This is a section from the Page One Power Employee Handbook, with minor edits. In the spirit of TAGFEE we thought it’d be fun and (hopefully) helpful to share some of the information and best practices we use internally. Hope you enjoy!
What is Outreach?
Outreach is any attempt at contact in the hopes of eliciting a response. This can include (but is not limited to) emails, web forms, social media, blog comments, phone calls, etc. The ideal outreach is something the recipient will open, read, and respond to.
Hello β________β,
I have an idea for an article titled “______” about “____”. I think this would fit well within your “_____”section, would you be willing to take a look at it? I thought it’d be timely considering your recent piece, “____”!
Thanks for your time and consideration,
(signature)
Important to remember:
- Always find the name of the person youβre emailing
- Bloggerβs inboxes are full of junk. You have a very short amount of time to catch their attention. You need to stand apart from the crowd
- Fill the message with as much personality in as few words as possible.
- Email gets better responses than web forms. Even if thereβs a contact form, take an extra minute to look for an email address.
- If the blogger recognizes your name, theyβre more likely to open your email, especially if it went to spam. So following them on social media or βlikingβ, βsharingβ or commenting on one of their posts before you send your pitch can increase your odds of getting through to them.
- Include a call to action or a question in your message. This increases the chance of a response.
Hi (name)!
I’d love to write an article for you about DJing with a tablet and the apps that are available for that purpose. Once I am done writing my article how can I submit it to your site?
Best,
(signature)
- Including too many links or attachments might send you to spam, but these items also give you an excuse to follow up the next day: βHey, donβt know if my email went to spam because of the attachment, did you get my article?β
- Approach the outreach confidently, assuming that the blogger will want your article. Confidence is key in successful outreach.
Subject Line: The title of your email and the first line are what the recipient sees first. They may not even open your email if it seems boring or spammy. So be intentional with your subject line and introduction.
Suggestions:
- See if the site has a required subject line
- Include the blog title in the subject
- Include your article title/topic in the subject
- If they have a βwrite for usβ page, the term βguest postβ probably shows up in their inbox all the time. Try something more creative.
Initial Outreach: There are a lot of styles of outreach- short, long, direct, rambling. Make sure the style you choose fits the blog you are outreaching to. Determine this by looking at the tone of the βaboutβ and βwrite for us pagesβ, and especially recent articles.
Be clear on what you are offering the blogger. Whatβs in it for them? Incentives could include:
- Sharing your article via social media
- Great (free) content for their audience (specify why it fits their blog/audience) β articles that are specifically responding, expounding, or debating a recent post are great for this
- New Traffic (explain how youβll drive new traffic)
You must quickly establish authority:
- Include a link to previously published work: (careful, too many links could send you to spam)
- Offer to send them examples of previous work upon request
- Check if the blogger has connections to blogs youβve been published on before. Namedrop.
- Include a link to your G+ account with the list of all your published articles. This is a great way to give them access to your whole portfolio with just one link. (can be incorporated into the email signature)
Hey there, Iβm ___ with (company). I wrote an article for your site. Itβs attached and if you like it then itβs all yours.
Iβd love to hear back from you with any feedback, comments, or suggestions.
Cheers,
(Signature)
G+ (with link)
Relationship Building
Websites donβt give out links. People do.
Links worth going after are those on sites that are cared for by actual people, not just automated, neglected, and generally ignored by the human populace. This means you have to appeal to people, not websites. Offer them something they want. If you have nothing to offer, give them personality. Make them like you. Relationships are the key to becoming an effective link builder, instead of just a guest poster or directory submitter.
Eliciting Emotions
There needs to be something in it for them.
Bloggers donβt want great content. Or rather, they want more than great content. They want traffic, social media shares, comments on their site, conversions. They want a new perspective. Figure out what this site owner wants and convince them you can help them get it.
The point of outreach is to get a response. Because the focus is on people, you need to appeal to what makes them human: their emotions.
Interest, Curiosity- You have something interesting to offer. They want to see more.
Hey there!
I hope your morning is off to a great start. I was just taking a look at your write for us page and I noticed that you have a few opportunities for guest posting. I just finished a piece titled, “_______” and I was a little curious to see if it could be something that you’re interested in.
In the piece I use the recent findings of a ______ study to go over β________β. I also touch on β____________β. The article is attached to this email so if you’d like to give it a read that would be great!
If you’d like to get a better idea of my writing you can check out some of my previously published pieces here:
Let me know what you think of the piece, I’d love to hear some feedback!
Thank so much and hope to hear from you soon,
(signature)
Surprise, amusement– The pitch has something unexpected, is filled with personality, and the site owner canβt help but like us.
(name),
Here’s the score:
You need some fresh ___ content at ______.
I’m looking for high-quality __ sites that I can contribute to in order to flesh out my Google Authorship profile, win a Pulitzer Prize and rule the Universe.
It’s a perfect opportunity for us to collaborate for our mutual benefit, but you need to read this e-mail and respond to it in order for this collaboration to work.
I’ve e-mailed you a couple times before and didn’t hear anything back.
Hit me up and let’s discuss this. I’d be eager to contribute my knowledge and expertise and I’m confident that I’ve got the writing chops to draw readers and add value to your site. You don’t have to take my word for it. Just give me the nod and I’ll shoot a piece to you for review and we can go from there.
Regards,
_____
Flattery- MUST BE GENUINE! Donβt compliment something on their site if you donβt like it. Bloggers get a hundred guest post requests a week saying βI find your blog useful and inspiring to readersβ¦β Compliment something specific. Consider writing your post in response to something theyβve posted recently.
Hey (name),
I was just inquiring about being included on your list of ethical tourism links. (Company) is striving to make tourism a force for growth and benefit for the locations we travel through and we have established (RESOURCE) to give back to the communities we encounter. We are trying to expand this (resource) and make sure that people know how they can help, even when on vacation, and how tourism can be a force for growth and education. Being included on your list of ethical tourism links would be a good step in that direction and I would appreciate your thoughts and ideas on the matter.
Thanks and best wishes,
(Signature)
Gratitude, Thankfulness- they appreciate the offer for free content that was written by humans for humans
Let me get straight to the point, here….
Your site needs some fresh content. It hasn’t been updated in over a month.
I’m a ____ writer, looking for new audiences to share my work with.
We should collaborate. I’d like to write you a piece or two. How about a piece about ______?
Take a look at my portfolio connected to my G+ account so you see the quality of work I produce:
(link)
I look forward to collaborating with you…
(Signature)
Anger/Embarrassment– Canβt get a response? Try accusing them of not maintaining their site well. An angry response is better than no response. This gets them on the defensive and opens the door for negotiations
Hi (name),
I’d still love to write for your site, but if you’re not interested, I will pitch my “____” article to other travelling sites.
Thanks for your time,
(signature)
Hey (name),
My name is ____ and Iβve pitched legitimate writing interest to this email a number of times, with no response at all. First off, please let me know if youβve received it. I think it is actually worth your time, as there arenβt enough people out there writing about progressive real estate options.
To avoid hassling you I wonβt send another email, but at the same time I think itβs important that you respond to people who present legitimate ideas. Thereβs no point in having an email if not.
Thanks for your time, I appreciate it.
(signature)
Hey (name),
I don’t know if I’m going to your spam or what, but I’ve tried several ways to get a hold of you. I don’t quite see the point in having contact forms on your sites if you’re not going to respond.
Anyway, I hope you’re just missing my messages and I get through eventually.
Thanks for your time,
(signature)
If they get angry, turn around and apologize, say you were just frustrated with the great void that is internet correspondence, and see if you can get their interest. This is a great way to show that youβre human, and hopefully inspire a little goodwill.
Remember, the first goal is to get a response. Then you focus on getting a link.
Followups:
βHey, just making sure I didnβt get thrown into spam.β
βHave you had time to review my article/pitch yet?β
βIβd still love to send you an article about rabid penguinsβ
Try something new:
Alternate forms of contact:
- Web forms
- Other email addresses on the site
- Other social media (once found alternate email address through youtube account)
- Commenting on blog posts (donβt include links)
- Try finding email through who.is (super stalker status, use with care)
Hi (name),
Iβve been trying to reach you at your _____ email, but I thought Iβd try this one.
Iβm ____, and Iβm interested in sending you a guest post about one of the following topics: (topic ideas)
Hereβs an example of my writing: (link)
Let me know which article I can send you,
Thanks!
(signature)
Alternate approaches
Were you longwinded last time? Shorten it up. Did you just ask if they take guest posts? Elaborate on your idea. Were you trying to be funny? Be serious.
Give them a deadline:
βIβd love to work with you, but since I havenβt heard from you, I guess Iβll turn my efforts elsewhere. If youβre still interested in collaborating, let me know by Fridayβ
Responding to:
Requests for money:
- Explain why Google frowns on paid links.
- Ask if they would waive the fee if the link is no-follow
- Offer to link back to the post in future bios (basically giving them a link too, bring traffic to them) in lieu of payment.
- Mention that youβre a paid writer (mention your rate), willing to waive the fee for a link in your bio
Requests for reciprocal links:
- Offer to link back to the post in future bios (basically giving them a link too, bring traffic to them) in lieu of payment.
- Offer to talk to the webmaster of the site youβre representing, but donβt make any promises.
βDo you work for a company?β
βI do write on behalf of soandso.com, and will want the article to include a link back to their site. I make sure the link is relevant and useful. The article itself will not be an ad, however, and I really think your audience will appreciate it because. _______β
Additional Resources: