We’ve all been there as creators. You sit down one morning at your laptop, iced coffee in hand, hair in a messy bun, ready to take on the internet with your creativity and content and there it is. THE EMAIL. You open it. Is it…? Yes? Could it be?! A collaboration request from a brand you’ve been DYING TO WORK with for what feels like forever.
You immediately start typing a response, heart pounding and palms sweating… this. is. it… “OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH IT’S BEEN MY DREAM TO WORK WITH YOU…” and then you stop yourself. You sound like a desperate, needy, clingy new girlfriend. Ugh. No. You’re even turning yourself off.
You take a deep breath and a long, therapeutic sip of your now sweating iced coffee and start reading their email again:
“Hi there!
We’d love to shoot you some info to invite you to be part of a special project with our community! If you’re interested please respond. Can you confirm you live in the United States?
Thank you! — Dream Company”
This is verbatim (except for removing the name of the company) an email I recently received from a brand I put on my vision board months ago.
Even very well-known, high-end brands with big budgets sometimes send extremely ambiguous, vague emails. There are several things to remember when receiving and responding to an email like this:
- Immediately establish your value. As odd, unprofessional, or short as the email may be, remember that a real person wrote it and is going to be receiving your response. Treat them the way you would an esteemed work colleague, not a BFF you’re texting at 2am. This is your chance to immediately solidify your value and worth. Just like you wouldn’t write a throw-away response to that first text from a guy you’re really interested in, the first response back to your dream brand is going to set the tone for the entire relationship. You can always negotiate down, but there’s almost never going back up once you’ve “settled.”
- If you’re going to ask for more, offer more. Every brand is used to influencers and creatives asking for more, so immediately set yourself apart from the crowd by offering more. Ask the brand what they currently need instead of rattling off a list of demands, rates and fees. A lot of brands have other products that may not be their star product but they still want coverage or content created for it. Offer to additionally create content for their other products in exchange for guarantee of being featured on their site or newsletter, permanent posts in their social media feed, more product or site credit (this is usually worth it if it’s a high-ticket item like furniture, accommodations, experiences, or appliances), or an Insta-story takeover. There are many ways to make yourself appear to be a high-value influencer without demanding the higher price tag. Other brands will see you appearing all over a brand’s page and associate you with a huge collaboration. The chances of getting paid collaboration offers in your inbox after a massive appearance all over a brand’s online presence goes way up than if you simply rely on a few one-off collaborations that are similar to what “everyone else” is doing. Press is a highly underrated currency among the current influencer landscape but showing up repeatedly in the platforms of your target demographic of brands will establish you as an authority which will translate into being highly sought after in your niche.
So what exactly can you say when responding to your dream brand without accepting their first offer but also ensuring you don’t scare them off by coming off as too demanding?
Here are two simple responses that can get the dialogue going and move you into the next phase of negotiations and brainstorming:
ACCEPTANCE + EXPLORATORY RESPONSE TEMPLATE
Thank you so much for reaching out. I’d love to discuss a collaboration and agree we are a good fit. I have some ideas but I’d like to hear from you what your brand needs right now as far as content goes. I look forward to working together!
ACCEPTANCE + COUNTER OFFER RESPONSE TEMPLATE
Thank you so much for reaching out. Your brand has been on my collaboration wish list for a long time, so this is one partnership I have no hesitation saying yes to! What do you need from me to get started?
I’d love to discuss ways I can support your brand beyond [content they asked for]. What sort of content are you needing or looking for right now? If my audience and aesthetic are a good fit let’s see if we can work on a more in-depth partnership. Looking forward to hearing from you and collaborating together!
Now you’re armed with a little confidence when it comes to receiving emails from brands you want to work with in your inbox. Next time you aren’t sure what to say start with one of these sample responses and see where it goes!
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