How to Pitch Collaborations as a Pet Influencer

When it comes to successfully pitching a brand with which you want to collaborate, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by where to start. We often hear questions like, “What do I say to catch X brand’s attention?” “Where do I pitch X brand so they get my request?” or “Do I need a media kit before I pitch a collaboration to a brand?” 

These are all valid questions that we’re happy to help answer.

We are constantly having conversations with brands about what they are looking for, what excites them about collaborations, and what they find to be a real struggle. This gives us a good insight into how best to pitch your collaboration idea to that brand you’ve been dying to partner with. 

Also, we prefer saying “pet-focused content creator” because you are a creator no matter what kind of content you create. However, influencer is still the top-ranking term, so we’ll use that, too. 

Start With These 3 Tips to Pitch Yourself To Brands

1. Follow the Brand and Engage with Them

Before pitching a brand on any collaboration, follow their social media accounts and actively engage with their content. Like their content. Comment with authenticity. And when it feels right, share their posts with your followers. If you want to collaborate with the brand, you must like what they do. Don’t hesitate to share that to demonstrate a genuine interest in the brand. Building a rapport with the brand helps increase the likelihood that your pitch will be noticed and taken seriously. 

2. Try to Find the Right Person to Contact

Finding the person who makes the decisions about collaborations is not always possible, but you should always try. Start by checking their website and their LinkedIn page. Usually, it will be the head of their marketing department, but depending on the brand’s size, that person might be hard to find. When you can’t find a direct line, use both any general email you find and a DM. The people managing those contact forms can route your request to the right person.

3. Craft a Compelling Collaboration Pitch

a. Introduce Yourself

Begin your pitch with a clear intro to who you are and what you do that is relevant to your potential collaboration. Be sure to bring in your personality. For example, let’s say you are a Cat Influencer pitching a boutique and stylish cat collar brand. Start with, “I’m Mary. My cat, Franklin, and I love creating fun videos showcasing his dapper style.”

b. Compliment a Recent Post/Video/Ad They Shared

Genuinely praising a recent piece of content they’ve created shows that you follow what they share – and it’s even better if you’ve liked and commented on it and other content, so they see you pop up several times. It’s important to have a genuine compliment. Don’t just find a post and find a reason to say something about it. Share one that impressed you, made you laugh, made you think, or speaks to the core reason you want to work with the brand.

c. Explain How You Are a Great Fit to Collaborate with Them

Discuss the synergy between your brand and theirs, highlighting the potential for a win-win partnership. It helps to share a success from a past collaboration if you have one to share. For example, “My followers love when I talk about tips for styling cats that don’t involve fully dressing them up. When I shared these cat bow ties (and link to the post if you can), my engagement rate was over 10%! I’ve been creating engaging videos for the past three years, and I always approach each video I make with its own storyline that showcases the theme with Franklin’s unique style.”

d. Pitch a Specific Idea

When it comes to the actual collaboration, pitching a specific idea that shows the synergy you mentioned will go much further than proposing a generic collaboration. Lean into your creativity and show the brand how you see a collaboration that resonates with your audience and their customers. To continue with Franklin’s cat style as the central theme, you could pitch something like an awards season get ready with me video for him to showcase picking between a few collars before settling on his red carpet choice. Offering a specific idea helps the brand envision the collaboration, which makes it more appealing.

e. Share Your Experience and Media Kit, if You Have One

If you’ve already had other successful collaborations, share a couple and highlight what made them successful. If you are new to collaborations, highlight your experience as a content creator sharing some pieces of content similar to what you are pitching the brand. Regardless of how many collaborations you’ve done, you can have a media kit to share that includes your reach, who your audience is mainly composed of, engagement rates, testimonials, and examples of your content. A media kit is not required to collaborate with a brand but is a helpful summary of who you are.

Implement These 3 Tips AFTER You Send Your Collaboration Pitch

1. Follow Up

After a week without a response, be ready to follow up with a polite and friendly reach out.  Ensure the friendly reminder demonstrates your enthusiasm for the idea you pitched. Short and sweet follow-ups are the best.

2. Continue to Engage

Even if your initial pitch doesn’t receive a response or is declined, maintain a positive relationship with the brand by continuing to engage with their content. This helps to keep the door open for potential collaborations in the future. Don’t feel discouraged if you don’t hear back. It’s not always the first try that is the successful try.

3. If You Agree to a Collaboration, Get It All in Writing

If you catch the brand’s interest, you’ll negotiate the exact deliverables and terms of those deliverables. Be sure you get everything in writing. Our recommendation is to use an actual contract. Sometimes, the brand will have a specific one they want you to sign that covers the specifics. At the least, put it all in an email and ask them to reply to confirm you are both on the same page. Also, if they do give you a contract, read it thoroughly and ask questions about what you do not understand. Even the contract can be negotiated. 

Don’t fret if it doesn’t work out on the first pitch. Keep working on your pitch. As you master the art of pitching brands for collaborations, you’ll boost your success and your experience. 

Using these tips to start building long-lasting relationships with the brands you love and know your audience will love is sure to get started on the right foot.

About the Author: Chloe DiVita, BlogPaws CEO, has 15+ years of experience in digital marketing, the pet industry, and as a greyhound mom. She’s earned accolades like, Pet Age’s 40 Under 40 and Muse Medallions from the Cat Writers’ Association. Formerly Executive Producer for TEDxCambridge, she brings storytelling and public speaking to her work with creators, leaders, and brands. Read more…