Imogen films 90-second videos about cooking over a camp stove. She sent 40 emails to outdoor brands that said "I'd love to collaborate!" and got two replies. Both asked the same thing: "What did you have in mind?" She hadn't said, because she didn't know yet. That's the whole problem with most brand collaboration emails, and the fix is one specific content idea per brand. Below are three templates built around that: the pitch, the follow-up, and the reply to "what's your rate?"

Who at the brand reads this

Write to a person, not an inbox called info@. The usual titles, in rough order of likelihood: partnerships manager, creator or influencer marketing manager, social media manager, brand manager. At a brand with fewer than ten people, it's often the founder, who is also the person who picks the content ideas.

Where to find the name: the brand's site footer or "partners" page (some have a creator application you should use first), the email in their Instagram bio, or a search on LinkedIn for "partnerships" plus the brand name. If you can't find a person after ten minutes, use the partnership address and put a first name in the opening line only if you're sure of it. Wrong names are worse than no name.

Email 1: the pitch with one specific idea

Use this the first time you write to a brand. It names the idea, shows one piece of proof, and asks a single question.

Subject: Idea for Kestrel Hollow: one-pan trail breakfasts

Hi Dana,

I make short videos about cooking on a camp stove (about 18,000 followers; my last three videos averaged 41,000 views). I've been cooking with your 10-inch skillet for a few months, and I think there's a good video in "three breakfasts, one pan, no cleanup."

I'd shoot it in one morning at a campsite and send you the raw clips along with the finished cut. Here's a recent video in the same style: [link]. My media kit is here: [link].

Is this something your team would want to look at?

Imogen Brandt
Trail Table | trailtable.example

Why it works: Dana can say yes or no in a sentence. The idea is tied to a product the creator already uses, which makes it believable. The numbers are specific, and the link goes to a video, not a profile.

Variation: if the brand has a creator program, write the pitch in its application and send this as a short email afterward: "I applied last Tuesday and wanted to put a face to the idea."

Email 2: the follow-up that adds something new

Send it five to seven days after the first, and only once. Don't write "just checking in." Add a thing the first email didn't have: a rough title card, a second idea, a number from a new video.

Subject: Re: Idea for Kestrel Hollow: one-pan trail breakfasts

Hi Dana,

Quick addition: I put together a 15-second test cut of the first scene, with the skillet and a fried egg on a windy ridge. Link: [link].

If this isn't the right time, tell me and I'll keep my ideas for the fall catalog instead. And if the right person is someone else on the team, I'd appreciate a name.

Imogen

Why it works: it gives her something to react to rather than a reminder. It also gives two easy exits. People answer a "no, not now" far faster than they answer a vague nudge.

Variation: a third and final message, ten days later, one sentence long: "I'll stop here. If one-pan breakfasts come up later, I'm easy to find." More on pacing in cold email follow-up sequence.

Email 3: replying to "what's your rate?"

This is the email most guides skip, and it's where creators lose money. When a brand asks for a rate, you can answer with a price or you can ask for their budget first. Both are reasonable. Pick based on whether you know what the work is worth.

Here's the version with a quote. The numbers are an example; use your own.

Subject: Re: Rate for the one-pan breakfast video

Hi Dana,

Thanks for asking. For the concept we talked about:

One 60 to 90 second video, filmed on location: $1,200.
Three story frames to go with it: $300.
Includes two rounds of edits, 30 days of paid use on your channels, and the raw clips. Extra paid use is 25% of the video fee for each additional 90 days.
50% upfront, 50% on delivery. I'll disclose the partnership in the caption as the FTC asks.

If you have a budget range in mind, tell me and I'll shape the plan to fit.

Imogen

Check the arithmetic: $1,200 plus $300 is $1,500, so the upfront half is $750. A 90-day extension of paid use adds $300.

If you don't know your number yet, answer with a question: "I'd rather build the plan to fit. Do you have a budget range for this?" Write down what they say, and set your price from there next time.

What to leave out

  • Attachments on a first email. Link to a media kit instead.
  • The word "exposure" in anything that sounds like payment.
  • Free product as the whole deal, unless you've decided that's what you want.
  • A list of five ideas. One idea reads as a plan; five reads as a menu.

Because a pitch like this is a commercial email, US law (CAN-SPAM) expects an accurate sender, a physical mailing address and an easy way to opt out in what you send. Put a short line under your signature, such as "Reply 'stop' and I won't write again." The FTC also expects paid or gifted posts to be disclosed. This is general information, not legal advice.

Tracking brands in a sheet

Keep one row per brand. Columns: brand, contact name and title, email, the idea you pitched, date sent, follow-up due, status (waiting, replied, passed, booked) and quoted rate. After 25 brands, look at which ideas got replies. If every reply was to a product you actually use, that's your rule for the next 25. The pitches in cold email opening lines help you write the opening sentence faster, and how to choose a first offer covers what to ask for when an idea alone isn't enough.

The same approach works for creators who shoot for businesses. How to get clients as a videographer and as a photographer cover that side, and personalization at low volume shows how to find a believable opening for each name.

Finding the right contact at 25 brands is the slow part. Rocketship finds the buyers, emails them from your own Gmail, follows up, and books the meeting on its own. Plans that get you customers start at $24.99 a month (Launch), and both Launch and Frontier start with a 7-day free trial, card required. See how the AI workers handle that part.