How to find brands that work with creators like you

The best brands to pitch are ones that already pay creators, sell to people like your audience and are active on social right now. You find them by starting with products you already use, studying who pays other creators in your niche, checking which brands are running ads, and joining the platforms’ own creator marketplaces. Then you qualify each brand and build a list of about 50 to work through.

1. Products you already use

Look around your bathroom, wardrobe, desk, kitchen or camera bag. A brand you genuinely use is the easiest pitch you’ll ever write, because the story is already true. Make a list of 20 products, then note which brands sell online and post on social.

2. Brands other creators in your niche work with

Find 10 creators in your niche with a similar or slightly bigger audience. Scroll their last few months of posts and look for:

• An Ad, #ad or Paid partnership label.
• Discount codes and affiliate links in captions or bios.
• Brand tags on Stories and “link in bio” mentions.

Every brand you spot has budget and a process for working with creators. Note the brand, the product and the format they bought.

3. Competitors of brands you’ve worked with

If a skincare brand paid you, its competitors sell to the same people and probably have similar budgets. After every deal, list three direct competitors and pitch them for a different product or season. (Check your contract first: exclusivity can block competitors for a period.)

4. Brands running ads right now

A brand running social ads has a marketing budget and wants content. Two free tools show you who’s advertising:

• Meta Ad Library (facebook.com/ads/library): search a product category or brand name to see active ads on Instagram and Facebook.
• TikTok Creative Center: browse top ads by industry and region.

Bonus: if a brand’s ads are creator-style videos, they already buy UGC and may need more of it. See how to become a UGC creator.

5. Ambassador and affiliate programmes

Many brands run programmes you can simply apply to. Search for “[brand] ambassador programme”, “[brand] affiliate” or “[brand] creator programme”. These often start with commission or free product, but they’re a direct line into the brand’s creator team, and strong performers can be offered paid work. Our guide to becoming a brand ambassador explains how to turn these into paid deals.

6. The platforms’ creator marketplaces

Platforms run their own marketplaces where brands look for creators:

Marketplace	Who can join (October 2026)
TikTok One (formerly Creator Marketplace)	18+, 1,000 followers for brand projects, in launched regions
Meta’s creator marketplace (Instagram)	18+, professional account, in eligible countries (check Instagram Help for current rules)
YouTube Creator Partnerships (BrandConnect)	18+, in the YouTube Partner Program, in listed countries, no active Community Guidelines strikes

Sources: TikTok, Instagram Help, YouTube Help. Fill in every field of your profile: brands filter by niche, location and audience.

7. New and launching brands

New brands need awareness fast and are often more open to smaller creators. Look at new launches in your niche on crowdfunding sites, in trade press and in “new in” sections of the shops your audience buys from. A short pitch around their launch date often lands.

8. Search by niche with Brand Deals HQ

Instead of building your list by hand, you can search brands by niche, see how they present themselves and find the contact details they publish, such as partnership and press emails, then send a ready-written pitch from your own email and track the deal.

How to check a brand is worth pitching

Before you add a brand to your list, check five things:

1. They sell online and ship to where your audience lives.
2. Their customers look like your audience (age, interests, budget).
3. They’re active on social with posts in the last month.
4. They show signs of budget: creator content, ads, an affiliate or ambassador programme.
5. The product is something you’d honestly recommend. Your audience can tell.

If a brand passes all five, it goes on your list.

Build a target list of 50

Sort your brands into three groups:

• A list (10): perfect fit, already pay creators. Pitch these first, with your best ideas.
• B list (25): good fit, some signs of budget. Pitch in batches over the next month.
• C list (15): dream brands or long shots. Pitch once you have a few paid deals to show.

Track each brand’s contact, date pitched, follow-ups and outcome. Revisit “not now” replies every quarter: budgets and teams change.

Frequently asked questions

What brands work with small creators?

Direct-to-consumer brands that sell online, newer brands launching products, and brands with affiliate or ambassador programmes are the most open to small creators. Look for brands already paying creators in your niche.

How do I know if a brand pays creators?

Look for Ad or Paid partnership labels on other creators’ content about them, creator-style ads in the Meta Ad Library or TikTok Creative Center, and an affiliate or ambassador programme on their website.

Should I pitch big brands or small brands?

Both, in different proportions. Smaller and newer brands reply more often and help you build proof. Big brands have bigger budgets but usually work through agencies and marketplaces. Mix your list and pitch dream brands once you have results to show.

Where can I find a brand’s contact email?

Check the brand’s website for partnerships, press or “work with us” pages, look up its marketing team on LinkedIn, and look for a partnerships address. Use business email addresses only, never personal ones. Brand Deals HQ pulls together the contact details it can find for a brand, such as emails published on its website, so you can pitch from your own inbox.