10 Tips to Craft an Effective Outreach Email

Is outreach an effective marketing strategy or not? Some claim it is not, we claim the opposite. Writing an effective outreach email might take work and might feel like wasting your time if unsuccessful. On the other hand, it might also be quite easy and successful - if you know how to approach it. In this article, we’ll share a few tips on how to write effective outreach emails.

Email outreach is a process where you reach out to a third party regarding cooperation on marketing activities, such as SEO, content promotion, or forming a partnership. Generally, the desired result of email outreach is link-building with other parties or new content that includes a link.

Outreach is often misunderstood, and perceived as an email irrelevant to the receiver. To avoid that, you should craft an email offering cooperation that brings value to both parties. You need to carefully think about what you send and who the recipient is. If you do, the chances of a high open rate are increasing.

There are two main types of email outreach:

1. Cold outreach refers to an email when you try to reach out to a company you haven't been in touch with yet. 

2. Warm outreach means reaching out to a company you have already been in contact with, or someone else has already introduced you.

This article will be focused on the cold outreach.

The result of an SEO email outreach should be a WIN-WIN situation, bringing value equally to both parties. Here are a few points on how each site will benefit from the email outreach link-building cooperation.

• Building partnerships: Marketing outreach usually connects industry experts. Your cooperation doesn't need to end up with an SEO link exchange. 

• Brand awareness and new leads: Exchanging content or links with another party will bring new traffic to your website. You have a chance to address new potential customers. 

• SEO ranking: Well-managed link-building helps improve a website's authority in SEO rankings and chances to overcome competitors are growing.

Before you start an outreach email campaign, you should define a goal to be able to measure your success. What is it that you want to achieve? Is it a few new articles or backlinks per month? Remember to take website authority and relevancy into account. 10 backlinks from low-authority pages won't bring the same traffic, as connections from 10 high-authority websites.

Sending your message to the right people is one of the most important things to run a successful backlink outreach campaign. Define your target contacts based on your goals. Once you have a list of potential partners, take time, and research correct information about them. Put an effort into research. The more you know, the higher the chance they will respond.

Use templates to create your content. There is nothing wrong with it. You can either use pre-built templates or build your own from scratch. Templates can save you a huge amount of time and resources which you can invest in other tasks.

Less is sometimes more. Be short and get to the point quickly. Express your idea and remember it is not about you - it is about the recipient and how they can benefit from your offer. Usually, you are not the only one reaching out to them, so try to catch their attention.

What time of the day do you usually check your emails? Consider the usual daily workflow including the demographic location of your recipients. Weekends or the middle of the night probably won't be the best hour to send your email.

Below you'll find a few tips on how to write an outreach email.

A subject line is your first impression, determining whether your email gets opened. Create a catchy headline that attracts readers' attention. Reference recommendations or address the recipient’s pain points. If you have done your research, you know what topics interest your email recipient. You know what problems they might be facing, so you can offer your help. Or, you can put the recipient into the position of an expert and point out their recent project. 

Examples of catchy headlines:

• Let's talk about [project/idea]!

• Can I help you with [reaching a specific goal]?

• Quick question regarding [project]!

• Really enjoyed your latest post on [publication]!

Provide a brief introduction to who you are, your company, or your product. Ensure the reader gains a quick understanding of your identity and purpose. Use a friendly yet professional tone. Avoid overly formal language, but remember to uphold a certain level of professionalism.

Email personalization shows an interest and knowledge of the recipient's product or focus. Mention an article or project they recently published. Show this email is not just one of many, and that you are interested in cooperating with this partner.

Communicate why the recipient should consider your proposal and highlight the benefits of your offer. Focus on the core message of your letter, enabling even a 5-year-old to understand your proposition.

Conclude your email with a clear call to action aligned with your goal. Guide the recipient on the desired next steps, whether it’s responding, registering, or contacting you.

Get an inspiration on how to write an outreach email from our outreach email template.

Incorporating the above-mentioned strategies will help you establish meaningful connections and increase the success of your backlinks outreach efforts. Check these questions before you send an email to make sure you haven't missed anything.

• Is this message relevant to the receiver?

• Is my offer clear?

• Am I creating a sense of urgency?

• Is the email personalized?

• Is the subject line catchy and personalized?

• Did I include a CTA?

• Did I include my professional signature including LinkedIn as proof of credibility?

Email campaigns still belong to the most efficient way of communicating with prospects and partners. Automating the process and using already pre-built email templates can save plenty of your time and resources. Topol is a self-service email template builder - fully flexible, customizable, and easy to use both for technical and business users. Check our free trial to learn how it can help your business automate manual tasks!