Academy 3: Social Income · Stage 4 · Module 2
Securing the Brand Deal
How to pitch brands, set your rates, negotiate, and close deals without undercharging, overpromising, or missing the follow-up that seals it.
What You'll Walk Away With
A complete brand pitch system — how to find the right contact, write a pitch that gets a reply, set and negotiate your rates, and close the deal without feeling awkward about asking for money.
From Katherine
The most common question I get about brand deals: "How do I bring up the money?" And my answer is always the same: confidently and early. Not aggressively — confidently. There's a difference. Confident sounds like: "I charge $X for this type of content. Does that work with your budget?" Apologetic sounds like: "I don't know, I usually charge around maybe... it depends..." The second version gets lowballed. The first version gets paid.
— Katherine Rodriguez
Finding the Right Brand Contact
Don't leave this module without these
→ Creator Pitch Scripts — Four actual scripts you can copy and customize: cold email, DM pitch, follow-up, rate negotiation response.
→ Your Rate Card — Know your numbers before a brand asks. Full pricing breakdown by content type and usage rights.
→ Contracts & Usage Rights — The 5 clauses every UGC contract needs plus a fill-in template you can send today.
Don't DM the brand's main Instagram account. Find the actual human responsible for creator partnerships. Here's how:
- LinkedIn: Search "[Company name] influencer marketing" or "[Company] social media manager" or "[Company] brand partnerships." The person you want is usually a Social Media Manager, Influencer Marketing Manager, or Marketing Director.
- Their website: Many brands have a "work with us" or "creator program" page with a direct contact email.
- Hunter.io: Free tool that finds professional email addresses associated with any domain. Enter the company website, find the email format, and reach out directly.
The Brand Pitch Structure
1
Subject Line — Specific and Direct"Creator Partnership Inquiry — [Your Name] / [Your Niche]" or "UGC Creator for [Product Category] — Available Now." Not "Collaboration?" Not "Hi!" Specific.
2
Opening — Who You Are in One Sentence"I'm [Name], a [niche] creator with [X] followers / [X] videos in [platform]." If you're pitching for UGC specifically: "I create UGC content for brands in [niche] — no platform following required."
3
Why This Brand — Specific ReasonReference a specific product, campaign, or content piece you've seen from them. "I've been using [Product] for 6 months and genuinely love it" is credible. "I love your brand" is filler.
4
What You're Offering — Clear Deliverable"I'm proposing one 30-second UGC product video for your Instagram ads, delivered within 5 business days of receiving the product." Specific deliverable, specific timeline, specific format.
5
Portfolio Link + RateInclude a link to your portfolio. State your rate or rate range. "My rate for this deliverable is $[X]–$[X] depending on usage rights." If you don't state a rate, you'll be asked to name one under pressure — do it on your terms.
6
Simple Ask"Happy to send over a full creator brief if this sounds like a fit. Does [timeframe] work to connect?" One ask. Not "please let me know if you're interested" — that puts all the work on them.
Setting Your Rates
The cardinal rule: never give your lowest number first. Give your real number. If they push back, you have room to negotiate. If you give your lowest number first and they push back, you've got nowhere to go but to work for less than you're worth.
Starting rate benchmarks (adjust based on your portfolio strength): UGC videos — $150–$300 per video as a beginner. Instagram posts with audience — $50–$200 per 10,000 engaged followers. Story packages (3 stories) — $100–$250. Usage rights add 20–50% on top of creation fees.
Prove You Got It
Find three brands in your niche that you genuinely use or believe in. For each one, find the right contact using LinkedIn or Hunter.io. Then write one pitch email using the 6-part structure above. Don't send it yet — just write it. Read it out loud. Does it sound like you? Does it sound confident? Those are the two criteria before it goes out.
Say It Out Loud
"I ask for what I'm worth with confidence — not apology. My rate is my rate."