How to Craft the Perfect Outreach Email
Contents
Last week we launched our new email outreach tool called Mailshake. What better way than to celebrate than writing a blog post on how to write the perfect outreach email! Because I write for a few Forbes, Inc., & Entrepreneur Magazine I get a lot of cold outreach emails arriving in my inbox (20-30 a day). Some are good, some are bad, and some are very, very bad.
Unfortunately, only a handful of them are what I would classify as “great,” and yet “great” is what you should be aiming to achieve with each and every email you send. To quote Moz, good just isn’t good enough:
That’s easier said than done, but I like to think that being on the receiving end of so many outreach messages (and sending a good many myself) has given me a pretty solid idea as to what a “great” outreach email entails.
Of course, every person you contact is an individual and will respond best to something slightly different. It’s for this reason that I have to be honest with you: there is no “golden rule” to writing and sending outreach emails. You’re not to going to finish reading this article with a set formula and template ensuring a 100% response rate. The perfect outreach email is completely personal to the recipient, and that alone means there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
What you will get are a number of do’s, don’ts, and best practices, that if followed, should help up the number of people that are actually going to give a shit about what you have to say.
Let’s go.
Know Your Audience
The first rule of writing a perfect outreach email is to know the person who’s going to be reading it. I don’t mean you need to know them personally. I’m not implying that you should track them down and follow them around until they agree to be your friend. I am saying that you should do enough research to gauge the style and tone that this person is most likely to respond to.
Figure out how busy they are
At a minimum, you should place each contact into one of two groups:
- Very busy
- Less busy
The busier someone is, the more they will appreciate brevity and bluntness. When you have deadlines looming and unopened emails stacking up, the quicker someone can get to the point the better.
When you have a little more time on your hands, it becomes less of a burden – and it’s nice even – to read a friendly email that compliments your work and adds more context to the whats and whys of the message.
Of course, there’s no way to know for sure how busy someone is at any given time. We’re all different. Most of us have days or weeks when we can’t keep up with our workload, and times when things are a little quieter.
However, as general rule, journalists and decision maker-level professionals will be the busiest people you’re likely to contact.
Journalists in particular often receive hundreds of emails a day. What’s most important to them is not how much you love their work or how long you’ve been following them: it’s whether or not you have anything useful to offer them.
Sure, they might enjoy the flattery, but they’re not going to feature a story that isn’t right for them because of it, and they’re not going to turn down a great story because you failed to butter them up.
Bloggers vary. The average “hobby blogger” probably has the most time for you, more so if they’re relatively unknown and receive very few emails. “Career bloggers” are different: they tend to be busy, yet many of them don’t even manage their own inboxes (and so are even tougher to reach than stacked out journalists).
It’s critical that you consider all of this before you begin writing.
Learn what they’re most likely to respond to
Take the time to explore your prospect’s site and get a feel for what they’re most likely to be interested in.
From time to time, I’ll receive pitches from marketers asking me to cover their (or their client’s) startup.
Now, if you spent a few minutes nosing around my site, you would probably realize that I’m not a business news hub, and I don’t write articles that discuss one specific company.
What I do do, is write posts about awesome tools or other cool things I’ve seen or used. Reach out to me about trying out your product, and I’m much more likely to respond.
Reach out to me using my outreach tool Mailshake.com and I’ll be sure to respond (mainly because I always respond to customers and users).
Don’t Cold Email
Everyone responds better to pitches from people they’re already familiar with, even those uber-busy journalists. Consequently, hitting “send” shouldn’t be the first contact you have with your prospect. You should have already taken steps to get yourself on their radar.
This could mean meeting them in person (at a conference or networking event, for instance), talking to them on social media or in an industry forum, or commenting on their blog.
In the example below, this person had already reached out to me using Slack. They had managed to get me to “soft agree” to their pitch before giving me the full story. The fact that I was keen on their topic idea was the clincher (cold email or not – if I didn’t like what they were offering, it would still be a “no”) but knowing the email was on its way definitely helped.
The idea isn’t to make a new best friend (though that would undoubtedly help). You’re not looking to start regular lunch dates or get an invite to their wedding. You simply want to make sure that your contact recognizes your name when they see it in an email.
The “Do’s” of the Perfect Outreach Email
Do: personalize it
Nothing will get your emails deleted faster than sending messages which are obviously automated or that say “I sent this to 200 people in 10 minutes and all I changed was your name.”
Take this automated spam-fest, for example (thanks to Digital Third Coast for sharing this): 
Apart from acknowledging the industry the recipient works in, this email couldn’t be any less personalized.
However, there’s more to personalizing an email than addressing a prospect by name. A personalized email is an email that is relevant to what the recipient does and cares about.
I often see marketers take “personalization” to mean talking about their prospect’s latest blog post, or mentioning a shared love of traveling, or tapas, or tic tac toe…
That all helps, but it’s irrelevant if you haven’t bothered to find out and explain how your pitch actually aligns with your prospect’s work and interests, and more importantly, how it will help them.
A personalized email is one that pitches the prospect something that will make their life easier. Do your research, and you might be able to find out what your prospect is planning to write about or what pain point they’ve been facing in their work life.
Aim to offer them something that enhances a story they’re writing or resolves a pain point – that’s the kind of personalization that really works.
It’s also worth noting how much vague, half-assed attempts at personalization suck. Things like “I’m a big fan of your blog” or “I’ve been reading your posts for a while” won’t cut if. Even if you genuinely are a big fan or loyal reader, it sounds completely and utterly fake. It won’t work. You need to try harder.
Do: get to the point quickly
This is always important. Even “less busy” contacts have things they would rather be doing than reading your email. So introduce yourself. Butter them up. Name drop. Just do it quickly so you can move onto the important stuff: why you’ve actually sent the email.
I love the example below, taken from an awesome post by Tim Soulo. The intro sounds friendly and genuine, but more importantly, it’s short. Within a single sentence, Gerald’s moved onto what actually matters.
It’s the polar opposite of the example below, which is not only far too long, but also fails to mention how this relates to me or why I should care. 
Do: name drop
Name dropping, or more specifically, naming a mutual contact, is a great way to break the ice and add credibility to your emails.
Maybe you both chat with same person over Twitter. Maybe your prospect used to work with someone that now works with you. Maybe you went to a conference recently and watched a talk by your prospect’s business partner.
Your mutual contact doesn’t have to be a close friend or relative; their name just has to demonstrate that you and this prospect share common ground.
Let’s put it into practice…
Email 1:
“Hey Sujan,
I loved your recent piece on different types of content marketing; I’ve always struggled particularly with marketing for our B2B clients, so it was really useful to get such a clear breakdown of how B2B and B2C marketing differ.
I hope you don’t mind me introducing myself and asking a quick question…”
That’s a good opener to an email (although it’s one that’s best suited to the “less busy” type of prospect). Let’s see if we can make it even better.
Email 2:
“Hey Sujan,
How did you manage to get Ross Simmonds to write a guest post for you? I’m a big admirer of the work you and Ross do (I even saw Ross speak recently – awesome stuff) so it was great to see you guys collaborate.
I hope you don’t mind me introducing myself and asking a quick question…”
This would really catch my eye because it shows they like what I do without going overboard (it doesn’t happen often, but sometimes when someone’s too over the top with their compliments, I won’t respond simply because I’m not quite sure what to say). The email also shows that we share some common ground. I’ve worked with Ross, and okay, this person doesn’t know Ross personally, but they’ve seen him speak and they think he’s a cool guy too – maybe this person will have something interesting to say.
It also feels natural and genuine. Email 1 is good, and if their question was relevant I’d probably respond, but it still feels a little templated.
Email 2 gets away from the status quo – generally a wise move, if done well.
Do: be clear about what you want
Sometimes outreach emails fall into my inbox that are great in many ways, barring one key failure: they don’t make clear what the sender actually wants from me.
A common mistake is for marketers to send me a link to something they want me to look at and sign off with “I’d love to hear what you think.”
Really?
You genuinely only want my opinion?
Seriously?
Yeah, I didn’t think so…
So just tell me what you do want!
Do you want me to share your link? Republish the content on my site? Invite you to write a guest post for me?
Let’s be real here: chances are I know exactly what you want from me, but you’re not helping matters by beating around the bush. Remember what I said about the “very busy” people? They’re not looking to play games. They don’t want to ping emails back and forth “building a relationship” until you actually go in for the kill. Be up front and honest, and you’ll gain more respect from me and probably from anyone else you email.
Do: include an interesting sign-off
This is one of the easiest parts of an email to overlook.
Your prospect’s opened your email and read your pitch. Either they’re interested or not, so who cares how you sign off…?
I kind of get that, but this is your last chance to make an impression, so why not make the most of it?
When I’m a huge admirer of the person I’m contacting, I’ll often sign off with “your biggest fan,” but another favorite of mine is “hugs and kisses.”
Don’t judge, try it! It works.
The “Dont’s” of the Perfect Outreach Email
Don’t: say the wrong name
Making sure to address people by the correct name is obvious, right? Well, it’s surprising how often I receive emails addressed to someone other than Sujan.
Chances are they didn’t actually think I was called Sam or Sally or Sinbad (all made up – no one’s ever called me by those names). Chances are they were just sending so many emails that they got mixed up, or copied and pasted their last email and failed to change the name.
Either way, calling someone by the wrong name doesn’t make for a great start, so always, always proofread your emails. You’ll want to check for spelling and grammatical errors, of course, but you should also be checking that you’re calling people by the right damn name.
Don’t: include attachments in your emails
They tend to flag spam filters and are inherently untrustworthy when they arrive in emails from strangers. Include links to content and other information instead.
Don’t: send messy emails
It can be easy to overlook the formatting of your email, but please don’t. First impressions matter in emails as much as they do in person, and presentation is key to making sure that impression is a positive one.
While I did respond to the pitch below, the spacing really lets it down. 
Don’t: make it all about you
This is a problem I notice a lot. Marketers seem to forget that the only way their pitches will succeed is if they’re offering something their prospect is going to care about.
You can be as excited about your new product as you want. You can be convinced you’re the best guest blogger that has ever graced the planet. None of this matters if your prospect can’t understand how your product launch or writing skills benefit them.
Your email pitch isn’t about you. Your fate lies in the hands of the people you’re emailing, so it is all about them.
Be loud and clear about what’s in this email for the recipient. I can’t emphasize that enough.
Don’t: beg
Or for that matter, say please. Yep, this is the one time in your life when it’s okay – preferable in fact – to not say please.
Nailing the Subject Line
Writing a great outreach email is hard. Writing a great subject line is even harder.
Or at least it often seems that way. It is pretty important, after all.
Your subject line will determine whether or not your email is even opened. Get it wrong, and the contents of the email itself are irrelevant.
But it needs to do more than convince someone to open your email. That alone is easy. Anyone can get an email opened if they say the right thing. Unfortunately, getting your email opened isn’t enough.
A great email subject line should:
- Be intriguing
- Be genuine (avoid marketing-speak)
- Accurately reflect the contents of the email
When I want to land a guest blogging spot, my subject line can often be as simple as “great idea for a post.”
It’s honest and up front about the contents of the email. It gives away just enough information to be intriguing. And it sounds like it’s been written by a human (which it has).
I also like this subject line from my namesake Sujan Deswal:
It’s spot-on as a precursor to a request for an interview.
On the other hand, this…
…clearly reflects the content of the email. Unfortunately, it also reeks of automation (“Interview Request”+”Name of Blog”).
While this…
…is just plain desperate.
In my experience, the best subject lines are simple and honest. Try not to overthink them or be too clever. You want to get your email opened, but you want to get it read and replied to as well, so make sure not to mislead anyone.
Following Up
Failing to follow up on outreach emails is one of the biggest mistakes a marketer can make. Jason Zook, founder of I Wear Your Shirt, is a huge advocate for sending follow-up emails. Why? Because about 75% of his successful deals resulted from a follow-up email.
There are many reasons it pays to send a follow-up. Your prospect might have read your email and genuinely been interested in what you had to offer, but forgot to reply. Maybe your email landed in their spam folder. Perhaps you failed to mention a piece of information which was key to securing your prospect’s interest the first time around.
Whatever the reason, neglecting to follow up could mean you’re reducing your success rate by 75% – or more.
To help boost the number of responses your follow-up emails get, try…
Keeping your email really brief
Keep it even briefer than the first time around. Bear in mind that a lot of the people you’re contacting will have read your first email and neglected to reply simply because they weren’t interested. Reduce the risk of rubbing them the wrong way by keeping your follow up as short and sweet as possible.
Replying to your original email
This keeps the subject line in place, but adds in an “Re:” so that it appears as if your prospect is already engaged in a conversation with you – a technique that has been shown to boost both open and response rates.
Offering extra information or incentives
Anyone who neglected to respond to your first email because they weren’t interested did so based purely on the information you gave them. Next time, offer them something slightly different and you might be able to turn them around. 
Most marketers will agree that sending a follow-up email is a given. When it comes to how many times we should be following up, opinions tend to differ.
For me, the magic number is three emails total. That’s your initial email, plus two follow-ups. When I’ve received a fourth email, I start to think “Just take the hint already.” You don’t want to wind up on people’s “blocked” list.
That said…
Tracking emails can really help in the follow-up stage. Do this, and you’ll know whether or not your emails have been opened.
When your emails aren’t being opened, you can make an educated guess that you used the wrong subject line or that they wound up in the recipient’s spam folder.
Either way, you know it’s safe to keep trying.
If, on the other hand, you can see that your emails have been opened but you’re still not getting a response, it’s pretty safe to assume that after two or three emails you should probably call it a day.
Beyond the Email
Once you’ve sent an email, had a positive response, and got your company/story/product/infographic covered in a publication, do you know what really helps next?
Harboring that relationship.
This is (in my experience) the one thing that truly separates PRs from marketers: the PRs do whatever they can to preserve that relationship once contact has been made. You should do the same.
Remember what I said above about taking the time to get in front of your contacts before you send that email? Well, what if you had a list of close contacts who were always happy to hear from you and find out what you had to offer them next?
That’s hardly a pipe dream. It takes time and commitment, but if you stick with it, you can keep these people on your radar so that next time you want to get a story or piece of content in front of them, they’re more than willing to take a look.
Need all this information rounded up? Here are the key takeaways for you:
Before you email…
Know who you’re emailing and how busy they are
Journalists will almost always appreciate super-short emails that get straight to the point. Bloggers tend to care more about working with people that follow them and what they do. This means it’s generally worth taking the time to craft something a little more personal.
Find out what’s relevant to them
Contacting prospects about something they’re never going to be interested in wastes everyone’s time. Looking to land a guest posting spot? Find out if the contact actually publishes guest posts. Sending out a press release? Make sure to target prospects who regularly cover industry news.
Don’t cold email
Message your prospects on Twitter. Comment on their blog. Speak to them at a conference. Anything to get your name in front of them before you hit send.
In your emails…
Do personalize
Use their name and mention common ground if you have it, but most importantly, do your homework to identify how you can actually help your prospect. This might mean providing data that enhances a story they’re writing, or offering to write a guest post that elaborates on a point they’ve recently made. This sort of personalization not only shows you’ve done your research, but is actually useful to the person you’re contacting.
Do get to the point quickly
Everyone has something they’d rather be doing than reading emails, so don’t beat around the bush: keep intros to a sentence or two before moving on to why you’re emailing and what it is you want.
Do name drop
If you have a contact in common, mentioning it can really help to break the ice and show your prospect you’re someone who’s worth getting to know, too.
Do be clear about what you want
No one ever emails just for the sake of “being nice” or “saying hi”: we all want something, so save everyone the trouble and just be up front about what that something is. You should never make your prospect work to figure out what you actually want them to do.
Do include an interesting sign-off
It’s your last chance to make an impression, so try to be different.
Don’t say the wrong name
It makes everyone uncomfortable.
Don’t include attachments
They flag spam filters. Enough said.
Don’t send messy emails
Double check the presentation of your emails before you hit send. Are paragraphs evenly spaced? Is your signature intact? This all makes a difference in how you’re perceived.
Don’t make it all about you
Successful outreach emails are ones that demonstrate what’s in it for the person you’re emailing. Stop thinking about what’s in this for you, and put yourself in your recipient’s shoes.
Don’t beg
Or say please. It sounds desperate and won’t convince anyone to do what you ask. Getting a response is about offering something the recipient wants or needs, not how nicely you ask.
Nail the subject line…
This is key. Get it wrong, and your email may not even be opened. A great subject line is intriguing, reflects the content of the email, and sounds like it was actually written by a human.
Follow up…
But make sure to add something new to subsequent emails to increase the odds of capturing the interest of prospects who disregarded your email before.
Foster the relationship…
When someone responds positively, it pays to keep in touch and build a relationship. Done well, this means that next time you want something from them, they’ll be happy to take a look, and much more likely to help.
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