brand. Is your channel presented in a way that meets the expectations of brands? You can experiment with different email formats.
• Avoid limiting yourself to a single outreach method. You should combine the email outreach with other methods, such as social media DMs and even networking. The more visibility you get, the better your chances of getting discovered. This is important as even the big bloggers started from zero, and the remaining persistent ones can make people believe in your brand.

In Conclusion

If you want to increase your chances of getting brand collaborations, you need to be proactive, which can be a key step in building long-term relationships. Instead of waiting for brands to reach out, go ahead and pitch first. 

Start by pricing your favorite brands. After that, you can go ahead and find other brands seeking authentic content that resonates with their audiences. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can successfully pitch to brands.