To email a brand about a collaboration, write to the person who runs creator partnerships, use a subject line that names your idea, keep the body to one specific proposal with proof your audience fits and a clear next step, and sign off with your real business details and an easy way to opt out. Five fill-in templates follow, along with the cold-email rules in the US, UK and Australia that shape every one of them.
Cold-email rules that shape every template
A pitch email offers your paid services, so spam laws treat it as a commercial message. The rules differ by country, and which ones apply can depend on where the recipient is as well as where you are. This table summarises each regulator's guidance as it applies to a one-to-one pitch.
| Where the brand is | What the rules ask of a pitch email | Regulator guidance |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Accurate sender details and subject line, a clear and conspicuous statement that the message is an advertisement (the FTC allows leeway on wording), a valid postal address and an opt-out you honour within 10 business days; business-to-business email is not exempt | FTC CAN-SPAM compliance guide |
| United Kingdom | The PECR email consent rule does not cover companies and LLPs, but you must not hide who you are and must give a valid opt-out address; sole traders and some partnerships need consent, and UK GDPR still covers a named contact's details | ICO business-to-business marketing |
| Australia | Consent is needed, express or inferred; you must identify yourself and include a working unsubscribe honoured within 5 working days; and you cannot send an email to ask for consent | ACMA: avoid sending spam |
Australia is the strictest of the three for cold pitches. The Australian Law Reform Commission's summary of the Spam Act explains that consent cannot be inferred from the mere publication of an address, but can be inferred from the conspicuous publication of some business addresses, such as an employee's or an officer's, provided they are not published with a statement that unsolicited commercial messages are unwanted. Schedule 2 of the Spam Act 2003 sets out when consent may be inferred from a published address. Whether a brand's published partnerships inbox meets that test is a legal question, so keep a note of where you found each address and get advice before relying on it.
These rules are built into every template below:
- Sign with your real name or registered business name; the ACMA says to use your business's legal name, or your own name with your ABN.
- For US recipients, include a postal address. The FTC accepts a post office box registered with the US Postal Service or a private mailbox at a commercial mail receiving agency, so your home address does not have to appear.
- End every email with a plain opt-out line and keep a do-not-contact list that you check before sending.
- Never use bought or scraped address lists; the ACMA says the Spam Act prohibits using lists made with address-harvesting software.
- Make the subject line describe the email honestly, with no fake “Re:” on a first message, and make it plain from the subject and opening lines that this is a commercial proposal.
Template 1: the cold pitch
Pick one subject line and adapt it:
- Paid partnership idea: [your handle] x [brand] for [launch or season]
- [Product] in my [series or format]: a short proposal
- Creator proposal for [campaign or product] from [your handle]
Hi [first name],
I'm [name], a [niche] creator on [platform] at [handle]. [One sentence on what you make and who watches it.]
I noticed [the specific thing the brand is doing now: a launch, a campaign, a store opening]. I'd like to propose [one concrete idea], delivered as [deliverable] during [timing].
Why my audience fits: [one line of evidence from your analytics, with its date], and [one past result or recurring comment that shows interest in this category].
Here is a labelled past partnership: [link]. My media kit is here: [link].
Would a one-page brief and rates for [timing] be useful? If creator partnerships sit with someone else, I'd be grateful for their contact.
[Name] | [business name, plus ABN if you trade in Australia under your own name] | [business email] | [postal address for US recipients]
If you'd rather not hear from me again, reply “no thanks” and I won't contact you about this or anything else.
The research that fills the brackets, and how to choose the idea, is covered in how to pitch brands as an influencer.
Template 2: the follow-up
Send it on the schedule you set in the timing table further down, and add something new rather than simply bumping the thread.
Subject: Re: [your original subject line]
Hi [first name], a quick follow-up on my note about [idea]. Since I wrote, [one new detail: a relevant post that landed well, a date that is getting close, or a sharper version of the idea].
Happy to send a one-page brief if that helps. If now isn't the right time, just say so and I'll close this off.
[Sign-off block and opt-out line as in Template 1]
Template 3: answering “what are your rates?”
Don't reply with a single number. Give options that show what each price includes, built with the rate card worksheet, so the brand compares packages instead of haggling over one figure.
Subject: Rates for [brand]: [deliverable] options
Hi [first name], thanks for asking. Here are three ways we could run this:
- Option A: [deliverable], organic posting on my channels only, [number] revision round, [your fee].
- Option B: [deliverable plus extra pieces], use on your own channels for [period], [your fee].
- Option C: [package], including permission to run the content as paid ads for [period], [your fee].
These rates hold until [date]. Exclusivity, rush turnaround and longer usage are quoted separately. Payment terms: [your terms].
Which of these suits your plans? [Sign-off block]
Template 4: turning a gifted offer into paid work
Use this when a brand offers free product in exchange for content. Mention the ad label either way: the CMA's guidance for content creators treats gifts as payment, and our guide to brand deals for small creators covers when a gifted offer is worth taking.
Subject: Re: [product] for [handle]
Hi [first name], thank you for thinking of me; I'd genuinely like to try [product].
I keep gifts separate from content commitments. If you send it with no strings, I'll only post if I would recommend it, and any post will be labelled as an ad.
If you'd like agreed content on a set date, I offer [deliverable] for [your fee], which includes [usage terms] and [number] revision round.
Let me know which works better for you. [Sign-off block]
Template 5: the renewal email
Send this once the agreed measurement window has closed, with the screenshots attached or linked.
Subject: [Campaign name] results, and an idea for [next launch or season]
Hi [first name], here's the recap for [campaign]: [what went live and when], [the agreed metrics, with screenshots], and [one audience comment or question that stood out].
One thing I'd change next time: [a single improvement].
For [next launch or season], I'd suggest [idea and deliverables]. Shall I send a brief with dates?
[Sign-off block]
Where the renewal sits in the wider deal process, after invoicing and before the next pitch, is mapped in how to get brand deals.
Short versions for DMs and contact forms
Some brands only answer through social inboxes or a website form. The same rules travel with you: the ICO's business-to-business guidance counts direct messages on social media as electronic mail, so identify yourself and offer an opt-out there too. Keep these versions short and move the detail to email once the brand replies.
DM: Hi [brand], I'm [name], a [niche] creator ([handle]). I have an idea for [product or launch]: [one-line idea]. Who is the best person to send a short proposal to? Happy to leave it here if this isn't something you do.
Contact form: Subject: Creator partnership proposal for the marketing team. Message: I'm [name], a [niche] creator at [handle] with an idea for [product or campaign]: [one-line idea and deliverable]. Could this reach whoever manages creator partnerships? My media kit is at [link] and I can be reached at [business email]. Reply “no thanks” and I won't contact you again.
If a brand finds you first through a platform marketplace, reply inside that platform's own inbox, such as Instagram's partnership messages, so the conversation stays attached to the project and its terms.
The follow-up timing table you fill in
No interval is correct for every brand, so choose your own and stick to it. Writing the rule down stops you over-chasing a brand you like and forgetting one you don't. The opt-out deadlines in the table are the legal outer limits for honouring a request, not targets.
| Moment | Your rule | What to send | When to stop |
|---|---|---|---|
| After the cold pitch | [number] working days of silence | Template 2 with one new detail | As soon as they decline or ask you to stop |
| Second follow-up | [number] working days after the first follow-up | A two-line note closing the loop | After this, drop it for the current campaign |
| After “not right now” | [the month or season they mentioned] | A fresh pitch tied to their next launch | If they say no a second time |
| After an opt-out request | Add them to your do-not-contact list the same day | Nothing further | Always; the FTC allows 10 business days and the ACMA 5 working days at most |
| After a finished campaign | [number] days after the measurement window closes | Template 5 with the results recap | If they decline a renewal, until their next launch |
Limitations of these templates
Templates are a starting point, and brands can tell when a message hasn't been personalised. The legal notes summarise regulator guidance for general information and are not legal advice: the rules depend on where you and the recipient are, they change, and other laws such as privacy rules and each platform's messaging terms can apply as well. If you send pitches at any volume, or plan to rely on inferred consent for Australian addresses, speak to a lawyer first.