How to reach out to influencers (and get them to say yes)

Why should you reach out to influencers?

An influencer has something you can't buy: an audience that already trusts them.

When they recommend you, their people listen. That's why a single yes from the right person can do more for your business than months of ads.

I cover the full list of benefits (and 33 ways to earn that yes) in my guide on how to build relationships with influencers. This guide is about the moment you actually reach out.

How NOT to reach out to influencers

Nothing turns off an influencer like a poorly written pitch.

It's often your first personal contact with them, and every interaction is a reflection of your expertise and influence. If you send a bad pitch, they won't trust you or want to work with you.

These are the mistakes I see most:

• Asking for a favor before you've given anything
• Sending the same generic template to everyone
• Writing a long email about yourself instead of them
• Being vague about what you actually want
• Getting a detail about their work wrong because you didn't check
• Never following up after the first email

The good news? Every one of these is easy to fix. Here's how.

How to reach out to influencers: my 8-step system

This is the process I've used for over 10 years, for podcast interviews, JV workshops, affiliate partnerships and every virtual summit I've hosted.

1. Start by adding value first 💎

The best way to connect with an influencer is to figure out what they need.

Influencers build and sustain their business through content, and your first step toward a relationship is helping them do that. They need things like case studies, testimonials, shares, reviews of their books and podcasts, sales of their products, and introductions to people they want to meet.

Here's something people often miss: you can start building relationships with influencers months before you ask them for anything.

By the time you reach out, they should already know your name. I cover 33 ways to do this in how to build relationships with influencers.

2. Get your mindset right 🧠

It's normal to be scared when reaching out.

But really, what is the worst that can happen? They say no? You don't hear back? You move on and reach out again when you have a bit more influence?

Big deal.

The best way to get over the fear is to focus on how your offer benefits the influencer. If you're dealing with smart, rational people, they won't pass up a good opportunity. You just have to make sure your offer meets that standard.

For example, here's how an influencer could benefit from working with you:

• Exposure: Their work in front of 1,000s of new people in your audience
• Their own list: A free lead magnet of theirs next to your interview or event
• Promotion: A mention of their product at the end of your session
• Income: Affiliate commission on sales they help make
• Content: A professional video or article they can reuse in their own marketing

If you believe in what you're offering, you have nothing to fear 🙂

3. Choose where to reach out 📍

After a referral or a personal introduction, a personal email is almost always best.

If you don't have either, find the quickest way to the influencer themselves. That's usually the platform they're most active on. If they're big on X and don't list an email, reply to them or send a DM. If they live on Instagram, DM them there. If they run a website, reach out by email after you've been involved in their community for a while.

My friend Jan Koch did exactly this with Rand Fishkin. He'd seen Rand speak on my summit, The Branding Summit, and asked him on Twitter (now X) if he could interview him for his own summit. Rand replied with his email address.

Before you send anything, check what they're working on right now. People change what they do all the time, and getting a detail wrong is worse than not including one at all. An outdated reference makes your email feel mass-produced.

If you still need to build your list of who to contact, start with how to identify influencers.

4. Use my 7-part email formula ✉️

Even if you have an awesome offer, you have to nail the pitch.

I've sent hundreds of outreach emails, and the formula that works best is what I call the Compliment + Value + Request formula.

• Compliment: Give them a specific compliment about their work. Find an article, episode or piece of content that resonated with you and tell them exactly what you liked. You can also mention mutual friends here.
• Value: Show them how working together helps them. Maybe they're promoting a new book, product or free content, and you'd like to share it with your audience. This shows you pay attention and care about helping them too.
• Request: Now it's time to ask. Keep it short and specific. Tell them exactly what you'd like them to do, why, and how it helps them. Always make the focus on them, not you.

Here's the exact step-by-step process I use to write the email:

1. Start with a specific compliment about their work.
2. Tell them why you're reaching out.
3. Suggest what you want to collaborate on.
4. Mention the scope of your project.
5. Add social proof by naming other influencers who are involved (if possible).
6. Ask if they're interested in working together.
7. End with a direct, easy next step (a quick call, or a link to book a time).

And here's the template I used for years to invite speakers to my virtual summits:

Speaker invite template
Hey [INFLUENCER],

I've been following your work for a while, and I love all the valuable content you share on your site.

In fact, I just implemented [specific thing you took action on].

Just wanted to reach out because I'm hosting an online event coming up about [summit topic].

I'd like to interview you about [what you'd like them to speak about. Be specific here, so it shows you've done your research].

We're expecting [X] people for the event, and these people have already committed to speaking: [your biggest speakers].

Interested? It's a very low commitment (same as a podcast interview, except much more exposure), and I promise it'll be a good time.

Just let me know and I can give you more info.

Talk soon!

[Your name]

Model your outreach after it, but put your own spin on it and don't use it word for word. The free influencer outreach email generator writes one from what you know about the person, in this formula or my shorter style, and checks it before you send.

Real examples from my inbox

My very first outreach email went to Pat Flynn, in June 2013. I asked him for a quick interview, timed to the launch of my first site.

He said yes the same day.

The next year, I pitched Robert Greene for my podcast The Lifestyle Architects. Notice the social proof: the other entrepreneurs I'd already interviewed.

In 2015, I asked John Lee Dumas to have me on Entrepreneurs on Fire. The value part: my story had just been read 160,000 times on Business Insider, and the Self-Publishing Success Summit I did with Chandler Bolt had brought in 25,000+ opt-ins. John wasn't booking new episodes until the new year, but made an exception.

And when I offered Regina Anaejionu a free workshop for her audience, the request was simple and the value was clear. Her reply: "100% yes!"

One of my Virtual Summit Mastery students, Rashida Heard, got her first 3 A-list yeses this way. One of them said it was the best invite he had ever received.

5. Apply the ladder strategy 🪜

It's harder to get the biggest names on board. But there's a way to approach those conversations that gives you the best shot. I call it the Ladder Strategy.

Start by asking people you know personally, or have some kind of connection to, and work your way up "the ladder" to bigger and bigger names.

As more influencers say yes, you add them as social proof when you reach out to the next person.

It works because it shows A-listers you already have people on board they recognize, so they aren't the first to say yes. It proves you're trustworthy and worth considering.

Here's what happens when my students use it:

6. Follow up strategically 🔁

After you make the ask, you'll get 1 of 4 responses: silence, a request for more info, a straight yes, or a straight no.

Silence is the most common, and it doesn't mean no. People are busy, especially bigger influencers. So keep prompting them to get back to you.

Here's the follow-up I use today:

Follow-up email
Hey [Name],

Just wanted to follow up quickly to see if you can book a time here if you'd like to be part of [your project]: [booking link]

If you can't find something that works, feel free to let me know, thanks!

[Your name]

I follow up about once a week. When a summit speaker has said yes but hasn't booked a time yet, I send up to 4 follow-ups, each a little more direct than the last, before I move on.

7. Secure the partnership 🤝

When they reply, make the next step easy.

If they ask for more info, answer clearly and briefly. I use short labeled sections so it's easy to scan:

Answering a speaker's questions
Sure, let me answer your questions:

Audience: [who they are and where they're at]

Format: [how it works, for example a pre-recorded video session, like a video podcast, where you can share your screen and demo]

Reach: [honest numbers, for example registrations and where the content goes afterward]

Topic: [a suggestion that benefits both them and your audience]

Dates: [recording window and event dates]

Let me know if you have any other questions. If you'd like to be part of it, I can share my schedule link so you can book a time.

[Your name]

For bigger projects, a 1-page PDF works well too: what the project is about, how they can be involved, and what the process looks like.

If they say yes, send a link to book a time right away. If you're recording video, schedule all your sessions within a short window of 2 to 3 weeks. It saves you a lot of time.

If they say no, thank them for their time and let them know you'll tell them when the project launches. A no today can become a yes later.

Whatever the answer, position your offer as a win-win-win for them, your audience and you:

• They can earn: Commission on any sales they help make, with the exact terms spelled out
• They can reuse it: Videos and assets from the collaboration for their own marketing
• They get real exposure: An honest, accurate picture of the reach, never inflated
• They can grow their list: Room for a free lead magnet of theirs
• They keep benefiting: You'll keep promoting their work after the project ends

These days I don't require speakers to promote at all. I focus on making their session as valuable as possible for my audience. When the session is great, many share it anyway.

8. Nurture the relationship 🌱

The yes is the beginning, not the end.

After a project ends, report back to your partners on the results. And keep track of who did well. Size of audience doesn't automatically mean the most results: smaller influencers with loyal audiences often outperform much bigger ones.

If you run an affiliate launch, a contest with a leaderboard and prizes is a great way to motivate your partners. I know how well this works from the other side: I've been on the leaderboards of launches like Ryan Levesque's myself.

Then keep in touch, even when you don't need anything. Some of my best relationships started as 1 summit interview and turned into years of collaborations and real friendships.

How I reach out to speakers in 2026

My method hasn't changed much since 2013. My emails have.

Here's the real invite I send for the AI Creator Summit today:

Speaker invite I send today
Hey [Name],

Hope you're doing well!

I'm reaching out to invite you to speak at my upcoming AI Creator virtual summit.

I've hosted the summit [number] times now and the sessions have been viewed by over 100,000 people. Speakers like Eric Siu, Mark Joyner, Sean Cannell, Matt Wolfe, Stu McLaren, Molly Mahoney, Julia McCoy, Ryan Levesque and many more have been part of it.

Your video session would be pre-recorded, giving you flexibility to schedule with us [recording window].

I'd love to have you as one of our awesome featured speakers if you're up for it. Let me know!

Navid

Notice what changed since my first template:

• It's shorter. A few lines, no essay.
• No compliment by default. I only add a personal touch when I have something real and current to say.
• The social proof is the summit itself. How many times I've hosted it, how many people watched, and a few names they'll recognize.
• It's easy to say yes. A pre-recorded session with flexible timing, and a low-pressure close.

For previous speakers, it's even shorter: I mention their last session was well received and ask if they'd like to join again.

I draft these with a Claude skill that knows my voice and my rules. Before any personal touch, it searches the web for what the speaker is doing right now, and it never makes up a fact about them.

Final thoughts on how to reach out to influencers

Knowing how to reach out to influencers opens doors you can't open any other way.

Most people never send that first email. They overthink it, worry about rejection, or convince themselves they need to wait until they're "bigger."

That's a mistake.

I started with zero connections and built relationships with hundreds of influencers using the exact strategies in this guide.

Here's what to do right now:

Your first outreach email doesn't need to be perfect. It just needs to be sent.

The worst thing that happens? They don't respond.

The best thing? You start building the relationships that will transform your business.

Before you hit send, check your email against the 21 influencer marketing mistakes I see most. And when someone says yes, here's how to turn it into one of your influencer partnerships.