Influencer Outreach Strategy: The 15-Minute No-Pitch Onboarding Call

Molly Cole, Creator Program Manager at Epic Gardening, shares the relationship-first influencer outreach strategy she has refined over nearly five years in the industry. Her core move is a 15-minute onboarding call with every new creator, where she skips the pitch entirely and asks about their goals, what they love about social media, and what they want to learn. Most creators tell her they have never spoken to an actual person at a brand before.

From there, Molly stays connected through a private Instagram account built exclusively for her ambassador program, where creators follow each other, comment on each other's gardens, and sometimes meet up in person. She also texts creators on a dedicated work phone and sends casual check-in emails that follow up on trips or life updates mentioned in earlier conversations.

The goal is simple: become the creator's best friend on the brand side so they come to her first when a collaboration idea sparks.

Watch to see how she structures that ongoing contact without it ever feeling like a marketing ask.