Learn how to pitch hotels and resorts for paid collaborations and free stays.
One of the questions I received most after my recent French Polynesia trip was how I landed the hotel collaborations. If you’re a relatively new influencer or blogger, you’ve probably been able to land a few brand or product collabs, but I’m guessing the thought of landing hotel collaborations might still seem out of reach. I know it did for me at first. I always thought to myself, “I don’t have over a hundred thousand followers on Instagram, so who is going to say yes to a free hotel stay?” Well, even if you don’t know it, you’ve probably got a whole lot more to offer than just exposure or “influence” on Instagram. There are a number of different deliverables you can offer a hotel brand, and they’re not always looking for exposure on IG.
In this post, I will outline for you the things you absolutely need to have in your repertoire before reaching out to brands, and then once you do, how to pitch hotels and land those paid collaborations or free hotel stays.
1. Include a Media Kit
A lot of rookie bloggers and influencers overlook this important step, but I put it first on this list for a reason: it’s super important. You honestly stand little to no chance landing brand collaborations or paid partnerships without a good media kit.
Pitching brands—in my opinion—is probably a waste of time without sending a media kit for them to look over. You have to remember that brands get hundreds—if not thousands—of inquiries on a regular basis with bloggers and influencers all wanting the same thing.
I think this step is so important that I’ve dedicated an entire blog post to it:
2. Find the right contact person
The first part of this step is to find the right contact person to get your information in front of. Often times this can be the hardest part. The closer you’re able to get to an actual marketing director or media manager, the more likely you’ll actually get a response. If all you’ve got is a generic “info” type email, then it’s very unlikely you’ll actually get a response.
So how do you find these contacts if you don’t have a rolodex full of marketing directors across the globe? Well, Google for starters.
I often start my search by Googling “marketing director [brand/hotel/company]” and see what pops up. Sometimes you’ll get lucky and find a contact from the company’s website, along with an email. If so, your search is done. But unfortunately it’s not always that easy.
Sometimes you might find the individual’s name and title on LinkedIn, but without the email. Try friending them and sending a personal message indicating you’d like to connect about a brand collaboration. Ask for their direct email in the message.
If Google and LinkedIn aren’t successful, reach out to the brand’s account on Instagram in direct messages. Don’t send your full pitch—just send a brief message asking for the best contact person for a collaboration or the email of their marketing director. I typically send something like this:
"Hi there!
I’m wondering if you’d be willing to put me in touch with your marketing director? I’m looking to discuss a potential collaboration. I would very much appreciate you putting me in touch with the right person.
Thanks in advance!
Lauren"
And last but not least, if all of those attempts fail, send your pitch to the brand’s generic email, which can pretty much always be found on their website. You’ll usually find something like “info@brand.com" or “general@hotel.com".
3. Send a great email
Once you’ve nailed down your contacts, start sending emails! But don’t just send any email, there are several key elements I’d like you to keep in mind:
First, always address the person directly if you have their name. I prefer the formal salutation (Mr./Mrs. Smith) over first names. If I don’t have a name, I typically start the email with “Hello there” or just “Hello”. “To Whom It May Concern” is too formal.
Next, add an intro sentence and then introduce yourself. Follow this up with a bit about yourself. Then get to deliverables. Explain why you are reaching out to them, what you have to offer, and what you are asking in return. Be as specific as possible.
Then close with something nice and hit send!
I’ve put together a template that I use for every hotel I pitch to. Just enter your email below and you’ll gain access to download my FREE Pitch Template.
Good luck!
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