Guide Backlinks · 3 of 9
Link Building Outreach: How to Write Emails That Get Replies
Write link building outreach emails that are short, specific, and honest, with a filled example, one follow-up, sending rules, and the results to track.
Key takeaways
- Name their page, your resource, the reader benefit, and an optional ask.
- Send one follow-up with a new detail, then stop.
- Never offer payment or goods in exchange for a link.
Link building outreach is the message you send to a site owner or writer to show them a resource their readers can use. It works when the email is short, specific to their page, and honest about what you are asking. It fails when it reads like a request sent to hundreds of strangers, because that is usually what it is.
This guide covers the email itself: what to include, how to follow up once, how to track results, and what not to offer. It assumes you already have a qualified list. If not, build one first with the link prospecting process. For the wider context on which links are worth earning, see the main backlinks guide.
What a good outreach email contains
Every useful outreach email answers four questions in a few lines:
- Why this person? Name their specific article and the part of it you read.
- What is the resource? One sentence on what your page does, with the URL.
- Why would their readers care? The gap your page fills on their page.
- What are you asking? A clear, optional request they can say no to.
Leave out long introductions about your company. The recipient decides in seconds whether the message concerns their page. If the first line is about you, it probably does not.
Example: a filled outreach email
Fictional example. Harbor Tide is an imaginary boat maintenance software company. It created a free winterizing checklist for small marinas and found an association article that lists off-season tasks without a printable version.
Subject: Printable checklist for your winter prep article
Hi Dana,
I read your “Preparing your marina for winter” article. The section on assigning tasks to seasonal staff was useful, especially the note about shutting off water lines in order.
We made a free one-page checklist that follows the same steps and has a column for who completes each one: [URL]. No sign-up is needed.
If you think it would help your readers, it could fit after the staffing section. If not, no problem at all.
Thanks,
Sam, Harbor Tide
The email is under 100 words. It proves the sender read the page, states the resource plainly, and makes declining easy. It does not demand a specific anchor text or offer anything in return.
Adjust the message to the type of opportunity
One template for every tactic produces weak emails. The core stays the same, but the angle changes:
| Opportunity | What changes in the email |
|---|---|
| Resource page or roundup | Explain which gap in their list your page fills. |
| Existing mention without a link | Thank them for the mention and ask if a link would help readers. See the unlinked mentions guide. |
| Dead link on their page | Point out the broken reference first; offer your page as one possible replacement. |
| Contributed article | Pitch a topic for their audience, not a link. See the guest posting guide. |
| Journalist or editor | Lead with the story or data, not the page. That is digital PR, which follows different rules. |
For your own pages that other sites linked to before they broke, fix the problem on your side first with the broken backlinks process. Asking for a link update is the last option, not the first.
Write subject lines that describe the email
A subject line should tell the recipient what is inside. Tricks like “Quick question” or fake reply prefixes may get an open, but they also damage trust once the email is read.
- Good: “Printable checklist for your winter prep article”
- Good: “Broken link in your marina safety resources”
- Weak: “Collaboration opportunity”
- Avoid: “Re: our conversation” when there was no conversation
Follow up once, then stop
People miss emails. One polite follow-up is reasonable. Several are not. A simple schedule:
- Day 0: Send the first email.
- About a week later: Reply in the same thread with one new, useful detail, such as a specific section of your page that fits their article.
- After that: Mark the prospect as “no reply” and move on.
Keep the follow-up shorter than the original. Never imply that they agreed to anything.
Respect sending rules and deliverability
Outreach is still email, and email has rules. Gmail’s email sender guidelines describe authentication and practices that affect whether messages reach the inbox, such as setting up SPF and DKIM for your domain. Send from a real address on your domain, and keep volume modest.
If your message promotes a commercial product or service, laws such as the US CAN-SPAM Act may apply. The FTC’s CAN-SPAM compliance guide covers requirements like accurate headers, honest subject lines, and a way to opt out. This article is not legal advice; check the rules that apply where you and your recipients are.
Practical habits help too:
- Write each first line by hand, based on the recipient’s page.
- Do not attach files to a first email; link to the page instead.
- Honor “please don’t contact me again” immediately and record it.
Do not offer payment for the link
Google’s spam policies list buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam. That includes paying money, exchanging goods or services, or sending a free product in exchange for a link. If a site asks for payment, the link should be qualified, for example with rel="sponsored", as Google explains in its guide to qualifying outbound links.
The safest approach is to make the resource the reason. If the page does not help their readers without a payment, it is not the right page to pitch.
Track the right outcomes
Measure outreach by what it produces, not by how many emails went out. A small set of numbers is enough:
| Measure | How to calculate it | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Reply rate | Replies ÷ prospects contacted | Whether the pitch reads as relevant |
| Link rate | Links placed ÷ prospects contacted | Whether the resource is worth citing |
| Decline reasons | Notes from replies | What to fix on the page or the pitch |
| Time to link | Days from first email to live link | How long to wait before judging a batch |
We do not publish benchmark rates here, because they vary by industry, list quality, and resource. Compare your own batches against each other instead. When a batch has many replies but few links, the pitch is working and the page needs improvement.
How DEX supports the work behind outreach
Outreach is easier when the page you pitch is strong. DEX researches, writes, and publishes content connected to a client’s products and services, and its Health page check scores a single page for on-page, technical, and content issues. Use it to review your target page before you start a batch, so the first thing a recipient sees holds up.
DEX does not send outreach emails on your behalf. The writing, sending, and relationships stay with your team.
Outreach checklist
- Confirm each prospect has a written reason to link.
- Open their page and note one specific detail.
- Write a subject line that describes the email.
- Keep the body under about 120 words with one clear, optional ask.
- Send one follow-up with a new detail, then stop.
- Record replies, declines, and live links in the same sheet.
FAQ
How long should an outreach email be?
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Short enough to read in seconds. Around 100 words is usually enough to show the page, the resource, and the ask.
How many follow-ups should I send?
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One polite follow-up is reasonable. After that, mark the prospect as no reply and move on.
Can I pay for a link in outreach?
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Paying for links that pass ranking credit is link spam under Google's policies. Paid links should be qualified, for example with rel="sponsored".
Sources
- Spam policies for Google web search · Google
- Qualify your outbound links to Google · Google
- Email sender guidelines · Google
- CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business · Federal Trade Commission
Dex SEO is an AI SEO agent for small businesses. Every article here is planned from search data, drafted by Dex, fact-checked against the sources it cites, and reviewed by the team before it is published.
How this article was made: planned and drafted by Dex from search data, fact-checked by Dex (5 claims checked), then approved by the Dex SEO team.