What Type of Backlinks Do

You Need Right Now?

Ready to unravel the backlinking puzzle? Let’s begin with the types of backlinks you must avoid.

4 backlink sources you should detest

● Google’s algorithm does not count backlinks equally. Links in the footer, sidebar and
navigation don’t carry much weight.

● If you try to game the search giant with black hat techniques, you’re going to get hit with a
penalty and lose your traffic.

● You’ve to seek links from trusted sites that have zero spam association.

● Here are 4 specific type of backlinks that aren’t effective now.

1. Low-quality article directory submission websites

● If a website does not add value to its audience and contains spun/duplicate content, then it
holds a poor image in Google’s eyes.

● So avoid spammy directories that solely exist to publish low-quality content and provide
do-follow links to webmasters.

● Paid directories like DMoz may work.

● Similarly you should also avoid low-quality guest posting opportunities. It’s considered as
scraped content by Google.

● A single guest post on a relevant high-authority website in your niche will outdo 10 guest
posts from irrelevant websites.

2. Performing link exchanges at scale

● A few links between your own websites will work fine. But if your backlink profile consists
solely of exchanges from spammy websites, it’ll raise a red flag in Google’s eyes.

● Irrelevant reciprocal links between websites can also lead to a penalty.

● So avoid automated outreach emails for building links like the one below.

Hello,

I have found your website )0000CXXXXXXXX by searching Google for "business free from health
home home make money risk work". I think our websites has a similar theme, so I have already
added your link to my website.

You can find your link here:

http://www.suspiciousdomain.com/news/insert-random-keyword-phrase-here.html
3. Thousands of automatically generated links from web 2.0 properties

● Don’t buy those $5 Fiverr gigs promising 25,000 backlinks.

● The links are generated from tools using web 2.0 properties Blogger, Squidoo, WordPress
and Hubpages.

● They are low-quality and such a high link velocity will invite a penalty from Google.

4. Paid links that pass PageRank

● If you’re buying/selling backlinks and leave footprints, then Google’s going to come after
you.

● So all your sponsored links must contain a rel=nofollow tag. Else Google considers them as
link schemes trying to manipulate PageRank.

3 circumstances to help you determine your backlinking type

Here are 3 common business conditions to help you pursue the most appropriate backlinking
opportunities (along with actionable techniques to acquire backlinks).

1. If you get under 100 website visitors/day

● While the lift in your search rankings will take place later, it’s always nice to see a spike in
your analytics. Right?

● We’ve got some good news for you in that case.

● The best kind of backlinks also draw referral traffic to your website.

● So if you’re at the beginning stage of building your website, here are 3 strategies you can
use to score backlinks.

● Guest Posting – Building your personal brand is pivotal to your blog’s growth. And guest
blogging on authority websites in your niche is a great way to build your brand image.

● Google has cracked down on spammy guest posting and keyword-rich anchor text guest
post links.

● But you can still post on relevant blogs and link to your own contextually relevant and
useful content. It might help you in ranking for long-tail keywords.

● Guestographic Method – As you start guest posting, you’ll note that many blogs only allow
author bio nofollow links that don’t carry any link juice.
 ● This is where infographics can help you. You can use them to build contextually relevant
backlinks from your article’s body.

● Social Media Marketing – More social shares don’t guarantee higher search rankings. But
social media is a great channel for getting exposure for your content and increasing your
perceived value.

● It also helps Google build trust with more data points about your brand.

● With more brand visibility, you can increase your domain authority and earn rankings
without backlinks.

● Besides the big social media platforms, you can also try social bookmarking websites like
Reddit.

● Every upvote is equivalent to 2-5 visitors. And you can get upwards of 10,000 pageviews if
you post strategically.

2. You’ve a backbone of quality and authoritative content

● Once you touch a handful amount of daily visitors, you should craft a meaty piece of
compelling content that adds value to your audience.

● Choosing an in-demand subject for writing is critical for this high-quality content.

● Here are 2 strategies that will help you find a relevant content topic and promote your
cornerstone content to score backlinks.

● Skyscraper Technique – This is an extremely effective strategy. Because even before you
start creating your resource, it’s guaranteed to generate interest from your audience and
other webmasters. The strategy simply involves:

i. reverse engineering a linkable asset in your industry (using Ahrefs and BuzzSumo).

ii. creating even more insightful, valuable, updated and better designed piece of content.

iii. Reaching out to website owners to link to the original linkable asset. You can also reach
out to bloggers in your niche who do weekly roundups and best of posts/resources.

● Internal Linking – If you’re a regular reader of mine, you’ll know that we regularly refer to
our other articles

● Deep linking to your authoritative content from relevant blog posts helps your website’s
overall SEO.

● By distributing link juice to internal pages. And as the ranking power distributes throughout
your whole site, your homepage’s authority also increases.
 ● Internal links also aid the website’s navigation and enhance its crawlability.

● By presenting more useful information on a subject to your readers, you can also reduce
your bounce rate and increase your average on-page time.

● Just ensure that all the links to your cornerstone skyscraped content are from relevant blog
posts with different anchor texts.

3. Your business doesn’t have a budget for creating high-quality content

● Let’s face it – It’s difficult to create high-quality content. It’s also costly to outsource content
marketing. But most backlinking strategies rely on content creation.

● You can follow these 3 backlinking techniques.

● Broken Link Building (BLB) – This a classic link building strategy that works because you
add value to the internet by offering to repair a broken link.

● It’s based on the principle of reciprocity. Since you add value to a webmaster by finding
broken links on his website, he is likely to return the favour with a link to your website.

● It’s more effective in a competitive niche (like make money online and health) because
you’ll find a lot of websites experiencing link rot.

● Brian Dean takes BLB a step further – moving man method (MMM). First he searches for
outdated piece of content. Then he contacts webmasters linking to the outdated page
(which are working technically).

● If you want to get started with BLB, then read this broken belt link building guide.

● You don’t need content to score backlinks with BLB. But if you combine it with other tactics
like the Skyscraper, then it’ll shoot up your success rate.

● Get interviewed or quoted through HARO – Media websites have a huge amount of traffic
and high domain authorities.

● And it’s possible to get mentions by the likes of Forbes, Entrepreneur and Huffington Post
by signing up for Help A Reporter Out (HARO).

● Just sign up as a source. Pick up a relevant journalist requirement from the emails you
receive.

● And address every question in the query in detail in your pitch email.

● That’s all it takes to pick up a high-quality link from HARO.

 ● It’s also possible to get interviewed by popular blogs without being an expert. Read this
guide by Ann Smarty.

● Reverse engineer your competitors – It ultimately boils down to how your competitors are
building links.

● So the last strategy is to buy a premium backlinking tool subscription and outdo your
competitors.

● You can filter the backlinking opportunities suitable for your business. Like not requiring
content.

● Here is a guide that discussed about how you can harvest your competitor’s backlinks using
Scrapebox.

Email Outreach Scripts

1. GUEST BLOGGING
Prospecting:

1. Find the top blogs in your industry.

2. Search for blogs that already accept guest authors via Google Search using

these operators:

• “write for us” + “industry”

• “contribute” + “industry”

• “guest post by” + “industry”

Outreach Template:

Subject: Writing for Example.com

Hey [First Name],

I’m [Your Name], and I write at [Yoursite.com]. I’m also a regular

contributor at [mention a popular blog in your space].

Anyway, I’m writing to you because I have some really interesting

content ideas that I strongly feel will be perfect for [Example.com]’s

audience.

Optional: I’ve been following [abbreviation of their blog’s name] for

quite some time now, and I have even mentioned your article

about [insert topic of their past article] on this piece I’ve written [insert

link to your post that links to them] a while back.

I can send you the topics I have in mind if you’re still open to new guest

authors.

I appreciate the time, and really looking forward to working together.

Cheers!

[Your Name]

Keys to Success:

• Familiarity – mentioning that you’ve already contributed for a blog that

they know about (particularly those that have strict editorial guidelines)

can increase their interest on what you can offer to them (and can also

prove credibility).

• Another way to make prospects become more familiar with your work is

by linking to them in your other content initiatives (through your own

content or guest posts on other sites). Do this before contacting them,

especially with your high-end prospects; this should help increase your

chances of getting a response.

• It’s sometimes better to send your list of content ideas on your follow up

email or as soon as they respond. This will allow you to have more time to

do research on their audience and brainstorm on the topics they haven’t

covered yet.
 • Send shorter emails for initial contact (they’ll have higher response rates),

as you can always send a more thorough email as soon as you get a

response from your prospects (in which you can improve your closing

rate).

And for a more advanced approach for your guest blogging outreach, especially

when you’ve been already accepted and featured as a contributor on other high

traffic sites in your space

2. RESOURCE LINK BUILDING

Prospecting:

Find “Resources” and “Useful Links” pages via Google Search using the

following queries:

• “keyword” + inurl:resources/

• “keyword” + inurl:links/

• “keyword” + “useful links”

• “keyword” + “helpful resources”

Outreach Template:

Subject: Question about [Site Name]

Hey [First Name],

My name is [Your Name] and I just came across your resource page

for [target audience]:

[insert link to their resources page]

I work with [Company Name], which [brief description of what the

company does and can freely offer]:

[insert link to the target page relevant to their resources page]

It might make a good addition to your page and provide a lot of value to

your visitors.

Let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with. Thanks, [First

Name].

Cheers!

[Your Name]

Keys to Success:

• Personalization – know who their resources pages are intended for, so

you can easily connect why your page will be valuable to their visitors.

• Solid content to offer as a resource that should be genuinely helpful/useful

to their intended visitors.

 • Offer to help – because sometimes, these webmasters will look for

exchange link opportunities too.

3. BROKEN LINK BUILDING

Prospecting:

Find Resources/Links pages that host broken links (404 errors)

using CheckMyLinks(Chrome plugin).

Use Ahrefs to find other pages linking to the broken page (reach out to them

too).
Outreach Template:

Subject: Found a broken link on [Site Name]

Hey [First Name],

This link directing to [Site Name with 404 page] doesn’t work anymore:

[insert URL of the broken link]

Found this through your useful links section for [topic of their resource

page]:

[insert URL of their resources page]

Also, just thought that this content from [Your Site] will perfectly fit your

list of resources [additional comment on why your content deserves to

make it on their list]. Your visitors should find that useful:

[insert URL to your page]

Let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with

Thanks, [First Name]!

[Your Name]

Keys to Success:

• Be direct and straight to the point.

• Make sure that the content you’ll be suggesting to be included on the

resources page is highly relevant to its theme and its target audience.

• If you can create a better version to replace the defunct page they are

linking to, that could yield better results. Use the Wayback Machine to

check how those broken pages looked like before.

4. LINKER OUTREACH:
What is Linker Outreach?

Basically, it’s reaching out to publishers (and industry linkers) who already have

a history of linking or sharing articles related to your content. They are usually

receptive, as they have already shown interest about a certain topic in the past.

How to find linkers in your industry:

 • Check the sites/blogs linking to your competitors’ content that’s similar to

yours. Use link research tools like Ahrefs or Moz Open Site Explorer.

• Find out who are sharing and amplifying their content on social media

using BuzzSumo.

Outreach Template:

Subject: Hey [First Name]!

Hey [First Name],

Saw your post on [Topic], and noticed that you’ve shared [competitors’

name and topic].

Just thought that this piece on [the topic of your content, and how it

differs from your competitor’s] I recently published might be valuable to

your readers/followers as well.

[insert link to your content]

Thanks, [First Name]!

[Your Name]

The approach can also work on promoting your content to your own followers

who have shared or linked to your other content in the past.

Keys to Success:

• Your content should be better (10x content) than the ones they are

already linking to.

• No need to give them instructions, since you are reaching out to natural

linkers. They usually know what to do next (to share or link – depends on

how worthy they think it is).

• Make the partnership mutual – offer to link to their best content too (link

exchange specifically for content assets).

5. CONTENT COLLABORATION & PARTNERSHIPS

Below are some of the ways you can pitch other bloggers and publishers for

collaboration and content partnerships.

UPDATE OLD CONTENT

Prospecting:

Use Google Search to find old and outdated content on topic areas you want to

focus on. Set the time (on Tools) to “custom range” to filter the results to only

show posts from years ago.

Outreach Template:

Subject: Outdated content on [Site Name]

Hey [First Name],

I came across your post on [Topic] that you’ve published back in [Year]:

[insert link to old post]

The content was well put together, though some of the ideas and

information in it are already outdated. Just thought of asking if you have

any plans of updating this content?

By the way, my name is [Your Name], and I work with [Your Site], where

we’ve written dozens of practical guides about [Industry].

I know you have a lot on your plate, but I was just thinking that perhaps

I can write the updated version for you instead.

Let me know if you’ll be interested to collaborate on a [2017 version of

the topic]. I would love to help in any way possible.

PS: What’s in it for me? Just want the exposure as a co-author for one

of your blog posts

[Your Name]

Keys to Success:

• A good content portfolio that you can showcase as work samples.

• Attach (or send a follow up email with) a brief outline for the updated

version of the content you’ll be creating (including new content sections

that the original copy didn’t have).

 • The draft of the content’s new version should also contain internal links

pointing to their other useful resources.

REPURPOSE YOUR PROSPECTS’ EXISTING CONTENT ASSETS

Outreach Template:

Subject: Visual Content version of [Site Name’s & Title of Post]

Hey [First Name],

My name is [Your Name], and I work with [Your Site].

I came across your piece on [Topic]: [insert URL to their content]

Just wanted to ask if it’s okay with you if we make a visual content

based on your article (we’ll definitely include your logo on the graphic).

We’re planning to use it for an upcoming guide we’re creating (where

we’d also link back to you). And we’ll probably distribute the graphic to

other publications as well.

We can send you the final draft over so you can check. Would love to

hear your thoughts. Thanks, [First Name].

[Your Name]
Keys to Success:

• Create a well-designed visual content version of their text-based content

(or portion of their article). They will most-likely use it if they find it visually

appealing.

• Give appropriate attribution. Mentioning that you’ll include their logo on

the graphic will improve your chances of getting them on board with the

idea.

• Note: You can also explore other content formats, such as turning their

content into audio, video, slide deck, graphs/charts, email newsletter,

printable PDF, etc…

GETTING FEATURED ON NEWSLETTERS

Prospecting:

Find blogs/sites on a related niche/industry that you can partner up with (that

provide newsletters as well).

Preferably sites that aren’t directly competing with yours but cater to the same

audience (ex: if you’re running an online store selling cameras, find photography

blogs).

Outreach Template:
Subject: We want to feature [Site Name] on our monthly newsletter

Hey [First Name],

My name is [Your Name], and I work with [Your Site].

We have a consistently growing list of subscribers who are really

into [Niche/Industry] and currently we have [xxx number of email

subscribers].

Anyway, we’re actively seeking for partners we can feature for our

monthly newsletter about [Topic Area].

Just wanted to ask if you have any products, service or guides that we

can promote to our subscribers, as we believe that your business will

also be beneficial to our audience.

Let me know if this is something you’d be interested in. Thanks, [First

Name]!

Quick question: how does one get featured on your newsletter or

website? I think we may also have something that your followers will

find really valuable.

[Your Name]
Keys to Success:

• The number of email subscribers – so you can ensure you’ll put more

eyeballs on their content.

• Your site, products, and content are well-branded. No one wants to be

associated with crappy websites.

INVITE GUEST BLOGGERS

Prospecting:

Find active guest bloggers in your space and invite them to write for your site

too.
It’s one of the best ways to absorb followers from influencers. And aside from

getting them to share their content published on your website on their social

networks, they almost always link out to their own past works (including their

guest posts).

Outreach Template:

Subject: Hey [First Name] – Write for our readers at [Site Name]

Hey [First Name],

I’ve been seeing you everywhere! I was able to read your post on [Site

1 where they wrote a guest blog] and [Site 2 where they wrote a guest

blog]. Fantastic work!

Anyway, I wanted to touch base to see if you’d be interested to write

for [Your Site]as well. We have a continuously growing readership and

we currently have [xxx number of monthly pageviews].

Our readers will certainly be ecstatic to see you on our blog.

Let me know your thoughts, as we can publish your entry right away.

Thanks, [First Name].

[Your Name]
Keys to Success:

• Your site must have a substantial traffic, strong readership and social

following to attract influential bloggers in your space (which means you

need to have high-quality content published on your site as well).

• A decent DA (domain authority) should also help increase your chances

of getting them on board.

GET MORE LINK OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH YOUR GUEST AUTHORS

Prospecting:

This is the second phase for the tactic above.

Follow the sites where the guest bloggers on your site has been published as

well. Then contact them to seek for guest blogging opportunities for your brand

too.

Outreach Template:

Subject: Writing for [Site Name] – found you through [Guest blogger’s

name].

Hey [First Name],

I’ve just read [Guest Blogger’s Name] post on [Site Name].

[Guest Blogger’s Name] did an amazing job on his guest post for our

site too:[insert link to guest blogger’s post on your site].

By the way, I’m [Your Name], and I write at [Your Site]. Optional: I’m

also a regular contributor at [mention a popular site in your space].

Anyway, I just want to ask if you’re still open to new guest authors

for [abbreviation of their Site’s Name].

Because I have a few interesting content ideas I want to run by you, if

that’s okay?

Let me know. Thanks, [First Name].

[Your Name]

Key to Success:

• Credibility – you’ll need proof that you can also deliver the same quality

of content as the “guest blogger” did. A mutual contact is enough to get

your prospects’ attention, but it will still come down to the value you can

actually offer to them/their readers.

6. CONTENT SUGGESTIONS
A lot of publishers these days have editorial calendars. Which means they

already have a bunch of content topics lined up to be created or published for

the next few weeks (if not months).

Suggesting content elements (such as data, visual content, research, or

interviews you did) relevant to any of their upcoming content could potentially

lead them to mentioning/linking to you as a resource (hat tip to Art of Emails for

this approach).

Prospecting:

Start with the top blogs in your space that publish content regularly (twice or

even more per week).

Contact writers/columnists from these publications directly, if possible (since

they are the ones who do the research).

Outreach Template:

Subject: Research on [Topic] you can use for [Site Name]

Hey [First Name],

I’ve been an avid reader of [Site Name] for quite some time now – and I

really love how detailed and well-researched your guides are.

I can only imagine the time you spent working on those.

Anyway, I noticed that you’ve been writing a lot about [Topic Area] lately

and just wondering if you’re planning to write about [Specific Topic] any

time soon?

I’ve been gathering some public data and been interviewing some

influencers in the [Industry] space about their views on [problem +

specific topic]. Just thought that you might be interested on the insights

I’d be able to get.

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks, [First Name].

[Your Name]

Keys to Success:

• Familiarity – throw in some big names in your industry that could take

part in your research/survey/interviews.

• Highlight key data points you’ve found out from your own research

(collected public data) to make your pitch more interesting.

• Pitch the same idea to other publishers. Since you’re only providing them

with research they can build content around on – or support an existing

idea that they already plan to work on.

7. INFOGRAPHIC MARKETING
Prospecting:

Find infographics that cover the same topic(s) as yours. Then look for the sites

that use them, and make a list of them. There are two ways to do this:

• Reverse Image search via Google Image search (upload or enter the URL

of the image/infographic).

• Reverse engineer the landing page/original source of the infographic

using link monitoring tools like Ahrefs.

You can also search for text-heavy content related to your infographic’s topic

(that could make use of your visual content).

Outreach Template:

Subject: Data Visualization for [Site Name]

Hey [First Name],

I’m [Your Name], and I work with [Your Site].

I’m reaching out to you because I saw your article on [Topic] and I

noticed that you’ve included [Competitor Site]’s infographic on your

post:

[insert URL of the post with competitor’s infographic]

We’ve recently created an infographic on [summary or key data point

that your visual content covers] just thought that you might want to see

it as well:

[insert URL to your infographic]

And here are some of the key [stats/ideas] that really stood out from our

research:

• [Stat/Idea 1]

• [Stat/Idea 2]

• [Stat/Idea 3]

I would love to know if this is something you’d be interested to include in

your article or perhaps feature in one of your next articles (we can

definitely send more useful insights if needed).

Let me know your thoughts. Thanks, [First Name].

[Your Name]

Keys to Success:

• Design – it’s 50% of the battle.

• Content of the infographic. Focus on actionable data and insights that

people will actually can make use of.

 • Explore more image-based content such as checklists, cheat sheets or

kinetic typography.

8. OFFERING DATA TO PUBLISHERS (AND FOR MEDIA

COVERAGE)
Prospecting:

Focus on industry-specific blogs and journalists who actively write about your

target industry. Seeing that they are the ones who can easily come up with

content topics based on data (even with a small set of data).

Outreach Template:

Subject: Hey [First Name] – Useful data for [Site Name]

Hey [First Name],

I’ve just read your article on [Topic] at [Site Name].

Just thought that this collection of data we’ve gathered on [Topic] might

get you and your readers interested as well:

See attached doc. [attach document containing collected data – could

also be a data visualization]

The data we’ve collected revealed a few interesting stats:

 1. [Data 1]

2. [Data 2]

3. [Data 3]

Let me know if there are any other statistics you’d be interested to look

at. And feel free to use [Your Site]’s research on any of your future

article. Thanks, [First Name].

[Your Name]

Keys to Success:

• Exclusivity – offering unpublished data would get many of these

publishers/journalists become more interested about the idea of writing

about it if they think that access to your data/tip is only limited to a few.So

including words such as “exclusively for” within your outreach copy may

also help increase your closing rate.Tip: It’s still best not to use templates

for your outreach copy if you’re targeting high-end prospects for digital PR

and media coverage.

• Flexibility – let them know that you can also offer other statistics in case

they need/want more. It’s also a great way to build long-term relationships

with industry bloggers/journalists, wherein you’ll basically become a

researcher for them (in exchange for links).

 • Targeting – make sure you are pitching data that are really relevant to

these writers’ target audience. You can use your company’s (or client’s)

internal data – or compile publicly available data related to your industry

that will be insightful to their audience.

Other Useful Resources:

• How to Get Media Coverage – 25 tips from the pros

• How to Get Major Media Coverage for your Business with no connections

9. LINK RECLAMATION
What is Link Reclamation?

Link reclamation is the process of finding unlinked mentions of your brand

assets or broken links pointing to your site coming from other websites, and

then contacting them to request for proper link attribution to your website.

Prospecting:

1. Google Search:

• “brand name” –link:yoursite.com –site:yoursite.com

2. Using tools with mention tracking features like:

• Mention.net

• Ahrefs

• Google Alerts

Outreach Template (for unlinked brand mentions):

Subject: Hey [First Name] – Thanks for mentioning [Your Site]

Hey [First Name],

First off, thank you for mentioning [Your Brand] on your article

on [Topic]:

[insert URL of the content that mentions your brand]

Anyway, I’m reaching out to you because we’ve recently updated our

website. And we’re just wondering if it would be possible for you to

include a link to our site as well, in case your readers want to know

more about what we do.

[insert link to your website]

Thanks, [First Name],

[Your Name]
Outreach Template (for broken links):

Subject: Hey [First Name] – broken link on [Site Name]

Hey [First Name],

I’m [Your Name], and I work at [Your Site].

First off, thank you for mentioning [Your Brand] on your article

on [Topic]:

[insert URL of the content that mentions your brand]

Although, we’ve already moved the page you were originally linking

to [insert broken link to your site] here:

[insert new URL]

I just thought of sending you a heads up so you can update the link, if

it’s still possible.

Thanks, [First Name].

[Your Name]

Key to Success:
 • They are already aware of your brand, so you’ll have a higher closing rate

using this method. Though the tactic works best for brands who have

already established themselves as an authority in their space.

10. .EDU LINK OUTREACH

.EDU RESOURCE LINK BUILDING

Prospecting:

Using Google Search:

• “keyword/topic” + resources + inurl:.edu/.ac.uk/.edu.au

• “keyword/topic” + useful links + inurl.edu/.ac.uk/.edu.au

Note: A lot of these academic resources pages usually contain broken links,

given that many of them have aged and aren’t updated that much (so the

broken link building approach would work well on this aspect).

Outreach Template #1:

Subject: RE: [Topic] Resources

Hi [First Name],

I hope this email finds you well.

I’ve been doing research on [Specific Topic] and some of the resources

you’ve listed on your academic resources for [Topic Area] have been

very useful to a project I’m working on:

[insert URL of their academic resource page]

Thank you, they have been really valuable for my research.

I also wanted to ask if you are still updating that page. I would like to

report a few broken links and also suggest additional resources.

Thanks, [First Name]

[Your Name]

Outreach Template #2:

Subject: Have a library question

Hi Ms./Mr. [Last Name]

I came across your academic resources page about [Topic] – [insert

URL of .edu resource page] and I really find it helpful!

I was working on a research for our [Subject] 101 class and I’m putting

up a list of [Topic] guides and resources that college students can use.

Your page was really handy, particularly [mention a specific content

section from their resources page].

I also found a lot of good resources; I was wondering if you’d be able to

update your list of resources? These are in-depth guides that I’m sure

everyone will find useful, too.

Here’s what I found:

1. [Title of Suggested Content 1] – [insert URL of content 1] – [brief

summary and description of content]

2. [Title of Suggested Content 2] – [insert URL of content 2] – [brief

summary and description of content]

3. [Title of Suggested Content 3] – [insert URL of content 3] – [brief

summary and description of content]

I hope it makes a great addition to your resources page.

Either way, keep up the great work!

Cheers,

[Your Name]
Keys to Success:

• Only pitch highly educational content from your site/clients. Also, see the

pages they’re already linking to – to have an idea of what sorts of content

and information they like using as references. Make sure that your content

can match up to the resources that these pages are already linking to

(improve your content if necessary).

• Suggest other valuable resources on the topic (other than yours) that will

also be useful to their students (particularly those that they haven’t linked

out to yet).

11. INFLUENCER MARKETING

Prospecting:

Find curated lists of the top experts and influential bloggers in your industry via

Google search:

• “top” + “industry” + experts

• “top” + “industry” + blogs

Outreach Template for Initial contact:

Here’s a good template that Aaron Agius and his team at LouderOnline use

when reaching out to influencers:

Subject: Hey [name] – I want to pick your brain for a project

Hi [name],

My name is [your name] from [company]. I’ve been following your blog

since 2013.

Your recent post [blog topic] really resonated with me. I thought it was

something my audience would appreciate, so I shared it with my social

media and email subscribers.

I wanted to get in touch with you to discuss [topic] further, and see if we

can work on something similar together.

If you’re interested we can set up a phone call this week to discuss

starting a collaboration that would bring value to both our audiences.

Best,

[your name]

Outreach Template for Curation, Expert Round Ups, and Interviews:

Subject: Interview request for [Full Name]

Hey [First Name],

I’m [Your Name] from [Your Company].

I’m working on an article about [Topic] that’s scheduled to go live in a

couple of weeks, and I just thought that you’re one of the best people in

the industry to get some insights from.

Just wanted to know your personal take on this question:

[Interview Question(s)]

Thanks for your time, [First Name]. It would really be great if you can

share your expertise on this – I’m sure it will be valuable to a lot

of [target audience].

All the best,

[Your Name]

Outreach Template for Influencer Mention:

Subject: We’ve featured [Site Name] on our article

Hey [First Name],

I just wanted to let you know that I’ve mentioned your article

about [Topic] in my recent post:

[insert link to your post]

Your work was really worth sharing to my audience. I would also love to

know what you think about it, if ever you have time.

Thanks, [First Name]

[Your Name]

Keys to Success:

• Familiarity with your brand. Engaging them on social media or within their

own community before actually reaching out to them directly should help

get your email noticed.

• The content where you have featured them has a unique angle/story

(different from what they are usually mentioned in) and genuinely provides

value in your community.

• Being clear on the actual value they’ll get in working with you.

EMAIL OUTREACH TIPS:

1. PERSONALIZE
• Always use your prospects’ name and their website’s name when

contacting them.
 • Stalk you’re A-list prospects’ twitter feed, personal site or any social

media accounts to help you come up with something more personal that

you can mention on your email.

• Include memes within your outreach copy that are related to their

personal hobbies and interests (if necessary).

• Show your personality on your outreach emails (and customize your

templates to reflect your personality – great tip from Sujan Deswal)

2. WRITE BETTER COPIES

• Mention their name or their website’s name on the subject line to improve

open rates.

• Subject should also be able to summarize what your email is about. Get

the message across from the get go.

• Write the email body in a scannable format. Clean and concise.

• Write shorter emails for initial contact, because they tend to get better

response rates (as you can always send a more thorough email once you

get a response from them).

• Always double check your copy before sending – be specifically attentive

with your copies’ grammar. As Julia Ogden points out, “if you can’t spell in

your email, you can’t spell in your guest posts”.

Recommended Reading: 10 ways to write better emails.

3. BUILD FAMILIARITY
• Build rapport with your prospects (especially people on your priority list)

through other channels (social media, community sites where they are

active or leaving comments on their blogs), before reaching out through

email.

• Mention mutual connections, sites you’ve been published that they know

of or how you’ve found them in your email.

4. TIMING
• Best times/days to send outreach emails: Tuesday, Wednesday &

Thursday mornings.

• Know your prospects’ time zones.

• If your offer/pitch is time-sensitive, let them know that it’s urgent (from the

subject line).

• Send a follow up email after 2-3 days if you haven’t received any

response.

• Use Boomerang for Gmail to schedule your outreach emails.

5. OFFER VALUE
• Always have a section where you can highlight the value they’ll get from

your pitch.

• Be genuinely generous. Give them ideas that they can pursue even

without your help (even if that means not getting a link). Also, don’t just

compliment their work, share it or link to them.

 • Tell them how your credibility (as an expert), followers/readers/email

subscribers, and social influence will matter to them.

6. BUILD CONNECTIONS AND RELATIONSHIPS

• Create a “write for us” page on your site, and optimize it for search – so

you can attract active guest bloggers in your space. Negotiate linking

opportunities for your brand as well through these incoming contacts

(particularly those who write for other authority sites – ask to be

introduced to sites they have been published).

• Connect with people in your space through HARO. Ask advice from

industry experts within the platform and use it on your content initiatives

(since most of the people you’ll get connected with are either marketing or

PR specialists in your space). Build relationships with them, as you can

eventually get linking opportunities from these people as well.

7. TRACK AND IMPROVE

• Use YesWare to track your emails open rates.

• Maintain relationships. Follow them on social networks or send them

occasional emails (like random inspirational quotes while checking on

them, sharing social trends or current events in your industry, etc…)

• Continuously test and improve your outreach copies.