Finding the Right Brand Contacts

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Lesson Objective - Learn how to identify who to contact and where to send your pitch so it actually reaches a decision-maker

Most travel creators don’t get ignored because their pitch is bad.
They get ignored because it never reaches a real decision-maker.

A strong pitch sent to the wrong inbox has the same outcome as no pitch at all.

This lesson shows you how to:

choose the right contact method
identify the most relevant person
validate emails so your pitch doesn’t disappear

The Core Principle

Your pitch should go to the person closest to marketing decisions - not just the first contact you find.

Speed doesn’t matter here - accuracy does.

Step 1: Understand the Contact Hierarchy

Always work top-down:

Named decision-maker (best)
Dedicated creator enquiry form
Marketing / partnerships email
General inbox (hello@, info@)
Instagram DM
General contact form (last resort)

Your goal is to get as close to the decision-maker as possible without overcomplicating things.

Step 2: Identify the Right Role (Before the Person)

Before looking for names, decide who should receive your pitch.

You’re looking for roles like:

Marketing Manager
Social Media Manager
Brand Manager
Partnerships Manager
Founder / Owner (for small brands)

You are not pitching:

reception
reservations
customer support
admin staff

If the role doesn’t involve visibility or marketing, skip it.

Step 3: Find the Decision-Maker

Option 1: LinkedIn (Most Reliable)

Search:

[Brand Name] + Marketing
[Brand Name] + Social Media
[Brand Name] + Partnerships

What to look for:

current role at the company
marketing-related title
active within the last year

For small hotels or brands, the founder or owner is often the correct contact.

You don’t need to connect or message them - LinkedIn is for identification, not outreach.

Option 2: Website & Press Pages

Check:

“Press” or “Media” pages
“About” or “Team” pages
blog author bios
press releases

Often you’ll find:

names
job titles
email patterns

This is enough to move forward.

Step 4: Find or Generate the Email Address

Once you have:

a name
a role
a domain

You can find or infer the email.

If the site lists any staff email, use it to identify the pattern.

Step 5: Validate the Email (So It Actually Delivers)

Before sending your pitch, do a quick validation check.

Simple ways to validate an email:

Search it in Google
If the email appears publicly anywhere, it’s likely real.
Use an email validation tool
These check whether the address exists without sending a message.
Gmail hover check
Paste the email into Gmail and hover over it - real accounts often show a profile or warning if invalid.
Send a light first email
If you’re unsure, your initial pitch can double as a soft test. If it bounces, don’t resend - switch to another contact method.

If an email bounces, that’s your signal to:

try a general inbox (hello@, info@)
use Instagram DM
or submit a contact form

Never resend to the same invalid address.

Step 6: Decide Between Email, DM or Form

Use this decision logic:

Named email found → use email
Only general inbox available → email
No email, strong IG presence → DM
No email or IG activity → contact form

Never send the same pitch everywhere at once.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Pitching reservations or booking emails
DMing brands that never reply publicly
Guessing emails without validation
Messaging multiple contacts simultaneously
Treating LinkedIn as a pitching platform

Yor Next Steps (Take Action)

Choose one brand you want to pitch.
Identify the correct role (marketing, social, partnerships, founder).
Find a name using LinkedIn or the brand’s website.
Locate or infer the email address.
Validate that the email is deliverable.
Decide on one contact method and write it down.

When you’re done, you should know:

who you’re pitching
where you’re sending it
why that choice makes sense