Email outreach is an effective way to build relationships with potential customers and leads, making it a must-have for any business or blogger that counts on email as their primary method of communication. As part of the broader field of email marketing, this tactic has become increasingly essential in achieving success today. The right outreach email can make a big difference.
That being said, cold emailing is not a piece of cake.
It’s essential to craft your outreach emails in a way that is captivating yet not too forceful or deceptive. You want it to be both engaging and pertinent so you can build trust with potential customers.
Cold outreach may seem intimidating at first, and you would be right to think so. Usually, the average response rate for strangers sending cold emails is 5%. But with proper tactics and a bit of patience (and maybe some luck), people can experience an incredible 40% return in their responses!
In this article, we’ll break down the basics of email outreach and explore different strategies, tactics and templates you can use to make the process smoother. Plus, by utilizing these tools you’re more likely to achieve success with your campaigns!
What is Email Outreach?
Cold email outreach, also known as email prospecting, is a powerful and cost-effective outbound sales approach used in all types of industries.
Personalized messages are sent to those that you have never contacted before, from potential customers or vendors, to perhaps someone in your field with a platform helpful and useful for you. With this approach gaining traction among businesses today, it is essential for anyone looking for success in their respective industry to tap into the power of targeted messaging!
Mastering outreach email can yield immense rewards. You have the power to directly engage with your prospects on your own terms, build strong relationships, promote your business, and turn leads into loyal customers or make sales in one fell swoop!
Numerous entrepreneurs and bloggers employ email outreach campaigns for guest posts and link building purposes.
Methods of email outreach
The two most common approaches to email outreach are the personalized and mass send strategies – what some call Sniper vs. Shotgun outreach.
The metaphor of a sniper and a shotgun is quite accurate. When you wield a sniper rifle, all your attention is placed on one precise target; thus, the odds are higher that you will hit it successfully. Alternatively, shotguns can be difficult to aim since they fire multiple small bullets at once with little control over precisely where each bullet goes. In other words, if using a shotgun for marketing strategies then there’s only so much aiming involved with mostly just shooting blindly in hopes of hitting something eventually.
Now, let’s examine how this relates to email outreach!
The Sniper Approach in Email Outreach
Through the sniper approach, you can efficiently select and investigate your targeted client. This implies that you are narrowing in on individual prospects to send one-on-one emails with your link building or guest posting message. The objective is to craft a completely customized email that will capture their attention and set up a long lasting business connection.
This email is specifically tailored to this individual, and should not be used as a model when contacting other people.
What does a personalized outreach email that you send to a prospect sound like? It could sound like this.
When composing an email to a potential customer, you should adopt a friendly yet respectful tone as if writing to an old friend. Nonetheless, it’s just as important that you have done your research so the client knows that you care and are invested in the relationship. Send them something thoughtful like an article they wrote or bring up common interests; these small touches will go far towards making this business partnership successful!
Pros of sniper outreach:
- Making connections with renowned bloggers, influencers and authoritative people in your industry will help you become more successful.
- Experience a greater response rate like you won’t believe it!
- Forming strong, trustworthy relationships with others that last a lifetime.
Cons of sniper outreach:
- Crafting personalized emails is a labor-intensive task that cannot be rushed. Taking the time to research your prospects yields meaningful results, and can ultimately contribute to increased sales or leads.
- Crafting one personalized email necessitates a considerable amount of time – roughly 10 minutes. Consequently, if you are able to allocate an entire 8-hour day for this reason alone, the most emails you can send daily is 48.
- Personalized outreach is time-consuming and complex to follow up on, making it hard to measure the success of a specific email template. Additionally, due to all the intricacies involved in this technique, one must remain vigilant for maximum efficiency – otherwise you could easily become overwhelmed by information overload.
With personalized emails being distributed to each prospect, it can be difficult to track the success of any particular template. Without paying close attention and focusing on details, you may find yourself overwhelmed by all of the included data.
Here’s an example of a personalized outreach email:
Subject: Invitation to connect
Dear [Name],
My name is [Your Name] and I came across your profile on [platform/website where you found their contact]. I was impressed by your experience and accomplishments in [their field]. I wanted to reach out and connect with you to learn more about your work and possibly see if there’s an opportunity for collaboration or if you have any advice to share.
I understand that you are a busy professional and respect your time. If it’s convenient, I would love to schedule a call or meeting with you to discuss this further. Please let me know what works best for you and I’ll be happy to accommodate.
Thank you for considering my request. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
The shotgun approach in email outreach
The second favored technique is the mass-send method, also recognized as the shotgun approach. It fits in perfectly with “quantity over quality” and emphasizes automation by utilizing outreach tools such as HubSpot, SmartReach, and Yesware.
Many of these tools allow you to create an outreach campaign via a series of emails. You can either write your own template or use one that is already available. Moreover, depending on the tool you choose, it allows you to contact a chosen number of prospects and send automated follow-up emails if they don’t respond.
If you want quick results, the automated mass-sending approach may be a tempting choice. However, it comes with a tradeoff of sacrificing quality for speed; while optimizing templates is an option, personalization still isn’t tailored to your individual prospects.
Sadly, this scattergun technique is a popular practice in link building and blogger outreach for activities such as guest posts.
If you receive an email with no personality, it’s a sure sign that the sender won’t be someone you want to collaborate with. Someone who lacks effort in conveying their message is unlikely to deliver quality content or start a meaningful business relationship.
But so many people still favor it. Why is that the case?
Ultimately, using this shotgun approach for email outreach is simpler and requires less effort. Despite that, there are still advantages to exploring the possibility of it. Let’s take a deeper look at its pros and cons:
Advantages of shotgun outreach
- Writing time is significantly reduced.
- By sending more emails each day, you can boost your potential for success.
- The correct outreach tool can help you create emails that are tailored to your audience’s needs.
- Automated follow-up emails are standard for those who use this service.
- Measuring performance and tracking statistics is both straightforward and accessible.
Disadvantages of shotgun outreach
- These emails appear to be unsolicited advertisements, making them seem suspicious.
- Unfortunately, their response rate is disappointingly low.
- The possibility of forming long-term relationships is slim to none.
- Using this email address can be detrimental to your business, as it could get marked as spam and penalized by Google.
Here’s an example of a shotgun outreach email:
Subject: [Your Company Name] – Introducing our products and services
Hello,
I hope this email finds you well. My name is [Your Name] and I am reaching out from [Your Company Name]. We specialize in [what your company does, ie: providing software solutions, manufacturing machinery etc].
We noticed that your company [Company name] is involved in [what their company does]. Our products and services might be of interest to you and your team. We would like to offer you a complimentary consultation to discuss how we can assist you in [what you can assist them with].
If you are interested in learning more about our offerings, please let me know a time and date that works for you, and I’ll be happy to schedule a call.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
P.S. If this is not the right time for you or your company, please let me know and I’ll be happy to reach out again in the future.
How to Plan Your Email Outreach
Planning is vital to ensuring the success of any email outreach campaign, no matter which method you decide to use. By preparing correctly and making informed decisions, you are setting yourself up for success now and in the future.
1. Set your Goals and KPI’s
Before you kick-off any project, it’s essential to understand why you’re doing so in the first place. With email marketing and sales strategies, this process should begin with specifying clear objectives for your campaign.
Through this process, you will be able to accurately assess the success of your campaign by tracking useful metrics like open and reply rates as well as the number of relationships formed.
To illustrate, here are some potential key performance indicators:
- Amplify or start building your brand recognition;
- Drive visitors to a specific page or throughout your entire website;
- Promote a new product or a service;
- Use cross and up-selling products and services for increased sales;
- Nourish prospective buyers with a high propensity to purchase;
- Strengthen bonds with current customers.
2. Decide on an email outreach technique that works for you
In order to promote your product far and wide, you will need to contact a variety of people and organizations. To optimize the process, it is best to use a personalized template with the shotgun technique.
To effectively contact influencers, bloggers, and journalists and craft a successful partnership with them, personalized outreach emails are essential. These will not only give you the opportunity to make a great first impression on them but also allow you to set the expectations for your potential collaboration from the start.
Crafting compelling follow-up emails is essential if you are using a set sequence when outreaching.
Despite their variations in usage, successful emails share common traits.
How to craft an email template that will get replies
Grab attention and captivate minds with relevant, catchy subject lines.
Don’t underestimate the power of a great subject line! It’s usually your first impression with prospects, so make sure it is eye-catching and effective. No matter how incredible or innovative your offer may be, if you don’t have an impressive subject line that draws in customers, all the hard work will go to waste. Make sure to ignite curiosity from recipients before they even open the email – this is key for successful marketing campaigns!
Above all, guarantee that your subject lines are directly applicable. For example, a simple phrase like “I am offering original content for you” can be both effective and efficient.
Get right to the heart of it by being concise and specific.
Writing a lengthy email is always a mistake, no matter what approach you take. Nobody wants to spend time looking at an exhaustive email about teapots from your blog. Make sure the first lines of your message show that you understand their needs and have paid attention to something they’ve done in the past. Afterward, dive directly into why this message is important for them and how it can help them succeed with your offer.
Your subject line should be carefully curated to reflect the content of your email.
Ensure a personalized but respectful approach.
When addressing your prospects, always use their first name and maintain a pleasant yet professional tone. Establishing this personal business relationship can have benefits for both parties involved – so it is essential that you create the right atmosphere from the very beginning. Instead of using impersonal terms like “Dear Sir,” consider starting with something like “Hi John” to demonstrate that there’s an actual person behind these words who values them as a client instead of some automated spam bot!
Nevertheless, it is essential to stay professional and respectful in your emails; after all, you are still requesting something from someone unfamiliar. For instance, I’ve received emails that started with “Hi mam” which immediately made me disregard the entire message. Therefore, maintain a formal tone when writing a cold email – this will show courtesy as well as thoughtfulness for their time! In addition to this, follow the DMARC quarantine to keep your communication with cold email leads secure from spamming and phishing.
Make a lasting impression with an expertly crafted professional signature.
Whether you’re in a company or not, make sure your signature looks professional. Add icons that link to your website and LinkedIn profile; if you are a writer, add websites where you have been featured along with a brief bio. Doing this will be highly beneficial for landing more writing opportunities!
When reaching out to potential clients on behalf of a company, make sure they can put a face and name to the business. Include your job title, as well as the full name of your employer with its address and phone number. Adding any relevant awards or logos have also proven successful in garnering attention – so don’t forget those!
Send emails from your domain name
Furthermore, your emails will be perceived more seriously and appear more professional when they are sent from “@YourDomainName.com”. Getting your own custom email domain has benefits that can’t be overstated.
3. Niche research first and then create a list of prospects
Devising a research plan all depends on your desired outcome. If you need to expand the reach of a blog post, take advantage of SEO tools such as Screaming Frog or Ahrefs which both simplify the process of locating websites that connect with competitors and relevant posts. Not only will this help promote whatever it is you are trying to advertise but also boost overall visibility for your website.
Are you on the hunt for bloggers or influencers to collaborate with? If so, this process can take a while if done manually. But don’t worry – enlisting an outreach tool could help simplify your search and reduce the time spent!
4. Search for the right decision-makers and make connections
If you choose to take a tailored and individualized approach, it is imperative that you contact the appropriate person.
It is much more advantageous to contact an actual person instead of a suspicious email like “contact@thisblog.com”. Fortunately, there are outreach resources that can help you find someone’s email address.
The most popular ones are Hunter.io and VoilaNorbert.com! Don’t just settle for generic contact emails when you could be connecting with real people who will possibly answer your questions or requests in no time at all!
When it comes to influencers and bloggers, obtaining their email addresses is relatively straightforward. However, if you’re attempting to reach a bigger website or company, then the process requires more effort on your part.
If you want to increase your chances of garnering a response from an important lead, start indirect contact as soon as possible. Make sure to comment on their posts and connect with them through social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok for influencers. This simple action will instantly make them aware of you and significantly boost the likelihood that they will reply!
5. Monitor the performance
When you’ve launched a campaign, it’s essential to monitor the metrics that matter. The more substantial your email outreach investment, the greater your return on investment (ROI). Keep in mind that campaigns take time to demonstrate results—therefore, regularly tracking measurements is critical for success!
Automating your email outreach process is simple, whether you prefer to use tools like Aweber or ActiveCampaign, or maintain a spreadsheet such as Google Sheets and input the data manually. With only basic stats about your efforts kept in an organized format on a spreadsheet, you can begin tracking the variables of how successful your emails are from day one!
When you begin to receive responses for a guest post or link exchange, your spreadsheet can track results like increases in traffic, links and followers from each effective outreach email.
Outreach Email Templates
Here are some email outreach samples that you can use for yourself:
For Guest Post
Subject: Invitation to Guest Post on [Your Website]
Dear [Name],
My name is [Your Name] and I am the editor of [Your Website], a [website niche] website that provides [website’s main content]. I came across your work and I was impressed by the quality and insightfulness of your writing. I believe that your expertise would be a valuable addition to our website and our readers would greatly benefit from your knowledge and perspective.
I would like to extend an invitation for you to guest post on our website. As a guest writer, you would have the opportunity to share your insights and ideas with our audience and establish yourself as a thought leader in your field.
Here are a few ideas for the post’s topic:
[topic 1]
[topic 2]
[topic 3]
But of course, you are welcome to propose your own topic that you think would be interesting for our audience.
In return for your guest post, we will include a short author bio and a link to your website or social media profiles. We will also promote your post on our social media channels, giving you exposure to a wider audience.
If you are interested in this opportunity, please let me know and we can discuss further details and post’s outline.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
[Your Name]
[Your Website]
[Your Email]
[Your Phone Number (optional)]
For Link Insertion
Subject: Request for Link Insertion on [Your Website]
Dear [Name],
My name is [Your Name], and I am the editor of [Your Website], a [website niche] website that provides [website’s main content]. I came across your website and I found it to be a valuable resource for our readers.
I would like to request for your permission to insert a link to your website on [Your Website]. By doing so, we can provide our readers with additional information and resources related to [topic], and at the same time increase the visibility of your website.
We understand the importance of providing our readers with high-quality and relevant content. That’s why we only link to authoritative and reputable websites like yours.
Please let us know if you are interested in this opportunity and if you have any specific links or pages that you would like us to link to. We will also include a brief summary of your website on the page where the link is inserted.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
[Your Name]
[Your Website]
[Your Email]
[Your Phone Number (optional)]
For Link Exchange
Subject: Request for Link Exchange on [Your Website]
Dear [Name],
My name is [Your Name], and I am the editor of [Your Website], a [website niche] website that provides [website’s main content]. I came across your website and I found it to be a valuable resource for our readers.
I would like to propose a link exchange between our websites. By linking to each other’s websites, we can provide our respective audiences with additional information and resources related to [topic], and at the same time increase the visibility and traffic to both of our websites.
We understand the importance of providing our readers with high-quality and relevant content. That’s why we only link to authoritative and reputable websites like yours.
Please let us know if you are interested in this opportunity and if you have any specific links or pages that you would like us to link to. We will also include a brief summary of your website on the page where the link is inserted.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to hearing from you.
Best,
[Your Name]
[Your Website]
[Your Email]
[Your Phone Number (optional)]
Email Outreach for Link Building
Google has always acknowledged the importance of links and how they can measure the authority of a website. Links are like when your pals share something with you that is relevant to you, based on what they know and trust. It’s almost as if your friends were vouching for it themselves!
It’s plain to see why Google and other search engines rely on websites that are vouched for by many others when deciding which sites should be trusted. In order for your blog to climb the rankings, building authoritative links is key.
Constructing imperative and enduring partnerships is possible through cold outreach email, which many experts deem one of the key tactics.
Conclusion
We all fear failure and rejection, which is why email outreach can be intimidating to people. Nevertheless, the potential relationships and success that come from executing this process make it worthwhile. It’s disheartening when you don’t receive any responses in the beginning; however, with time comes understanding – rejections don’t define who we are, and not getting a response isn’t an apocalypse for our business. And once you experience your first successful cold reach-out message? You’ll never look back!
We hope this outreach email guide has made the process more manageable for you. With hard work and determination, if you follow these steps, your endeavor is sure to be a success – allowing room for incredible business partnerships! Best of luck with your writing endeavors!
