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How To Do Cold Email Outreach for Link Building in 2024?
If you’re not sending cold emails to acquire high-quality, relevant backlinks for your website, you’re probably not ranking as high as you should be.
Here’s a step by step guide on how to do cold email outreach to build quality backlinks. We’ll go over everything you should do to get the best results possible. After reading, you’ll understand:
- How to do email warmup and why it’s necessary
- What you need to avoid when doing outreach
- How to get the best results from outreach
Before You Start Your Link Building Outreach
The biggest piece of advice I can give you is that you shouldn’t use your primary business domain for cold email outreach. Purchase a domain that’s similar, e.g. try(name).com.
And, with any fresh domain that will be used for outreach - you need to warm up. Essentially, you need to create a positive email sending reputation so that your emails are delivered to your prospects inbox, not their spam/junk folder.
This means that you’ll need to use the email like a normal person would - sending/receiving emails, subscribing to industry-relevant newsletters and signing up for some websites.
This can of course take some time, so we would recommend using an email warmup tool, but before that you need to make sure that you setup your domain DNS records properly.
How to setup DKIM, DMARC, SPF & MX records
I recommend using either Google Workspace or Office365 for the highest possible deliverability chances. This video from Stewart Gauld, shows you how to setup SPF, DKIM & DMARC records in Google Workspace to improve your email deliverability.
How many email accounts should I create?
3 email accounts per domain is the standard for cold email outreach. For best results, create US-sounding names e.g. ‘James Williams’ and use the format ‘james.w@(domain).com’.
You should then make sure that these accounts have a basic email signature (name, title, company name) and forward any emails they receive to your normal email address.
Setup email forwarding
To forward Gmail messages to another email address, you can set up automatic forwarding:
- Open Gmail in a browser
- Click the Gear icon in the top right corner
- Click See all settings
- Click the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab
- In the Forwarding section, click Add a forwarding address
- Enter the email address you want to forward messages to
- Click Next
- In the Confirm forwarding address window, click Proceed
- In the Add a forwarding address window, click OK
- Close the Gmail Settings window by clicking Cancel
To forward emails in Outlook 365, you can use automatic forwarding:
- Select Settings
- Select Mail
- Select Forwarding
- Select Enable forwarding
- Enter the forwarding email address
- Select Save
- To keep a copy of the original message, select Keep a copy of forwarded messages
Best practices for link building email outreach
Link to your assets, and theirs.
Nobody wants to search for your website, so include a basic link to your website. One of our campaigns usually starts with a brief “you missed {our name} in your {post}”, make sure that both of those words are linking to relevant content (e.g. your homepage, a specific landing page, a tool or blog post) and their website.
Have a strong incentive
You need to have a strong incentive to be included - this is key for any campaign. Offer access to your affiliate program if you have one, let them know you can give them free access to your platform or service, and offer to provide any assets e.g. images/screenshots/testimonials that they may require.
Keep it simple and straight to the point
When it comes to cold email outreach for link building, simplicity is key. Here's why:
- Boost engagement and open rates
- Make it easy for website owners to respond
- Clearly demonstrate your value proposition
Let's break this down further:
Subject lines
Short, catchy subject lines get 2x higher open rates than long, detailed ones. Aim for 5-7 words max.
Email content
Keep your email concise and focused. Use hyperlinks to reference pages and include a link to schedule a call if needed.
Provide value
The success of your outreach hinges on showing how you can benefit the prospect or their readers. Ask yourself:
- Is your content useful for their audience?
- Do you have a relevant, linkable asset?
- Is your guest blog idea unique and engaging?
Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to identify broken backlinks or outdated references on their site. Offering to fix these adds immediate value.
What to avoid in your outreach emails
- Unoptimized subject lines: Test your emails to catch input codes or reference numbers.
- Broken variables: Double-check that personalization fields like {{firstName}} are working correctly.
- Grammar errors: Proofread thoroughly, especially the subject line.
- Generic greetings: Avoid "Dear Sir/Madam" or "To Whom It May Concern".
- Bad introductions: Skip the "My name is... I'm the content manager at..." opener.
Instead, try adding humor, genuine compliments, or simple questions to grab attention.
Conclusion
- Warm up your email for better deliverability
- Keep emails simple and personalized
- Offer valuable incentives
- Prepare follow-up emails in advance
- Use plain text and double-check grammar
By following these guidelines, you'll maximize the effectiveness of your cold email outreach for link building.
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