You’ve created an extensive list of people you want to work with for your influencer marketing campaign and now it’s time to start sending out emails. But with so many people to connect with, influencer outreach is time-consuming, especially if you’re manually drafting emails from scratch. That’s why we recommend using influencer outreach email templates to shave off drafting time in your inbox and increase your chances of forming new relationships.

In this article, we’ll show you how to use an influencer outreach email template and best practices to follow before you send your pitch. And we’ll share several templates you can use to speed up your outreach process.

What is an influencer marketing template?

An influencer marketing template is a pre-formatted, reusable framework used to streamline communication between brands and influencers. Influencer outreach email templates are common, but direct messages are standard as well.

Templates reduce the effort of writing from scratch without sacrificing authenticity. Instead of writing a message from nothing, you’re building off a template and tailoring it to the specific influencer and campaign. The primary goal of an influencer marketing template is to facilitate cohesive, compelling communication during the outreach process.

How to use influencer marketing templates

Influencer outreach templates are your secret weapon for maintaining a consistent message, tone and style across your communications with influencers. By establishing a professional and consistent approach, templates help enhance brand perception and reinforce a positive image, strengthening brand recognition and trust.

Influencer outreach templates also give you a strong foundation, enabling you to focus on personalization for more effective outreach and better engagement. For example, sharing the specific reason you’re reaching out shows you value the influencer’s expertise and work, making it more likely that they’ll agree to collaborate with you.

But to enjoy the benefits of influencer marketing templates, you need to know how to find the right influencers before pursuing any outreach. Narrow down your search by using tools that provide influencer databases like Sprout Social Influencer Marketing (formerly Tagger).

What to do before sending an influencer outreach email or DM

Let’s review the four must-do steps to complete ‌before sending an influencer outreach email or DM.

1. Update your brand profiles

Would you reach out to an influencer that hasn’t posted in a year or doesn’t maintain their presence on social media? Probably not. The same goes for influencers accepting brand partnerships. The 2024 State of Influencer Marketing Report found that most influencers (93%) agree the quality of a brand’s existing social content impacts whether they agree to collaborate. Make it easy for influencers to identify valuable opportunities to work together by keeping your brand accounts up to date.

2. Get to know the influencer’s content

Do your due diligence by researching influencers and getting familiar with their content.

How does their content and audience align with your brand? What kind of content do they typically post? What are their values and passions? During your research, pay attention to their previous collaborations and sponsored posts to get an idea of their past work and performance. Once you have a good understanding of the influencers you want to work with, you can tailor your email to their interests and make a connection that feels genuine and authentic. Influencer-brand partnerships are evolving, and showing you value their work and expertise can increase your chances of them agreeing to partner with your brand.

3. Engage from your brand accounts

Instead of going straight for a cold call, start with a warm up by engaging with the influencer’s content from your brand accounts. Doing this will get your business on their radar and plant a seed for initial outreach.

4. Read over the available partnership information

Influencers–especially macro and mega influencers—usually have a preferred method of communication. Determine if you need to send a DM or email to the influencer directly, or if you need to contact their management company or agent—you can find these by looking at their website or social bio. Using their preferred communication type makes sure your outreach gets to the right recipient.

7 influencer outreach templates

Here are five customizable influencer outreach templates that can be tailored to various platforms and industries. Some of the templates are written for email, but can be repurposed for DM as well by removing the subject line and email signature. You can also adjust them to address their management instead of the influencer directly.

1. General influencer outreach template

Subject line: Explore Paid Opportunities with [Brand Name]

Hi,

My name is [Your Name] from [Name of Brand]. Our team has been following your social media for a while now and I’m so impressed by your [personalized compliments about their content with a specific example.]

I’m seeking influencers to collaborate with for paid opportunities and you’d be a perfect fit based on your content. If you’re interested, reply to this message and I’ll share more details. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Best,

[Your Name + Email Signature]

2. General Instagram influencer outreach template

Hi [Influencer’s name],

I’m [Your Name], [Role/Title] at [Brand Name]. I’ve been following your work on social media for some time now. I admire your [personalized compliments about their content with a specific example].

I’m reaching out because I think you’d be a great partner for our brand. I can share more information if you’re interested, but think: sponsored content, brand ambassadorship and/or other paid opportunities.

If you’re interested in learning more about collaborating with [Brand Name], reply to this DM and I’ll send over details and next steps. Talk to you soon and thanks!

3. Giveaway collaboration pitch email template

Subject line: Giveaway Collaboration with [Brand Name]

I’m [Your Name], [Role/Title] at [Brand Name]. I’ve been following you on social for a while and love your recent post about [Insert Topic of Post]. I think you would be a great partner for our upcoming giveaway.

We’d provide you with [Insert Product or Services] to enjoy and have you host [number of giveaways] for your followers. The rules to win would be, [insert giveaway rules]. If you’re interested, respond to this message and I’ll shoot over more details about the collaboration. Thank you!

Best,

[Your Name + Email Signature]

4. Product review request email template

Subject line: Product Review Proposal for [Brand Name]

Hi [Influencer’s Name],

I’m [Your Name], [Role/Title] at [Brand Name]. I’ve been following your social media for some time and I’m a huge fan of your authentic product reviews and recommendations, especially for [product niche or category]. We know how much your opinions matter to your audience, and we’d love for you to share your thoughts on our [mention product or service].

We’ll provide [Insert Product or Services] for you to enjoy and experience so you can let your audience know what you think. Let me know if you’re interested and I’ll follow up with more details and next steps. Thanks!

Best,

[Your Name + Email Signature]

5. Brand event invitation email template

Subject: You’re Invited: Join [Brand Name] for an Exclusive Event!

Hello [Influencer’s name],

I’m [Your Name] from [Name of Brand]. We admire your creativity and engagement across your social media accounts—especially [personalized compliments about their content with a specific example].

We’re thrilled to invite you as a special guest for our upcoming gathering, [Insert Event Name, Date and Time]. The goal of this event is to bring together influential minds and changemakers in [specify industry] to explore [Details and Goals of Event, including any deliverables]. We’d be honored to have you as a guest and for that reason we’ll provide [details about event coverage].

Please confirm your attendance by responding to this message by [RSVP date]. Feel free to reach out with any questions. Thank you!

Best wishes,

[Your Name + Email Signature]

6. Affiliate marketing template

Subject: Become a [Brand Name] VIP: Brand Ambassadorship Proposal

Hi [Influencer’s name],

I’m [Your Name], [Role/Title] at [Brand Name]. As a follower, I’ve been a fan of your social media content and of course, I love your posts about [Brand Name or Topic]!

I want to invite you to join our brand ambassador program. As an ambassador for us, you’ll partner with us for social media campaigns and content. And you’ll receive an affiliate code so you can be compensated for your work and influence. If you’re interested, reply to this message and I’ll follow up with more details. Thanks!

Best wishes,

[Your Name + Email Signature]

7. Influencer marketing campaign email template

Subject: Join Our Movement: [Brand Name] Influencer Campaign Proposal

Hello [Influencer’s name],

I’m [Your Name], [Role/Title] at [Brand Name]. I have been following your content and am truly impressed by your genuine influence in the [Specify Industry or Niche] community. Your dedication to providing value to your audience aligns with our mission of [mention brand mission].

I’m excited to extend to you an invitation to join [Brand Name] in an influencer campaign. Our vision is for a multi-platform collaboration with you at the forefront of advocating our brand to your followers. In previous campaigns, we have worked with [Insert list of Influencers and brands]. We’d love to add you to our list of influencers who have helped us drive successful campaigns.

If you’re interested, we’d love to discuss campaign guidelines, deliverables and compensation. Let me know if you’re up for partnering with us and I’ll share more details. Thank you!

Best,

[Your Name + Email Signature]

What to do if an influencer doesn’t respond to your outreach

It’s standard to follow up on initial outreach communications if you don’t receive a response. But, it’s also important to respect the influencer’s time and not be overly persistent or assume they are ignoring you. The influencer might be traveling or managing multiple commitments. Maybe they forgot to respond or they’re taking a break from social media. If you find yourself without a response, consider these best practices:

Be patient and evaluate the best time to follow up

Before you send a follow-up email or DM, consider waiting three to seven days. If they don’t reply in that timeframe, send your second outreach communication. If they still don’t respond, stop your outreach for the time being. You don’t want to be that person who floods an inbox because of over-persistence. Save time and effort reaching out to other people.

Keep your follow-up message brief

Respect their time by keeping the follow-up message concise and simple. Include a few lines to jog their memory and share the most relevant information from your initial email or DM. Emphasize the benefits of partnership. Close out by letting them know you’re open to answering any questions and can share details to answer anything they might be wondering about.

Reach out on another platform

If your initial contact was through email and you haven’t gotten a response, consider reaching out via DM on the influencer’s most active platform. This approach may increase the likelihood of your message being seen, as many influencers check their social media accounts more often than email.

Ask about their network

Sometimes people don’t respond because they don’t think they’re the best fit for the opportunity or they can’t commit because of other obligations. If they aren’t available, ask if they can recommend someone else. For example, saying something like, “I think you’re ideal for this opportunity, but if you aren’t available this time around, do you have any friends you would recommend?” goes a long way. The Sprout content and social teams have successfully used this tactic to support securing subject matter experts and partnerships.

Develop stronger partnerships with influencer outreach templates

Influencer outreach templates standardize essential elements so you can save time drafting from scratch. Influencer outreach email and DM templates also provide a solid foundation so you can focus on personalizing your messages, increasing your chances of success. But templates are just one mechanism to support your influencer marketing campaigns. Use our influencer marketing toolkit to set ‌yourself up with the resources you need to build your strategy.