Influencer Outreach Template: Copy-Paste Emails, DMs and Follow-Ups

An outreach message gets answered when it names the pay, the work and why you picked this creator, then asks one yes-or-no question. Copy the template below, fill in the brackets, and if nobody answers, follow up on day 3 and day 7 and close the loop on day 14.

The influencer outreach email template

Use this for any paid collaboration. Every bracket is a decision to make before you write, not something to sort out later in the thread.

Subject: Paid [TikTok / Reels] work with [Brand]: [$X] per video

Hi [First name],

Your [video about topic, posted date] stood out: [one specific thing,
e.g. the hook, the format, how you explained X]. That's the kind of
video we want for [Brand], a [one-line description].

The offer:
- [Number] [TikToks / Reels / Shorts] over [timeframe]
- [$X] per video, plus [$Y per 1,000 views / a bonus at 100K views]
- Posted on [your account / a new account we set up together]
- [Product shipped free / app access], [usage rights: none / X days in ads]

Is this something you'd want to do? A yes or no is enough. If yes,
I'll send the brief and the dates.

[Name]
[Role], [Brand], [website]

Why this shape works:

• The pay is in the message. Creators judge the offer first. Leaving it out costs a round trip, and on our marketplace guaranteed pay drew more applicants (data below).
• The ask is small. One yes-or-no question. Calls, media kits and sample videos come after the yes.
• The compliment can be checked. Name a real video and one thing about it. "Love your content" reads as a mass send.
• The work is defined. Count, platform, timeframe, and whose account it goes on.

Still building the list? Start with how to find micro-influencers on TikTok, then come back here.

8 more templates for each kind of deal

Pick the template by what you are offering, not by platform.

1. Product seeding (gifting)

Use it when you have a shippable product and want to see who likes it before paying anyone. Vaseline and CeraVe each worked with about 450 creators when they seeded at scale.

Subject: Free [product] for you, no posting required

Hi [First name],

Your [video about topic] caught my eye because [specific observation].

I'm [Name] from [Brand]. We make [one-line description], and I'd like
to send you one to try. There's no obligation to post.

Want one? Reply with a shipping address. A no is completely fine.

[Name], [Brand]

Watch out: if you expect a post, it isn't a gift. Say so and pay for it.

2. Paid sponsored post

Use it when you want the creator's own audience and the budget is approved.

Subject: [Brand] x [Creator name]: [2 videos] in [month], paid

Hi [First name],

Your [series / video] on [topic] fits our launch of [product]: your
audience [specific overlap, e.g. asks you about budgeting apps in the
comments].

We'd like to pay you for [deliverables] on your own account during
[dates]. Our budget is [$X to $Y] for the package.

If that range works, what's the best email for the brief? If it
doesn't, tell me your rate and I'll see what we can change.

[Name], [Role], [Brand]

Watch out: give a range. "What are your rates?" with no number makes the creator do the pricing work for you.

3. UGC for ads

Use it when you need videos to run on your own ad accounts, not posts on the creator's feed.

Subject: UGC job: [3] videos for [Brand] ads, [$X] each

Hi [First name],

I found your [portfolio / video about X] and liked [specific: the
pacing, how you demo products on camera].

[Brand] needs [3] short videos for our paid ads: [format, e.g. a
20 to 30 second problem-solution demo of our app]. You don't post
them. We run them on our ad accounts with [X months] of usage rights.

Pay is [$X] per video and [$Y] for each extra hook version.
Interested? I'll send the brief and two example videos.

[Name], [Brand]

Watch out: name the usage period and the platforms. Usage rights with no end date are a bigger ask than a set number of months, so budget for them as one.

4. Performance deal: CPM, bonus or affiliate

Use it when you want pay to follow results, with a fixed fee underneath so the creator isn't carrying all the risk.

Subject: [Brand]: [$X] per video plus [$Y] per 1,000 views

Hi [First name],

Your [video about topic] got the kind of comments we want: [e.g.
people asking where to buy]. That's why I'm writing.

We pay [$X] per video, plus [$Y] for every 1,000 views and a [$Z]
bonus if a video passes [100K] views. [Number] videos a week on
[platform], for [duration]. We track the views and pay every [week /
month].

Want the details? Reply yes and I'll send the brief.

[Name], [Brand]

Watch out: for an affiliate deal, state the commission and cookie window in numbers. "Great commission" tells the creator nothing.

5. Ambassador or long-term partnership

Use it for a creator you'd want every month, not for one post.

Subject: Ongoing work with [Brand]?

Hi [First name],

I've watched your [series / videos] on [topic] for a few months, and
[specific: your weekly X format] is close to how we want to talk about
[category].

We're looking for [2 or 3] creators to work with every month: [rough
shape, e.g. 4 videos a month, a $X monthly base, early access to new
products].

Could we start with one paid test video? If it works for both of us,
we'd talk about the longer deal.

[Name], [Brand]

6. Event or launch invite

Subject: Invitation: [event] on [date] in [city]

Hi [First name],

We're hosting [event] on [date] for [audience / purpose], and your
[content on topic] is why you're on our list.

You'd get [what they get: travel, a $X fee, a product preview]. We'd
ask for [deliverable, or "nothing, come as our guest"].

Can you make it? If yes, I'll send the address and schedule.

[Name], [Brand]

7. Short DM for Instagram or TikTok

Use it when there is no business email, or to point to an email you already sent.

Hi [First name], [Name] from [Brand] here. Your [video about X] is
why I'm writing. We'd like to pay you [$X per video] for [number]
[TikToks / Reels] in [month]. Open to it? Happy to send details here
or by email.

Keep the negotiation out of the DM thread. Once they say yes, move to email or a proper chat.

8. Ask to Apply invite on viral.app

Use it when a creator shows up in your job's AI Matches (see the marketplace section below). The creator gets your message as a job offer for that job, and the posting already shows the pay, so the message only has to say why you picked them.

Your [video about X] is why we picked you: [specific thing]. This
job pays [$X per video] plus [$Y per 1,000 views], [N] videos a week
on [platform]. If it looks like your kind of work, apply and tell us
which of your videos is closest to what we describe.

What creators check first: our job data

The template's advice comes from what creators do on viral.app. On our Canvas UGC marketplace, jobs that guaranteed pay per video or a monthly base drew about 1.8x the first-week applicants of jobs that paid only per 1,000 views. A required sample video cut first-week applicants to about a third. And in our brand-creator chat, 80% of creator replies to a brand's first message came within 24 hours, and 90% within three days.

On the viral.app Canvas UGC marketplace, brands post a job in a fixed form, and creators decide whether to apply from that posting. That makes it a useful test of which offer details matter. We looked at every job brands published from August 3 to September 30, 2026, counting each brand once (its latest job). Most of them, 81%, are Canvas UGC jobs, where creators post on brand-owned or ambassador accounts.

Brands mix pay types more often than they pick one:

For the amounts, our live UGC rates page showed these medians in October 2026, each brand counted once: $15 per video ($12 to $20 for the middle half of brands), a $500 monthly base, $1 per 1,000 views, and a $250 top bonus per video. These are UGC job rates, not sponsorship rates for posts to an influencer's own audience.

Which offers drew applications

Next we counted the applications each job got in its first seven days live, for jobs published August 3 to September 23, 2026.

• Guaranteed pay draws about 1.8x the applicants. Among jobs without a sample-video task, a per-video fee or monthly base drew about 1.8 times the first-week applicants of CPM-only jobs. A CPM on top of a fee drew about the same as the fee alone. The gap came from jobs that offered a CPM instead of a fee.
• A required sample video cut first-week applicants to about a third with guaranteed pay, and to about two fifths with CPM only. The gap held in August and September taken separately. A sample-video task filters for effort, which can be what you want once someone is interested. In a first message to a stranger, it is a reason not to answer.

Both findings point the same way as the template: show what you pay, and ask for nothing but a reply.

Subject lines that get opened

The subject line should say it's paid, what the work is, and who it's from.

• Paid TikTok work with [Brand]: $[X] per video
• [Brand] x [Creator name]: 4 Reels in [month]
• Free [product] for you, no posting required
• UGC job: 3 videos for [Brand] ads, $[X] each
• Invitation: [event] on [date]

Skip "Collab?", "URGENT opportunity", "Exciting partnership!!!" and "Brand deal proposal". They look like the spam creators already get.

When to follow up: day 3, day 7, day 14

Most creators who answer at all answer fast. We looked at the first message a brand sent in each viral.app chat thread between mid-August and mid-September 2026, leaving out rejection notes, and timed the creator's first reply.

The median reply came 2.9 hours after the brand's message. These are threads where the creator had applied to the brand's job or already worked with it. If three days pass in silence, the message got buried, and one nudge is worth sending.

1. 1

   Day 0: send the first message

   Email if the creator lists a business address, a short DM if not.

2. 2

   Day 3: first follow-up

   Reply in the same thread with the offer in one line. In viral.app chat, about 90% of creator replies arrive by day 3.

3. 3

   Day 7: make it easier to say yes or no

   Ask what would make it work, and say that no reply is a fine answer too.

4. 4

   Day 14: close the loop

   A short note that you're closing it out keeps the door open. Then stop.

Follow-up 1 (day 3):

Hi [First name], bumping this in case it got buried. Short version:
[$X per video], [N] videos in [month] on [platform]. A yes or no is
enough.

Follow-up 2 (day 7):

Hi [First name], one more try. If the timing or the pay doesn't work,
tell me what would and I'll see what we can change. If you're not
taking brand work right now, no need to reply.

Close the loop (day 14):

Hi [First name], closing this out on my side. If you'd like to work
together later, reply here any time and I'll check what we have open.

How to answer replies without losing momentum

Reply the same day if you can. Creators answer fast, as the chart above shows, and expect the same from you.

If they say yes. Send the brief right away. An influencer brief example shows what to put in it.

Great. Here's the brief: [link]. The short version: [deliverables],
[dates], [pay and when it's paid]. Before you start, can you confirm
[the account you'll post from / anything else you need]?

If they ask for details. Send the product, the goal, the deliverables, the dates, the pay and when it's paid, and the usage rights. Don't make them guess what the job is.

If they send their rates. That is interest, not a problem. Give a date and keep it.

Thanks for sending these. We're deciding on a shortlist and I'll
come back to you by [day], either way.

If their rate is too high. Don't ghost them. Offer a smaller package or a lower base with upside.

Thanks for your rates. [$X] is above our budget of [$Y] for this
campaign. Two options if you're open to them: [fewer deliverables,
e.g. 1 video instead of 3] for [$Y], or [$A] per video plus [$B] per
1,000 views, so you earn more if it performs. If neither works, no
problem. I'd like to keep you in mind for the next one.

If they're interested later. Log it and set a real reminder for the month they named.

Thanks for letting me know. I'll write again in [month] with what we
have open then. If anything changes before that, just reply here.

If they say no. Thank them in one line and leave it there.

Email or DM?

Email first when the creator lists a business address in their bio, on their YouTube About tab or on a link-in-bio page. A paid offer with numbers and dates reads better there, and it sits in a business inbox.

DMs work for first contact when there is no email, but both big apps filter messages from strangers:

• Instagram: a message to someone who doesn't follow you may land in their message requests, depending on their settings (Instagram Help Center, checked October 2026).
• TikTok: only friends and accounts a creator follows can message them directly. Everyone else sends a message request, and creators can turn requests from others off (TikTok Support, checked October 2026).

When you have both, send the email, and if there's no answer by day 3, send a short DM that points to it.

Skip the cold message: post a job and invite creators to apply

Cold outreach leaves you doing the matching and the chasing. On the viral.app Canvas UGC marketplace, the order flips: you post the offer once, creators who want it apply, and you invite the best matches yourself.

1. 1

   Post a job

   Product, creator requirements (countries, languages, minimum age), job type, weekly volume, an optional sample-video challenge, pay, and a public description. Pay shows on the posting.

2. 2

   Review applications

   Each one comes with the creator's profile, portfolio videos, connected social accounts, languages and location. Applicants are unlimited on every plan.

3. 3

   Check AI Matches

   Every live job gets a list of creators ranked by best fit to your job.

4. 4

   Ask to Apply

   Send a matched creator a job offer with your message. They apply or decline.

5. 5

   Chat, hire and brief

   Reply to an application to open a chat and agree on terms. Accepting creates the creator in your workspace, where you share a brief and assign them to a campaign.

viral.app chat has no cold outreach in either direction: a conversation exists only after a creator applied to your job or already works with you. Ask to Apply is the outreach step, and the creator decides with the full job in front of them. Your plan sets how many jobs can be live and how many invitations you can send:

The invite allowance is shared across all your jobs and resets at 00:00 UTC. Posting jobs and receiving applications costs nothing extra on any plan; payouts to marketplace hires carry a 3% payout management fee. The jobs documentation covers each step.

Cold outreach is still the right call when you want one specific creator who isn't on the marketplace, or an influencer's own large audience. Use the templates above for those.

Questions and answers

Post your first creator job

Write the offer once, with the pay in it, and let creators who want the work come to you. Track every video they post from the same workspace.

Sign up for viral.app and post your first job on the Canvas UGC marketplace.