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Allison Kong, a TikTok content creator known for her smoothing cooking and mukbang videos would be a great partnership option for Smash Kitchen. Smash Kitchen currently has a noticeably smaller presence on TikTok (roughly 6–7K followers) compared to Instagram, so partnering with strong TikTok creators like Allison could significantly boost visibility and engagement on the platform.

Additionally, Smash Kitchen relies on its distribution at large retail stores like Walmart and Glen Powell’s fame, so shifting the marketing focus to collaborating with authentic influencers who can naturally incorporate Smash Kitchen into their content would help shift the focus to genuine storytelling and long-term brand awareness. 

Allison stands out as a strong fit because she is an engaging storyteller with a highly active, loyal community that regularly interacts in her comments. Her audience loves her because she is a refreshing break from all the pushed promotional content (ex. TikTok shop) on the platform nowadays and she is  authentic to herself, only consuming products she actually enjoys. 

If Allison collaborated with Smash Kitchen and repeatedly used the same products (ex. Avocado oil, cranberry mayo, etc.) in her recipes and mukbangs, this could generate buzz within her community. Viewers would likely be inspired to recreate her meals at home using Smash Kitchen staples, driving trial, repeat purchases, and organic word-of-mouth within her engaged community.

My approach to reaching out to creators via direct messages is personal, respectful, and value-driven. I focus on being concise, specific, and genuine as creators receive dozens of pitches daily, so I make sure my message stands out by showing I’ve actually engaged with their content and explaining exactly why I believe they’d be a strong fit. As a creator myself, I’ve seen this firsthand so I am well aware of which messages work and which ones get ignored.

For example, this past semester I hosted a college influencer panel at UT Austin. I needed to recruit some of the school’s most prominent content creators, many of whom I had never spoken to before. I reached out to them directly through Instagram DMs. My messages were short and clear: I introduced myself and the event, mentioned a specific video or aspect of their content that I admired, explained why their perspective would add value to the panel, and included all the key details (date, time, format, and what they could expect). This direct but thoughtful approach worked well and all of the creators I reached out to responded positively and joined the panel.

Additionally, I started my content creation journey by messaging restaurants for free meals in exchange for content, so I have extensive experience in cold messaging. I’ve found that starting with a sincere compliment tied to their actual work, followed by a clear ask and next steps, leads to much higher response rates than generic or overly salesy messages.