Wondering where to find brands ripe for collaboration, grab their interest, and turn pitch emails into real opportunities?
If you’re struggling with how to pitch user-generated content (UGC) to brands, you’re not alone. Two-thirds of creators surveyed by After Hours Creator Club recall struggling to land their first paying client.
Even well-established UGC creators can find pitching anxiety-inducing. “I’ve pitched and worked with over 250 brands.… In the beginning, pitching felt a little bit scary and uncomfortable,” says UGC creator and mentor Sarah Dokowicz. “I remember overthinking every single word, worrying about rejection, and undercharging.”
Learning to pitch with confidence is all part of becoming a UGC creator, so let’s explore how to find brands, get in touch, and convert those dreaded first pitches into paid UGC work.
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1. Find potential brands to work with.
The first step is identifying who you are pitching UGC to. Zero in on the right brands by:
- Exploring TikTok Creative Centre and Meta Ads Library: Search relevant categories to find brands that are already spending on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
- Following brands in your niche: Scour social platforms for potential brands, checking tagged posts to see if they work with creators. Following on Instagram lets you browse similar brands in the Suggested for You section.
- Searching X: Brands often use hashtags such as #UGCneeded or #UGCcreator to actively find collaborations.
- Noting down Instagram sponsored posts: These should come from brands that fit your niche and already spend on advertising, so jot down names when relevant brands crop up.
2. Research the brand.
“Take each pitch and craft it to fit the brand like a glove,” Izarbe Puertolas writes for Twirl. “Show them you’re not just shooting pitches left and right – you’ve done your homework, you get their vibe.”
You can’t make that happen without learning about the brand. Hit up their website and scroll through their socials. What kind of ads are they currently posting? What’s their demographic? What kind of products are they excited about?
Above all, consider how you could fit into their creative strategy.
3. Engage before reaching out.
Liking, commenting, or sharing a brand’s social media content demonstrates you’re not just copying and pasting pitches to every Tom, Dick, and Harry. It’s also a nice opportunity to familiarise yourself with their community and assess how they currently interact with followers. There’s no need to go overboard, but a few interactions can help build trust.
A client whose interest is piqued by your pitch may just click over to your social media profiles or website to learn more. Be sure their curiosity finds your materials easily searchable and up to date.
You should:
- Create an up-to-date portfolio.
- Audit your socials to ensure that all content is appropriate.
- Check that your main social accounts feature relevant and recent content, plus a bio that clearly describes you and what you offer.
1. Find the right contact.
Contacting brands through direct messages isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can be unreliable. Some brands won’t respond. Others use autoresponders to send generic replies or are simply inundated with messages.
Emailing directly is better, especially when you ferret out an email address for the relevant person or department rather than the generic brandname@info.com.
Hunt down the contacts using:
- Company websites: Check for an About Us, PR, or Collaborations page to discover who may work with creators.
- Google: Try a few combinations of “[brand name] marketing/influencers/collaborations” and so on.
- LinkedIn: Search for a specific company to see if you can find their social media or marketing managers.
2. Craft a killer subject line.
Before investing time and effort into creating a truly *chef’s kiss* pitch, increase the odds that the email gets opened by writing a short, relevant, and enticing subject line.
A UGC pitch example may be:
- “My [niche] audience loves your [product]”
- “Ideas to boost engagement on Instagram with fresh UGC”
- “Love your [product]! Available to collab with experienced [niche] UGC creator?”
Don’t be vague or ambiguous. “When your subject line is specific, it helps the recipient quickly understand the purpose and content of the email,” writes Cole Garza, marketing director for GreenRope. “This increases the likelihood that it will be opened and read.”
3. Write your pitch.
Every pitch should be uniquely crafted to a specific brand, but you’ll follow the same basic UGC pitch template by:
- Introducing who you are
- Identifying a gap in their market
- Showing how you could fill it
- Offering proof
- Providing a clear, easy way for them to respond
Introduce yourself professionally
“I keep seeing the same mistake,” says successful creator Gloria Stonelake. “The pitch talks way too much about being a creator, loving the product, and being passionate. Brands don’t care that you love a product. They care about how you’re going to help them make more money from that product.”
Keep the “about you” section brief with a focus on how you could bring value. Something like: “I’m a UGC creator specialising in [niche] who has provided organic-style content for [example clients] in this industry.”
Or: “I’m a UGC creator in the [niche] space with a focus on creating content for [older women, Gen Z, etc.].”
Identify a gap in the market
You’re not simply pitching your UGC services; you’re pitching those services as a solution to a problem the brand is facing.
Look through the company’s current creative to identify where you could help. It might:
- Be missing content aimed at a certain demographic
- Be posting videos that lack authentic, relatable touches or engaging editing
- Not be using UGC at all
- Lack strong opening hooks or CTAs
Don’t straight-up point out the shortcomings you spot. Instead, articulate how improvements could be made.
For example: “I love your messaging, but I noticed your current content lacks representation from [a certain gender, age, or ethnic group], and I think diversifying could increase your reach.”
Or: “I saw your latest [product] ad but noticed you aren’t working with UGC creators to create authentic content for your market.”
Show how you could help
Instead of just saying you create UGC, articulate how your skills and experience could help solve the problem.
For example: “I have some content ideas to reach [demographic]. Would you like me to send them over?”
Or: “My experience creating casual, relatable tutorials could help boost sales of [product].”
Be specific and don’t overpromise. “Claiming that you’ll go viral sets unrealistic expectations,” Paul Osas writes for PitchBrand. “Most collaborations work best when they’re grounded in actual performance metrics.”
Offer proof
Highlight any previous successes, especially those relevant to the brand, the gap you just identified, or both.
For example: “I’ve produced organic product reviews for [brand] that helped increase its return on ad spend (ROAS).”
If you’ve become an influencer, highlight how your skills and experience can transfer to paid UGC. Even nano and micro influencers can demonstrate value when they’ve cultivated a highly engaged community.
“Your pitch should highlight your engaged audience, niche, and content performance,” advises creator-brand collaboration platform Grandee. “Brands want to see how your audience responds to your posts.”
For example: “I’ve built a community on Instagram around the [niche] space that currently boasts a 12% engagement rate.”
Provide an easy way for the brand to get in touch
“The goal of an initial pitch is to start a conversation,” says creator economy experts Brands Meet Creators. “You are just looking to get some sort of reply.”
Rather than pushing for paid work right away, your goal should be to keep the conversation going. Do that by giving brands a reason to reply.
“Instead of a vague ‘I’d love to work together,’ make replying easy with a clear, low-friction call to action,” recommends Lydia Thomas for After Hours Creator Club.
Her suggestions include: “Can I send over a few ideas?” Or: “Have you tried this approach before?”
Remember to include your direct contact details and a link to your portfolio. Again, it’s about making it as easy as possible for brands to take the next step.