How to Write Cold Email Outreach for Link Building

This guide covers how to write effective link building email outreach. Find out the components needed to generate more responses and grow your backlink profile.

Only 8.5% of all cold outreach emails receive a response, according to a 2019 study conducted by Backlinko. With more than 9 out of 10 recipients not responding, many believe the link building campaign's outreach component is unimportant. However, it's the most crucial aspect, because crafting a well-thought-out email instead of repeatedly reusing the same template is a major difference between a positive and negative response.

Both rookie digital marketers and seasoned veterans often struggle with crafting emails that generate positive responses that turn into backlinks. This post will cover the elements needed to perfect that art of crafting cold email outreach to produce a successful link building campaign.

Grab the webmaster's attention with a strong subject line

The average office worker receives a staggering 121 emails per day, according to a recent DMR report. That number is most likely amplified for webmasters bombarded with various requests.

So, how do you get your email to stick out so the webmaster opens it? The key is to construct a subject line that is attention-grabbing and personalized.

Here are a few samples that have worked for our team:

Content-based: [enter site name]: Additional [page topic] Resource
Unlinked brand mention: Feedback on Article – “[article title]”
Guest Blogging: Guest Blog – “[suggested article title]
Broken link building: Found an issue on [enter site name]

There are several ways to approach the subject line. Use A/B testing to find a one that works for your site and link building campaign. According to an experiment conducted LeadGenius, A/B testing subject lines can increase open rates by 49%.

One way to efficiently track metrics when doing outreach is to use BuzzStream. Creating two templates with different subject lines will make it simple to compare metrics such as open rates, click-through and response rates.

Keep their attention with a creative introduction

The subject line is your foot in the door. Now, don’t lose the recipient’s attention with a lackluster introduction. To achieve an excellent introduction, include the following elements:

Keep it concise
Establish credibility

The opening lines of your email should be a sentence or two in length. Briefly introduce yourself, state your position and the business you represent.

Here is an example of how to execute a personalized, concise and credible introduction:

Good [morning or afternoon] [contact name],

I hope your [day of week] is going well.

My name is [insert name], and I’m reaching out on behalf of [Business Name], [Business Description].

The Pitch

The pitch or link request is an essential aspect of the outreach email. That's because the reader's attention has been brought in with a creative and personalized subject and introduction. Crafting a successful link request must include the six following components to avoid it sounding like a sales pitch:

Simplicity
Customization
Personalization
Provide content worth sharing
Value proposition
Call to action

1. Simplicity

Follow the KISS principle. Make the request as simple as possible. Webmasters receive numerous link requests per day, and most likely don’t have the time to read each one. To increase the odds of a response, the pitch should be concise and scannable. Keep each line to no more than three sentences.

Make it easy on the webmaster by including a hyperlink to the page you’re referencing, as well as one for the asset you are leveraging.

2. Customization

One of the biggest mistakes that can be made during outreach is to use one template and not deviate from it. Using one template through the entire link building campaign decreases the likelihood of securing a backlink. That’s because the email will appear to be generic.

For example, if you are leveraging a content piece that discusses autism during National Autism Awareness Month, explain your piece's relevance to the webmaster in the email. Additionally, you may have to adjust the wording in your outreach to align with current events such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. Personalization

One of the biggest mantras in the real estate business is “location, location, location.” The same sentiment can be echoed for link building email outreach regarding personalization.

From the subject line to the salutation, you outreach should feel genuine. Knowing your audience is essential to personalization.

Here are some questions you should ask yourself:

Is it a blogger?
- Take a moment to peruse through their website and add a comment in the introduction about a recent post.

Is it a librarian, marketing coordinator, department head, or administrative assist?
- Vary the approach based on the recipient, but make sure to address the email to specific people when possible.

Does the webmaster have a bio?
- If the answer is yes, see if there is a commonality that you can mention.

Are you reaching out to your alma mater?
- Mention something related to the school.

Those are just a few things to think about to help establish a comfortable rapport with a prospect. When in doubt, follow Jack Reamer’s CCQ (commonalities, compliments and questions) method. It’s important to remain authentic, and personalization is an integral part of cold email outreach.

4. Provide content worth sharing

Content is the most critical aspect of the link building campaign.

Content and link building go hand-in-hand. You can write the greatest piece of content, but it's nearly useless if no one is aware of it. If you are not consistently publishing in-depth content worthy of earning links, you'll have to focus on other techniques to grow your backlink profile.

While techniques such as unlinked brand mentions, local link building, guest blogging and broken link building can be effective in the short term, our team has found that content-based link building is the best tactic for long-term success.

Through this approach, you will need to identify your website's assets that are worth pitching to a webmaster. Linkable assets consist of content or materials that are useful, in-depth, non-promotional, top-of-funnel and evergreen.

Our team conducted a data study of all links built, and we found 45% of the links we secured came as a result of leveraging blog content. While we earn backlinks to our clients’ homepages among other linkable assets on the website, we found a disparity regarding average domain authority (DA). Through the content-based approach, the average DA on the links our team acquired was 55. Compared to the homepage links, the average DA was 49.

5. Value Proposition

What’s in it for me? This is often the first thought when someone is approached with a request for a favor.

Demonstrate the value of your content piece in the email. While you may think this is about earning a backlink, it’s really about the webmaster providing their own audience with valuable information.

In the outreach email, clearly explain how the resource will be beneficial to the prospect's audience. What makes the content different than what is listed on the page? Why should they add this content to their site? What value does this content bring to their viewers?

6. Call to action

Conclude the email with a strong call to action. Ensure there is no room for interpretation. Approach this by asking the webmaster if they would be interested in including this resource on the webpage.

What is the best date and time to send cold email outreach?

Now that you have all the elements needed to craft useful cold outreach emails for link building, what day and time have been proven to generate the most responses?

Our data captured from 2019 found that webmasters are most likely to respond between Tuesday and Thursday. Tuesday proved to be the best day, with a 24%response rate. Monday and Friday were our lowest days, with an average 16.5%response rate.

The time of day is also crucial to a high conversion rate. Our team typically sends outreach in the morning. According to Online Course Report, emails sent between 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. generated a higher response rate than emails sent in the afternoon. Be aware of different time zones when preparing to send outreach.

Always follow up

Remember, the average office worker receives 121 emails per day. There is a good chance your creative and personalized outreach email got lost in the shuffle of the webmaster’s inbox.

If a response has not been received within a week or two, send a follow-up. That email should be concise and reinforce the initial request.

Follow-ups tend to improve response rates. Emailing the same contact multiple times leads to 2x more responses, according to a Backlinko study.

However, it’s important to walk the fine line of being persistent and annoying. One follow-up is encouraged, but sending another could generate a negative response, or the recipient could block your email address. If the follow-up still hasn’t generated a response, toss that opportunity to the side and focus on the next one.

Achieve link development success with Investis Digital

Backlinks are one of the main ranking factors for the search engines. Effective email outreach is essential to growing your backlink profile. Always remember there is another person on the other end of your email who being inundated with requests. Capturing and keeping their attention will lead to a higher response rate. While link building through cold email outreach can be difficult and tedious process, following these tips should help grow your backlink profile faster.

Do you need assistance with your link building campaigns? Download our free whitepaper, "How to Build Quality Backlinks That Impact Organic Search Visibility". Or, reach out to Investis Digital today. Our team of SEO pros would be happy to discuss how we can help you build high-value links that move you up in the SERPs.