Getting deals · for creators
How to Pitch Brands With Performance Data
- Open with your numbers — median views and engagement rate over a stated range — before your bio or campaign idea.
- State a specific ask, a rate or a package, backed by a projected payout from your own numbers, not a guess.
- Attach two or three representative recent posts, and follow up once, a week later, with something new rather than a bare reminder.
A pitch built on your own numbers opens differently than a generic one. State your median views and engagement rate in the first two lines. Let the brand do less guessing. That single change is most of what separates a pitch that gets a reply from one that doesn't.
Below is a structure for that kind of pitch, plus a sample you can adapt. You'll also see what to attach, and how to follow up without it reading as pressure.
Why numbers-first changes how a pitch reads
Most unsolicited pitches lead with the creator's story — how long they've been posting, what they're passionate about — before getting near what their content actually does. A brand skimming a full inbox reads that as filler. It doesn't answer the one question they need answered: is this account worth what it costs.
Leading with median views and engagement rate answers that question before the brand has to ask it. That means the rest of the pitch gets read as a proposal, not an introduction.
The structure
A numbers-based pitch runs in a fixed order: your numbers, why this brand fits your audience, a clear ask, and your availability. Each part is short. The goal is a pitch a busy person can read in under a minute, not a full media kit crammed into an email.
The same order works in a DM, just compressed further — DMs get read in seconds, not minutes. Keep the numbers line first. Cut the audience-fit line to a single clause. State the ask as a range instead of a full projection. Offer to send more detail if they're interested, rather than attaching everything upfront.
- Line 1–2: median views per post and engagement rate, with the date range
- Line 3–4: why this brand specifically fits your content, not a generic compliment
- Line 5–6: your ask — a rate or package, with a projected payout shown
- Line 7: what you've attached and your availability
- Sample DM: "12.4k median views/post, 6.2% engagement — think [product] fits my audience, open to a 2-video package around $90–100, happy to share recent posts."
A sample pitch
Subject line: Partnership — [niche] account, 12,400 median views/post
Hi [name], I run [handle] on TikTok — a [niche] account with a median of 12,400 views per post over my last 15 posts. My engagement rate is 6.2%. I've been using [product/brand] for [specific, real reason]. It fits my audience directly, not as a generic ad slot.
I'd like to propose a two-video package at a $4 CPM — see the worked example below for the projected payout. I'm also open to a flat rate in a similar range, if that's easier on your side. I've attached three recent posts and my per-post view history. I can turn this around within two weeks of approval.
What to attach
Attach two or three recent posts that are representative of what you actually do, not just your single best one. A brand who clicks through and finds your best post was an outlier will discount the rest of the pitch. A short per-post view history, a table or CSV export if you track your accounts anywhere, does more work than a paragraph describing your performance.
If you've done brand work before, add a one-line note on what a past deliverable did — views, and whether the brand renewed. That's worth more than a list of brand names with no results attached.
How to state the ask with a real projection
Whatever rate you quote, show the arithmetic behind the projected payout. Don't just state the CPM alone. It's the difference between a number the brand has to trust and one they can check in five seconds.
Using the sample above, see the worked example below for the projected payout at a $4 CPM and a median of 12,400 views per video. For a two-video package, that's roughly $99. If your median views vary a lot post to post, say so. Consider proposing a floor alongside the CPM, so the brand knows the range, not just the middle estimate.
Following up without it reading as pressure
One follow-up, five to seven business days after the first pitch, is usually the right cadence. Brands get more pitches than they can individually track. A single reminder is normal, not pushy. Anything past a second follow-up with no response is usually a no you haven't heard yet.
Make the follow-up add something, rather than just restate the ask. Maybe it's a new recent post that beat your stated median, a relevant seasonal angle, or a note that you're finalizing your schedule for the month. A follow-up that's purely 'just checking in' is the one most likely to get ignored a second time.
Mistakes that undercut a numbers-based pitch
A few habits quietly weaken a pitch that otherwise does everything right. Rounding your median views up to a nicer-sounding number is the most common one. If a brand clicks through and the numbers don't match what you claimed, the whole pitch loses credibility — even if the gap was small and unintentional.
Another mistake is pitching the same generic paragraph to every brand, with only the name swapped. The 'why this brand fits' line is the one part that has to be specific. A brand can tell within a sentence whether you've actually looked at what they sell. A pitch that could go to any competitor reads as a mass email, not a proposal.
A third mistake is skipping the projection and stating only the CPM or flat rate. A bare rate asks the brand to do the arithmetic themselves before they can tell if it's reasonable. Showing the projected payout does that work for them, and makes the number feel considered, not random.
Where the numbers in the pitch come from
A numbers-first pitch only works if the numbers are current. That means they can't come from memory each time you pitch. In Sway9 you add your own TikTok or Instagram handles. The app pulls every post and its views automatically, and keeps a per-post daily history.
CSV export gives you the exact table to attach, or to pull your current median from before you write the pitch. The free plan covers 3 accounts on 100 credits a month. Paid plans start at $22 a month for 25 accounts, for a manager pitching across a roster of creators.
Frequently asked questions
Should I state my rate in the first pitch, or wait to be asked?
State it, or at least a range with a projected payout. Withholding it usually just adds a round trip of emails before the brand asks anyway. Stating it upfront filters out brands whose budget was never going to match.
What if my views vary a lot between posts?
Say so directly, and lead with the median rather than an average. Then mention the range. A brand would rather know the variance upfront than discover it after the deal is signed.
How long should the pitch be?
Short enough to read in under a minute. The structure above runs 6–8 sentences before attachments. A pitch that requires scrolling competes worse for attention than one that fits on a single screen.
Should I pitch brands that haven't posted a campaign or brief anywhere?
Yes, that's what a cold pitch is for. Just be more specific about audience fit than you would in an application to an open campaign, since there's no existing brief to align with.
Is it worth pitching the same brand again after a no?
Usually yes, a few months later, especially if your numbers have improved since. A fresh median-views figure that's meaningfully higher than last time is a legitimate reason to try again, not a repeat of the same ask.
Track your own accounts free
Add your TikTok and Instagram handles, set each brand deal up as a campaign with its rate, and Sway9 pulls in every post and view and works out what the deal is worth. Free for 3 accounts, no card, no expiry.
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