How to Write a Follow-Up Email for a Brand Collaboration
Didn’t get a response to your kick-ass email? Don’t panic. But, I’m also not going to sugar coat it for you. You will face a lot of rejection when reaching out to brands especially when you’re first starting out.
Does this mean you give up? NO. Does this mean you’re not a worthy influencer? NO. Does this mean you’re never reaching out to a brand again because you’re scared of rejection? HELL NO.
Sometimes, the brand’s inbox is super full and your email got lost. Other times, the brand already chose the influencers they want to work with for their upcoming campaign. And sometimes, you just might not have been the best fit for the brand when you initially reached out.
But, if you feel like you are an excellent match for the brand but didn’t get a response back, then send them a follow-up email! Let me give you some tips on how to send a follow-up email that will get you a response.
Tips for Sending a Follow-Up Email to a Brand
Wait 2 days before sending your follow up email.
This is my golden number because I don’t want to pester the brand by emailing them the next day if I didn’t get an immediate response. (My ADHD makes me really impatient though, hehe.) However, I also don’t want to wait too long for them to forget my initial inquiry. It’s important to stay top of mind.
Provide context and value.
In your follow-up email, remind the brand who you are and why you’re writing them by referencing your previous email.
“Hi ______,
I wanted to follow up on my email I sent you two days ago about collaborating on _______ (insert your collaboration idea here.)”
Then, provide value to demonstrate your worth and to give them a reason to respond to you. You never want to send an email that states you are following up and that’s that. You need to have some sort of persuasive or enticing element to your email that draws them in even more.
You could pitch another content idea, share recent press coverage about you, or share an impressive statistic like your recent reach on a photo or if you made a bunch of affiliate sales on a product lately. Bonus points if your impressive statistic is about the brand! Whatever it is, make sure this value point is super relevant, drool-worthy, and shows the brand how you can benefit them (and what they’re missing out on if they don’t respond to your email and work with you.)
Examples:
“Since I last emailed you, my recent posts have landed on the explore page with a reach of _____ and I gained _____ new followers. With all these new eyes on my content, I’d love to put your brand in the spotlight to drive brand awareness and traffic to your brand!”
“I have another idea I want to pitch to you. I posted a Reel yesterday featuring ____ (insert brand product) and it hit a whopping _____ views! How would you feel about taking advantage of this reach and working with me on _____ (new collab idea)?”
Another thing I’d suggest is to not use the word “just”. “Just” is a minimizing word. Girl, do not downplay yourself, your worth, your potential, and your ideas! Write with intention and with confidence! Okay, mini-rant over.
Instead of: “I’m just following up” (This is unconfident, doubtful energy)
Write: “I wanted to follow up/I am following up/etc.” (This is confident, direct, boss babe energy)
Close your email with optimism.
Lastly, give a little stab at wanting a response from them.
“I look forward to hearing from you!”
“I look forward to hearing your thoughts about (this collaboration/this new idea/etc.)!”
“I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!”
What To Do if the Brand Still Doesn’t Email Back
If the brand still doesn’t respond to your email after you’ve followed up, it may be time to do some internal work and ask yourself some questions.
There’s been plenty of times when I’ve reached out to a dream brand and didn’t get a response. Thankfully, I was able to find the block. The brand aligned perfectly with how I see myself… in my head, like the future self I am trying to be. But, it didn’t align with how I was expressing myself on Instagram at the time. It can be really frustrating to confront yourself with this reality. But, this also means you are now aware of the block between where you are and where you want to be. This awareness will help you understand if you are a good fit at the same time you reach out to the brand and may increase your chances of getting a response back.
Another thing to ask yourself is: does the way I make my content align with what the brand posts? For example, if you want to work with a makeup brand, study the content they post and repost from their followers. More likely than not, their photos and Reels are shot up close, to see the detail of the makeup and application. Some shots might be extremely close up too (these are called goop shots.) Study your own content and see if it aligns, or if it may be too zoomed out.
One last thing to consider is if you have organically posted about the brand on your social media. I already mentioned the importance of this in my blog post about how to pitch yourself to brands. Depending on the brand, this could be a deal-breaker. My tip is to buy something from their new arrivals and post your content with that item quickly. Brands won’t often repost or notice a post from a couple of months or years ago, they are usually focusing on their new arrivals. So, if your content aligns with what they’re currently promoting, you may get noticed by the brand’s account and/or the person in charge of influencer collaborations. Then, you can use this content to further pitch yourself to the brand again.
The big takeaway here: make sure you are aligned with the brand and don’t give up! Keep working on your content, keep reaching out, and keep believing in yourself.
Are You a Microinfluencer Wanting to Level Up?
I’m doing what no other influencer has done before. I’m dishing out influencer business strategies in my new course “Pitch Yourself Now: Strategies and Email Templates for Pitching Yourself to a Brand as an Influencer.” Time to take it up a notch and readjust your strategy to finally get responses to your emails and land your dream partnerships.