10 INFLUENCER OUTREACH TEMPLATES (EMAIL AND DM) From: https://www.cheerful.ai/blog/influencer-outreach Free to use and adapt. Replace everything in [square brackets]. The one line not to skip: the specific post in the first sentence. Follow-up rule: up to 3 follow-ups, 3 days apart, as replies in the same thread. Stop on any reply, including a no or an out-of-office. ======================================================================== 1. GIFTING OR PR EMAIL (FREE PRODUCT, NO OBLIGATION) ======================================================================== When to use: seeding a product to nano and micro creators, launch gifting, or any PR email where the product is the whole offer. Subject: [Product] for you? (loved your [topic] post) Hi [first name], Your [specific post, e.g. "5am training block" Reel] is why I’m writing. The bit where you [specific detail] is exactly how our customers use [product]. I’m [your name], [role] at [brand]. We make [one-line description]. I’d love to send you [product or bundle] to try, no strings attached. If you like it and want to share it, great. If not, it’s yours to keep. Can I send one over? If yes, just reply with the best shipping address. [Your name] [Brand] · [website] ======================================================================== 2. PAID COLLABORATION EMAIL ======================================================================== When to use: you need a specific deliverable, on a date, and you have a budget. Subject: Paid collab: 1 Reel for [brand] in [month] Hi [first name], Your [specific post] is the closest thing I’ve seen to how we’d want [product] shown: [specific detail]. I’m [your name] at [brand]. We’d like to pay you for one Instagram Reel in [month]: [one-line brief, e.g. "your normal morning routine with [product] in it"]. Our budget is $[amount] for the Reel, including 30 days of reposting on our account. Paid ad usage would be a separate line if you’re open to it. Does that work for you? If you have a rate card, send it over and I’ll tell you honestly what fits. [Your name] [Brand] · [website] ======================================================================== 3. AFFILIATE OR COMMISSION EMAIL ======================================================================== When to use: recruiting creators into an affiliate program at volume. Subject: [X]% commission + a free [product] for you Hi [first name], Your [post about topic] stuck with me: [specific detail]. Your audience clearly trusts you on [category]. I’m [your name] at [brand]. We run an affiliate program for creators we’d actually use ourselves: [X]% on every sale through your link or code, a free [product] to start, and [payout terms, e.g. "monthly payouts"]. No posting quotas. Want me to set up your code? Reply "yes" and I’ll send your link and product today. [Your name] [Brand] · [website] ======================================================================== 4. UGC-ONLY REQUEST (CONTENT, NO POSTING) ======================================================================== When to use: you need footage for your own ads and do not need the creator’s audience. Subject: Paid UGC: 3 short videos for [brand] ads Hi [first name], Your [specific video] is the kind of footage we can’t make in-house: [specific detail, e.g. "straight to camera, natural light, no script feel"]. We’re looking for UGC rather than a post on your channel: 3 vertical videos, 15 to 30 seconds each, showing [product] in [use case]. We’d run them as ads on our own accounts for [usage term, e.g. 6 months]. Budget is $[amount] for the set, plus the product. Interested? I can send the brief first so you can judge the scope. [Your name] [Brand] · [website] ======================================================================== 5. AMBASSADOR OR LONG-TERM PARTNERSHIP EMAIL ======================================================================== When to use: a creator already posted for you and it performed. Not as a cold opener. Subject: 6 months with [brand]? (after your [post]) Hi [first name], Your [post] about [product] did [specific, true result, e.g. "more for our site than anything else we ran that month"]. Thank you. Rather than one-off posts, we’d like to offer you a [6-month] ambassador role: [deliverables per month, e.g. one Reel and one story set], [compensation, e.g. $X a month plus Y% on your code], and first access to launches. We’d only ask for [category] exclusivity. Worth a 15-minute call next week to see if it fits how you work? [Your name] [Brand] · [website] ======================================================================== 6. INSTAGRAM OR TIKTOK DM OPENER ======================================================================== When to use: there is no business email anywhere, or the creator is small and clearly lives in their DMs. (DM, no subject line) Hi [first name]! Your [specific post] genuinely made me [reaction, e.g. rethink my morning routine]. I run creator partnerships at [brand] ([one-line what you make]) and I’d love to send you [product], no strings. What’s the best email for the details? ======================================================================== 7. FOLLOW-UP 1 (DAY 3) ======================================================================== When to use: three days after the first email, with no reply. Send it as a reply in the same thread. Subject: Re: [original subject] Hi [first name], just floating this back up in case it got buried. Still happy to send [product] your way. Worth a yes or no? [Your name] ======================================================================== 8. FINAL FOLLOW-UP (DAY 9) ======================================================================== When to use: the last message in the sequence. After this, stop. Subject: Re: [original subject] Hi [first name], I’ll stop filling your inbox after this one. If [product] isn’t a fit right now, no problem at all. If it’s just timing, reply "later" and I’ll check back in [month]. [Your name] ======================================================================== 9. NEGOTIATION REPLY (THEIR RATE IS ABOVE YOUR BUDGET) ======================================================================== When to use: the creator sent a rate card or quote that is higher than you can pay. Subject: Re: [original subject] Hi [first name], Thanks for sending your rates. [Deliverable] at $[their ask] is above what we can do for this campaign; our budget is $[your number]. Two ways we could make it work: [option A, e.g. one Reel instead of a Reel plus stories] at $[your number], or [option B, e.g. the full package] at $[slightly higher number] if we drop paid usage to [30 days]. If neither works, I completely understand, and I’d love to keep you in mind for bigger launches. [Your name] ======================================================================== 10. DECLINING GRACEFULLY ======================================================================== When to use: the creator replied but the fit or the price is not there, or a creator pitched you first. Subject: Re: [original subject] Hi [first name], Thanks so much for getting back to me and for sending your rates. We’re not able to go ahead this time: [honest reason in one clause, e.g. "our budget for this launch is set well below that"]. I’d genuinely like to stay in touch. Mind if I reach out when [next launch or bigger budget]? [Your name]