Writing emails for outreach for link building is key to getting the attention of your readers. On this post we want to share several templates and details in the outreach process that we’ve tried that have been effective.
Building Contact Lists:
- Avoid using generic emails, since those usually get tons of email. Find the email addresses of actual people in the organization. It will be easier to connect.
- It is important to segment your contact lists in order to make the outreach process easier. Having close knit segments will allow you to connect better with your audience using similar email templates.
- Make sure you use software like Pitchbox. Pitchbox keeps a history of communication and it makes it easier to reconnect with recipients that have linked back to you in the past. Another option is BuzzStream.
Here are several articles that provide excellent tips on prospecting:
- Link prospecting tips and tricks
- SEMrush’s Reviewing Your Link Building Prospects
- Link Prospecting: The Complete Guide to Mining Pure Link Gold
Make sure your emails have these characteristics:
- Personalize your email as much as possible. Show that you care and that you know what the recipient cares about. For example, when you contact an author for a guest post, it is good to mention that you’ve been following the topics he or she has written about in the last months and why you think those topics are interesting and important.
- Try to provide some help on your email. A good example is letting them know of anything broken on their site like links or design.
- Keep your email short and to the point.
- Make it as easy as possible for the person to share your content.
- Include benefits or pros of how the content you’re sharing is better.
- Add one call to action.
Add trust to your email by:
- Using a @domain.com email instead of a generic account from Gmail or Hotmail.
- Add a signature at the end of your email that contains:
- Your Full Name
- Phone
- Address
- Name of company
We’ve seen that using a @domain.com email and a signature increases the chances of engaging with the recipient. Some recipients prefer to give a call back instead of replying to your email to make sure you’re a real person.
Follow up:
- The follow up is just as important as the first email. People are busy and your request will hardly be on the top of their to-do list so following up helps remind the recipient of your request.
- Do not follow up with the same email address more than 3 times.
- Don’t just resend the same email over and over. Write different follow up emails so that the recipient sees that you’re putting in effort to connect.
- If you don’t receive any replies, research other contact emails that could be interested in your offer.
Negotiation / Communication:
- Always be polite. No matter what.
- Take negative replies as an opportunity to connect. No’s will give you a chance to get feedback from the recipient about the content you’re trying to promote. Also, it is an opportunity to sell your content by providing more information, benefits, etc. if you understand why the recipient doesn’t want to share your content.
Below we’ve included some templates and resources for you to improve your outreach process:
Template 1
Hi [Name],
I wanted to thank you for that amazing article you published last month. I shared [your data| resources] in a post I published last week to really drive home some important concepts regarding [topic], it obtained good results [Pageviews, comments, etc].
I’m linking the piece below if you’d like to read it. If you like it, maybe we could work on something together in the future?
Link 1
Thanks again!
Template 2
Hey [Name],
Your posts on [topics] have been on my must-read list for over a month. I really like reading your articles.
I’ve gathered several resources on [topic] that help with [X] and thought that you might like to know about them or share them with your readers:
Link 1
Link 2
These resources have up to date data backed by [cite trustworthy resources like .gov sites, doctors, scientists, etc. ]
Have a great weekend,
Some resources:
If your company could use some help with content strategy or link building, contact LOCOMOTIVE Agency today. We have the SEO tools and services to move you forward.
