We are now entering one of the busiest and most exciting times of the year for content creators—holiday campaign season and helpful holiday brand deals tips.
In the advertising and finance world, you may also hear the last few months of the year referred to as Q4 aka the fourth and last quarter of the year.
One of the biggest reasons that this is a highly profitable time for content creators is because brands typically increase their marketing spend and have planned to dedicate a hefty portion of their budget to holiday shopping.
What does this mean for creators? More opportunities to land partnerships and get paid to create content.
I’ve been a digital content creator for over a decade, and some of my favorite campaigns have been holiday collaborations with brands like Walmart, Gleem and Sephora at Kohl’s.
In order to help you land more holiday brand deals, I’m sharing my top five tips for pitching brands during Q4 so you can land dream partnerships this holiday season.
1. Set clear goals for Q4
Everyone always gets excited about this time of year, but I think it’s helpful to approach this season with intention and a game plan.
Before you start pitching brands, think about your goals as a creator and what you actually want out of Q4.
- Do you want to work with a specific brand?
- Do you want to land a certain number of campaigns?
- Do you have a revenue target in mind?
By setting clear, intentional goals, you’ll be able to streamline your pitching process and focus on what matters most.
Not only that, but it will help you stay on target and not get distracted. If you hit your revenue target by mid-November, it will help you say no to last minute projects that may pop up in December.
When it comes to brand partnerships, quality always matters more than quantity.
Your audience likely understands that they’ll see an increase in sponsored content this time of year, but try to keep a balanced ratio of organic content as well so they don’t feel like they’re being fed one ad after another.
2. Make a tiered list of potential partners
Once you know what you want to accomplish, it’s time to figure out which brands you want to reach out to.
You may already have some existing relationships with brands or great ideas for brands you’ve never spoken with before.
When putting together your list, I recommend breaking it down into three sections:
- Previous brand partners: If you’ve worked with them before, they’re more likely to say yes again.
- Warm leads: Brands you’ve emailed with, are on the PR list for, or attended events with.
- Dream brands: Companies you haven’t connected with yet but would love to work with.
I’d suggest spending most of your efforts pitching companies you’ve already worked with to try to land repeat brand deals and any brands you have an open dialogue with already.
Pick 1-2 dream brands to reach out to, because you never know! Even if the holidays are booked for them, you can always try again the following year.
3. Pitch a specific idea
Now when you craft your pitch emails, remember that you are likely sending them into a very crowded inbox.
That means it’s more important than ever to craft a compelling subject line and be super clear in your email about what kind of partnership you’re looking for in order to ensure that the person on the receiving end deems it relevant enough to read.
The more specific you can be, the better!
If you’re a beauty creator, you might pitch an Instagram reel showing holiday stocking stuffer sets that the brand sells, with a fun visual of pulling products out of a stocking.
Doing your research helps here—look at what the brand promoted last holiday season, and tailor your pitch to something similar (or build off it).
This shows you’ve done your homework and are thoughtful about their needs.
4. Share examples of your past holiday coverage
If you’ve created seasonal or holiday content before, show it off! This is a great way to showcase:
- Instagram reels or carousels with holiday inspiration
- Blog posts with gift guides
- YouTube videos sharing lifestyle content
If you have any relevant content examples from previous years that are similar to new ideas you’re pitching, share those as well—they’ll help the brand visualize how their products will look in your content.
You can even organize examples into an Instagram story highlight or separate creative concept presentation on Canva and share the link in your pitch email.
Along with examples, it’s helpful to share any relevant performance metrics—engagement rates, reach, and CTR (click-through rate) from past campaigns.
The big reason to do this is to reassure potential brand partners that they’ll make back some money and get results if they work with you.
Brands want to know if their investment will pay off, especially during such a high-stakes season.
Sharing metrics to give them an indication of how content has performed in the past is one step closer to getting a “yes” from them.
5. Ask not what the brand can do for you…
…but what you can do for the brand!
When you close your pitch, ask the brand how you can best support them this holiday season.
Even if a paid partnership doesn’t work out, this could lead to gifted product opportunities, event invitations, or future collaborations.
It’s a small gesture, but it shows you’re thoughtful and collaborative and not just looking to get paid.
Brands receive so many generic pitches, so this final extra touch at the end can help you stand out compared to other creators.
Final thoughts
Pitching during Q4 can feel overwhelming, but with clear goals, thoughtful outreach, and specific ideas, you can set yourself apart and land amazing holiday campaigns with brands you love.
Set a little goal for yourself to send 5 pitches a week and you can always increase or slow down depending on the responses you get.
If you want to dive deeper into pitching strategies and negotiating rates, I share detailed strategies and templates in my e-book, Right on Pitch—a complete guide to everything I’ve learned over nearly a decade of pitching.
Good luck pitching your dream brands this holiday season—I can’t wait to hear about the partnerships you land!
Yours,
Austen
Related video:
