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Complete playbook with proven outreach templates, rate cards, and negotiation tactics that landed real sponsorship deals
Fashion Brand Deal
25K followers | 4.2% engagement
Tech Product Launch
45K followers | 3.8% engagement
3-Month Campaign
120K followers | 5.1% engagement
Before reaching out to brands, ensure you meet these baseline criteria. Brands receive 100+ pitches weekly - you need to stand out as professional and valuable.
High engagement = higher rates. Brands care more about engagement than follower count. A 10K account with 5% engagement beats a 50K account with 1% engagement.
End every post with an engaging question. Examples:
Result: 30-50% increase in comments
Use polls, quizzes, and question stickers in Stories to boost interaction:
Result: 200-500 daily story interactions
Instagram algorithm favors posts with high early engagement. Reply to all comments within 60 minutes of posting.
Use GPT-4 automation (via N8N) to draft personalized replies, then approve before posting.
Result: 60-80% boost in reach
| Follower Tier | Single Post | Story (24hr) | Reel/Video | Full Package |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Nano (5K-10K) 3-5% engagement | $100-300 | $50-100 | $150-400 | $300-700 |
Micro (10K-50K) 3-6% engagement | $500-2K | $200-500 | $800-3K | $1.5K-5K |
Mid (50K-100K) 2-5% engagement | $2K-5K | $500-1.5K | $3K-8K | $6K-15K |
Macro (100K-500K) 2-4% engagement | $5K-20K | $1.5K-5K | $8K-30K | $15K-60K |
Mega (500K+) 1-3% engagement | $20K-50K+ | $5K-15K | $30K-80K | $60K-200K |
Add 30-50% for:
Discount 10-20% for:
Collaboration Opportunity: [YourName] x [BrandName]
Hi [Brand Contact Name],
I'm [Your Character Name], a [niche] influencer with [X] engaged followers who love [brand's product category]. I've been following [Brand Name] and absolutely love your [specific product/mission].
Quick stats:
I'd love to create authentic content featuring [specific product]. My audience is highly engaged and trusts my recommendations - past collaborations have driven [metric: sales, awareness, etc].
What I can offer:
Are you open to a partnership? I'd love to send over my media kit and discuss ideas.
Best,
[Your Name]
[Instagram Handle] | [Email] | [Website]
Quick follow-up - [Your Name] collab
Hi [Name],
Following up on my previous email about a potential collaboration. I know you're busy, so I'll keep this brief.
I've put together a quick content concept for [Brand Name]:
[Describe specific creative idea: "A 'Get Ready With Me' Reel featuring your new fall collection, showing 3 outfit transitions. I'd style it like [reference similar content that performed well]. Expected reach: [X] impressions."]
I'm currently booking partnerships for [next month]. Would you be interested in discussing this further?
Happy to jump on a quick call or continue via email - whatever works best for you.
[Your Name]
I created content featuring [Brand] - check it out!
Hi [Brand Team],
I'm such a fan of [Brand Name] that I recently created organic content featuring your [product]. Check it out: [link to your post]
The post performed incredibly well:
My audience clearly loves [Brand], and I'd love to create more content in an official partnership. Would you be open to discussing a collaboration?
I have some creative ideas that I think would resonate with both our audiences.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
[Your Name]
You've already proven you can create converting content for their brand. This approach has the highest response rate (30-40%) because it removes risk for the brand.
Pro tip: Do this for 3-5 dream brands even before reaching out. It's worth the investment.
When brands ask "What are your rates?", start 2-3x higher than your target. Most brands negotiate down, so anchor high.
Brand:
"What are your rates for a single Instagram post?"
You (Target $2K, ask $5K):
"For a single feed post, my rate is $5,000. This includes professional content creation, 48-hour exclusivity, and a performance report. I can also bundle Story content for an additional $1,500."
Brand:
"That's outside our budget. We were thinking $2,000 for the post."
You (Don't accept immediately):
"I appreciate the offer. At $2,000, I can do the feed post, but we'd need to adjust deliverables. Could we meet at $3,500 for the post + 2 Stories? That gives you much better ROI."
Brand:
"We can do $3,000 for post + stories."
You (Close the deal):
"Deal! I'm excited to work with you. I'll send over the contract today."
Result:
You landed $3,000 (50% above your $2K target) by anchoring high and negotiating strategically.
28K followers | Landed $10,700 in first month of outreach
"I didn't expect brands to take an AI influencer seriously, but the data spoke for itself. My engagement rate was higher than most human influencers at my follower count. I led with metrics, not my AI backstory. Once I proved ROI, brands didn't care that I was AI-generated."
Yes! Brands care about ROI (reach, engagement, conversions), not whether you're human or AI. Many creators successfully hide their AI nature, while others are transparent. Both approaches work if your content quality and engagement are strong. Fashion, tech, and beauty brands are most open to AI influencers.
Legal requirement: Yes, in most jurisdictions (FTC in US). Practical approach: Frame it positively - "Digital creator" or "Virtual influencer" in bio. Many successful AI influencers are open about their nature and brands see it as innovative. Hiding it risks backlash if exposed.
Start with 20-30 personalized outreaches. Expect 10-20% response rate and 5-10% conversion to actual deals. So 20 outreaches = 2-4 responses = 1-2 deals. Do monthly outreach batches - treat it like a sales pipeline. Track every outreach in a spreadsheet.
Check brand's Instagram bio for partnerships email (usually partnerships@brand.com or press@brand.com). Use LinkedIn to find marketing managers. Tools like Hunter.io find email addresses. Join influencer networks (AspireIQ, Grin) where brands actively seek creators.
Absolutely! After campaign ends, send performance report showing results (impressions, engagement, conversions). Then: "Based on these strong results, my rate for future collaborations would be $X [20-30% higher]. Would you be interested in a multi-post package?" Brands pay more for proven performers.
One-page PDF with: Profile photo, bio, follower counts (all platforms), engagement rate, audience demographics (age, gender, location), past brand collaborations, content examples (your best 6 posts), and contact info. Tools like Canva have free media kit templates. Update monthly as you grow.
Always use written contracts - even simple email agreements work. Specify: deliverables, timeline, payment amount, payment terms (50% upfront, 50% on delivery is standard), usage rights, revision policy. Request payment via PayPal Business, Stripe, or wire transfer. Never work without contract/upfront payment.
Politely decline. Your time and audience have value. Response: "I appreciate the interest! My rates start at $X for [deliverable]. I'm happy to provide references from past campaigns and a performance forecast." If they insist on free content, they're not serious partners. Move on to brands that respect your value.