Fohr Card Messaging was launched in May 2014 to open up the dialogue between brands and influencers. We wanted to empower the people creating beautiful content to make direct contact with brands who were perpetually seeking it. 

Since then:

• 957 new influencers have signed up to Fohr Card, which is an overall growth in the community of approx. 26%
• 42,600,702 growth in overall reach of Fohr Card community
• Over 100 reported brand x influencer collaborations 
• We wanted to share an example of one of those collaborations and the pitch that made it happen.

This is Frankie. 

Frankie moved from Austin to NYC to pursue a career as a photographer. He had been producing incredible work shooting test shoots for Ford, Major, Re:Quest, Frame, APM and many more, and gaining a solid social following as a result, but it hadn't translated to many major brand collaborations. 

Frankie signed up for Fohr Card not long after we launched nearly two years ago. When we launched Fohr Card Messaging we asked him to be one of our beta testers. He viewed Kenneth Cole's brand card, which outlined that they were focused on promoting their Houston Sandal, and sent the following message:

“I would love to discuss the Houston sandal “#MySummerOfLove project. I’m very familiar with Kenneth Cole’s aesthetic and vision, and I think a sun-soaked casual photoshoot on the old wooden boardwalk of Coney Island at dusk would look really lovely. My vision for this shoot: A confident fun-loving, early-20s woman wearing the Houston sandal while walking in front of the concessions and carnival rides at Brooklyn’s famous and iconic Coney Island, maybe stopping in at a picturesque shop to buy a giant ice scream cone, ending with a shot of her sitting on the edge of the beach’s surf. My responsibilities besides photographing would also include: - Deliver a minimum of 8-10 high-res JPEGs within 7-10 days of receiving the sandals -Post the full set to my blog with the #MySummerOfLove hashtag any appropriate links to the Houston sandal on the KC website, if applicable -Post 2-3 of my favorites to my Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter with the hashtag #MySummerOfLove tagging @kennethcoleprd For this, I would ask for {dollar amount removed} in addition to the sandals, which would be gifted to the model I photograph. ”

Kenneth Cole responded to Frankie three days after he sent this pitch saying they would love to move forward with the collaboration. Kenneth Cole were over the moon about the content he produced and have since had him shoot for them again. Since then, he’s been able to book jobs with Lucky Magazine, Rebecca Minkoff, and Urban Outfitters again, again and again.

Frankie's pitch worked because:

• It was specific. It was a clear idea relating to the product and hashtag that Kenneth Cole were focused on at the time, as outlined on their brand card.
• It (quickly) told a story. Frankie painted a concise picture of what working with him would look like for Kenneth Cole. 
• It proposed deliverables. By outlining the scope of his work, Frankie gave the team at Kenneth Cole all of the information they needed in one hit. Any pitch that poses more questions than it does answers is a bad one. 

Typically brands reach out to influencers, not the other way around. With Fohr Card Messaging, it's important to realise that brands are viewing anything that comes through as a bonus, not their active strategy, so you want to include as much info as you can. With that in mind, when preparing your message to a brand you should ask yourself the following questions: 

• Have I tailored my message to fit the brand's exact need? 
• Would receiving this message be exciting to a brand? 
• Am I creating more work for them than I need to? 
• Could they forward this to another member of their team and not have to ask for any further info from me first? 

Working for a brand is busy business, and that means that sometimes clarity and conciseness trump creativity. Combine the two, like Frankie did, and give yourself the best shot at working with some of the world's best brands. 

Some more work from the collaboration below: