Building backlinks on high-authority sites is a classic way of boosting your site’s ranking and generating organic traffic to your website. While the marketing realm is constantly changing, this trend is expected to stay.
Link building seems easy in theory, but it can be difficult to get a backlink from an authoritative site. So, whether you’re an amateur link builder or an experienced marketer, we’re here to give you a helping hand.
In this blog post, we will provide tips for writing effective cold email templates.
Let’s start by defining the link building process.
What is link building?
Link building is the process of securing a link from an external website.
To create a backlink, link builders must reach out to site owners and editors to publish a guest post. They may also create ebooks, case studies, and other relevant content that people will want to link to.
Now that you understand the basics, why is it worth it?
Benefit #1: Inbound links improve SEO
Inbound links from external websites can indicate your site’s relevance.
Since we link to sites that offer valuable information, inbound links are an indicator of credibility for Google’s bots. More inbound links means more potential for your site to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERP).
But this doesn’t mean that you should link to random websites.
Google prefers sites with a high domain authority (DA) or high relevance in a specific industry.
Publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur typically have a high domain authority because of their fanbase, popularity and quality content.
For Google, birds of the same feather flock together, so a link from these publications can boost your businesses’ credibility and SEO. In contrast, linking to spammy sites or those with low authority, will have negative implications for your business.
Benefit 2: Inbound links provide traffic
Getting mentioned in another website is another means of promoting your business.
Imagine if your site was featured on an article from Business Insider or CNN. Several readers may click the link which will inevitably lead to more traffic for your business.
8 Link Building Cold Email Templates
Link building has a lot of potential benefits to your SEO, but how can you get links from other sites? How can you get in touch with site owners? Here are some fictitious examples of cold emails that you can try.
Template #1: The guest post pitch
Guest posts are one of the popular ways for generating backlinks to your website. Website owners and content marketers love offering relevant content for their readers. Hence, if you offer a compelling blog post, then you can place a backlink within the post in return.
This is a tried and tested tactic.
Shopify’s Content marketing lead, Gregory Ciotti, created guest posts which helped him get 36,733 email subscribers.
Marketing gurus may have heard of Buffer – a social media management software. During its infancy, the business used a guest blogging strategy to acquire over 100,000 subscribers within 9 months. They published around 150 guest posts and gradually increased their signups as more posts were published.
Utilizing a guest post strategy often involves pitching to an editor. Find websites with a high DA (domain authority) in your niche and brainstorm blog posts that would do well for their website.
Here’s a sample pitch:
Hi Macy,
I’m [name and position] from business XYZ company.
I wanted to start off with some mandatory but nonetheless sincere brown-nosing. I’m a huge fan, I’ve always wanted to be a link builder and your site was one of the few outlets that helped me navigate the process. So thanks!
A few months ago I read your article on “8 ways you can earn more backlinks in 2020” and I was super inspired. I used your tips and strategies to get my blog posts published in high-authority sites and we’re doing really well! So, thanks!
Anyways, I am reaching out because I would like to pitch an article for your site.
Article Title: [Add description]
Concept: [Add description]
Article Title 2: [Add description]
Concept 2: [Add description]
Article Title 3: [Add description]
Concept 3: [Add description]
Please let me know if you’re interested in my pitch, I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.
I look forward to hearing from you!
A good tip is to provide several guest post ideas so editors have other options in case they don’t like your initial pitch. Consider offering an outline so they know the type of post to expect.
Template #2: Offering your content
If you have a resource that would add value to a websites’ blog posts, let the writers know about it too. A brief mention in an authoritative publication can effectively generate organic traffic and boost your search engine rankings.
When promoting your content to writers or editors, be specific about its benefits. Add a link to the article which would benefit from your resource.
Here’s a sample proposal:
Hi Sam,
My name is Macy and I’m part of [company name and description ]. I stumbled upon your impressive article about content marketing and I noticed you talked about creating a social media content calendar.
I thought our “Social media calendar” template would be a great addition to your content. It would help your readers in crafting their social strategy. You can download our resource here.
I hope you could find the time to check it out! If you find it useful, we’ll be more than happy to be mentioned in your article.
Thank you and have a great day!
Template #3: Prove your genuine interest
It’s easy for anyone to claim that they’ve loved a blog post to impress the site owner. However, a simple praise or compliment may not even catch their attention. High-authority sites receive hundreds of backlink requests per month.
To show that your interest is genuine, prove that you use their content. In your blog posts, mention that you endorsed their guide or ebook. Tag their businesses in your social media post.
Site owners may return the favor by promoting your content on their website too. This is also an opportunity to connect with entrepreneurs in your industry.
Here’s a sample email:
Hi Sam,
We loved the link building cold email templates that you shared in your blog. We even mentioned your resource in our ebook ‘The Ultimate Guide For Link-Building”, and mentioned your templates in our social media pages.
That said, we’d appreciate it if you could read our ebook and share your thoughts with us.
Thanks so much and we look forward to hearing from you.
Best, Macy
Template #4: Utilize social proof
Social proof is the idea that people are influenced by the actions of others.
A common example is the Oprah Effect. Guests featured in her talk shows like celebrity cook Rachael Ray and health expert Dr. Oz became household names after appearing in her talk show. After all, if you’ve been featured on Oprah, then you must be amazing, right?
Utilize social proof by giving site owners reasons why they should be interested in your business. Boast about getting featured in websites like Forbes, Business Insider and New York Times.
66% of customers prefer to read about earned press rather than sponsored advertisements, according to Nielsen.
You can also show successful customers that have used your products and services. Hubspot’s homepage features logos of popular companies that rely on their tools such as SurveyMonkey, G2 and ClassPass.
Mention these notable achievements in your email to pique the interest of your recipients.
Here’s an example of social proof in action:
Hi Sam,
I’m [name] and I’m part of the team at [business name]. I was doing a bit of research when I came across your blog post on “X best tools for social media marketing”.
I noticed that you linked to a few great email search tools like Hootsuite. Would you consider adding our [tool] as well?
Our business lets you schedule your Instagram posts through a user-friendly dashboard. We’ve been around for just over three years and already have thousands of users from a third of the Fortune 500 such as Microsoft and Symantec. We’ve also earned multiple mentions on the Ahrefs blog as one of the best online marketing tools available.
Let me know if you have any questions. We provide users with a 1 month free trial by default, but I’m happy to offer you extra for your own use. Thank you for your time!
Keep up the great work!
Best regards, Macy
Template #5: Interesting introduction
Sometimes a good introduction is all it takes to make a connection. When using this strategy, you want to find a common interest with your recipient.
Are you part of the same networking groups? Are you both participating in a specific event? What are their professional interests?
The trick is to follow the public profiles of the people that you’re getting in touch with. Check out their portfolio, recent publications and public projects to create a personalized introduction.
Hi Sam,
Did you know that 90% of businesses also claim quicker complaint resolution through chatbots?
I learned about your work through your article about the Chatbot Conference 2020 event in Georgia. We’re attending the same event too, and was wondering if you would be interested in our business?
We’ve conducted a study on the impact of chatbots for businesses in the financial industry which we have attached to the email. Do you think this would be a good fit for your businesses’ blog? Interested in interviewing our researchers [name]?
Thanks in advance, and we look forward to hearing from you.
Regards, Macy
Template #6: Offer relevant facts
Everyone wants to receive facts and information relevant to their readers. The “did you know” email tactic introduced by Hubspot may pique the interest of recipients.
Share industry-related surveys that you conducted. Create case studies that show how your product made an impact on another business.
For example, Sumo regularly publishes case studies like “Lead Generation Case Study: How To Get 40,000 Leads Per Month” and “10 Ecommerce Case Studies To 10X Your Traffic, Leads And Sales”.
People love to read actionable advice so if you’ve got an exclusive study or an interesting case study share it with the world.
Here’s a sample pitch:
Hi Sam,
Did you know that 90% of businesses also claim quicker complaint resolution through chatbots?
Chatbots can automate the sales process by communicating with hundreds of customers simultaneously. If you haven’t joined the bandwagon, then you’re missing out on a big opportunity to improve your sales process.
We’ve written a case study detailing how utilizing chatbots helped our business save $1,000,000 and gain 10x more traffic. Do you think this would be a good fit for your businesses’ blog?
Thanks in advance, and we look forward to hearing from you.
Regards, Macy
Template #7: Engage with content
Offering feedback and insightful criticism of a businesses’ content seems like a risky proposition. But it could pave the start of a relationship.
It’s easy to say that you’ve read a person’s work. Instead of a simple compliment, offer an alternative opinion or create a case study inspired by their advice.
Here’s an email example that you can offer:
Hi Sam,
I was first introduced to your work when I heard your discussion on the ‘Future of Work’ at the Advanced Sales Tools and Strategies 2020 Conference.
I was intrigued by your discussion on how the rise in technology and automation would ultimately kill jobs in the industry. While I agree with your opinions to some extent, I believe it is also an opportunity for the sales employees to leverage current technologies or implement remote work arrangements.
I’ve also created a piece on tech companies that have implemented remote work arrangements, would you like to check it out? Maybe we could collaborate with a piece on how employees can adjust with the changing structure of employment.
Thanks, Macy
Ready to craft your own email?
We hope that these email templates inspired you to jumpstart your own link building process.
You may have noticed that these email templates can’t just be copied and sent to every site owner. Instead, it requires you to make your own changes based on the publication or recipient of your email.
Unfortunately, link building isn’t an easy process. Editors and site owners receive hundreds of backlink requests.
Translation: A generic email will be ignored.
To stand out from the competition, conduct research and craft a personalized pitch. Demonstrate that you’re a sincere fan of their content. Have a collection of case studies and blog posts that they’ll want to link to. Pitch actionable content that will be useful to their audience. Don’t forget to follow their guest post guidelines.
If they don’t reply immediately, then don’t get discouraged. Conduct weekly follow-ups for the next few weeks. Hopefully, you’ll get a positive response.
How do you plan to link to other blogs in your industry? What is your link-building strategy? Share us your thoughts in the comments below.
About the author:
Monique Danao is a writer for CandyBar and ReferralCandy.