As a filmmaker, your skills can take you around the world!

On your next trip, instead of staying at a cheap Airbnb, why not pitch hotels in exchange for free stays/meals?

You might just find yourself in a 5-star luxury villa with floating breakfasts, massages, and a complimentary yoga session, lol.

Whenever I’m planning a vacation, I pitch hotels first.

It doesn’t always work, but in the last 2 months alone, I’ve landed around $7.5K in complimentary stays and experiences.

Today, I’ll show you how I do it…

Think Small

To start, I only target boutique hotels to reduce the competition. I only approach big hotel chains like the Four Seasons if I have a really unique opportunity I know they’d be interested in.

Most large hotels receive a ton of emails from top creators and influencers who can also offer exposure on social media.

"I want to fish in a small pond"

So, choose your targets carefully to increase your chances of getting a YES.

You’ll save yourself time with the outreach as well.

Find the Opportunity

First, try approaching hotels that regularly collaborate with creators. That way, you'll know they're open to creator collaborations and understand the expectations/deliverables.

You can tell if they're "creator-friendly," if they frequently share content from other creators, or if they have a "creator or influencer program" on their website.

Then, look for hotels that lack video content on social media and will benefit from your work. If they already know they need more videos, this can be an easy collaboration!

Best part?

You can usually shoot UGC or "user-generated content" style videos on your iPhone and upsell DSLR/drone content—if there's a budget.

Here are a few opportunities I look for when searching for hotels:

• Lacking videos on social media (IG Reels & YT Shorts)
• The website hero video is outdated
• Pitch a video highlighting the hotel’s sustainability efforts
• The hotel’s IG videos aren’t quality and don’t represent the brand well
• Current video content doesn’t showcase everything the hotel offers
• Don’t have any lifestyle content (people experiencing the hotel’s amenities)
• They offer wellness classes or excursions but don’t highlight them

I recommend reaching out to at least 10 hotels and if you're traveling in the "off-season" it will increase your chances of collaboration.

Find the Right Contact

Once you have a list of about 10 hotels it's time to find the marketing/social media contacts.

To find the right contacts, use Linkedin and sometimes Instagram.

Type in "(hotel name) marketing" in LinkedIn to find the best 1-2 people to contact.

Then, use a Chrome plugin called Apollo.io., which allows you to extract their email straight from Linkedin - it’s free if you don’t want the bonus features.

Write the Pitch

Create a basic template and personalize it for each hotel based on the opportunity and what you're offering.

Use the "Email Pitch Method" I described in my previous posts.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Show you're a pro (with your positioning and sharing past clients)
• Know their brand/business (compliment and show you’ve done your research)
• Bring an opportunity (lacking in IG Reels, quality website videos, YT shorts, etc.)
• Be the solution

The most important part of your email will be how you position your offer.

Here’s an example of how I might approach a hotel that's lacking video content on social media.

“I noticed you have so many incredible photos on social media, but I’m curious: have you considered producing more video content?

With Instagram prioritizing Reels, posting more videos will boost your feed and search exposure. Plus, we can showcase more of the hotel’s unique and beautiful features with video content.

We specialize in lifestyle-focused videos showcasing a young and sophisticated couple experiencing your outdoor excursions, unique interiors, and restaurant.

If you’re interested, I can help create 4x IG Reels so you can share next week, and you can test the results."

Keep it positive! If they lack quality videos, don’t say their videos are terrible, as it might offend them.

If you’re on a call, ask what they think about their current videos and if they've considered doing more!

Most of the time, they have!

Deliverables

Don't overpromise and put yourself in a situation where you're offering a ton of FREE work. You want to wrap up the project in a few days or a week; otherwise, it can drag on for months.

Typically, I offer a package of videos, photos, and sometimes a testimonial for their website/google and newsletter.

Example:

• 3x 15-30 sec videos
• 5-10x Photos
• 1x Testimonial

Follow up

Be sure to follow up every 2-3 days and reach out to multiple marketing/social media contacts at the hotel or DM them on Instagram.

I’ve connected with the CEO of a hotel on Linkedin, who put me in contact with the marketing manager and then the social media manager.

If you're genuine and want to help your clients, you can make things happen!

Check out the Kolder Creative Facebook Group for more!

‍