Want more backlinks? It starts with better emails.

Outreach emails are a key tool for building backlinks, which help boost your website’s SEO and search rankings. But most outreach emails fail because they’re too generic or miss the mark. Here’s how to do it right:

  • Personalize your emails: Mention specific details about the recipient’s work to show you’ve done your homework.
  • Target the right websites: Focus on sites relevant to your niche with good traffic and strong editorial quality.
  • Set clear goals: Track metrics like response rates, new backlinks, and domain authority to measure success.
  • Follow up strategically: Send up to three follow-ups, spaced out over 10–25 days, to improve response rates.
  • Track results and improve: Use tools like Ahrefs, BuzzStream, or Mailshake to monitor email performance and refine your approach.

Quick Tip: Personalized emails get a 45% response rate, compared to 8.5% for generic ones. Start small, focus on quality, and always provide value to your prospects.

How to Write Email Outreach Templates That Don’t Sound Templated

Creating Your Outreach Plan

Once you’re familiar with the benefits and challenges of backlinks, the next step is to create a detailed outreach plan. A well-thought-out plan helps you identify good link opportunities and set clear, measurable goals.

Finding Target Websites

Don’t just rely on metrics like Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR). Look at the bigger picture to find sites that genuinely add value. Here are some essential factors to consider:

Evaluation Factor What to Look For
Topic Relevance Does their content match your niche and audience?
Editorial Quality Are they publishing regularly with professional content?
Link Practices Do they mostly use dofollow links?
Traffic Trends Is their organic traffic consistently growing?
Engagement Do they have active comments or social media shares?

"Don’t qualify link opportunities based on DR or DA alone because these metrics can be easily manipulated." – Nathan Gotch, Founder of Gotch SEO Academy

To find these opportunities, leverage tools like:

  • Ahrefs Site Explorer: Dig into competitor backlink profiles and uncover broken link opportunities.
  • MozBar: Quickly check Domain Authority while browsing websites.
  • Hunter.io: Locate contact details for decision-makers on target sites.

Once you’ve identified potential partners, it’s time to set clear goals for your outreach.

Setting Clear Goals

The key to a successful outreach plan is setting specific and measurable objectives. Did you know personalized emails have a 45% response rate compared to just 8.5% for generic ones? That’s a huge difference.

Here are some metrics to guide your goal-setting:

Goal Type Example Metrics
Quantity Number of new referring domains per month
Quality Average Domain Authority of the links you acquire
Engagement Email response rates
Business Impact Growth in organic traffic

"To witness high pace progress, it is essential to begin with smaller goals when establishing a strategy." – Evaldas Mockus, VP of Growth at Omnisend

Use tools like BuzzStream or Snov.io to track your progress and refine your approach. Keep in mind that 84.6% of SEO experts prioritize relevance, site traffic, and domain authority when evaluating backlink quality . Focus on building relationships with sites that meet these standards instead of chasing every possible lead.

Writing Strong Outreach Emails

Crafting an impactful outreach email is all about blending personalization, professionalism, and persuasion. Personalized emails are proven to get 1/3 more responses than generic ones .

Making Emails Personal

Personalization goes beyond simply adding the recipient’s name – it’s about showing genuine interest and doing your homework. For instance, Mara Calvello at Nutshell once received an email that mentioned her dog, Zeke. This thoughtful detail encouraged her to forward the request to a colleague who could help with the backlink inquiry .

Here are some ways to personalize your outreach effectively:

Personalization Element How to Apply It Why It Works
Research Details Check their blog posts, social media, or recent career updates Shows you’ve taken the time to learn about them
Content Alignment Reference specific articles or topics relevant to your pitch Proves your message is tailored to their interests
Unique Insights Offer genuine comments on their work Builds a personal connection
Value Addition Highlight how your content benefits their audience Establishes credibility and relevance

Adding these personal touches can make your email stand out and improve your chances of getting a response.

Email Template Parts

A well-organized email can achieve a 91% open rate and a 20% reply rate .

  1. Subject Line
    Keep it simple, personal, and engaging. Avoid anything that might sound like spam or clickbait.
  2. Opening Hook
    Start with a personalized comment that shows you’ve done your research – mention their recent work or achievements.
  3. Value Proposition
    Clearly explain what you’re offering and why it’s relevant. Be specific about how your content fits into their site, making it easy for them to consider your request.

With these elements in place, you’re ready to build a compelling outreach email.

Sample Outreach Emails

Here’s an example of an outreach email that delivered a 20% response rate :

Subject: Loved your piece on [specific topic]

Hi [Name],

I came across your recent article on [specific topic] and really enjoyed your point about [specific detail]. Your take on [industry trend] aligns closely with some research we’ve just completed.

We’ve put together a detailed guide on [related topic], which includes:

  • New data from [credible source]
  • Expert insights from [industry leader]
  • Practical strategies for [specific problem]

Would you be open to checking it out? I think it would complement your article [specific URL] in the section where you discuss [relevant point].

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts,
[Your Name]

"Know the publication you’re pitching. Pitching ideas that have already been published on the site is a waste of your time and my time – unless you have some new/unique spin on it." – Danny Goodwin, Search Engine Journal

"There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to outreach… Now, we write unique, individual emails every time. Yes, it takes more time, but it also yields better results. It’s far better to build an actual relationship than to save a few minutes." – Ashley Lipman, OutreachMama

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Follow-Up Methods That Work

Follow-up emails can significantly improve outreach success. Research indicates that sending up to three follow-ups greatly boosts response rates .

When to Send Follow-Ups

Timing plays a key role in follow-up success. Studies reveal that 90% of email responses occur within 48 hours of sending . Here’s a recommended follow-up schedule based on research:

Email Sequence Timing Expected Response Rate
Initial Email Day 1 4.5%
First Follow-up Day 3 (2-day gap) 40% higher than initial email
Second Follow-up Day 7 (4-day gap) 13%
Third Follow-up Day 11 (4-day gap) 14%

Once you’ve nailed the timing, focus on crafting brief, impactful follow-ups that build on your original email.

Writing Follow-Up Emails

After deciding on the timing, use these strategies to make your follow-ups effective:

  • Stick to the Same Subject Line
    Keeping the original subject line helps maintain context .
  • Offer Something New
    Share additional data, industry updates, or a different perspective to strengthen your proposal.
  • Be Clear and Concise
    Keep your email short and focused on one clear call-to-action.

"Most cold email campaigns should only contain two follow-up emails." – George Wauchope, Founder at Emailchaser

Setting Follow-Up Limits

Your outreach sequence should span 10–25 days . Stop sending follow-ups if:

  • The recipient asks not to be contacted.
  • You’ve sent three follow-ups without a response.
  • The email bounces or lands in spam.

Tracking and Improving Results

Once you’ve planned your outreach and crafted your emails, the next step is keeping an eye on key metrics to refine your strategy and improve over time.

Success Metrics

Here are some vital metrics to monitor during your outreach campaigns:

Metric Benchmark Why It Matters
Open Rate 20–30% Shows how well your subject lines perform.
Reply Rate 17% Measures how engaging your emails are.
Click Rate 5–8% Reveals how relevant your content is.
Delivery Rate >95% Reflects the quality of your email list.
Unsubscribe Rate <0.2% Indicates if you’re targeting the right audience.

Measurement Tools

To make tracking easier, consider using tools designed for outreach campaigns:

  • Email Automation Platforms

    • Mailshake: Tracks opens, clicks, and replies.
    • Mailmeteor: Provides detailed campaign analytics.
    • BuzzStream: Focuses on managing relationships.
  • SEO Analysis Tools

    • Ahrefs: Tracks new backlinks.
    • SEMrush: Monitors changes in domain authority.
    • Pitchbox: Combines outreach management with performance tracking.

"Cold outreach brought us leads that other channels such as Ads, SEO, or WOM would have never attracted."
– Pierre Harington, Head of Growth @ Fiveoffices

Making Data-Based Changes

To improve your results, use data to guide adjustments in your outreach strategy:

  1. Analyze Performance Patterns
    For example, Fiveoffices boosted their reply rate to 23% by personalizing intro lines to address recipients’ specific challenges .
  2. A/B Testing
    Experiment with subject lines, email content, CTA placement, and follow-up timing. Did you know 47% of recipients open emails based on the subject line? On the flip side, 69% mark emails as spam because of poorly chosen subject lines .
  3. List Maintenance
    Regularly verify email addresses, remove invalid contacts, segment your list by industry, and update outdated contact information.

Summary

Key Points

Email Essentials

  • Adding personalization to emails can boost response rates by up to 32.7% .
  • Personalizing subject lines increases responses by 30.5% .
  • Targeted messaging leads to 20% higher engagement .

Performance Benchmarks

Metric Target Value What It Indicates
Open Rate Over 60% Effectiveness of subject lines
Reply Rate Over 20% Quality of email engagement
Bounce Rate Below 5% Quality of your email list
Positive Replies Over 50% Overall campaign success

These benchmarks can help you assess and refine your email campaigns.

Next Steps

Here’s how to move forward:

  1. Prepare Your Campaign
    Start by organizing your prospect list and verifying email addresses to avoid bounces .
  2. Fine-Tune Your Strategy
    Experiment with subject lines, email openings, and send timings. Personalize both the subject line and the email body to increase engagement .
  3. Plan Follow-Ups
    Don’t stop at one email. Adding just one follow-up can increase replies by 65.8% .
  4. Track and Improve
    Use tools like QuickMail to monitor key metrics, such as reply rates and ROI, and adjust your strategy based on the data .

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