How to Contact Influencers (and Actually Get a Yes)

You've spent days on discovery, checked audiences and engagement, and now your spreadsheet holds a list of creators who look just right for your brand. Finding them was half the job. The other half is to contact them and get them to say yes, and this is where many campaigns quietly stall, because some creators receive far more brand pitches than they could ever answer.

In this guide, I'll show you how to reach out to influencers step by step, which channels and tools to use, what to write in the first message and how to follow up. I'll also share the nuances that decide whether a creator replies and the mistakes that most often cost brands the collaboration.

If you'd rather watch than read, our CEO Alexander Frolov explains the basics in How to Do Influencer Outreach That Actually Works.

Before you reach out: know your offer

Before sending anything, make sure the basic details are already clear on your side. You should know what kind of collaboration you have in mind (paid post, gifting, affiliate, ambassador program or event), what the creator would be expected to do, when you want the content to go live, and what budget or compensation model you can offer.

Even a short outreach message becomes stronger when these points are already thought through. It helps you explain the opportunity more clearly and avoids the slow back and forth that often causes early conversations to lose momentum. That's why I recommend putting it all into a short campaign brief before you write to anyone. You'll also be ready when creators ask for details, which many do in their very first reply.

My colleague Mikhail Grigoriev, Head of Content at HypeAuditor, puts it this way: "Before you contact any influencer, write down three things: what you want them to create, what you are prepared to pay, and how you will judge success. If you cannot put that on one page, you are not ready to contact them yet."

Our CEO, Alexander Frolov, puts budget first: "I think companies should be honest with themselves about budget before they ever send a proposal. You cannot approach an influencer like a premium partner and then negotiate like you are buying banner ads. If you want quality work and real involvement, the budget and the expectations have to match."

As I like to say, good negotiations start long before you talk about the fee. If you've done your segmentation, you know the audience match, and you walk in with a realistic scope, the money part becomes a lot less dramatic. Problems appear when marketers try to fix unclear strategy with aggressive negotiation, which never works long term.

Step 1. Decide which creators to contact first

The most effective outreach strategy is not contacting everyone at once. Start with creators who look strongest across three indicators: audience fit, content fit, and the likelihood of a smooth partnership.

For audience fit, look for creators whose followers resemble the people your product is meant for. If their audience already talks about topics related to your niche, the collaboration feels natural and authentic. For content fit, check whether your product would realistically appear in their content. Creators who already produce content related to your category can integrate your brand more easily, which usually leads to better engagement. And for a smooth partnership, look for proof that the creator is comfortable working with brands. Past partnerships, clear contact information, or well-structured sponsored posts often indicate that they understand how collaborations work.

Prioritizing creators with these indicators usually produces better results than hunting the biggest accounts first. Large creators receive far more outreach, while mid-size or niche creators often respond faster and produce more authentic collaborations. My colleague Nick Baklanov, Marketing Intelligence Analyst at HypeAuditor, sees the same thing in the data: "When you look at enough campaigns, you see the same pattern: brands that contact fewer influencers but choose them carefully get better results than those doing mass outreach. If the audience match is strong and the message is relevant, you don't need a huge list, you need the right list."

That's why the brief comes first. Gifting, a paid post and an affiliate deal call for different creators, and your budget decides which creator sizes are realistic. Once those are settled, build your list with influencer discovery, filtering by audience country, age, interests and engagement instead of solely paying attention to follower count.

Then scroll their recent posts and see what kind of sponsorships they already do. Are they doing deep, story-led integrations or quick shout-outs? Do they tend to work with your category? This helps you approach them with something that makes sense instead of a random idea. After you've scanned their feed manually, a quick check in Influencer Analytics can show which brands they've partnered with recently and how their sponsored posts perform, so you avoid conflicts and pick creators whose style actually works for your product.

Step 2. Choose the right channel

The right contact channel depends on how the creator handles brand inquiries. Instead of sending the same kind of message everywhere, start by checking how they prefer to receive business requests. This gives your outreach a better chance of being seen and taken seriously.

When HypeAuditor surveyed 1,674 influencers, 52.1% said they prefer brands to reach out by email and 40.3% by direct message. Phone calls, public comments and talent agencies together got under 7%.

In practice, go through the creator's contact options in this order:

Following the creator's preferred contact path makes the outreach feel more professional and improves the chances of getting a response. Contact habits also vary. Some creators centralize brand communication through the Email button in their bio, while others monitor WhatsApp more closely, and those on Creator Marketplace may check it more often during busy campaign seasons. If the email isn't in the bio, it can often still be found. Here are 11 ways to find a creator's Instagram email.

How to contact influencers on TikTok and YouTube

Most examples in this guide come from Instagram, but the logic is the same on other platforms. On TikTok, creators who work with brands usually put a business email in their bio or behind the link in bio. TikTok DMs are less reliable for a first touch, because many creators limit who can message them, so email works better here. TikTok also has its own creator marketplace, TikTok One, where brands can find creators open to paid collaborations and contact them inside the platform. On YouTube, open the channel's About section. Many creators list a business email there, which you can see after signing in, and video descriptions often name the manager or agency that handles sponsorships.

How you contact an influencer often depends on their size, too. Micro-influencers usually manage their own inbox, so DMs are often effective. Macro-influencers often direct brands to their managers, who handle negotiations and filter opportunities. Mega-influencers work primarily with agencies that coordinate all communication and partnerships. You can usually tell if a creator is self-managed or represented by checking their bio. If it lists a manager or agency contact, keep your tone formal and brief because managers prefer facts over small talk. For self-managed influencers, a more conversational tone works better since you're speaking directly with them.

Plan your follow-ups

Whichever channel you start with, plan to follow up. Creators often miss the first message, and a follow-up is frequently what gets the reply. I explain how many follow-ups to send, when and how to automate them in the guide to influencer outreach in HypeAuditor.

A follow-up doesn't have to be another email. A proven combo is to send a short email, then follow with a DM saying "Sent you an email about a potential collab." This makes you look organized and doubles your visibility without being pushy.

Send from a real person

For sponsored partnerships, the sender matters more than many companies think. A message usually feels more credible when it comes from a company email, a partnerships lead, an agency representative, or someone clearly tied to the brand. It gives the creator confidence that the offer is real and that the process behind it is organized. A message from a logo account or a free email address, such as yourbrand.collabs@gmail.com, makes the same offer look less serious. As one talent manager put it on Reddit, "have a professional email, not a free Gmail or Yahoo."

If the outreach comes from a personal account, it should still be obvious who that person is and what role they play. If your brand account is small or inactive, message from your founder, marketing lead, or someone with a more established presence. Creators open DMs from real humans more than from logo accounts.

When warming up a creator is worth it

Warming up a creator before the first message, with a thoughtful comment on a recent post or a reply to a Story, sounds good on paper, but it works only in one case. Large accounts get thousands of likes and comments, and you won't stand out among them, especially in a short time. If you need dozens or hundreds of creators, it's too many manual actions to pay off. Where it does work is when you're looking for a few micro-creators: they get few comments, so they'll notice yours, and commenting on a handful of accounts by hand is easy. Even then, don't pitch in a Story reply, it feels too casual for a first proposal. And keep your interactions natural, because reacting to every Story or leaving multiple comments in a row can come across as trying too hard.

Pick the right time

Timing also plays a part. Avoid reaching out late at night or on weekends, when most creators are either offline or busy posting their own content. Try messaging during weekday mornings based on their time zone and posting habits, because that's when they're most likely to check inquiries. For DMs, the few hours after they post content work well. Creators are already inside the app replying to comments and checking engagement, which increases the chance of noticing new messages.

Timing also means the season. Seasonal campaigns need outreach months ahead. If you need creators for Black Friday, start in August, not at the end of October. By then the best creators have already filled their calendars with other brands.

Make sure your DM gets seen

A DM lands right where influencers already spend a lot of time every day, but only if the creator opens it. Creators often tap the sender's profile before opening a message to decide whether it looks legitimate or worth their time. If the account looks empty, anonymous, or inactive, many messages get skipped without being opened. Your profile should make it clear at a glance who you are, what your brand is about, and that the account is active and real, with a few recent posts, a profile photo and visible activity.

On most platforms, influencers see a preview of your DM before they decide to open it, so the first line matters more than the rest of the message. If the preview is just emojis, "hi, how are you," or a naked link, it blends in with spam. "If your outreach depends on them seeing your DM, then make the preview line work for you," says Mikhail Grigoriev. "The first 5–6 words decide whether they tap or scroll. Don't waste it on greetings." Influencers are also more likely to open DMs that look simple and manageable, while walls of text usually get skipped.

Keep in mind where your DM actually lands. On Instagram, a message from an account the creator doesn't follow goes to Message requests, a separate folder that many creators check far less often than their main inbox. That's one more reason to start with email when there is one, and to keep the DM short enough to work as a preview.

One more thing to keep in mind is how your brand behaves across accounts. Messaging the same influencer from several profiles, or having multiple team members DM them separately, makes your outreach look disorganized and sometimes even suspicious. It is better to have one clear thread from one credible account. Email works the same way: when two colleagues pitch the same creator from different mailboxes, the creator sees chaos, not a brand. That's why a team needs a creator CRM and an outreach tool with a shared inbox. In HypeAuditor, you can connect several mailboxes to one outreach inbox and keep every conversation with a creator in one place, so everyone sees who has already written to whom.

Also remember that editing your message after sending does not trigger a new notification, so it is better to send a short and clear follow-up than silently "fix" what they never saw. If there is still no reply after a reasonable time, one polite follow-up is enough. After that, it is better to switch to the listed contact method or move on instead of continuing to send messages in the same inbox.

Step 3. Write a first message that gets a reply

A good first message does not need to be long. In most cases, it works better when it gives just enough information for the creator to understand who you are, why you are reaching out, and what kind of opportunity you have in mind. The goal is not to explain the full campaign right away, but to start a clear conversation. I recommend keeping it to one or two short paragraphs that a creator can read on a phone without scrolling.

Ayu Dewi, Content Marketing Writer at HypeAuditor, sums up what most brands are really asking: "Most of the time, 'how do I get in contact with an influencer' is really 'how do I not look weird in their inbox.' A short intro, a real profile, and a clear reason you're reaching out already put you ahead of half the messages they get."

A practical first message usually includes these parts:

1. Who you are. Start with your name, your company, or the brand you represent. This helps the creator understand right away that the message is professional and not random.

2. Why you chose them. Mention something specific about their content, audience, or style. Keep it honest and brief.

3. What the collaboration is about. Say what type of partnership you are exploring, for example a paid collaboration, product promotion, event invite, gifting, or longer-term partnership.

4. The most important context. If relevant, include one key detail such as the campaign topic, product category, or target timing.

5. One clear next step. End with an easy question, such as whether they would be open to hearing more or what their rates are for a specific deliverable.

For example: "Hi, I'm [Name] from [Brand]. I came across your content on [topic] and liked how clearly you explain it to your audience. We're planning a paid collaboration around [product or campaign] and thought your content could be a strong fit. Would you be open to hearing more details?" This kind of message works well because it is direct, relevant, and easy to reply to.

When an influencer opens your message, they should be able to understand the offer within seconds. A clear explanation answers three questions right away: what the product or service actually is, who it is designed for, and why it fits their content style. Don't just say what the product is, say what makes it special, because you have to sell it to the creator first. As HypeAuditor's CEO Alexander Frolov says, "If you approach influencers the same way you approach any other business partner, things usually go well. Show them the product, the numbers, and the plan. Professionals respond to professionalism, and influencers are no different."

Creators told us what they want to see in that first message. In HypeAuditor's Influencer Outreach Survey of 1,674 influencers (2021), 61.2% said they want information about the product or service, 58.7% want to know the budget and deliverables, 51.6% want to know about the business itself, and 51.1% want to understand the campaign format.

One of the easiest ways to lose an influencer's interest is by hiding or hinting at your budget instead of being honest. You do not always need to share exact numbers in the first message, but giving a clear range or at least stating that it is a paid collaboration sets the tone and shows you are serious. I recommend saying it right in the subject line, for example [PAID] or [GIFTING]. Make clear what's in it for the creator, whether it's payment, early access to the product, an event invite or a commission.

Show that you've done your research. Point to a recent post, a theme they care about, or a specific audience fit. This small touch shows effort and instantly separates you from brands sending mass messages. Only 25.6% of influencers in our survey said most brand messages they get are personalized, so this alone sets you apart. Maria Marques, Regional Marketing Manager at HypeAuditor, takes it one step further: "If you want a creator to notice your DM, write it in a way that speaks to their motivation; especially if they have a clear passion, community focus, or style that sets them apart. Then show how your collaboration could strengthen that story or cause."

Social proof helps too. Creators respond faster when they see you've worked with brands or influencers they recognize. A quick mention of past collaborations or audience overlap, for example "our main audience overlaps 70% with yours," gives them a reason to take you seriously right away.

Then make a single, specific request, like rates for named deliverables, not "How much do you charge?" One focused ask gets better results than several at once. Keep the first ask small, because "Open to testing our product?" is easier to say yes to than a three-month campaign. Leave out links and attachments, which raise the chance of landing in spam, and send the brief once the creator replies. And let influencers express it in their own style. Creators know how to talk to their audience, and you'll get better content and results when the message sounds totally like them.

I break all of this down, with a ready-to-use template, in the influencer outreach email template I recommend. For the subject line, see my subject line formula. And if you want ready-made messages to adapt for different situations, from an Instagram DM to a follow-up or a reply to a creator's rates, take them from our collection of influencer outreach templates.

Adapt the message to the deal

Not every partnership should be introduced in the same way. The strongest outreach usually changes depending on what kind of deal you are actually offering:

The deal type shapes what the creator needs to understand first. When the opening reflects the type of deal you are offering, the message becomes easier to trust and easier to respond to.

Start small

Not every outreach needs to start with a large paid campaign. Many successful brand partnerships begin with smaller formats that allow both sides to test the collaboration first. Product gifting can work well when the product itself is interesting or highly relevant to the creator's audience. Free trials or service experiences work particularly well for software, hospitality, beauty services, or fitness programs, because a real experience gives the creator something authentic to talk about. An affiliate collaboration can be attractive when the creator already recommends products in your category. Some brands start with a small paid test, one post or short-form video, to see how the collaboration performs. And for local businesses or experiential products, inviting creators to visit, attend a launch, or see the brand in person often leads to more natural content. The key is choosing a format that fits both the product and the creator's style. When the offer feels realistic and manageable, creators are much more likely to respond positively.

Step 4. Follow up, without pressure

Creators don't always answer the first email. In many cases, a missed message does not mean they are not interested. It may simply mean they have not had time to respond, especially if they manage a busy inbox or receive many requests. A follow-up is often what gets the reply. In my campaigns, 70–80% of replies come to the first email, and the rest arrive after follow-ups.

Most often, I send one main email plus two follow-ups: the first one business day later, the second two business days after that. Keep each follow-up polite and brief. There is no need to repeat the full pitch or add pressure, but it helps to add something new rather than just repeat the first email.

If there is still no reply after that, it is usually better to move on. Repeated nudges rarely improve the outcome and can make the brand look unprofessional. At that point, it makes more sense to focus on other creators who may be a better fit or more available.

If you contact dozens of creators, you don't have to track this by hand. In HypeAuditor Outreach, you can add up to four automated follow-ups, each with its own delay and subject line.

Step 5. Move the conversation to email

Once a creator replies, move the conversation to email if it started in DMs. DMs can get piled up and mixed with random messages, and creators often keep them for quick conversations and direct communication with their audience. Brand deals, pricing discussions, and deliverables are usually easier to handle through email or a manager once the initial connection has been made. It also keeps your team on the same page. When the whole history sits in one shared inbox, nobody contacts the same creator again by mistake or sends them a second, different offer. This is also the moment to exchange the details, when you share a short brief and the creator shares their media kit or rates.

Reply fast. Creators often juggle several inquiries at once, so brands are expected to keep the conversation moving quickly. I recommend answering within a day.

And the way you handle a "no" does matter. Some businesses go silent, some get defensive, and some keep pushing after the creator has clearly declined. That kind of behavior closes doors not just with one influencer, but with others in their circle too. A simple "Thanks for considering it, maybe we can revisit later" keeps the relationship intact. If you really want to work with them and the budget allows, you can return with a different offer, for example a paid post instead of an affiliate deal.

Step 6. Stay in touch with the creator

Outreach doesn't end when the content goes live. Creators work best with brands they know, like, and feel comfortable with, and repeat collaborations save you the search, get quicker replies and keep your brand consistent across their content.

One of the easiest ways to lose a strong creator relationship is to go silent until the next campaign. Staying in touch does not need to mean frequent messages or forced check-ins. What matters more is staying present in small, relevant ways so the relationship does not reset every time. Keep the creator updated while the campaign runs, from shipping to content review and payment, and share useful feedback after it. "One of the simplest ways to build a real connection is to share results with them after a campaign," says Ayu Dewi. "Even a quick note like 'your content drove most of the clicks' says you're paying attention. Creators love working with brands that close the loop."

If you have a new launch, event, seasonal push, or update that fits their content, tell them early. Long-term creator relationships usually grow through steady contact, not constant contact, and a brand that only appears when it needs a deliverable is much easier to forget. When a creator turns out to be a clear long-term fit, an affiliate code, an ambassador contract or regular seasonal campaigns turn one collaboration into a partnership. Creators also talk to each other, so a good relationship with one influencer often leads to introductions to others in their circle.

To keep track of every creator, their status, notes and past collaborations, use a CRM such as HypeAuditor's My Network.

Contacting influencers at scale

With a handful of creators, a mailbox and a spreadsheet are enough. Once you contact dozens, things start slipping, from forgotten follow-ups and duplicate emails to two teammates pitching the same creator.

At that point, it pays to run outreach from one place, for example the outreach tool built into HypeAuditor, where templates, follow-ups and creator statuses live together. After every send, track the basics. Log which creators you contacted, with their platform, niche, and audience size, so nobody gets the same pitch twice. Watch your reply rate and how many creators said yes. And note which channels and offers worked best, because sometimes a small shift in framing, such as starting with product testing instead of a full campaign, can significantly improve responses.

At higher volumes, you can hand the replies and even the negotiation to an AI agent, and I explain how in my guide to AI influencer outreach with HypeAgent.

How to calculate each of these, what a good number looks like and what to fix when one drops is covered in my guide to influencer outreach metrics. And if you send thousands of emails a month, a single mailbox won't be enough, and every new mailbox needs warming up before bulk sends. Here's the influencer outreach stack I rely on at scale.

Still choosing the tool itself? We compared 23 influencer outreach tools, from influencer platforms with built-in outreach to cold email software, on how they send, follow up and handle a creator's reply.

Alexander Frolov breaks down the outreach strategy behind reply rates of 30% and more in Influencer Outreach Strategy: How to Get 30%+ Reply Rates.

Mistakes that cost you the collaboration

Sometimes it's not the offer but the way you reach out. Most failed outreach comes down to the same handful of mistakes, and they fall into three groups.

The first is the message itself. A long pitch hides the main ask. Using the same message for everyone, without showing why the creator is a fit, is noticed more than you think, and so are writing from a brand new account with no posts or copying their username wrong. Promising "exposure" instead of real value offers no reason to say yes. Adding too many links or heavy attachments to the first message pushes it toward spam, and adding creators to mass email threads with ten brands copied looks careless.

The second is the conversation. Brands ask for a rate before explaining the deliverable, timing, or usage, push for a call too early instead of offering an easy next step, follow up too often or too aggressively, and try to finalize everything in DMs instead of moving to email once there is interest. Some expect guaranteed content for product seeding without agreement, or hint at "future opportunities" to push the price down.

The third is the relationship. Pushing creators to change their style, going silent between campaigns, extending usage without approval, or delaying payments all damage trust. Clean communication, respect for their time, and realistic expectations will do more for your reply rate than any clever subject line.

Make influencer outreach effortless

Use email personalization, pre-made templates, automated sequences, and email analytics to efficiently communicate with influencers. Keep all conversations in one place and take advantage of bulk outreach capabilities.

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FAQ

How do you contact influencers?

Contact influencers through the channel they list, such as a business email in their bio or their manager, and send a short DM only if there's no other contact. Send a brief first message that says who you are, what collaboration you have in mind, whether it's paid and what the next step is. Then follow up once or twice, and move the conversation to email once the creator replies.

Is it better to email or DM influencers?

Email is usually better, since 52.1% of influencers in HypeAuditor's survey prefer it, against 40.3% for direct messages. Email is more professional and easier to track. Use a DM when there's no business contact, keep it short, and move to email once the creator replies.

What should you include in the first message to an influencer?

Include who you are and what makes your product interesting, why the creator fits, whether the collaboration is paid, and one specific ask, such as their rates for named deliverables. Keep it to one or two short paragraphs, with no links or attachments.

How many times should you follow up with an influencer?

One or two follow-ups are enough. I recommend sending the first follow-up one business day after the first email and the second two business days later. Following up more often starts to feel like pressure.

What should you do after an influencer replies?

Reply within a day and move the conversation to email if it started in DMs. Share a short brief and ask for the creator's media kit or rates. If the answer is no, thank them and offer to come back later with a different offer.

Should you contact an influencer's manager or the influencer directly?

Use the contact the creator lists. If a manager or agency is listed, contact them, because many bigger creators don't handle partnerships themselves. Keep the message more formal and direct when you write to a manager.

When is the best time to contact an influencer?

Weekday mornings in the creator's time zone work best, when they're planning content or handling admin. Avoid late nights and weekends. For DMs, the few hours after a creator posts are a good window, because they're already in the app. For seasonal campaigns, start months ahead, so for Black Friday begin your outreach in August.

How do you get an influencer to see your DM?

Make your profile look credible, with a clear name, bio, photo and recent posts, and make the first words of the message count, since that's all the inbox preview shows. Keep the message short and avoid spam signals such as emoji-only messages or bare links.

How do you contact influencers on Instagram?

Start with the Email button on the creator's profile or the manager listed in their bio. If there's none, use a link-in-bio form, the WhatsApp or Call button, or Instagram's Creator Marketplace if the creator is enrolled. Send a short DM only when no business contact is visible.

How do you contact a big influencer?

Large creators rarely handle brand deals themselves, so look for a manager or agency in their bio, on their link-in-bio page or in the About section of their YouTube channel, and write to them. Lead with the deliverables, timing and budget range, because managers filter offers by those details first. A cold DM to a mega-influencer is very unlikely to be read.

How do you contact influencers on TikTok and YouTube?

On TikTok, use the business email in the creator's bio or link in bio, or TikTok One if the creator is listed there, because many creators limit who can DM them. On YouTube, open the About section of the channel, where many creators list a business email, and check video descriptions for a manager or agency contact.

How do you build long-term relationships with influencers?

Stay in touch after the campaign: share the results with the creator, tell them early about launches and seasonal pushes, and engage with their content between campaigns. When a creator is a clear long-term fit, turn the collaboration into a partnership with an affiliate code, seasonal campaigns or an ambassador contract.