How do I pitch a brand as a small creator?

Keep it short and specific. Brands increasingly pick engaged micro creators, so lead with a clear niche, one tailored content idea for their product, and a link showing real work — not your follower count. A tight, personalized note beats a long one every time.

What should a brand pitch include?

Six things: a hook that shows you know them, who you are plus your niche, quick proof you deliver, one specific content idea for their product, a clear ask, and your link. Keep the whole thing under about 120 words so it's readable on a phone.

How long should I wait before following up?

Wait three to five business days, then send one short, friendly follow-up. If that goes quiet, one more nudge a week later is fine. After two follow-ups with no reply, move on — a non-answer is just a no, and there are more brands to pitch.

Should I ask for gifted or paid in the first pitch?

Lead assuming paid — you're a professional offering a service. If a brand only offers gifted product, you can accept selectively to build proof early, but be clear that usage rights and paid work are priced separately. Know your number before you reply so you're not negotiating on the spot.

Does pitching brands cost me a cut of the deal?

Not on Plug Pro. You source your own deals through your own DMs and email, the brand pays you directly through your own accounts, and you keep 100%. Plug is a flat monthly subscription with no per-deal fee — it never touches the money.

How to Pitch to Brands — Step-by-Step + Example

Pitching a brand isn't begging — it's offering a service to a company that pays for content every single day. The creators who land deals aren't the ones with the biggest following; they're the ones who send a short, specific note to the right person, then follow up. Here's the exact process, plus a pitch you can copy.

Before you pitch anyone: make your link pitch-ready

Your pitch ends with a link, and that link does most of the closing. If a brand clicks through to a half-empty profile, the conversation dies there. So set this up first.

Show your best work up top — a few pieces that match the kind of content you'd make for the brand you're pitching.
Name your niche clearly. "Skincare for sensitive skin" is bookable; "lifestyle" is not.
Set your rates (or at least a starting range) so you look like a professional, not a hobbyist.

Set this up once on your creator storefront and every brand you pitch sees the same clear, credible page. New to rates? Start with how to price a brand deal.

Step 1 — Find the right person to send it to

A pitch to a generic info@ inbox rarely lands. You want a real human — usually someone in influencer, social, or brand marketing. Check the brand's LinkedIn, look for a marketing contact on their site, or DM the brand account and ask who handles creator partnerships (the DM itself has its own rules; how to DM brands for collabs has five scripts and the switch to email). Our full walkthrough on how to find brands to pitch covers where to look and how to build a target list worth sending to.

Step 2 — Write a short, personalized pitch

The best pitch is under about 120 words and hits six beats in order:

Hook — one line that proves you actually know their brand. Reference a specific product, launch, or campaign.
Who you are + niche — your name, what you make, and who you make it for.
Proof you deliver — one concrete signal: a result, a past brand, an engagement stat, or "here's a piece I made in this exact style."
One specific idea for THEIR product — this is what separates you from the 50 copy-paste pitches in their inbox. Describe one video or post you'd make.
A clear ask — tell them exactly what you want to happen next.
Your link — the storefront that backs up everything you just said.

Personalize the idea, not just the greeting. Swapping in a brand's name at the top fools no one. The line that earns a reply is a content idea that could only be for them — a hook, a format, an angle tied to their actual product.

A pitch you can copy

Here's the structure filled in, so you can see how tight it should be:

Subject: UGC idea for [Product] — [your niche]

Hi [Name] — I've been using [Product] for a few months and love how [specific detail]. I'm [Your Name], I make short-form UGC for [niche] brands and my videos tend to [one proof point — e.g. strong watch-time].

One idea: a 20-second "unfiltered morning routine" clip built around [Product], shot to feel native to TikTok rather than an ad. I could deliver it in both 9:16 and a cutdown for paid.

Would you be open to a paid collab? Rates and past work are here: getplugpro.com/you. Happy to send more examples.

Thanks! [Your Name]

Don't want to write it from scratch every time? The free UGC pitch email template gives you a fill-in-the-blanks version you can adapt per brand in a minute.

Step 3 — Follow up once or twice

Most pitches don't get answered on the first send — not because the answer is no, but because the inbox is buried. Following up is where the deals actually come from.

Wait three to five business days, then send one short, friendly bump: "Just floating this back up — still happy to put together that [Product] idea if it's useful."
If that's quiet, one more nudge a week later is fine. After two, move on.

The free follow-up email template keeps it polite and low-pressure so you never sound pushy.

Step 4 — Handle the reply

When a brand writes back, be ready so you're not negotiating on the spot.

If they ask your rate, give a clear number or range — don't deflect. Knowing your price in advance is half the battle.
If they offer gifted product only, decide based on your goals. Early on, a selective gifted deal can build proof and a testimonial. But be clear that usage rights and paid work are priced separately — gifted is not a discount on everything.
If it's a yes, lock the terms in writing before you shoot. On Plug Pro you agree the price and deliverables up front, then the brand pays you directly through your own Stripe, PayPal, or Venmo. You source the deal, you keep 100% — no marketplace cut, no middleman touching your money.

Small following? None of this needs a huge account. See brand deals under 10K followers for why engaged micro creators keep winning these.

Start free and get a pitch-ready storefront in minutes — no card, keep 100%.

How to Pitch to Brands (Step-by-Step + Example)