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The average email open rate for 2023 stands at 17%. That means a mere 25% open rate is considered good by this standard.
*Insert meme of dog smiling in a room set on fire*
Here’s how one of the influencer outreach experts in our inBeat team defines this challenge:
“Most people suck at cold email, and most influencers get spammed a lot and don’t care about outreach.”
You’re on the right page, though.
We’ll show you how to transform that challenge into an opportunity with our honed influencer email template.
This template and the insider tips we’ll share below helped us zap right by the meager open rate average.
Not to brag, but here are our usual stats (notice the 92% open rate):
So here’s that winning influencer outreach email template that helps you to avoid getting your email blacklisted:
TL;DR - Influencer Email Template
- Current Email Open Rate: The average open rate in 2023 is 17%; achieving 25% is considered good.
- Challenge: Many fail at cold emailing, and influencers get lots of spammy outreach.
Templates Provided:
- Initial Outreach Email: Clearly introduces the collaboration and what's expected.
- First Follow-Up Email: Friendly reminder without sounding pushy.
- Second Follow-Up Email: A last attempt to catch the influencer's attention, keeping it short and light.
Key Tips:
- Personalized subject lines boost open rates.
- Tailor the email template to fit the specific campaign and influencer.
- Emails should align with an overarching strategy.
Steps to Effective Outreach:
- Find the Right Influencers: Use an influencer database like inBeat to identify the right fit.
- Determine Goals: Clear goals aid in crafting precise and effective emails.
- Craft the Outreach Email: Make use of the provided templates and personalize as needed.
- Rinse and Repeat: Establish a routine for outreach and follow-ups, and track your communications.
Dos and Don’ts:
- Do: Use a professional email, personalize content, keep it concise, and be clear.
- Don't: Over-glamorize, sound pushy, or get discouraged by non-responses.
Final Takeaway: Effective influencer outreach requires clear goals and tailored communication. Working with an influencer marketing agency can significantly aid in the process. Remember, influencers value genuine and clear offers.
Influencer Email Template That You Can Grab Today
We lied.
We’ll show you three templates for the initial email and two follow-ups.
Bonus: We’ll include modifications for all these templates so you can use them in your affiliate program asap.
1. Initial Outreach Influencer Email Template
Subject: Paid Collaboration - [Brand Name]
Message: Hi {{influencer’s name}},
My name is [Name], and I’m reaching out to you on behalf of [Brand Name].
We’re currently casting creators for a paid collab. We think your content aligns exactly with what we’re trying to create!
The collaboration will only ask you to create [X deliverables] posted on [social channels].
If you’re interested, reply to this email & I’ll send you our casting form.
Looking forward,
[Name]
Insider tip 1: Make the subject line clear and catchy.
Studies show that a personal subject line can increase open rates by a statistically significant margin. Also, 35% of email recipients open your emails because your subject line sounds catchy.
Insider tip 2: Adjust this influencer email template to fit your brand’s personality, campaign, and influencer profile.
Here’s an example* of how we modified this outreach template in one of our social media campaigns:
*We removed all sensitive info, but you get the gist.
Subject: Paid TikTok Collaboration with a [Industry Name] Brand
Message: Hey {{first:there}},
I’m [Name] from inBeat Agency. I’m reaching out to you on behalf of our client [insert hyperlink], one of the biggest [industry name] brands online.
We saw your TikTok profile and would like to present it to the client for paid brand collaboration, but only if you are interested in being a part of the brand’s journey!
Can I count you in? If yes, reply to this email & I’ll send you our onboarding form.
Looking forward to working with you,
[Name]
Lessons learned:
- Include the brand industry but not the company’s name in the subject line: “Paid TikTok Collaboration with a Hand Cream Brand” instead of “Nivea,” elicits more curiosity. And curiosity increases your email open rates.
- Insert a hyperlink to the company in the body: This strategy decreases bounce rates because content creators can easily click to find more info.
2. First Follow-Up Influencer Email Template
If the first collaboration email didn’t have much success, you could use this follow-up email:
Subject: Paid Collaboration - [Brand Name]
Message: Hi again!
Just following up to see if you’ve had the time to read my last email.
We constantly have more projects if you’re interested! Let me know if you have any questions.
Best,
[Name]
Remember: This is just a sample template you can adjust for your needs.
Here’s a potential version that sounds more friendly:
Subject: Paid TikTok Collaboration with a Skincare Brand
Message: Hi again!
I wanted to gently bump up my previous email. Let me know if you have any questions; I’m here to help!
We constantly have more projects if you’re interested!
Cheers,
[Name]
Lessons learned:
- Keep things short but friendly.
- Avoid sounding pushy.
- Ask the content creator if they need help or have questions.
- Remind the creator that you have multiple other projects.
3. Second Follow-Up Influencer Email Template
The second follow-up template should be even shorter than the previous two messages:
Subject: Just catching up
Message: Hey {{first:there}},
Sorry to bother you again, but I thought I’d try my luck one last time. We’d really love to get you on this project!
Fingers crossed.
Lessons learned:
- Remind them that you’d love to work with them without seeming desperate.
- Use the phrase “last time” to let them know you won’t become a stalker.
- Try to be at least a little funny.
Insider tip: Even an ideal influencer email template can’t increase email open rates by itself. You need a solid strategy first.
Imagine writing an email to a restaurant to book a table. Chances are someone will at least open it.
Now imagine writing that same email, but this time your subject line says “Dinner reservation for $10,000 menu.” The open rates will be much higher, and you’ll get more replies.
And now picture sending the same emails to a flower shop.
Your open rates will decrease dramatically.
That’s strategy, and that’s what we’ll discuss below.
Step 1: Find the Influencers
Finding the right influencers to pitch to ensures high open rates. Click rates and reply rates will skyrocket, too, if you’re sending the right message to the right people.
Insider tip for finding the best content creators: At inBeat, we only do influencer onboarding after building the creative brief first.
That means we first:
- Audit our clients.
- Get insights from their competitors’ strategies.
- Analyze their audience.
We establish influencer campaign goals and KPIs based on these analyses and then craft the creative brief. We then try to find creators who would fit this brief – not the other way around.
Here’s how to find these influencers:
- Heed your clients’ requests if they have specific conditions in mind.
- Leverage an intuitive influencer database. Use the right keywords and filters according to your goals and KPIs.
* Alternatively, use an Instagram or TikTok email finder.
- Compare these content creators using engagement rate calculators and fake follower checkers.
Let’s say you want to find a gaming influencer for your new mobile app.
- Head to inbeat.co platform and create a campaign:
2. Set your keywords:
3. Set filters like follower count, language, and channel:
4. Analyze influencers’ profiles. Look at their engagement rates and estimated fees.
Pro tip: inBeat lets you see all this data from the platform, but another influencer sourcing software may not show comprehensive data. In that case, you’d have to use multiple tools to check engagement and calculate your budget.
5. Use our free fake follower checker to ensure your creators are legit.
Here’s how stats look for @kareincolor:
6. Shortlist your potential influencers.
Step 2: Determine What Your Goals Are
You can’t write an email pitch if you’re unsure what you want to achieve first.
So, you’ll need to have a clear picture of:
- Your expected deliverables (e.g., guest posts, TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, product reviews, expert advice pieces, etc.)
- Social media channels
- Timeline
- Budget
You also need to know:
- How many content creators you need to achieve your current advertising goals
- The influencers’ profiles
Pro tip: That’s why we advise you to perform comprehensive research and create a brief before choosing influencers.
How does knowing your goals help?
- You can craft a clear, persuasive subject line that increases open rates.
- You will stay on point and showcase clear expectations, thus increasing click rates and decreasing bounce rates.
Let’s review our initial outreach message again:
Subject: Paid Instagram Collaboration with a Skincare Brand
Message: Hey {{first:there}},
I’m [Name] from inBeat Agency. I’m reaching out to you on behalf of our client [Insert hyperlink], one of the biggest skincare brands online.
We saw your Instagram profile and would like to present it to the client for paid brand collaboration, but only if you are interested in being a part of the brand’s journey!
Can I count you in? If yes, reply to this email & I’ll send you our onboarding form.
Looking forward to working with you,
Name
Pro tip: Knowing the goal of this collaboration helps you craft a clear and compelling subject line.
The content creators immediately know you need a paid Instagram collaboration with a famous skincare brand, so:
- They open your email if they’re interested and:
- They’re interested because you found the right influencers following the previous step.
Step 3: Write an Outreach Email
The influencer outreach templates above will help you be more persuasive when you contact influencers.
Pro tips:
- Modify the email pitches based on the brand’s campaign details like brand info, what product/s the influencers should promote, the deliverables, budget, etc.
- A shorter and “clearer” pitch is best.
- If you get fewer sign-ups or responses than anticipated, strategize on improving the pitch.
Side note: Some sources claim you should build business relationships with influencers before sending them the first outreach email. That means:
- Following them on social media
- Engaging with them on their blog posts
- Helping them with suggestions or improvements via direct message
That strategy allows you to be more persuasive when sending an outreach email. But that strategy is time-consuming when you have a large campaign with 1,000 affiliate partners.
Insider tip from inBeat’s influencer outreach experts: Build long-term relationships through effective communication.
A clear, polite, no-nonsense email is an excellent foundation for a great relationship. Even if it’s a cold email.
Remember: Influencers use social media platforms for a living. They can sense BS from the first star or bling you use in a subject line.
inBeat can help you craft the right outreach and follow-up emails for the right influencers.
Step 4: Rinse and Repeat
Writing the first email is the hardest. Once you hone your standard operating procedures, things will go much faster.
So:
- Set a daily and weekly goal of how many influencer outreach emails you must send.
- Use an Excel sheet to keep track of your communication.
- Send the first follow-up message three days after not receiving a response.
- Wait for another three business days to send the second follow-up email.
- Don’t send more than two follow-ups in case of not get a response.
- Use CRM software like Mailshake to automatize your outreach process.
Influencer Outreach Emails: Dos and Don’ts
After getting through this much information, you’re almost ready to start your influencer outreach campaign. You only need to consider a few dos and don’ts before beginning.
Of course, we’ll keep things specific, tapping into our personal work experience:
Do’s
- Create a professional email address else than creating multiple new Gmail addresses for this outreach process.
- Warm it up first, so your messages don't end up in the spam folder.
- Send only personalized emails.
- Keep your email short. Emails with 75-100 words have the highest response rate.
- If you must write a longer email, use bullet points.
- Maintain a conversational tone.
- Write the goal of your collaboration in the subject line.
- Make your subject line stand out with colors, questions, and the brand’s industry.
- Present yourself and your company from the get-go.
- Be clear and specific.
- If you already know the influencer or someone recommended them, mention this relationship.
- Add a CTA.
Don’ts
- Don’t lose hope if an influencer doesn’t reply. Instead, send two follow-up emails.
- Don’t include your influencer marketing budget in the first email.
- Avoid too much marketing glam because your mail will sound spammy.
- Avoid sounding pushy or robotic.
Start Your Influencer Outreach Process
A solid influencer outreach strategy helps you get the results you want. Remember that you need clear goals and a solid brief before beginning anything.
Here’s a final insider tip:
Influencers are people too. And just like all people, they won’t care if your outreach email template is average, as long as you make a good offer.
So, select the right content creators and phrase that offer as best you can.
Remember to use inBeat to maximize your outreach efforts. Tap into our free influencer discovery platform, fake follower checker, and all the other tools in our toolkit.
If you need to fast-track your campaign, let’s schedule a free strategy call. We’ll lend you our experience so your open rates will break that 17% open-rate average in no time.