How to write a UGC pitch to brands, step by step
Short version: research one real detail about the brand, open with it, lead with proof instead of a portfolio link, offer one concrete idea, and ask for nothing but a reply. Keep an email under 150 words and a DM under 80. That's the whole method. The rest of this page is how to actually do each step, and the traps at each one.
The quick answer: 5 steps
- Research the brand until you have one specific, true detail to open with
- Open with that detail, and run the swap test on your first line
- Lead with proof: a real result or relevant work, before any portfolio link
- Offer one concrete idea for this brand, not a menu of services
- Ask small: a reply, a yes/no, a "worth a look?", nothing more
Before you write: the pitch has one job
The first message is not a proposal, a portfolio drop, or a close. Its only job is a reply. Early on I cold pitched over a hundred brands with messages that tried to get hired in one email, and the total return was zero deals and a stack of out-of-office autoreplies. Every step below exists to keep the message small enough that replying is easy.
The five steps
Step 1: research the brand for one real detail
Spend ten minutes on the brand's TikTok, Instagram, and site before writing a word. You're hunting for one concrete, current thing: the content format they actually run, a named product or line, a positioning claim they repeat, an audience they call out. Not an opinion about them, a fact about them.
One honesty rule while you're there: don't claim behavior you didn't do. "Been seeing your videos lately" is a lie if you found them twenty minutes ago. Open from the fact itself instead: "Your TikTok runs mostly quick before-and-after demos" is true the moment you've watched them.
Step 2: write the opener, then run the swap test
Your first line carries the detail from step 1. Then test it: swap the brand name for a competitor's. If the line still makes sense, it's generic filler and it gets deleted with the other fifty pitches that week. "I love what you're doing in the skincare space" survives the swap, so it fails. "You run shot-guide style content instead of talking-head reviews" breaks when swapped, so it works.
Step 3: lead with proof, not a portfolio link
The second beat is the strongest true thing you can say about your own work: a result, a relevant format you've built, a vertical match. A portfolio link comes after that, as evidence, never as the opening move. "Check out my portfolio" as the pitch's centerpiece asks the reader to do your selling for you.
No portfolio yet? Skip the history entirely and make the idea the proof: offer one sample concept in the brand's own style, free to look at. Specificity about their content is better evidence than a thin reel.
Step 4: offer one concrete idea
One idea, in their format, for their product. Not "I can do testimonials, unboxings, demos, and lifestyle content." A menu makes the brand do the work of choosing; a single considered idea shows you already did it. It also gives the reply an easy shape: yes, show me that, or no thanks.
Step 5: ask small, and stop
The ask is a reply: "worth a quick look?" beats "let's hop on a call to discuss next steps." No pricing, no contract terms, no exclusivity, no urgency. All of that belongs in message three, after interest exists. Then sign off and stop writing. Under 150 words for an email, under 80 for a DM. If it takes more than 20 seconds to read, it's asking for attention it hasn't earned.
Email or DM? The register changes
Email gets a subject line, a greeting to a named person, two or three short paragraphs, and a plain sign-off with one proof link. The subject line is flat and specific: your name plus the brand, or the content idea. No emoji, no "Quick question!", no fake urgency. Address a real person, because "Hi there" reads as a mass blast even when the rest is good. Can't find a name? A specific role ("Hi [Brand] creator team") beats a generic greeting.
A DM drops the subject line and the formal structure. It opens conversationally, can start mid-thought ("Saw your latest demo format and had an idea..."), and ends with a low-pressure question. What it doesn't do is go corporate: "Dear team" and "Best regards" in a DM read as a copy-pasted email dropped in the wrong box. Pick the channel by where you can actually reach a human: findable marketing contact means email, small brand living on social means DM.
What kills a pitch in two seconds
- An opener that survives the swap test (generic flattery with a brand name attached)
- A portfolio link doing the job the pitch should do
- Invented claims: follower counts, "brands I've worked with," results you can't back up
- Rates, contracts, or a call request in message one
- A clickbait subject line, emoji included
- Hype vocabulary: passionate, perfect fit, would love to collab
The invented-claims line is the one that matters most. A pitch that exaggerates gets you a reply you can't survive: the brand says yes to someone who doesn't exist. Every claim in the message should be something you could defend on a call five minutes later.
I built a tool for this part
The two slowest parts of this process are finding the right person to send it to and tailoring the draft to the brand. The Cold Pitch Generator does both: give it a brand, and it finds a real marketing contact and writes a pitch built around the brand's actual details, following the same rules on this page. It's a premium tool, 1 credit per brand lookup with the pitch draft included, and new accounts get 5 free credits. If you just want to gut-check your angle first, Pitch Angle Preview is free.
Common questions
Should I pitch brands by email or DM?
Whichever gets you to a real person. Email for brands with a findable marketing contact, DM for small brands that live on social. The register changes with the channel: structured and under 150 words for email, conversational and under 80 for a DM.
Should I include my rates?
No. Rates come after interest, not before. Have a rate card ready to send the moment they ask, but don't attach it to message one.
How do I pitch with no portfolio?
Lead with specificity instead of history. Name something concrete about their current content and offer one sample concept in their style, free to look at. A considered idea is stronger proof than a thin reel.
How many brands should I pitch at once?
As many as you can research properly, which is the real constraint. Ten researched pitches beat a hundred templated ones, and the follow-up matters as much as the send: log every pitch somewhere with a follow-up date, or use the free Deal Tracker to do it for you.
How long should a UGC pitch to a brand be?
Under 150 words for an email body, under 80 words for a DM. A pitch that takes more than about 20 seconds to read is asking for more attention than a cold message has earned.
The failed-pitch numbers above are Adam's own early record, and the method is the one encoded into Hookline's pitch tools. No method guarantees replies: some brands won't answer a perfect pitch, and that's normal. See a full worked example in the cold pitch example guide, or draft yours with the Cold Pitch Generator (1 credit). Once a brand replies with an offer, how to negotiate a brand deal covers what to say next.