Partnering with an influencer can take many forms, but the success of these influencer collaborations often hinges on one key factor: getting a response to your initial outreach message. Influencers receive numerous emails and brand partnership requests daily, so crafting an effective outreach email that captures their attention and encourages a response is crucial for a successful brand collaboration.
In your initial contact email, it's important to cover several key points:
It's a lot of information to convey, and summarizing it effectively can be challenging. However, with the right strategies—such as personalization and attention-grabbing subject lines—you can significantly increase your reply rate.
In this article, we’ve gathered 6 best practices for influencer outreach emails, tailored into helpful templates for different types of campaigns:
You can choose one of these templates and adjust it to fit your brand and campaign specifics, saving you time while ensuring effective communication with influencers!
A template is a draft that can be used to reach out to multiple influencers or for various campaigns by simply adjusting some variables to personalize it according to your needs and your brand's specifics.
We will provide different templates based on the type of partnership or objectives you want to achieve: whether it's inviting an influencer to an affiliate partnership, offering free products in exchange for a review, inviting them to a brand ambassador program (if you’ve worked with them before), or making a fixed payment offer per post.
What should you do after selecting the right template for your needs?
Additionally, the curly brackets are placeholders which will autofill automatically if you’re using Influencer Hero CRM. For example: The placeholder {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }} will automatically be replaced with the influencer’s first name or the profile handle in case the first name is not available. If you’re not using Influencer Hero, you should add this manually.
Before diving into the different templates for various types of influencer collaborations, let’s review what all influencer outreach emails should include:
Keeping all these elements in mind, let’s see which template better aligns to your needs!
Brands that use influencer gifting see a significant increase in engagement, with 70% of marketers reporting higher engagement rates from influencers who receive free products.
Additionally, the affiliate marketing industry continues to grow and is projected to reach $17 billion by 2024. Brands can leverage its value, as approximately 15-30% of online sales are driven by affiliate marketing channels.
If you’re planning to offer an influencer a free product in exchange for a social media post, consider also providing an affiliate percentage commission on sales generated through their content and a discount code to share with their followers. This approach makes your offer more attractive to influencers and enhances your ability to negotiate, while also encouraging customers to buy through the special discount.
For example, beauty and fashion influencers often receive numerous free makeup and skincare products. They create unboxing posts while sharing their affiliate links to drive sales and earn commissions.
Keep in mind that when working with affiliate and gifting campaigns, influencers are more likely to decline the initial offer and express that they prefer fixed payments or paid partnerships. However, according to our experience, there are several negotiation tips that can help increase your onboarding rate for affiliate partnerships by up to 30%!
SUBJECT LINE: {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }} – [ENTER YOUR BRAND NAME] Partnership
Hi {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }},
{{personalized_sentence}}
My name is [ENTER YOUR NAME] and I’m from [ENTER YOUR COMPANY NAME + LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE]. We are [ADD ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION ABOUT YOUR BRAND].
We are looking for potential partnerships and we love the content on your account {{influencer_handle}}!
It would be awesome if you could test our [ENTER YOUR PRODUCT(CAN BE HELPFUL TO ADD PRODUCT LINK + RETAIL VALUE)].
[HIGHLIGHT YOUR USP AND YOUR PRODUCT IN ONE SENTENCE].
I’m happy to send you one [ENTER YOUR PRODUCT] for you to try out. We also offer a [X]% commission and/or a [X]% discount code to give out to your followers. Please get back to me if you are interested in this opportunity.
Can I send you one of the [ENTER YOUR PRODUCT]?
Thanks!
Best,
[ENTER YOUR NAME]
[Website | Instagram Profile | Facebook | Location]
Giveaways are a great way to maintain influencers engaged with the brand and nurture a long-term relationship with them, while grabbing their audience’s attention. Some benefits giveaways provide to brands include:
For example, for a brand selling baby clothing, a good approach could be to first send free products to Mommy and Family influencers, while also offering them an affiliate commission on sales. After a few months of evaluating performance, select the top 3 to 5 performers to invite for giveaways for their followers.
When choosing which influencers to invite to giveaways, prioritize those who have created high-quality content and demonstrated strong engagement with their audience. Additionally, consider the influencer’s follower count, aiming for those with a substantial audience, ideally over 100 or 200 K followers.
Finally, consider combining giveaways with an affiliate commission. This allows influencers to include their affiliate link in the giveaway caption, encouraging sales while promoting the giveaway.
Find a template below for giveaway proposals with existing influencer relationships.
SUBJECT LINE: {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }} – [ENTER YOUR BRAND NAME] Giveaway Partnership
Hi {{firstname}},
I hope this message finds you well!
It's been a while since our last chat, but it has been wonderful working with you, and we would like to keep our partnership rolling! In this opportunity, we would like to propose a giveaway for your followers!
You would receive:
In exchange, we request [1 Feed Giveaway Post + story] sharing the giveaway and including links.
Please let us know how this sounds to you! We would love to keep working with you.
Best,
[ENTER YOUR NAME]
[Website | Instagram Profile | Facebook | Location]
Alternatively, if you are seeking to collaborate on a giveaway with a new influencer, you can use the following template:
SUBJECT LINE: {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }} – [ENTER YOUR BRAND NAME] Giveaway Partnership
Hi {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }},
{{personalized_sentence}}
My name is [ENTER YOUR NAME] and I’m from [ENTER YOUR COMPANY NAME + LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE]. We are [ADD ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION ABOUT YOUR BRAND].
We are on the lookout for possible partners for a [200 USD] giveaway campaign and out of the thousands of accounts that we reviewed, we think that your amazing posts in {{influencer_handle}} match what we're searching for!
Here’s what is included in the giveaway bundle: [ADD LIST OF PRODUCTS + LINKS AND/OR RETAIL VALUE]
We are looking for long-term partnerships so if this initial post goes well we would love to continue to sponsor your content. For this initial give away post you would receive one bundle of gifts worth [210 USD] for yourself and one bundle to give away. Additionally you will receive [X]% affiliate commission and a [X]% discount for your followers.
Please let us know if you're interested!
Thanks!
Best,
[ENTER YOUR NAME]
[Website | Instagram Profile | Facebook | Location]
In the last couple of years, we’ve noticed an increase in brands adopting influencer paid collaborations. Brands can earn an average of $5.78 for every $1 spent on influencer marketing, highlighting the effectiveness of paid collaborations in driving returns.
We know that influencers typically prefer working with fixed payments and have standard rates for posting content on their social media platforms. Opting for fixed payments can offer several benefits to brands, such as:
Additionally, rates can vary across social media channels. For instance, YouTubers are often more likely to work with brands for fixed payments rather than just commissions, as their videos are more expensive and time-consuming to produce. A brand looking for a full review video or tutorial—such as a crypto company wanting to explain how their platform works, or a food brand seeking integration into a recipe—might prefer to pay per post to ensure the content meets their needs.
So, if your budget allows and you’d like to offer influencers a fixed fee in exchange for their collaboration, here is a template you can use for your outreach. Just keep the following in mind:
SUBJECT: {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }} – [ENTER YOUR BRAND NAME] Paid Partnership
Hi {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }},
{{personalized_sentence}}
My name is [ENTER YOUR NAME] and I’m from [ENTER YOUR COMPANY NAME + LINK TO YOUR WEBSITE]. We are [ADD ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION ABOUT YOUR BRAND].
We are looking for potential partnerships and we love the content on your account {{influencer_handle}}!
For this partnership we’d love to offer you the following:
In exchange we are looking for [EXPRESS DELIVERABLES, such as: “1 Reel + 2 story posts”] featuring the product.
The campaign is about to start and if this is something you are interested in please let us know so we can send you the product and discuss further details!
Best,
[ENTER YOUR NAME]
[Website | Instagram Profile | Facebook | Location]
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Our ultimate long-term goal when working with influencers is to establish a brand ambassador program with those who truly represent our brand, align with our values, and perform well by engaging their audience and creating valuable content.
To achieve this, when working with influencers for the first time, we suggest starting with a trial phase by running different types of collaborations such as affiliate programs, product gifting, or giveaways. Once you’ve worked with them a few times and have assessed their performance in terms of content creation, engagement, and conversions, you can consider inviting them to join a brand ambassador program.
A brand ambassador program is a long-term partnership between a company and influencers who are ideally passionate about the brand. Similar to a loyalty program, influencers are motivated to share a brand they love in exchange for perks and benefits!
Some benefits of a brand ambassador program for brands include:
If you wish to invite top performing influencers from previous campaigns to your brand ambassador program, you can use the template below.
SUBJECT: {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }} – [ENTER YOUR BRAND NAME] Brand Ambassador Program Invitation
Hi [INFLUENCER’S NAME],
Hope you’re doing great!
It has been wonderful working with you, and we would like to keep our partnership rolling! Therefore, we would like to officially invite you to our Brand Ambassador Program!
How would this work? We propose a [3-month] contract (to start with!) in which you’ll receive:
In exchange, we request [ AMOUNT AND TYPE OF DELIVERABLES: 1 Instagram Reel ] per month showcasing our products.
Please let us know how this sounds to you! We would love to keep working with you.
Best,
[ENTER YOUR NAME]
[Website | Instagram Profile | Facebook | Location]
For instance, one of our clients in the health and fitness industry, who has worked with us for over a year, initially focused on affiliate and gifting campaigns. Over six months, they distributed over 250 free products in exchange for posts. During this period, they achieved 230 posts and identified more than 20 high-performing influencers which they invited to join their brand ambassador program.
Through this approach, they secured continued content from top performers over the next three months, with some influencers driving over $3,000 sales with a single post. Throughout this time, the client offered a reduced fixed fee per month in addition to free products, in exchange for consistent monthly posts, maximizing their ROI.
A great example of a brand that effectively utilizes brand ambassadors is Adidas. They partner with renowned athletes across various sports, such as Lionel Messi, David Beckham, James Harden, and Paul Pogba. These high-profile partnerships not only significantly increase the brand’s visibility but also help to build strong and authentic connections with their target audience.
If you’re planning to ask influencers to sign up to your program, so you can then reach out to them with a specific offer, you may find the below template helpful. This may serve as an initial stage to gather a database of influencers who are interested in working with you.
For instance, one of our clients, a food group that owns several high-end restaurants in New York City, created a program called “Dine & Create” and invited hundreds of influencers to participate. Signing up was free, and participants would receive offers to dine at top-rated restaurants in exchange for a social media post. They reached out to 500 influencers and received over 100 sign-ups within a week.
SUBJECT LINE: Join Our Exclusive [NAME OF BRAND + PROGRAM]
Hi [Influencer's Name],
[Personalised sentence]
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I’m from [BRAND NAME]. We collaborate with over [200] influencers in the [Beauty and Fashion] Industry, creating brand partnerships which are mutually beneficial.
We're excited to invite you to be part of our selected partners for our [NAME OF PROGRAM] program! This exclusive experience is limited to only a few creators.
What’s in it for you?
By signing up, you’ll get exciting brand partnership offers which you’ll be able to review in detail.
Ready to join? Sign Up Here! (link to form)
Best,
[ENTER YOUR NAME]
[Website | Instagram Profile | Facebook | Location]
Did you know that influencers who are already familiar with your brand are 8 times more likely to collaborate with you? Some of your existing customers who have purchased your products may also be influencers with a large audience and can be a highly effective partnership opportunity.
Since they already know and appreciate your brand, they are more likely to accept your offer. Additionally, their content creation will appear more authentic and reflect genuine experience.
Influencer Hero offers a search feature that identifies influencers among your existing customers including those from your Shopify orders, newsletter subscribers, or Instagram followers, making it easy to reach out to them.
For example, for one of our clients in the health industry, who sells supplements to support overall health, we identified nearly 8,000 influential customers with over 1,000 followers each. Among these, 3,400 had over 10,000 followers. We reached out to them and achieved a response rate of over 40%.
If you’ve already identified these customers, whether manually or through an integrated influencer management software, effectively reaching out to them is crucial for securing a brand partnership!
SUBJECT LINE: {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }} - [NAME OF BRAND] Partnership Invitation
Hi {{ firstname|default(influencer_handle) }},
My name is [YOUR NAME], from [BRAND NAME AND HYPERLINK]. I was delighted to discover that you are one of our loyal customers, and I've been admiring the content you share on your social media account {{influencer_handle}}.
We wanted to ask if you would be interested in collaborating with us. If there are any products you would be interested in I would be happy to send them your way for free. Additionally, we offer a [COMMISSION PERCENTAGE] commission on sales generated through your link & code and a special discount code to your followers.
If you're interested and this initial collaboration goes well we are open to discussing further sponsorship opportunities as well. Please let me know if you'd like to explore this partnership.
Let me know if you have any questions! :)
Best
[ENTER YOUR NAME]
[Website | Instagram Profile | Facebook | Location]
Regardless of which specific template you use to reach out to influencers, there are some general outreach rules and tips you should always follow to make your message more effective:
Use the Influencer’s Name: Include their name in both the subject line and the body of the email to grab attention from the beginning. Emails with personalized subject lines are 26% more likely to be opened. Tools like Influencer Hero can automate this, or you can add it manually.
Include a Personalized Sentence: Start with a comment about their recent posts to engage them. Influencer Hero’s AI integration can generate personalized sentences based on an influencer’s recent social media activity. Just use the placeholder {{personalized_sentence}} in your template, and the software will automatically insert an engaging sentence.
Influencers receive numerous emails daily, so make your message attractive but brief. According to a study, 66% people prefer shorter emails. Avoid large blocks of text and try to summarize your brand in maximum 2 to 3 sentences. More details can be shared later or found on your website or social media channels.
Keep in mind that the main goal at this stage is to make them read your email until the end, and that won’t happen if it's too long and boring. So keep it engaging and friendly!
Use a clear call to action to gauge interest. Closing your email with a question, such as "Can I send you our product to try out?" or “Would you like to join our Brand Ambassador Program?” encourages a response and easily outlines the next steps.
It’s normal for influencers not to respond to your initial message. Don’t be discouraged! Influencers often reply after 2 to 3 follow-ups due to the high volume of messages they receive. Therefore, we suggest to include up to 3 follow-up emails to remind them of your offer, which can increase your reply rate by up to 40%.
Writing an effective outreach email is just the first step in partnering with an influencer. A successful influencer marketing partnership involves additional steps once they respond, such as negotiation, sending a content brief, finalizing influencer contracts, collecting their posts, processing payments, and tracking their performance. This can be very time-consuming.
That’s why there are numerous influencer outreach platforms available to streamline the entire process. These platforms not only help you find the right influencers but also offer features like automated email flows to make outreach more efficient and easier for you.
They also provide tools to simplify responses through advanced A/B tested templates and Chat GPT Integration, manage contracts, and track performance, saving you valuable time and ensuring a smooth collaboration.
Influencer marketing platforms like Influencer Hero can streamline influencer outreach and campaign management by automating email flows and enabling you to add thousands of influencers to a campaign using an advanced Influencer Finder tool.
One of the main steps to achieving a successful influencer partnership is writing an effective outreach email that captures the influencer’s attention and prompts a response. Once they respond, you can begin negotiating and discussing further details. However, getting a response can be challenging since influencers receive numerous emails from brands every day.
That’s why we aim to simplify this process for you by sharing various outreach templates for different scenarios or brand partnership requests. These templates can be adjusted and tailored to your brand’s needs and campaign specifics.
Additionally, consider general tips and rules for creating an effective outreach email, such as personalizing your email, keeping it short and sweet, including a call to action, and sending follow-ups if you don’t receive a response.
Finally, using an influencer management software can help you create and manage outreach to thousands of influencers aligned with your brand and products and handle the next steps needed to make a collaboration succeed.
Schedule a Demo with one of our media experts below.
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