Outreach letters are a primary element in any quality link building campaign: If you're not getting responses, you're not getting links. It takes a lot of trial and error to find what works, which can be difficult for new link builders. To make things easier for everyone, I wanted to give several outreach letters I use for contacting different sites.
Although I have done a lot of testing with different letters, I’m by no means suggesting mine are the best of the best. These are what work for me and I do use the conversion rate of my emails as a factor.
Guest Posts
For guest posting, you want to have a more personal approach in your email. However, you don’t want to be overly personal and invade their bubble. I like to do some light digging and find something I can personally connect with them on (if you can't find something in 5 minutes, move on). I find this works better than trying to explain why the article would be a great fit for their site. Also, I found that adding a small incentive boosts the response rate.
Hey Taylor,
I recently came across BanjosOnTheGreen.com and saw that you play a Deering Banjo. I broke the neck on my banjo a few days ago so I’ve been looking for a new one. I’ve never played a Deering before though: what’s your take on them?
Also, I’ve been writing up music articles and would love the chance to write on your blog. I’d be happy to send over a new set of banjo strings as a thanks!
Cheers,
-Peter
Michael King wrote a great article with a scenario on how you can be personal to leverage a link. This is a perfect example of the quality links you can obtain through manual outreach.
Real Correspondence Example:
Broken link building
I target personal sites for broken links. These can be blogs or enthusiast sites and usually have a page of resources or a blogroll. I’m a fan of keeping emails short, so I try not to get personal on these.
Hey David,
I was looking through your suggested links on SportRacerHeaven.com and noticed a few broken links. Let me know how to reach the webmaster and I can send a list their way!
Also, if you’re open to suggestions, I think KingKongBikeParts.com would be a great fit. They have a large variety of customized parts that I’ve had trouble finding elsewhere.
All the Best,
-Peter
The webmaster will nearly always be the person you are contacting. I just use the second sentence as a buffer to get a response before providing a list. Once I get a response (And hopefully a link) I provide them with a list I’ve acquired. You can see a great correspondence example of this on Nick Leroy's broken link building post.
Also, If broken link building is still a new concept to you, Anthony Nelson wrote a tutorial on broken link building that's definitely worth checking out!
Links to a Local Business Site
Local businesses are great to target if you have something to provide in return. For example, if you have a tool that would be beneficial for them to use on their site.
Judy,
My name is Peter. I work for StrictlyBusinessRealty.com and we’ve recently created a tool for real estate businesses to help their visitors find movers in their area. Since we’re located out of Charlotte, we’re offering this tool to Charlotte businesses for free for a limited time.
You can customize the tool at StrictlyBusinessRealty.com/moving-tool/
If you have any questions or need any help setting it up, let me know!
Thanks,
-Peter
Real Correspondence Example:
Outreach Through Blog Commenting
This is what you can resort to if you can’t find any contact information on a blog. You want to be fairly vague, so that you’re not publicly displaying who your client is. I’ve seen bloggers get quite upset about outreaching to them through a comment and you obviously don’t want them publicly talking about your client negatively.
Hey Todd,
I was wondering if you accepted any guest posting on MyBliggidyBlog.com. I couldn’t manage to find your email on the site. If you could get a hold of me at [email protected], I would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks,
-Peter
Note: Sometimes people will respond through another comment first, so you want to make sure you’re subscribed to get emails on comments made on that post.
Real Correspondence Example:
I then got a response via email and was able to negotiate from there.
Paid Advertising
This is more for bloggers than businesses. Businesses that have paid advertising are pretty straightforward about it. You just need to find the “advertise” button on their site and wait for them to send you an obnoxiously long media kit.
Hey Jay,
My name is Peter. I’m doing promotions for a dog related site and would like the chance to put up a small advertisement on RufusTheAllMighty.com. I think it would be a great fit considering the relevancy. If this is something you’d be interested in, just let me know! Thanks in advance!
All the Best
-Peter
Real Correspondence Example:
How to Increase Your Response Rate
I do this for hard to get links, like EDU's. I basically open with a "soft email" to get a response. After that response, I'll hit them with my actual proposal. This works well for propositions that require a long explanation, where people tend to just skim through instead of actually reading your email.
Hello,
I’m trying to get in contact with the person in charge of the CollegeUniversity.com/housing/ page. If you could point me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance!
All the Best,
-Peter
After I get a response, I give my full pitch. Since they've already committed to a conversation with me, they will read my email word for word instead of skimming through.
Real Correspondence Example:
Conclusion
Keeping your emails short and sweet is a great way to go. I constantly try new forms of outreach and always end up reverting back to small quick emails. They grab attention at a glance and someone can see the point of your email right away. They're also easier to construct on the fly, which allows you to send out several emails faster.
Good stuff Peter. I'm glad you included reaching out via blogs. This is a big winner for me personally. Leaving insightful/helpful comments naturally attracts the attention of the authors and audience alike, and serves as a comfortable common ground to open up dialogue.
Agreed. It's great on blogs that have a lot of communication going on in comments. Some blogs don't have that much conversation going on though, so sometimes I treat it more like an email in ways. It's kind of a case by case thing.
Great post, definitely agree about thinking outside the box when you're approaching about tricky or boring topics. Some really good examples, especially about the soft email for edu sites, I'll take that away and put it into practise so thanks!
I wrote a blog post recently in a similar vein, would be great to get your thoughts.
https://www.searchlaboratory.com/blog/2012/03/how-to-build-links-and-make-friends/
Great post James! I like that you covered twitter outreach as well. One thing I disagree with is mentioning who you represent right away. I've had a few bloggers get mad at me just for doing outreach before and even a few that went on to rant about it on their blog. If you end up getting one of these bloggers and they know the name of your client/company, then it can lead to a reputation issue.
Great post though. I'll be watching for your next one!
Cheers!
-Peter
Love the real life examples - you seem to be pretty aggressive about offering real goods in exchange for links, have you found that physically mailing and sending products to the bloggers is an issue at all? Is it a huge incentive for them to post your link and have you seen higher response rates because of this?
I've actually noticed a significant boost with offering incentives. The best way is to find something personal instead of something relevant though... for example on a girls photography blog, I noticed a post saying she got a new puppy. So I offered her a new dog collor for little wilson :)
On the downside, it can sometimes get a little confusing to manage if you're offering lots of different incentives to several bloggers. If I'm doing a really big push, I probably won't offer incentives. If I just need a few quick blogs though, it works great.
Sending real goods in exchange sounds great. What if it becomes impossible or a little too expensive to do so. Particularly, if I am still looking to offer an incentive. Would it be a good idea to offer a blogger a piece of writing on a topic of her interest? Or something else along these lines?
Bloggers get people throwing articles at them all the time trying to guest post. It wouldn't come off as much of an incentive, when people are constantly tossing them around free in the first place.
It doesn't have to get pricey. Just find something that resonates with that blogger. If it's a food blog, buy them stirring spoons; pet blog, a dog bowl. This stuff is inexpensive and can be ordered straight to their address so you don't have to worry about shipping.
You can also make some shwag with your logo on it and use that as an incentive if you're trying to spread your name around. A funny t shirt that someone would actually wear instead of tossing in a closet is a good one.
-Peter
I can't stand when someone sends me a generic email asking to be a guest blogger. If you really want to build a relationship with a site owner/blogger, you have to find a way to connect with them on a personal level! I saw in one of your comments that you sent a blogger a new dog collar for her puppy and I have to say that's pretty clever! You can always find a way to connect with someone outside of the normal scope of business.
Nick,
I agree. I always try to look through some of their posts and find something that I can relate to personally. For example if I noticed they visited somewhere I used to live in, I can mention that in my email. This shows peolpe that you did more than try to find their contact button.
-Peter
Hi Nick
I had a gem sent through to me this week, from a link builder who was trying to hustle promotion for his infographic. He hadn't even bothered to address the email to myself it simply had at the top:
Message:Hi [NAME],
You would like to think as an SEO/link builder he would know better!
It's simply demoralizing when you recieve a letter that you know is sent out to hundreds of others.
I recently had feedback from a certain high-profile industry influencer that my outreach letter to him was one of the nicest he had ever received - a good indication I was getting the tone just right. I had included something personal about him and kept it short and to the point.
Peter, great article with lots of examples. I have included this article in my monthly round up newsletter.
Shelli : )
Cheers Shelli! I hope your readers find it helpful :)
I often get too many requests for the guest posting and they are quite spammy looking, I think everyone should read and learn from your post to see how one can write a better email requesting for guest posting.
Nice real world examples,
But I noticed on a few of my sites recently I seem to get these guestpost emails where they are like, hello sir we want to do a guest post from the following examples (they then list 4 examples) you say sorry this content/ ideas are out of date can you write about any of the following if possible (provide a few exmaples) they then reply - "I am little confuse with your words. As I suggest you 4 topics for writing articles so do let me know should I work with the same which one."
So then you king of know this person is not going to be the best choice blogger.
James,
I've never gotten those emails, but they seem a little generic. If someone is offering to write about topics that aren't relevant to your site, than they're probably just burning through a list and pumping out emails. If they're not taking the time to send a proper email, they may not take the time to send a real post.
-Peter
Tons of really great examples of things you can say. i'm totally going to steal your guest posting ones as I focus very heavily on those and doing that. Which one of all of the above have you found works the best for contacting people (general question)?
John,
By all means steal them :) That's why they're there! I can't really say that any works better than the other, as they're all for different situations. I would never approach a business owner as a blogger for example.
If you're referring to which group is most commonly willing to link, it's definitely casual bloggers. People that are just writing, because they want to write. Whether it's a girl putting up her photography and writing about her new camera, or a guy who talks about his favorite fishing spots, they are by far the most responsive and willing group.
Hope that helps!
-Peter
I liked this post a lot. It's one thing to give general guidelines for how to format these types of correspondence, but quite another to give actual examples--so much more helpful!
I particularly like the part about soft openings for EDU and other link requests. I feel like that gives you some familiarity in the second email, and will definitely help your chances.
I always like to test new templates/ideas. I read on SEOmoz a few months ago that requesting a link as a female could convert a little higher than as a male. I've yet to try it, but it's great food for thought.
Vinnie,
Disguising yourself as a female does indeed work better :)
Cheers,
-Peter
Haha, never thought of that! : )
Nice post Peter!
Hi! Peter! I really liked your post; it's quite useful and I'm going to use some of your reccommendations.
I would like to know also something that to me is important also; one person won't read your mail unless the subject gets your attention and to me it's almost 50% of the success. Then when the person opens the email, you have more chances to get an answer.
Which subjects (for the email) would be more useful, and which ones we should avoid?
Hey Gabriela,
I always mention either the name of a specific post or the name of their website in the subject line. I find that using the name of a popular or recent post seems to grab more attention. I would avoid using a URL in the subject line, as well as avoiding the use of contact forms. Contact forms usually have an automated subject line, which doesn't let your email stick out.
Hope that helps!
-Peter
Great post. Tnx for useful examples.
Great information! i see some ways to improve my own link-building letters. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
Love it - I regularly use these strategies to engage blog owners in my particular niche (we 'sponsor' them by giving them a product to review and then keep, in exchange for a few links).
My takeaways from my personal experience:
A friend of mine told me that he got a success on getting links from sending emails. However, he was promoting his new online tool which is really usefull for their users. I am not convinced to do this for building links for my own website though.
Laura,
I've gotten success doing that. It's a great way to get links on professional sites and business sites as opposed to bloggers. You won't get very many links, but you will get solid links. Of course this also depends on how useful the toold is.
-Peter
Great post. Really enjoyed the real examples. I think there is still a lot of challenge in finding ways to get links for boring websites. Trying to make boring fun is a challenge.
I previously worked for a shipping company. Not exactly the most exciting topic to buld links to :)
However, you can always find an avenue, you just have to think outside the box a little bit. Every niche has a fan base of some sort. Most people consider SEO boring.
You just need to find a way to tie it to the everyday person. An example post that was created at my previous job (not by me) was a post that was impages of "Pimped" out shipping and semi trucks. It stayed relevant to the business I worked for, while also allowing me to create a post that readers would actually enjoy.
Hope that helps you on figuring out new ideas! Also, great post the other day! :)
-Peter
I recently began taking advantage of guest blogging opportunities, so I'm a newbie who's learning. On one of my first attempts I ran into an issue: I emailed a contact from a site I found, we had an amicable dialogue, and upon his request I shared some ideas I had for posts on his blog. He said he'd get back to me. 3 days later I saw on his blog a new post that was one of the ideas I had shared. It could have been a coincidence and ideas are a dime a dozen, so whatever, but now I'm wondering: if this happens again, should I be flattered and continue trying to get a link back from his site or should I assume he's a dodgy character and drop his blog as a possible resource?
And, since our blogs are in the same industry (and a recent call with him had him asking questions like "So along with blogging, do you offer social media services to your clients?") should I be concerned that he'll try to get through me to my clients and offer his marketing services? Does this happen when building relationships for guest blogging?
I might be a bit paranoid, but I'd just like to know if this is normal when networking with other business marketing bloggers. Thanks!
J,
I would need to know a little more specifics to give specific suggestions, but for the most part that's not ok. Building relationships is one thing, but if someone is going to steal your ideas and not give you credit for it... that's something else entirely. For starting out in guest blogging, I suggest approaching blogs that are just blogs instead of other businesses that have blogs. This will get you more comfortable in the guest blogging environment and bloggers typically aren't competing against each other. They're more community focused and help each other out. Let me know if you have any other questions and feel free to hit me up via email - [email protected]
-Peter
Thanks for the response, Peter. I feel a bit more vindicated and less sorry about giving the idea-stealing guy the cold shoulder. I'll try out contacting non-business blogs to help me become a bit more accustomed to guest blogging. Thanks for the suggestion!
Hey Peter. This is a great. I'm going to check out your personal blog too about outreach for paid links. Many thanks
Hey Peter, can you please provide a letter, how can I approach .edu webmaster to include our website in helpful links section.
Thanks
i have been looking for a sample email for outreach, this one look like a good one. would try it out. Thanks !
Hi, very very interesting info indeed.
I'm wondering if you actually use your company's email or use or a generic one like gmail or hotmail when doing an approach to suggest a link in "resource" page.
The logic is that if done from a generic email, you are an invented persona "genuinely" suggesting a good resource. (I'm talking about real good products anyway). But maybe the perception from the other side is that if the company in question approaches them directly, they might feel they are trying to "sell" the product and not genuinely contributing to the site.
Thanks!
Patricia.
Hi Peter,
Thanks for sharing your great ideas on outreach link building. These are all important stuffs in SEO. I would appreciate a lot if you could take a look on my site on mfishbeindotcom and let me know how to start Marketing on it?
Thanks!
Elmer
I like the post but really find it strange how people blind themselves or pretend like they are not actually buying links with this whole outreach SEO. So ok this person is giving pizza slicer or guitar strings. Why not just say I would be happy to give you money for new guitar strings or pizza slicer or whatever? It is the same, you are buying links, just not with money but some "stone age" concept of exchange of goods.
Mark,
The only reason I have no mention of Paid Links is, because Moz wouldn't publish it. It's as simple as that.
If you want paid link info, I write about it on my personal blog:
Outreach Post with a Paid Link Example
Paid Links That Work and Why Google Can't Stop Them
Cheers,
-Peter
Hi Peter,
I'm pretty new to the link-building world, and I wanted to thank you for such a practical guide, this is fantastic! I have a quick question (that might be sort of obvious) - if someone takes you up on your offer to write a guest post, how do you actually get the link back to your site? I'm assuming you don't put it in your post, so when do you ask for it and how does it happen?
Thanks again for helping me get started!
Chris
Hey Chris,
If the link makes sense in the article, then it's ok to put it in. Otherwise, I would usually stick it in the author bio of the article. It's common courtesy to allow authors to links to their blogs, social handles, etc. in the bio, so it'll look fine. Hope that helps!
-Peter
Got it, thanks for the response!
Loved the post very much.
The greatest thing about your post is that you gave live examples to justify each and every sitution you portrayed. Thanks for this great piece of information.
I too believe that guest posting and blogging is the best way to promote your business.
Thanks Aiden,
Even though I agree that guest blogging is a great way to build links, it doesn't mean other link building methods should be ignored. I think it's important to acquire several different types of links to keep your profile looking natural. Also, by having a diverse link building profile you're in the safe zone if Google was to make an algorithmic change targetting that form of link building.
Julie Joyce actually wrote a great piece about it here - https://searchengineland.com/why-a-diverse-link-profile-is-more-critical-than-ever-116565
-Peter
Hey Peter, Definitely useful as I try to go into link outreach. Not planning on providing incentives though (for now but will see later). I do agree that it will instantly spark the interest of the blog / business owner if you use that approach. Anyhow, will be working on establishing good rapport with several site owners related to my site.
And if you'd allow me to share with you where I plan to link up, lpntrainingprograms.org, and pick your brain as to which approach you would probably take for this one?
Cheers!
Les
PS
Who's Roger, BTW?
Lovely jubbly as they say in the east end of London. But seriously thanks so much for sharing,. Blogger outreach requires quite bit of (interesting) research and as a woman i'm pleased to hear that femininity is flattering :-)
Peter, great article. What makes me wonder, though, is this bit:
"They have a large variety of customized parts that I’ve had trouble finding elsewhere."
You are obviously not giving them disclosure that you have a personal interest in the site you've suggested. It depends on how savvy the people are but my feeling is that most of the webmasters will recognise a "broken link building request".
Is it just me, but when I receive similar requests for my older websites, I tend to grant the link if I've been given a disclosure. If they try to pretend that it's just a helpful website they've stumbled upon, all they get for a response is an "I Can Haz Linkjuice" meme... no comments, just the meme. And of course, the link never happens. How does everyone else feel about this issue?
Hey Arvid,
It really just depends on the personality of the owner of the site. The example I gave was just one of the standard ones, you can be as creative or as blunt as possible depending on how many people you're reaching out to at a time. The more people you're reaching out to, typically the less time you have to be personal.
-Peter
This is going to really help me when I start sending requests. I am really grateful for the templates.
Thanks for sharing live communication example.
How can done the conversation to guest post owner it's very nice.
Cheers.
Nice post Peter, wouldn't surprise me if this would get promoted to the front page. What kind of time schedule do you keep when sending out emails? Is it something you sit down for an entire day? Or just on the fly when you come across a prospect?
Bob,
It really depends on the project, but lately I've only been reaching out on the fly. I do a lot of training and managing, so I don't have as much time to link build. If it helps, I do train people to go for a goal of 40 outreaches a day or 5 an hour. This gives them enough time to respond to emails, as well as do some light research on a site before contacting them. Hope that helps!
-Peter
See? Frontpage! Told ya ;)
hahaha! Thanks Bob!!!!
A great post providing valuable information.
As we know it is important in any link building strategy to go across a varied and broad platofrm for better search results and while it is time consuming, definitely worth it.
When reaching out and asking for links it is wise to approach it in the same way as social media. Build relationships first and foremost, understand and appreciate your audience and never sell to them. When people build trust and respect and resonate with you, there is no selling process required. Such a nice way to do business.!
I agree... Building relationships is great if you only want 1 link a month :)
Thank you for sharing, Peter. This was really eye-opening. Do you have any tips for subject lines as well?
Hey Taylor,
For subject lines I make sure I mention the name of their blog or a specific post. Something distinctive from their site that will make them know my email isn't just spam.
Also, I noticed on your profile that you're living in Austin. I actually live here as well. We should grab a pint sometime :)
Cheers, -Peter
Would you please put some light on how to deny someone's request without making them feel bad about it? Most of the times I get emails with requests for the guest posts etc, but I am unable to get them some space on blog due to some reasons, how would you advise to deny someone's request softly?
I would simply tell them you're not accepting guest posts at this time. People are usually understanding if you don't accept posts. Plus that way, you won't completely burn a bridge and could reach back out to them later if you did want a guest post.
That makes a good sense. Thank peter!
Nice post Peter – I too like the fact that you have included some real working examples of you putting into action what you have suggested. This is great food for thought and a great reminder to check your current strategy when using outreach letters/emails! I always work on the principle that you don’t ask you don’t get, but this has to be done in the right manner or you still don’t get. I like the incentives strategy and the way you try and personalise it to show you have put some thought into it – another way of building a relationship with the site owner/webmaster.
Thanks Matt,
I think that's step number one which most people overcomplicate... You just need to ask :) It's surprising how much you can get accomplished by simply asking. For example, If you notice someone writing about your brand, ask them for a link in their post. They liked you enough to talk about you. They're usually equally willing to link to you.
-Peter
Great post Peter. I think two other details that shouldn't be underestimated when reaching out to bloggers is to be complimentary, especially in the initial email, and to explain how the help you're asking for will benefit them. Even if it's just a matter of putting your link on their blog they can be shown how it will help with user experience or whatever the case may be.
Hey David,
I completely agree, however I usually keep those comments very short if I use them on the first email. I've noticed a higher response rate on a short email over a long email that has benefits, examples, and praise all at once. I usually save those for the second and third email.
Cheers! -Peter
Great insights Peter. I like to see real examples. Obviously they are more actionable than an explanation, but they also provide people with a 'take away' that they can easily repurpose to their own audiences.
I agree with Dunamis. I will be using this post many more times in the future.
Great stuff!
Glad to help Greg! A lot of the outreach letters I use are easy to build a template out of as well. Neil Patel wrote a great piece about using that to speed up link building here - https://www.quicksprout.com/2012/02/27/the-3-step-secret-to-more-quality-links-in-less-time/ - on step number 3
I'm more of an abuser of emotions. I find what makes the prospect tick and then use a letter that draws an emotional tie reel in a link without spending the cash.
I try to do that when I can, but sometimes there just isn't much to relate to. If I'm really low budgeted, then I use the emotional angle over incentives, but I do get a higher response rate with incentives angle. I've gotten the best results by doing both at the same time though.
1st off. Great examples, Peter! Totally blown away and this post is exactly what exactly what I was looking for to help me out :)
Do either of you guys have some "emotional" example you talked about here?
Best,Darren
hahah good examples!
Top notch job on the blog post. You have given me some new ideas to use when trying to contact people.... and hopefully I will see some better response rates!
Let me know how it works out! :)
I love these! I like the idea of offering to send people something. I recently placed a link on my blog for a product that I really like and was thrilled when the company sent me their product.
I know I'll be referencing this post many times in the future!
Much appreciated Marie! :) If you want to see another great example of this sort of thing, check out what Kotex did with Pinterest - https://www.adverblog.com/2012/03/23/is-this-the-smartest-brand-use-of-pinterest-yet/
Great stuff Peter
I would be interested to hear if you've used outreach letters/templates targeting potential high authority sites that follow your company/brand through the twitter channel and to open a dialogue to generate links from the website?
Cheers
Simon
Simon,
For links like that you need to build a relationship with one of the authors on that high authority site, or create something that is valuable to them. It's like approaching a business or EDU site for a link. You need to give them a benefit. Otherwise, they'll just send you their media kit. Hope that helps!
-Peter
Fantastic post, Peter. I really appreciate and respect your openness on the subject.
Your .EDU's example is brilliant. I've had minimal success outreaching to universities (.ac.uk's over here) and it's probably because I give the full pitch in the first email, which probably puts them off. Even with the "please pass this on to the relevant person" spiel, it can be tough.
But the next time I try outreach in this manner then I'll give your approach a try. I guess it works because the person checking the emails knows they have to pass it on, just in case it is a really important email. At least then it gets in front of the right person - who understands more about what you're getting in touch about anyway - compared to the secretary/receptionist who might be making a general assumption that it's simply spam.
Thanks!
Thanks Steve,
Yes, I've gotten a lot more success out of opening with a simple "Please put me in touch with the right person email" before my pitch. Otherwise, like you said, it tends to be looked at as spam. Once someone's already started communication with you, they're not likely to just ignore you. At the very least they'll explain why they can't accept your request.
-Peter
Great post Perter ... I am not sure if this will work every time!
I have written a guest post guide lines on my site stating that Submit your smartphone app reviews for free, but I don't know why people do not understand that they should write a review of their app and send me. Most of the time people copy the content from Google Play or iTunes and send me.
Can any one read the guide line and tell me why people do not understand.
www.topbestfreeapps.com/submit-your-iphone-and-android-app-review-for-free/
Thanks
Great post Peter, really insightful. Brilliant in showing a working example in obtaining a high quality link in universities.
Nice examples - I've found myself being targeted by people looking to add content to GrowTraffic - it's much better than the old nonsensical blog comment spam, a couple have sent through great content, that is relevant to my site but I can't seem to get them to send me content that is relevant to my site and to the links they want to link out to - when I raise these objections people start getting a bit shirty with me which is making me think this is the start of the new wave of comment spamming. Hopefully, this will change when people get more on board with this format.
Simon,
Are they sending you content within the first email? If that's the case they could be sending the same content to several people at once, which is why they might react a little oddly when a request is made for changes. They could be putting the content into a bot that is emailing hundreds of people. This is just a hunch though, I'm not 100% sure on the types of requests you're receiving.
-Peter
Surprising post Peter and great to see you have cover this point. Outreach letters are quite tactiful one for getting attention and it must be impactful. Many people are trying to make it more actionable but do not get positive response.
You have make it live examples which is vital factor in this post and i love to execute this ones in my work as well.
Interesting post with good advice.
I'll just add a mini-plea to beware of cultural differences when crafting your letters.
I know this is the Web, but the aggressive informality of Americans is sometimes seen not as a virtue -- but as presumptuous or unprofessional.
Call me an old fart, but I bristle when I get email that begins with the word: "Hey." It's always struck me as rude, the equivalent of an upraised finger or shouting "Hey, you!" to a waiter.
And I would be very wary of using first names only in the first email to a Non-American.
Daniel,
I would agree if I was contacting a professional site. However, bloggers are more social and tend to prefer that sort of tone. If I was contacting a political blogger, than I would be much more professional. It's really a case by case basis. I would never treat a dog like a cat :)
-Peter
Peter,
Great post, I've read some of your posts on your personal blog as well. These are the types of 'real' pieces of advice we need more of, and I thank you for being transparent about your actual strategies. On that same note, do you mind speaking to the actual structure of your email accounts?
- Do you use GMail or Google Apps, or your own webmail, etc.? - Do you create a new email account for each client or do you use one universal account? - How do you efficiently manage your email accounts? (i.e. logging in and out of each one all day, or some app?)
Appreciate the feedback. Thanks again!
Hey Corey,
That's a great question. If resources or time is limited, I will just create a new gmail account and use that for my outreach. I would never do outreach through a personal or a company email. The reason for this, is sometimes bloggers just get mad for unexpected reasons. For example I had a blogger furious at me one time because I called their newborn a she instead of a he by accident (I'm sorry!!!). They ended up ranting about me in a post and blowing up twitter about it. Since they didn't have my company information though, they weren't able to harm my clients reputation.
I'm not trying to promote my post, but I expand on it a bit here - https://www.peterattia.com/5-tips-to-protect-brand-reputation-for-link-builders/
Hope that helps!
-Peter
I find that building links for business sites can be tricky, so few people seem to want to make the effort. the same goes for updating links with new link text, or even fixing URLs that have changed.
Hey Peter!
What a great post! I'm actually a first timer in Guest Blogging and it seems to be a trial and error to me. Hoping you'll feature other tactics in guest blogging, letters can be good but some of them wouldn't pay attention
Great post, is a great way to build a relatioships and get backlinks. I guess you will get some bloggers happy to give some one a chance and others you wouldn't give you the time. However like you said with a bit of trial and error I'm sure this will be a success method.
Cheers
Lloyd
I think matching the tips in this post, with the data from this post from James Agate - https://www.seomoz.org/blog/putting-guest-post-outreach-theories-to-the-test-with-some-real-world-data - and you have the tools to build a really effective strategy.
Bill,
That post is actually what inspired me to write this post up. Real data like that can be priceless and sadly it's very rare to see. I would love to see people become more transparent about their link building methods, but I'm not sure that'll ever happen :)
-Peter