How to Say No to a Brand Deal without Ghosting [Email Templates]

As an influencer, you always have the power to say no to a brand deal and give valid reasoning why not, but it should involve thoughtful communication to keep the brand relationship intact. There may be a huge variety of reasons why the answer is ‘no, thank you.’ Your schedule is too full, it’s not the right product fit for you or your audience, or you aren’t taking on new or unpaid partnerships.

For our 2022 Holiday Report, we asked influencers what factors influence their choice to accept a brand campaign or not:

• 77% said the campaign budget
• 73% said product selection
• 62% said logistics (i.e., timeline, reviews, etc.)

So what should you do if you need to say no to a brand deal or opportunity but want to leave that door open for future opportunities? Rather than ghosting, we’re sharing a few email templates to help you find the right words to say. Feel free to copy and paste into your next reply...

If you aren’t taking on any new partnerships due to capacity:

Hi [name],

Thanks so much for reaching out to me! I’d love to work with you; however, I’m currently at capacity for paid partnerships.

I’d love to reconnect in [insert amount of time] if an opportunity to work with you is still open.

Hope to hear from you then!

[Your Name]

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If you aren’t currently accepting unpaid opportunities:

Hi [name],

Thank you so much for your interest in working with me. Unfortunately, I am only accepting paid opportunities at the moment.

If any budget becomes available for this project, please let me know! If not, I’d love to be considered for any future paid opportunities. Appreciate your understanding in advance.

[Your Name]

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If the budget is lower than your preferred rate:

Hi [name],

Thank you so much for your interest in working with me. I would love the opportunity to work with your brand; however, this rate is significantly lower than what I normally charge.

Below, you can find my standard rates for the requested deliverables:

• [Insert deliverable(s) + associated rate(s) here]

Please let me know if there is any flexibility within the budget, and we can further discuss it. Looking forward to hearing back!

[Your Name]

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If you aren’t taking on any new partnerships to focus on organic content:

Hi [name],

Thanks so much for reaching out to me! I would love to work with you; however, I’m currently focused on growing my audience through organic content and not taking on any new partnerships for the time being.

Feel free to reach back out in [insert time span] if an opportunity to work with you is still open. Appreciate your understanding in advance.

[Your Name]

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If the product isn’t the right fit, but you love the brand:

Hi [name],

I hope you are well and thank you so much for reaching out about [insert opportunity detail here].

While I would love the opportunity to work with your brand, unfortunately, the [insert details about the product] would be a good fit for my brand or audience at this time. Transparently, [insert reasoning as to why it’s not a good fit.]

That said, I love [insert detail about the brand, a recent campaign, etc., done recently]. I think that [additional product] may work as a better fit for me and my audience.

Please keep me in mind for future opportunities there, as I would love the chance to work together. Hope to hear from you soon.

[Your Name]

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If the brand just isn’t right for you:

Hi [name],

Thanks so much for your interest in working together!

Unfortunately, I don’t think this [insert product or brand] aligns with me and my audience at this time because [insert reasoning as to why]. I’ll be sure to reach out if anything changes.

[Your Name]

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BONUS CONTENT: Increased Expectations for Influencers: Audience Engagement, Ghosting, & Brand Trials - Ep. 13

Main takeaways:

• Always be honest and transparent with your reasoning.
• A compliment to the brand can never hurt.
• Bad news should always come before good news.
• Responding, rather than ghosting, keeps the door open for future opportunities (if you want them).