40+ Brands That Send PR to Small Influencers

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Consider you have finally reached the threshold to start making money on YouTube. You’ve posted dozens of videos and built a loyal audience. Now, you want to learn how to get sponsored on YouTube. As you research, you quickly realize that most sponsors only work with established influencers with millions of followers.

This can be discouraging, but if you dig deeper, you’ll find that some brands send PR to small influencers. This guide will help you learn how to get sponsored on YouTube by focusing on the right brands and building relationships with them.

As you may already know, getting sponsorships can help your channel grow faster. Aha Creator's brand partnership deals help you find these opportunities and connect with brands to land deals that will make your YouTube journey easier.

How To Find Brands that Send PR To Small Influencers

1. Use Aha Creator to Find PR Opportunities with Brands

Aha Creator simplifies brand partnerships for influencers. We manage all the hard work of brand deal negotiations, helping you get fair value for your influence. Our matching system connects influencers with relevant brands, maximizing the chances for successful collaborations. Sign up for our waitlist today, and we will work to link you with partnership opportunities that align with your content and values.

2. Optimize Your Online Presence for Brand Partnerships

Before landing brand deals, you must prime your online presence for partnerships. Start treating sponsorships like the business deals they are. Brands look for specific qualities in creators to ensure a good fit based on their values, target audience, and campaign goals. To boost your chances of success, build a solid foundation and show brands what you bring.

First, ensure you’re creating content consistently. Regular posting grows your following and boosts engagement. It’s like sending a message to brands that say, “Hey, I’m serious about what I do!” Consistent content also helps you establish a solid personal brand by highlighting what makes you unique. This will attract brands that align with your style and audience.

To post more regularly:

Create a content calendar to make delivering your promises to brands easy. A simple spreadsheet or project management app will work. If you need somewhere to start, check out our guide on how to create an editorial calendar.

Make a space to write down content ideas for brand partnerships and your general content. Then you don’t rely on inspiration to strike—and you can hang on to all those genius ideas you think of in the shower.

Schedule content in advance using platforms such as Buffer and Hootsuite. Batching your work lets you focus on other aspects of your business—such as researching and pitching brands! Simply create multiple pieces of content at a time and use scheduling tools to publish them later.

As you post, prioritize authenticity and transparency with your audience. You want your audience to trust you and your recommendations, ultimately making your future brand deals more successful.

Next, make yourself as discoverable as possible. According to research, only 5 percent of brands want to source and recruit the creators they want to work with. But it’s also essential to make it easy for brands to find you.

Use platform-specific SEO tactics to create more discoverable content. For example, put relevant keywords in your YouTube video or Pinterest pin title, hashtags on Instagram and TikTok, etc. Katie Steckly of the Creator Club podcast recommends adding the topics you care about to your social media profile description, too. “You want to use keywords on your profiles that describe who you are and your audience is. A great way to go about this is to have something like, “I help X people do X, Y, and Z.” And take advantage of trending topics in your niche. That will make you more discoverable to brands and audiences alike.

3. Join Influencer Marketing Platforms for PR Opportunities

An influencer marketing platform is an excellent start to streamlining and growing your work at scale. Brands can directly connect with influencers here and nurture their relationships instead of spending time on grunt work. These platforms are ideal for influencers and brands alike since you can get found in less time and quickly sort the commission structure.

Some of the best influencer marketing platforms are Brandwatch, Upfluence, Tagger by Sprout Social, Grin, Shopify Collabs, and YouTube BrandConnect. These platforms are typically complimentary for creators and only charge brands a commission.

You can even join subreddits like r/influencermarketing, where people share posts about finding influencers and recommendations for improving your search.

4. Research Best-Fit Brands to Work With

When it comes to working with brands, the possibilities are endless. So, get creative with how you approach brand deals. Think about the brands you (and similar creators) already use. You probably already mention products in your content naturally. Compile a list of products you’d be excited to share with your audience.

83 percent of brands see a deep love and understanding of the brand as indicative of a successful partnership. So, landing a deal is easier when you go after a brand you’re already familiar with.

Also, look at content creators in your niche with a similar follower count. What brands do they use? What sponsorships do they have? You could even ask for an introduction to their contact. Then, you don’t have to jump through hoops to find the right person.

Next, look for smaller brands with less competition. Focus on smaller brands to start landing deals more quickly. You’re less likely to get lost in a sea of influencers trying to get the attention of more prominent brands. Don’t waste time on unpaid campaigns with brands with small followings and little engagement. Instead, prioritize collaborations that offer value and support your career growth.

Finally, consider brands outside of your niche. You don’t have to stick to brands in your niche to stay on brand. You can also partner with brands with similar values to yours and your audience’s. For example, thrift shopping creator Tyler Chanel partnered with How Life Unfolds, a sustainability campaign by the Paper & Packaging Board. While not related to thrifting, the campaign suits Tyler and her followers’ shared value of sustainability.

5. Network with Brands at Industry Events

To get invited to industry events, you need to:

Build a memorable social media presence

Engage with brands you love online

Create appealing and organic content around a brand and tag them in the post

Monitor events other influencers in your niche are attending so you can email them directly

Simply email brands introducing yourself and your desire to attend their upcoming events

Once you get an invite, you must ensure you leave a lasting impression on the people you interact with. Instead of going in blind, prepare a polished elevator pitch so you don’t miss out on important information. Next, talk to brand representatives and show genuine interest in their products and goals. Take down their contact information to follow up with them after the event.

If the event includes an open discussion or workshop, participate to increase your visibility. Most importantly, informal networking opportunities will be available, such as coffee breaks, lunch, and after-parties. Since these give you a relaxed environment to build connections, try to have more in-depth conversations.

6. Pitch Directly to Brands With a Media Kit

Getting brand deals for small influencers becomes more straightforward when you have a media kit ready. In this, you will include everything a potential brand partner needs to know about you. Use free presentation makers and link all your social media accounts, audience details, the niche I create content for, and the value a collaboration can bring.

Don’t have previous partnerships? Don’t worry. A workaround here is to showcase specific content pieces and your audience’s positive interaction with them. It’ll make you look trustworthy and authentic. If you don’t know where to start, reference media kits on Canva and edit them to match your aesthetic.

7. Negotiate Rates Carefully and Seal the Deal With a Contract

Make a rate card that you can send to brands interested in partnering. Review how much influencers charge as a starting point. Depending on what you want to offer (for example, dedicated photo posts, ad reads within a video, brand mentions, etc.), include different campaign types and social media platforms. You don’t need to include everything—just enough to start the conversation.

Suppose it helps a brand feel more comfortable initially. In that case, you can also negotiate other forms of compensation, such as commission- or performance-based fees (e.g., 10 percent on every order you refer or $100 for every 1000 impressions). These hybrid deals can help maximize your income.

No matter what kind of compensation you and the brand decide on, lock it in with a contract to keep everyone on the same page. Finding fair rates is an experimentation process, so don’t be hard on yourself if you under- or overshoot. If it feels like you put in more work than the compensation accounts for, you know it’s time to bump up your rates.

8. Keep Going After Rejections

Rejection is inevitable, but it doesn’t reflect your worth. Keep going! Re-frame rejections as a “maybe” for the future. A “no” can become a “yes” if the brand’s priorities change, they get more budget, or you grow your following. Track your pitches with a spreadsheet, and try to understand a brand’s hesitations so you can reach out again.

40+ Brands That Send PR to Small Influencers

1. Fashion Brands That Work With Micro-Influencers

Fashion brands regularly collaborate with small influencers to promote their products on social media. Here are some of the companies that openly work with micro-influencers.

Adidas

As one of the most famous brands, Adidas knows how to use social media for its marketing. They’re known for their wildly popular influencer marketing campaigns on Instagram and other social media.

Nike

Nike is also a big brand that knows how to work with influencers, especially small influencers. Nike has a few famous micro-influencer ambassadors featured in many of its campaigns.

Toms Shoes

The shoe company also sponsors a ton of influencers. They have been working with both big and small influencers for a long time, and it’s something they are great at.

Walmart

Walmart is also known as an influencer marketing powerhouse, especially on Instagram. They’re always looking to work with brands that collaborate with small influencers and have a variety of ambassadors in this category.

Macy’s

The department store has used micro-influencers to promote its brands through social media campaigns.

Daniel Wellington

Created in 2011, the Daniel Wellington watch brand has grown to more than $200 million in revenue. While it does not offer a luxury product, Daniel Wellington watches broke all records in just one year and became a go-to product.

Hollister Co.

The clothing company has been using Instagram micro-influencers to help promote their brands.

Kate Spade New York

This brand also uses the potential of influencer marketing. It has a few ambassadors who are small models or bloggers to bolster their brands.

Urban Outfitters

Urban Outfitters is another fashion brand that has been using micro-influencers on Instagram. It has a few ambassadors who are also micro-influencers.

2. Beauty Brands That Work With Micro-Influencers

Here are some big beauty brands that work with small influencers:

Nivea

The German beauty company has partnered with small—to mid-level Instagram influencers to promote its new products, especially those geared towards sensitive skin that needs protection from harsh winter weather.

Glossier

Glossier is another beauty brand known for working with influencers of all levels. The brand selects loyal fans who fit its brand, and many have a small social media following (most have between 300 and 5,000 followers).

CVS Beauty

This brand is also known to work with micro-influencers. It has a few small influencer ambassadors who help promote its brands and products on social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, and YouTube.

Bliss

The skincare brand knows how to work with influencers, tiny ones. Are you a skincare-loving influencer with more than 5,000 followers on Instagram? Then, this brand is the perfect match for you. They have a few micro ambassadors who help them promote their brands and products on social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, Tumblr, and YouTube.

BK Beauty

The brand is also known to work with micro-influencers. It has a few small ambassadors who help it promote its brands and products on social media channels like Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.

Clinique

This brand knows how to use the potential of these bloggers or vloggers for marketing purposes.

3. Makeup Brands That Work With Micro-Influencers

Smaller influencers can help promote products from all kinds of makeup brands. Check out this list of cosmetics companies that work with micro-influencers.

Babe Cosmetics

Babe Cosmetics is a makeup brand that works with micro-influencers. They have been seen working with Toni Darling, who has over 150k followers on Instagram, and she’s also the blogger behind MakeUpTuts.

Coastal Scents

The company knows how to work with small influencers like YouTuber Megs from Beauty and Lifestyle channel MegsTV.

Sleek Makeup

This makeup company is also known to work with small influencers, such as YouTuber Zoey from ZoeeyDoe.com, who has over 100k Instagram followers.

Wet n Wild

The famous brand knows how to use micro-influencers to help promote brands like their newest mascara.

Tarte Cosmetics

Tarte Cosmetics is also seen working with small influencers like Rachel from MakeupLawyer.com, who has over 100k followers on Instagram,m and her YouTube channel, which features beauty tutorials, tips, reviews, and more.

MAC Cosmetics

This cult makeup brand knows how to work with micro-influencers to promote its brand or products on various social media platforms and blogs.

4. Fitness Brands That Work With Micro-Influencers

Fitness brands often collaborate with small influencers to promote activewear, supplements, and wellness products.

Gymshark

Reaches out to micro-influencers in fitness, especially those with strong engagement in workout content.

Alani Nu

Sends PR packages featuring supplements, protein bars, and energy drinks to small fitness and wellness influencers.

Buffbunny Collection

Collaborates with smaller influencers to showcase activewear through social media content.

Hydro Flask

Partners with fitness and lifestyle influencers, often sending water bottles for workouts.

EHP Labs

Provides supplements like protein powders and BCAAs to fitness-focused influencers.

5. Lifestyle Brands That Work With Micro-Influencers

Lifestyle brands often work with small influencers to promote home goods, accessories, or subscription boxes.

FabFitFun

Sends subscription boxes filled with beauty, wellness, and lifestyle products to influencers for unboxings and reviews.

Yankee Candle

Partners with lifestyle influencers to promote seasonal collections.

Brooklinen

Works with influencers to showcase luxury bedding and home products.

Notion

Partners with productivity and lifestyle influencers to highlight its organization tools.

Corkcicle

Sends PR packages for their stylish drinkware and coolers.

6. Tech and Gadgets Brands That Work With Micro-Influencers

Tech brands aim to reach niche audiences through authentic reviews from small influencers.

Logitech

Sends headphones, keyboards, and webcams to creators in gaming, tech, or productivity niches.

Anker

Shares portable chargers and other gadgets with influencers to promote their functionality.

Blue Microphones

Works with small podcasters, streamers, and content creators by providing audio equipment.

Elgato

Provides streaming equipment like capture cards, key lights, and microphones to micro-influencers.

Casetify

Sends PR packages featuring customizable phone cases to small tech or lifestyle influencers.

7. Food and Beverage Brands That Work With Micro-Influencers

Food and beverage brands often collaborate with influencers to showcase their products in creative recipes or everyday life.

HelloFresh

Offers free meal kits to small influencers for reviews and unboxing.

Oatly

Sends PR kits featuring plant-based milk alternatives to health-conscious influencers.

SkinnyDipped

Works with micro-influencers to promote their dipped almond snacks.

GT’s Kombucha

Provides PR packages to influencers focusing on health and wellness.

Starbucks

Collaborates with small creators for limited-edition product launches or seasonal promotions.

Influencer Marketing Automation

Platforms That Pay Content Creators

Social Media Influencer Partnerships

How Much Do Digital Creators Make

Influencer Brand Partnerships

5 Niches Commonly Used by Influencers

Influencer Engagement

How Do Brand Deals Work

How to Reach Out to Brands as an Influencer

Benefits of Digital Collaboration

How To Pitch Brands as Small Influencers

1. Use Aha Creator to Facilitate Brand Deals

Aha Creator streamlines brand partnerships for YouTube creators and businesses. For content creators, we handle the heavy lifting of brand deal negotiations, ensuring you get fair value for your influence. Our matching system helps pair creators with relevant brands, maximizing the potential for successful collaborations. Sign up for our waitlist today, and we'll work to connect you with partnership opportunities that align with your content and values.

2. Get the Ball Rolling with Organic Instagram Posts

Organically posting about a brand on Instagram before reaching out helps you get noticed. You’ll make a more robust pitch if you demonstrate dedication to the brand. Aim to show you’re a loyal customer before contacting the company for a partnership. If you own a product from the brand, consider posting organic content and stories on your IG grid and tagging the brand.

If you don’t own anything from the brand, consider sharing a post from the brand’s feed onto your stories and tag them. Bonus points for explaining why you love the brand or product so much. This organic content will showcase your dedication to the brand, making you an ideal collaboration candidate.

3. Find Your Vibe with the Brand Before Pitching

Brands carefully evaluate potential partners before reaching out. So, before making contact, it helps to consider whether your vibe matches the brand’s vibe. Ask yourself, does my vibe match the brand’s vibe? Take a moment to compare your aesthetic, style, and values to the brand you want to reach out to.

Do they feel aligned? It’s vital to be aligned if you are a smaller influencer because it will give you a competitive edge and make you more enticing to the brand. But don’t completely alter yourself or your content to fit every brand’s vibe you’re reaching out to. It’s essential to show up as you are and do so authentically! The brands you reach out to should feel like they would smoothly fit into your brand on social media.

4. Engage with the Brand’s Instagram Account

Here’s a tiny but mighty potential move to do before you reach out to a brand: engage with the brand’s Instagram account in as many ways as possible. What better way to show your commitment to a brand than showing the brand some organic love? Comment on their recent posts, post their product or Instagram posts on your stories with a tag, and don’t be afraid to send the brand a little love in their DMs.

(I always like DMing them, saying something like, “Omg, I love your clothes!! I just wanted to send you some love!! Take care!) You could send a compliment or even respond to their Instagram stories. The idea here is to show that you love the brand, organically engage with it, and have initiated a relationship with it.

5. Have Your Media Kit Handy

Be on your A-game and have your media kit handy when contacting a brand. A media kit is the digital influencer resume you will attach to your email pitch. Then, shop the media kit templates so you can get started on yours pronto and skip the frustration of designing one. (Ain’t no influencer got time to learn another thing besides everything else they’ve already taught themselves!) These media kit templates are boosted, chic, and so incredibly versatile. You can edit every aspect of them, drag and drop images, and customize them to fit your vibe perfectly or keep them as is.

It’s essential to include your bio and contact information, An overview and snapshot of your social stats (hint: Later’s verified analytics report will help with this), Your community’s demographics — including where your followers are located, their gender, age, language, etc. A breakdown of your blog or website stats (if you have one) Previous partnerships and testimonials Examples of how you’ve built brand awareness, driven conversion, or traffic in previous partnerships Your rates (it’s helpful also to have a separate rate card that you can send to brands who inquire specifically about your rates)

6. Craft the Perfect Subject Line

The inbox of the person receiving your pitch will likely be flooded with internal company memos, project briefs, and other pitches. So, your subject line is critical if you want your email to stand out. Make sure it’s short, concise, and direct. In other words, keep it simple. For example, a standard subject line format might look like [Brand Name] X [Creator Name] — [Detail About Pitch or Content Style]. In practice, it’d look like this: Later X Lizzo — IG Reel Partnership. You can also include a small greeting or emoji in the subject line to grab their attention.

7. Introduce Yourself

Building a genuine foundation is essential if you're looking for a long-term partnership; your pitch email is the first way to do so. The person receiving your email doesn’t need to know your whole life story, but it’s essential to paint a picture of who you are and why you’re introducing yourself. Try swapping out the typical blanket statement, “Our brands align and I think this partnership would be a great fit,” for a few of your core values and how they complement the brand.

TIP: Now’s a great time to hyperlink your top social media accounts!

8. Highlight What You Love About the Brand/Product

Brands tend to gravitate towards creators who’ve previously used (and loved) their product. Plus, working with a brand you enjoy will make creating content more accessible and speaking to your community about it. When brainstorming what to highlight in your pitch email, use these prompts to get started:

Do their values and mission align with yours?

Has the brand done anything specific that resonated with me?

What is my favorite way to use the product, and why do I love it?

What is one thing I didn’t know about the product until I used it?

Have I already created user-generated content about the brand?

Have I noticed past collaborations with other creators that prompted me to reach out?

TIP: Focus on your shared values and why you’d be the perfect match.

9. Link Your Instagram and Media Kit

Next, link your Instagram and Media Kit. Remember, you don’t want to make the brand work to find information, so link them straightforwardly or smoothly in a sentence.

Example 1 (straightforward)

“My Instagram My Media Kit”

Example 2 (smoothly)

“You can find my Instagram here, and I’ve included my media kit so you can take a deeper look at my platform.” Keep in mind the length of your email. If it’s on the longer side, consider the straightforward example. Choose a smooth example to show your personality if it's short.

Lastly, a super tiny detail here

I used to send my media kit as an attachment but recently started linking it directly in the email. This way, there’s a higher chance it won’t automatically deliver to their spam folder and won’t take up as much space in your Google Drive.

You should round out your pitch with a high-level overview of your rates, a call-to-action (CTA) to review your media kit, and an invitation to continue the conversation. While your rates will also be included in your media kit, including them directly in the email will make it easier for the brand to gauge whether they have enough budget for a partnership.

Are you new to setting your rates? Unfortunately, as the influencer marketing industry is new, there’s no universal one-size-fits-all pricing rule. Many digital marketers have historically adhered to the one cent per follower (or $100 per 10K followers) rule as a starting point. However, in recent years, Later’s influencer marketing team has noticed an increase of about $300-$500 per 10K followers. Our suggestion? Use these numbers as a baseline.

Tip

Referring to resources like Clara for Creators and FYPM can significantly help set rates.

How to Email a Brand for Collaboration

Influencer Marketing Trends

Content Creator for Brands

How to Pitch Brands as an Influencer

YouTube Sponsorship Websites

Partnerships for Small YouTube Channels

YouTube Brand Connect

Benefits of Influencer Marketing

Best Influencer Brand Collaborations

Benefits of Partnering With Brands As A Small Influencer

Unlocking New Revenue Streams: The High Earnings Potential of Brand Deals

Brand partnerships can pay small influencers significantly more than ad revenue. While ad rates are often a mystery even to seasoned creators, brand deals are way less complicated. Influencers can negotiate compensation based on their reach, engagement, and the value they bring to the brand. This allows them to earn more for their content and efforts.

Say Goodbye to Solely Relying on Ad Revenue

Relying solely on ad revenue ties your earnings to fluctuating ad rates and viewer behavior. Brand deals offer an opportunity for diversification, ensuring income is not exclusively dependent on ad revenue. This provides creators with a more stable income source.

Greater Control Over Content

With brand deals, influencers have more control over the content they produce. They can integrate the brand message organically into their videos, maintaining creative freedom and authenticity. This leads to more engaging and genuine content for their audience.

Enhanced Trust with Your Audience

Genuine brand partnerships can strengthen the relationship between the influencer and their audience. When the influencer promotes products they genuinely believe in, it enhances trust and credibility with their viewers. This trust can lead to higher viewer loyalty and a more engaged community.

Aha Creator: Your Partner in Brand Sponsorships

Aha Creator streamline brand partnerships for creators. We handle the heavy lifting of brand deal negotiations, ensuring you get fair value for your influence. Our matching system helps pair creators with relevant brands, maximizing the potential for successful collaborations. Sign up for our waitlist today, and we'll work to connect you with partnership opportunities that align with your content and values.