Influencer outreach email and DM templates for Instagram and TikTok

Updated 3 October 2026

The short version

A good influencer outreach email names a specific Reel or TikTok and what you noticed in it, states the offer and the exact deliverable (one Reel, three Story frames with a link sticker, one TikTok video), makes one ask, and makes no an easy answer. Email when the creator publishes a business address. Send a DM only when they don't, and use it to ask for the best contact. Templates for paid, gifted and affiliate offers follow.

Email or DM?

Email when the creator publishes a business address: in the bio, on a link-in-bio page or website, or behind the Email button on an Instagram professional profile. That's where they've chosen to handle brand work, and an email can hold the detail a deal needs. Our guides to finding an Instagram creator's email and a TikToker's email show where to look.

Send a DM only when there's no address anywhere, and keep it brief: say who you are and ask where to send details, rather than pitching in full. On Instagram, a message from an account the creator doesn't follow arrives as a message request, and TikTok lets people limit who can message them at all, so a DM may sit unread. Send it from your brand's account, with a profile that shows what you sell, so the creator can check you're real.

What to put in the first message

One specific post. Name a Reel, carousel or TikTok and what you noticed: the hook, a tip, how they used a product. "Love your content" fits anyone.
The offer. A fee, a product, a commission or a mix, with a budget or range if you have one. Our guide to paying TikTok and Instagram creators helps you set it.
The deliverable, in the platform's own terms. "One Reel and three Story frames with a link sticker" can be priced. "Some content" can't.
Anything beyond their own post. Running their video as an ad or reposting it is a separate permission. Name it now, not after they've quoted.
One ask, and an easy no. "Could you send your rates?" is easy to answer. A closing line saying you won't chase them makes any reply easier to send.

Name the format

Each format is a different amount of work, so the first message should say which ones you want.

Format	What to specify	Worth knowing
Instagram Reel	A length range, what the product does in it, a posting window	Ask whether it will be a Collab post, which appears on both your profiles.
Instagram Story frames	How many frames, the link sticker's address, the posting day	Stories disappear after 24 hours unless saved to a Highlight. Ask if they'll save them.
Instagram carousel	How many slides and what they show	Suits step-by-steps, comparisons and before and after.
TikTok video	A length range, when the product appears, a posting window	Ordinary captions don't carry clickable links, so plan a code on screen or a link in the bio.
Spark Ads code	How many days you want to run the post as an ad	The creator generates the code and picks its duration. See Spark Ads and partnership ads.
Instagram partnership ads	How long you'll run the ad, and on which posts	Your ad shows the creator's handle in its header, with their permission.

Templates to copy

Replace everything in [brackets] and delete any sentence that isn't true for you.

Email for a paid Reel or TikTok video

Subject: Paid [Reel or TikTok] for [Brand]

Hi [Creator first name], I'm [Your name], [role] at [Brand]. We make [product], [one line on what it does]. Your [Reel or TikTok] on [topic] stayed with me, especially [specific moment]. That's close to how we'd want [product] shown. We'd like to pay for [deliverable, e.g. one Reel and three Story frames with a link sticker, or one TikTok video], posted [timing]. Our budget is [amount or range]. [If you want ad use: We'd also like a Spark Ads code for (number) days, or to run it as a partnership ad, priced separately.] Could you send your rates for that? If it's not a fit, just say so and I won't follow up. [Your name] [Brand], [website]

Gifting email, with no obligation to post

Subject: [Product] for you, no post needed

Hi [Creator first name], I'm [Your name] from [Brand]. We make [product]. I saw your [carousel or video] on [topic], and [specific observation]. [Product] might fit into [their routine, setup or kitchen]. We'd like to send you one, in [size, colour or flavour]. There's no obligation to post, tag us or put it in a Story. If you ever do, please mention that we sent it. If you'd like one, reply with a postal address. If it's not a fit, just say so and I won't follow up. [Your name] [Brand]

Affiliate code and link

Subject: A code for your followers from [Brand]

Hi [Creator first name], I'm [Your name] at [Brand]. We make [product]. Your [Reel or TikTok] about [topic] answered [question] better than most, especially [detail]. We'd like to give you a personal code for [discount] off and a link paying you [commission] on every order. It works in your link-in-bio page, a Story link sticker, or a code on screen in a video. There's no minimum and no schedule, and we'll send [product] first so you can try it. Would you like the code and link? If it's not a fit, just say so and I won't follow up. [Your name] [Brand]

Short DM asking for the best contact

Hi [Creator first name], I'm [Your name] from [Brand] ([product]). Your [Reel or video] on [topic] is why I'm writing. We'd like to talk about [a paid post, or sending you product to try], and I couldn't find a business email. Where's the best place to send details? If it's not for you, no need to reply.

Follow-up when there's no reply

Subject: Re: [your first subject line]

Hi [Creator first name], One more note, then I'll leave it. [Something new: when the campaign runs, a detail you left out, or a recent post of theirs that fits.] The offer is the same: [one line on the offer and deliverable]. If the timing's wrong or it's not a fit, a one-word reply is fine and I won't write again. [Your name] [Brand]

Mistakes that get Instagram and TikTok outreach ignored

Pitching in the comments. It's public, and easy to miss.
"Collab?" with no offer. The creator has to reply just to find out whether you're paying.
A free post called a partnership. If you're offering product only, say so, and don't ask for a guaranteed Reel in return.
The same DM to dozens of accounts. Identical messages read as spam, and a creator can tell.
Forgetting disclosure. Agree the "Paid partnership" label at the start; see disclosure on Instagram and TikTok.

How Nakodo handles outreach on Instagram and TikTok

Nakodo emails creators on your behalf and never sends DMs. It writes only to Instagram and TikTok creators who publish an email in their bio, captions, website or bio link, and doesn't use Instagram's in-app Email button. Each conversation has its own address on Nakodo's sending domain, with your brand's name as the sender. First emails wait for your approval by default, or go out automatically after a 60-minute window in which you can still edit or stop them.

Emails go out Monday to Friday, 9:00 to 17:00 in the creator's local time. With no reply, Nakodo follows up twice by default, or 0 to 3 times if you choose, on days 4, 11 and 21 after the first email, and pauses for out-of-office replies. It answers what it can from your offer and passes the rest to you. When a creator says yes, it sends one introduction in the same thread with you in Cc, then steps out. Creators' addresses are never shown to you, sold or exported, and every email has a one-click way to stop. Creators without a published email aren't contacted, so the DM above is one to send yourself. See how Nakodo works.

Questions

What is a good influencer outreach email template?

One that names a specific Reel or TikTok and what you noticed, states the offer and the exact deliverable, such as one Reel and three Story frames, asks one thing, usually their rates, and ends by saying you won't follow up if it's not a fit.

How do I DM an influencer on Instagram?

Only DM when the creator publishes no business email. From your brand's account, say who you are and what you're offering in two or three sentences, and ask where to send details. It may arrive as a message request, so don't read silence as a no.

Should I email or DM a TikTok creator?

Email, if they publish a business address in their bio or on a linked page: that's where they handle brand work. Send a short DM only when there's no address anywhere, and use it to ask for the best contact rather than to pitch.

What should a TikTok creator outreach message say about the video?

Name the deliverable in TikTok's terms: one video, a length range, when the product appears and a posting window. If you want to run it as an ad, ask for a Spark Ads code and say for how many days, because it's a separate permission to agree and price.

How long should I wait before following up with a creator?

About a week, and send one or two follow-ups at most, each adding something new, such as dates or a detail you left out. If there's still no reply, stop.