Prospecting rarely fails because of the message. It fails because it reaches somebody who does not have the problem you are offering to solve.
Where to find them
Three places, in this order.
Brands already running video advertising, spotted in the feeds you follow: they have a budget and a recurring need. Online shops active in your category. And local agencies, which often subcontract production when a client asks for content.
Note them in a simple table: name, person, what you noticed, date of the message, reply.
The message that gets a reply
Short, precise, and above all verifiable.
One sentence showing you looked at something specific of theirs: a product page, an advert, a recurring objection in their comments. One sentence on what you would do. A link to two similar examples. And a simple question easy to answer yes or no.
Do not attach a file, do not tell your life story, and do not write that you love the brand: that sentence is in every message they receive.
The right moment
It counts more than people think.
Write mid-morning or mid-afternoon, on a weekday, outside closing periods and outside weeks of heavy commercial activity. A message sent during a promotional operation will not be read, however good it is.
Avoid the collective holiday periods too, very marked here: better to wait for the return than to be buried in a full inbox.
What not to do
Sending the same message to thirty companies.
It shows immediately, it circulates between agencies, and it closes doors for a long time. Five messages written by hand, each with a real detail, are worth more than thirty identical sends.
Never attack their current content either, even to show you would do better: the person who produced it is often the one reading you.
The follow-up
One only, seven to ten days later, shorter than the first message.
Recall the context in one line, add something new, and leave the door open without insisting. A second follow-up almost never brings a reply and leaves a lasting impression.
Note the date: in six months, a message beginning with I wrote to you in the spring often gets an answer, because the situation has changed.
Three ways to find a client, and their yield
| The approach | What it demands | What it returns |
|---|---|---|
| A direct message to a brand | Time and a tailored video | Few replies, but qualified |
| A profile on a marketplace | A polished portfolio | Regular inbound enquiries |
| A referral | A satisfied client | The best conversion rate |
What makes a prospecting message get opened
A video of the brand's product, already shot. A message offering services is ignored; a message showing a real demonstration of the product gets a reply even when the brand does not buy immediately.
What to track so you are not prospecting blind
Replies by message type. Twenty sends without tracking teach nothing, whereas twenty sends sorted by sector and approach say within a month where to concentrate the effort.
What you must have before writing
Three things, otherwise the reply will fall flat.
A link that opens in a second on a phone, with two examples and what exactly you did on each. A deadline you can hold. And a clear idea of your starting rate, so you do not improvise when the question comes.
Without those three elements, the best prospecting produces only conversations that stop at the second message.
Sources
Checked on 4 September 2026. Thresholds and rates change: where this guide and the official source disagree, the official source is right.
