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How to read a boutique's brand submission page before you pitch
Short answer: Before you pitch a boutique, find its wholesale or brand submissions page and follow it exactly: the route (email, form, or Faire), the subject line, and what to include. Check for limits like local-only or "not accepting right now" first. An AI prompt can read the page and pull out the rules in under a minute; you write the pitch to match.
Finding stores that fit is covered in How to find boutiques to carry your brand, and writing the email is in How to write a pitch email to boutiques. This page is the step in between that most founders skip.
Where do I find a boutique's wholesale or brand submission page?
Look in the site footer or the About or Contact menu for words like wholesale, vendors, brand submissions, or work with us. If nothing turns up, search the store name plus "wholesale submissions." Many small shops have no page at all, and that's fine: send a short, normal pitch and note "no page" in your tracker.
What should I look for on a submission page?
Five things: how they want to be pitched (email, form, Faire, or in person), any exact subject line, what to include (line sheet, photos, wholesale prices, minimums, lead time, current stockists), any limits (local only, consignment only, buying windows, fees, or not accepting new brands right now), and how long replies take.
What if the store asks for a form instead of an email?
Use the form. A pitch emailed to a store that asked for a form often isn't read. Write your form answers ahead of time from your line sheet, so each field gets the same facts you'd put in an email.
What if the store isn't accepting new brands right now?
Skip it for now and set a reminder for when their page says they reopen, or check back in a season. That isn't a lost store. It's a pitch you didn't waste, and you'll come back with better timing.
Can AI read the submission page for me?
Yes. ChatGPT, Claude, or Grok Bot can pull the rules out of a pasted page in seconds. Tell it to use only what's on the page and to write NOT ON PAGE for anything missing, and never use an email address the AI gives you unless it's on the page.
How long should my pitch be?
Short. Five sentences or fewer, not counting the greeting and sign-off, plus exactly what the store asked you to include. Add one line on why this store, written by you from something real, like a brand they carry that pairs with yours.
Two prompts: read the rules, then draft to match
Works in ChatGPT, Claude, or Grok Bot. The free versions of ChatGPT and Claude are enough. Run the first prompt, then the second in the same chat.
Here is a store's wholesale or brand submission page: [paste text or link]. In plain words, tell me: (1) how they want to be pitched (email, form, Faire, in person), with the exact address or form link if it's on the page; (2) any exact subject line they ask for; (3) what they want attached or included (line sheet, photos, wholesale prices, minimums, lead time, current stockists); (4) any limits (local only, consignment only, buying windows, fees, "not accepting right now"); (5) how long they say replies take. Only use what's on the page. If something isn't there, write "NOT ON PAGE." Don't guess an email address.
My brand facts (use only these): [what you make, wholesale and retail price range, opening minimum, lead time, where you're based, line sheet link, 1-2 stores you're already in if any]. Using the rules above: first, tell me in one line if anything rules me out. If not, draft my pitch following their rules exactly: their subject line if they gave one, what they asked to include, and nothing they didn't ask for. 5 sentences max, not counting greeting and sign-off. Leave a line that says "WHY THIS STORE: [I'll fill this in]" for me to write myself. If they want a form, write my answers for each field instead of an email. No claims I didn't give you ("best seller," "customers love it," "selling fast").
Read it, fix it, and send it yourself. Then log the date and the route (email or form) in your tracker so your follow-up lands on time.
A two-person knitwear brand (invented for this example) had 20 boutiques on its list. The founder ran prompt 1 on each store's page first. Six had no page, so they got a normal pitch. Three were closed to new brands until February and went on a reminder list. Two were local-only. Four wanted an online form, and two asked for an exact subject line. Instead of 20 identical emails, she sent nine emails, filled out four forms, and set three reminders, and none went to a store that had already said "not right now."
Quick rules
- Find the page before you write a word. No page is an answer too.
- Follow their route. Form means form; Faire means Faire.
- Use their subject line if they give one, word for word.
- Never use an email address that isn't on the page.
- Write the "why this store" line yourself.
- Pages go stale. If it mentions a season that's passed, keep your pitch short and treat it as a guide.
Get the free Founder's Wholesale Checklist
Eight parts of selling into stores on four pages, each with one AI prompt you can copy. Plus The Sell-In, one short wholesale email every Tuesday.
Want the full step-by-step version? See the Starter Pack.