Businesses are incorporating video now more than ever into their marketing strategies. YouTube is proving to be a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to brands connecting to their target audiences.
Businesses can collaborate with YouTubers and other video content creators to produce engaging video content to drive traffic to their companies. They may even become the face of the brand. However, video content creators may not come to you first. You’ll need to reach out to them and show the value of your product or service.
Why YouTubers and content creators are important to your marketing strategy
YouTubers and content creators are often referred to as “influencers” because they have an influence on their audience. These video creators have worked hard to develop their brand through their YouTube channel and social media to become a person whose thoughts and opinions their audience can trust.
A YouTuber grows a following through their subscribers, and as a business, you want to capture these subscribers, as well. YouTubers, as well as all content creators, are highly influential due to their access to a large number of subscribers and social media followers, who look to them for recommendations on just about everything. In fact, 89% of marketers believe that utilizing influencers is an effective marketing strategy.
How to contact YouTubers and video content creators
If there’s a specific YouTube channel owner with whom you’re interested in working, you may be able to send them a business email through Google. Simply go to the YouTube channel of interest and click on the “About” tab. Then, click on the button that says “View Email Address.” It’s not required to include contact information in a YouTube profile, so there’s a chance it won’t be there.
If the YouTuber hasn’t included an email on their about page, social media is also an option. The YouTuber of interest probably has a presence on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook, which all have direct messaging options. Since this is a business inquiry, though, make sure you’re reaching out to their professional social media accounts and not a personal page.
Another way to connect with these influencers is to publicly and authentically engage with their content. You can leave comments on their YouTube videos and/or social media posts. Engage in a form that elicits a response and starts a conversation. By doing this, you put your business and brand on the influencer’s radar and they may end up contacting you first regarding a potential partnership.
5 tips for contacting YouTubers and video content creators
Pitching an established YouTuber or content creator isn’t always as straightforward as you may think. Influencers receive countless emails every day from companies that want to work with them. To increase your chances of getting a response, you need to do something to make your email stand out from the others. This requires a coordinated effort, a calculated pitch, and a congenial approach.
Here are a few tips to help make your pitch a successful one.
Finding the right YouTuber for your brand
A YouTuber or content creator might not respond to an email inquiry if the brand doesn’t make sense for their content. For example, if you’re a company that sells a product or service targeted toward parents, working with an influencer who doesn’t have children may not be the right fit. Or if you’re a food brand that specializes in meat products, a vegan or vegetarian isn’t a good match either.
Finding the right influencer for your brand can make or break the effectiveness of the partnership. If the two brands don’t align, it might not seem authentic. This could have a negative impact on how the product or service is viewed and, in turn, affect sales.
Use their preferred method of contact
Many influencers will note their preferred method of contact on their profiles. Some prefer only to be emailed while others are OK with direct messages via social media. In some cases, a YouTuber might even have an agent who is responsible for coordinating their sponsorships.
Knowing which specific method of contact to use can greatly impact whether your message and/or pitch is even read, let alone responded to. For example, direct messages on Instagram can get lost among a sea of other messages and may never be seen.
Clearly state your purpose early on
Your message should be very clear to make things as easy as possible for the influencer to decide whether they want to continue reading to the end, respond, and, ultimately, work with your business.
State the purpose of your message early on, either in the subject line or in the first or second sentence. Popular YouTubers get so many private messages that it’s impossible to read everything. Many will quickly scan through the first part of the message to see if it’s something of interest, so you need to make sure you get their attention in those first few lines.
Great subject line examples
The subject line of an email could very well be the most important component. It needs to grab the attention of its reader and entice them to open the message. It should clearly state why you’re reaching out to them.
Using the name of the YouTuber or content creator is a good place to start. This shows that you are not simply sending a blanket email to a whole list of influencers and that you want to work with them specifically. However, make sure to double- and triple-check that you have the right name and have spelled their name correctly. Misspelling an influencer’s name, or mistaking it for a different one, may turn them off completely.
Here are a few subject line examples:
- Hi [influencer name]! Do you do paid brand collabs?
- Happy Friday, [influencer name]! We’d love to work with you on a paid collab!
- [Business name] has a paid opportunity for you, [influencer name]!
- [Business name] loves your content and wants to work with you!
- [Influencer name], you and your followers will love this [product/service type]!
Make your contact information obvious
There is a very real possibility that your message will be disregarded or even deleted if a person’s name, email, social media handle, etc., is missing. The contact information needed for a response must always be included in the message and be blatantly obvious.
Get help writing your pitch
Your pitch should be structured so that it encourages a response from the YouTuber or content creator. As mentioned, these influencers are constantly receiving messages on their social media platforms from businesses that want to work with them—maybe even hundreds per day. Your message needs to hit all the right marks to ensure it stands out among the others.
If you aren’t sure how to write your pitch, though, an influencer marketing expert on Upwork can help you get started. Just as there are vloggers who specialize in video and YouTube, there are influencer marketers who specialize in proposals and pitches. A well-written message can drastically increase your chances of getting a response and locking in a partnership with a YouTube influencer.
Reflect on your efforts
Don’t be discouraged if you don’t hear back right away or if the influencer isn’t interested in a collaboration. You may have to send message inquiries to multiple YouTubers or content creators before finding the perfect fit, so don’t give up. It might take a little bit of reevaluating your goals, budget, and target audience before finding success.
If some time has gone by and you haven’t heard back from an influencer you’re really interested in working with, don’t hesitate to follow up and start a conversation to establish a relationship. Be real and authentic. Treat them as an individual, and don’t make it seem like you’re simply copying and pasting the same message to a variety of content creators. The more genuine your interaction, the more inclined they will be to partner with you.
The success of your marketing strategy may heavily rely on the kind of YouTubers and content creators you partner with. By partnering with the right influencers who know the ins and outs of creating great video content, your marketing strategy and campaign are sure to thrive.
