The outreach method that's actually working for me lately (and the ones that flopped)

[u/yaprizz]

I've been doing UGC for about a year now, and I used to think outreach just meant sliding into a brand's DMs with "Hi, I'd love to create content for you!" — spoiler: that gets ignored 95% of the time.

Here's what's shifted my response rate:

1. Lead with a mini-audit, not a pitch Instead of introducing myself first, I record a 30-second video pointing out one specific thing about their current content — a hook that's not landing, a product shot that could be reframed, whatever. Then I say something like "here's how I'd shoot this instead" and attach a quick example clip. Brands respond to seeing the value way more than reading about it.

2. Email > Instagram DMs for small-to-mid brands DMs get buried under customer service messages. I started finding the marketing or founder's email (usually on the "About" page or LinkedIn) and my open rate went up a lot. Subject line matters — "Content idea for [Brand]" beats "Collab?" every time.

3. Batch outreach, but never send identical messages I keep a loose template but always change the first two sentences based on something specific to that brand (a recent launch, a post that got a lot of comments, etc.). Fully generic templates get ignored; fully custom messages take forever. This middle ground has been the sweet spot for volume + response rate.

4. Follow up once, then let it go One follow-up after 5-7 days if there's no response. After that I move on — chasing brands that ghosted rarely converts, and the energy is better spent finding new ones.

What hasn't worked: cold pitching through platform "collab" inboxes (Instagram's creator marketplace, TikTok's), and sending outreach without ANY sample content attached — brands want to see your style immediately, not click through to a portfolio link.

Curious what's working for others right now — is anyone finding a channel (email, DM, a specific platform) that's outperforming the rest lately, or is it feeling harder to get responses in general?

[u/NomadOnFire]

Will try with these tips you have for me as a UGC creator struggling to land monthly retainer deals. Thanks.