Today, I want to show you how to

Today, I want to show you how to pitch to brands the right way. A lot of creators don't pitch, they just wait for brands to notice them. Huge mistake. But maybe it's because of how you see pitching. This is Creator 101, and today we're talking brand deals. First things first, pitching is not begging. A pitch is simply introducing yourself to someone who could benefit from your work. Now here's where creators get it wrong. They pitch like creators. They send an email that says, "Hi, I'm a great creator, here's my portfolio, this is my audience, I would love to work with you, let me know what we can do together." You're leaving all the work to them. What they see from an email like that is just liability. You have to think like a partner. Here are the steps you need to take if you want to start pitching. One, think about how to align with what they're already doing. This requires research into things like, what is this brand trying to achieve right now? Are they launching a new product? Opening a new branch? Trying to drive sales? Trying to reach young people or a specific target audience? Are they sponsoring an event? Study all of this and understand it deeply. Why? Because your job is to help them solve a problem. Don't pitch from a place of need, pitch from a place of contribution. The question is not, "How can this brand help me?" The question is, "How can I genuinely help this brand achieve what they're already trying to do?" Two, align it with yourself. Ask, "Do I already use this product? How does this brand connect to my life? Does my audience actually benefit from this? Can I tell a believable story about this? What's missing from their campaigns with other creators?" Three, personalize the pitch. Every pitch should feel like it was only written for that brand. If you can copy and paste the same email to ten different brands, it's probably not a very good pitch. Instead, make it obvious you've done your homework. For example, something like, "I noticed you're sponsoring this event for founders next month. I have an idea for a creator diary that shows how your brand is empowering young entrepreneurs." Here's what the content would look like. Never make them do the creative work. Your job. You walk into the room with your idea already built. Present it to them in a way that the only thing left is to say yes or no, not to brainstorm with you. Nobody has time for that. Four, your pitch should sell outcomes, not just deliverables. Don't just say, "I'll make three videos for you." Tell them what those three videos are supposed to achieve based on the insights you have into their brand, their goals, and your audience. Is it awareness? Is it trust? Product education? Community engagement with a new audience? This is so important because the marketing manager doesn't wake up thinking, "Which creator should we pay today?" They wake up asking, "How do we sell more? How do we increase awareness? How do we launch this product successfully? How do we get more signups?" Your pitch should answer one of those questions clearly. So they know that this is how this thing aligns with where we're going. Five, make saying yes very easy. Don't end your pitch with, "So what do you think?" End with something like, "I've attached a one-page proposal with a concept note, timelines, deliverables and expected outcomes. If this aligns with your goals, please reply with yes, and I'd love to jump on a 20-minute call." They don't have to think too much, it's just yes or no. And finally, please think beyond content. The creator economy does not end on Instagram, and your value is not only in creating content. Remember what we talked about on day 7 of this series: what business are you in? What other skills do you have? Because creators are not the only thing brands need. Maybe you can host their events, facilitate a workshop, train their team on creator marketing, or anything else you're good at that they need. Maybe you're a student, so you can run a campus activation, or a challenge around their products. Think like a solution provider, not just a content creator. Don't put yourself in one box. Put yourself in the shoes of the brand. Finally, No. 2, play the long game. Not every pitch will get a yes. Some will not even get a reply. That's okay. Follow up professionally. Persistence is not desperation. These people are busy, and they can miss very important emails. Don't relent. Sometimes also the pitch doesn't work today because the timing is wrong, not because you weren't good enough. And finally, No. 3, most importantly, keep creating, keep building your reputation. 'Cause pitching starts before you ever send an email. Every piece of content you put out, every interaction with your community, every story or event or partnership, everything builds credibility. You can get to a point where you send a pitch, and your reputation has gone ahead of you to make things easier. Watch yesterday's video to learn about how you can better position yourself before you even send a pitch. This is Creator 101, your daily dose of creative momentum. Found this helpful? Follow me and I will see you tomorrow.