15 Email Outreach Templates That Get Results

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Over the years, we've written hundreds of outreach emails for Smarttask.io and figured out what works and what doesn't.

In this post, we’ll share 15 cold email templates that hit the mark for us.

How to Use the Outreach Templates

To get the best results from the templates on this list, tweak their body copy and include your thoughts about a prospect’s blogs, personal experiences with their product, or any helpful observations (like an error or a UI issue)

This is important for two reasons:

a) Personalized emails have a better response rate: According to a study of 12 million outreach emails by Backlinko.com, personalized emails have a 32.7% higher response rate.

b) Personalized messages help build rapport: By including personal observations in your outreach, you show a deep understanding of a prospect's brand and content. You also set yourself apart from link builders who spam people for backlinks.

Also, templates, at their core, are like recipes. You can adjust them according to your preferences (or, in this case, your target audience’s needs). So, don’t be afraid to experiment or make changes wherever necessary.

Now that you know everything you need, let’s get right into it.

Guest Posting Email Templates

With more people competing for guest posting opportunities, it's more important than ever to personalize your pitches and highlight your best work.

Here are two templates to help you with that.

Template #1: For inquiring about contributions

Subject Line: 🚀 Content collaboration with [your domain name]
Hello 👋 [name],
Just dropping a line to see if we could collaborate on a guest post. We write for the same target audience and are currently exploring topics like [list of potential topics you want to write on].
Btw, here are some articles we’ve written for brands like [name 3 or 4 brands you’ve written for].
[Blog post link 1]
[Blog post link 2]
[Blog post link 3]
Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
P.S. If you’re not the right person and someone else handles such requests, could you please point me to them to take the conversation forward?*
Best,
[Your signature]

Template #2: For highlighting a content gap

Subject: Missing content on [prospect’s domain name]
Hi 👋 [name],
I couldn't help but notice some areas where [prospect’s domain name] has the potential to grow even further.
🔍 Here are some content gaps worth exploring:
1. [topic 1] (list metrics like keyword volume, difficulty, and traffic)
2. [topic 2] (list metrics like keyword volume, difficulty, and traffic)
3. [topic 3] (list metrics like keyword volume, difficulty, and traffic)
We've been partnering with some of the web's coolest brands, churning out content that not only ranks but resonates. Check these out:
[Blog post link 1]
[Blog post link 2]
[Blog post link 3]
The goal here is to create content that not only drives traffic but also enhances the user experience on your website.
Interested in discussing this further?
Thanks,
[Your signature]

P.S.: Smartlinks has an upcoming feature that will enable you to guest post on high-authority SaaS websites. To get early access to it, sign up for Smartlinks.

👉 Try Smartlinks for Free!

Broken Link-Building Email Template

Broken link building involves identifying dead pages on other websites and replacing them with your content. Despite its apparent simplicity, it’s one of the toughest strategies to crack on this list.

The good news is that our battle-tested approach (read more about it here) can help you make the most of BLB. We suggest you combine it with the following template for optimal results:

Template #3: For building broken links

Subject line: Broken links in [title of the post or page]
Hi 👋 [name],
I was looking for some resources on [the topic related to the dead page] when I came across your excellent post [name of the post with the broken link]
Anyway, I couldn’t help but notice that the page had a broken link. Here’s where I found it:
[Include a screenshot of the dead link]
I recently published a post on [the topic of the dead page] here on [your website’s name]:
(Share a link to your post)
If you want, you can use it as a replacement for the dead page.
Either way, keep up the great work 🙂
Cheers,
[Your signature]

Link Reclamation Email Template

Found your brand or linkable assets on websites that aren’t linking to you? Fire this email to convert them into backlinks:

Template #4: For unlinked brand mentions

Subject line: Hey [name] – Thanks for mentioning [your site]
Hey 👋 [name],
I noticed you [mentioned our brand/used our (case study, infographic, or any other linkable asset)] on your site, here: [URL].
Thanks a lot for including it! I’m glad you think it’ll be useful to your readers.
However, would you consider adding a link to our website? The link for this [infographic, case study, stat, etc.] is here: [URL].
We put a lot of effort into creating this resource, so I’d really appreciate it if you could update the article with the link.
Thanks again for including our brand!🙂
Best,
[Your signature]

Resource Page Link-Building Email Template

Listicles and how-to guides can be a great source of backlinks. However, getting featured in them can be incredibly challenging, especially if they’re ranking high in SERPs.

Fortunately, we've got just the template to snag these opportunities.

Template #5: For resource page link-building

Subject line: Question about your latest post [title of their post]
Hey 👋 [name],
I was looking for resources on [topic] when I came across your great post [title of the resource page].
I found [resource from their post] especially helpful. [Explain what you liked about it]
I actually recently put together a post on [similar topic]: [URL of your page]
It [2-3 lines about your post].
If you want, you can add it to the [section name] section of your post.
Either way, keep up the awesome work 🙂
Best,
[Your signature]

Skyscraper Technique Outreach Template

The Skyscraper Technique involves improving an existing piece of content and then pitching it to websites linking to the older piece.

We really like the following template for this:

Template #6: For “Skyscraper” link-building

Subject line: New, updated resource for your post [title of the post]
Hi 👋 [name],
I was looking for resources on [topic] when I stumbled upon your excellent post [title of the post].
Really liked [mention 1 or 2 things you liked about their post].
Anyway, I noticed that you’re linking to this page on [topic] – [URL of older, existing piece]
We’ve created something similar at [your site], although it’s more comprehensive and up-to-date:
[URL of your version]
If you want, you can use this in your post.
No pressure, though. Just thought it might be useful!🙂
Best,
[Your signature]

Infographic Outreach Template

Infographic outreach involves promoting and sharing infographics to secure backlinks from other websites. In our experience, the following template works best for this type of outreach:

Template#7: For infographic link-building

Subject line: Infographic for your post [post title]

Podcast Outreach Email Templates

There are two ways to use podcasts in your link-building campaigns:

Be a guest on other podcasts: This can boost your brand’s visibility and earn you high-quality backlinks.

Invite others to your podcast: This can help you cultivate relationships in your niche, which could eventually lead to backlinks.

We've shared templates for both of these approaches: