How To Follow Up On a Brand Pitch If They Don’t Respond
So you’ve sent an amazing pitch email to a brand and haven’t received a reply. Writing a great brand pitch is one thing, but getting the brand to reply may take some practice.
I wanted to compile some of my top suggestions for how to make sure your email gets opened and answered when it comes to creating influencer pitches to brands and when to send a follow up email after no response.
Before you send an email I recommend having some sort of relationship with the person you’re reaching out to. Maybe you brushed shoulders with them at an event, you commented on their latest Instagram post or replied to a tweet, or you had a fellow creator introduce you so the email recipient at least has name recognition when you reach out to them.
I strongly encourage this because according to GMass, the average response rate to a cold email pitch is between 1-5%. That means for every 100 cold emails you send, you can expect to receive between 1-5 replies. That’s a lot of emailing before someone gets back to you!
Your chances of getting a response increase if the person you’re emailing knows your name so if you were planning to do a ton of cold pitching to get brands to work with you, I’d work instead first on relationship building with brands you are interested in partnering with in the future.
Yes, that is the more time-consuming way of doing things, but it will be well worth it to not ask for too much right out of the gate and be top of mind when your brand contact is casting for campaigns.
Now let’s break down:
What do you want from this exchange?
Email structure
Email tone
When to follow up
How many times to follow up
Things to avoid when following up
Identify your objective
First, think about what it is you want from the person you’re emailing. Do you just need them to answer your email? Did you want them to take a look at your profile and see if they thought you’d be a good fit as a partner? Were you hoping to get them on a call to discuss collaboration opportunities and how they’re working with influencers this quarter?
Having a clear ideal outcome of the exchange in mind will help you decide what to say.
Email structure for your first follow up
Keep it brief - Your email should be max five sentences in length. Keep the sentences focused and to the point.
Show you’re in the know - Comment on a recent blog post they’ve published, new product they’ve released, or something else to show that you pay attention to what they’re putting out as a brand.
Reiterate your value - Remind them why you’re reaching out and why it’s helpful. Do you have similar audiences? Does working with you fill a gap in the market for them? Do you have ultra-creative photography that would elevate their brand? Use a sentence to reiterate why this will be a great partnership for both parties.
Provide additional insights - Rather than “just circling back!” mention a piece of data that aligns with why you’re reaching out or highlight a few DM’s you’ve gotten asking for recommendations about the product they sell that you didn’t share in your initial email.
Share a call to action - In the last sentence, make it clear what you’d like them to do whether that’s booking a time on your calendar or getting looped in with their colleague to discuss next steps.
Email tone
Try to strike a balance of being professional in your email but also appeal to the person who is reading your note. Avoid demanding or robotic sounding statements like, “Please reply ASAP.”
When in doubt read your email aloud before you send it. You should write like a human because you are one.
When to follow up
Unless you’re actively working on a partnership of some kind, give the recipient of your note at least 48 hours to read and respond to your email. On average I typically follow up between 3-7 days after my note, depending on the situation.
For example, if I sent a brand a cold pitch email and am just trying to get them on the phone to learn more about me and the type of content I create, it doesn’t really matter exactly when that happens. I’d probably wait a full 7 days before circling back.
But if I had an amazing idea for a collaboration that is timed to a holiday or a sale that I know they’re having, it may be worth checking in sooner to make sure they don’t miss out on the chance to work together, assuming it’s something they’re interested in pursuing. I might email after 3 days with no response in this case.
Things to avoid when following up:
Following up within 24 hours of your initial email (almost nothing is ever that urgent and it can be a major turn off)
DM-ing the person on Instagram to “make sure” they received your message
The word “just” as it adds fluff and makes you sound less assertive
Most people, especially if they work in marketing, expect to receive cold pitches and follow ups to emails. It’s part of the job and as long as you’re direct, personable, and polite you should be able to check in after your initial outreach.
Overall I will usually send a max of three emails: an initial note, a follow up, and a second follow up if I really am hoping for a reply or feel like I have value to add by reaching out. At that point I’ll usually drop off and figure that they would have answered if they were interested.
And this should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: If at any point someone asks you to stop emailing them, you should respect their request. Even if you think it could have been a great partnership, there will be others.
Plus you don’t want to have someone at that company with a grudge against you putting a black X next to your name. People move jobs all the time and maybe in the future you’ll be able to connect with another person there.
I hope this post helped you navigate what to send in a follow up email with no response. And the last thing I’ll say is, don’t take someone ignoring your email too personally. We’re all busy but the right brand partners will jump at the chance to work with you.
For more pitching tips and pitch email examples, check out my e-book Right on PItch.
yours,
Austen