Free Blogger Outreach Template

As you might have noticed I’ve been talking about outreach and more specifically blogger outreach repeatedly.

I’ve done lots of outreach myself as well over the years.

I explained outreach a few times. This time I want to go beyond mere advice. This post is truly actionable.

Today I’d like to give you an actual blogger outreach template you can use universally just by replacing some place holders.

It’s a first contact “cold outreach” message you can send to someone you haven’t written before.

Do Your Homework Before Reaching Out

You need to do your homework first. Reaching out only works with personalized messages. You have to know the basics. Find out the

• name of the person you contact
• blog name or in other words blog title
• topics the blogger is writing about

Additionally you need to point out a specific post that has caught your eye. Don’t just look up the “about” page. At least skim through the actual blog posts.

Then there is a simple formula for successful outreach messages – it’s what/why/who.

• “What” is the value proposition, for example a product to test
• “Why” is the reason you are approaching the specific blogger
• “Who” is the company and person who does the outreach (you!)

The value proposition is the most important ingredient. It has to be the main focus of the message headline.

The Perfect Subject Line for the Message

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A perfect blogger outreach headline or in this subject line for the message you write sounds as follows:

[Value Proposition] for [Blog Title] (Readers)

EXAMPLE:

“Free Entry to Fashion X Show for Modern Style Readers”

“Modern Style” would be the hypothetical fashion blog you are sending the message to. The “Free Entry” for the “Fashion X Show” I made up as an example is the value proposition.

Now you probably understand why you need the “readers” and not just the blog title in the message subject. You don’t want to sound like a bot offering the free entry to the blog itself.

Also it’s better to suggest a freebie for readers instead of bribing the blogger. In many cases you will end up giving the bloggers themselves your freebies but try not to start your conversation by offering money or goods for publicity.

Remember: the value proposition is the most important thing about the outreach email. Do not tell the people what you want to take from them but what you are willing to give them.

The Multi-Purpose Email Outreach Template You Can Customize

Of course the subject alone won’t convince people to help you spreading the word about you.

Convincing recipients to read is just the first step.

It’s the admission to let you explain what you want. Now be very specific once you got the attention! Here’s how:

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You see that the first message is very short. You don’t want to write a huge overwhelming letter the first time you contact someone. You just want to establish a connection.

Now that you have their attention after they reply you can go into more details but still value their time. Once they are willing to receive the value you propose you can ask for something in return.

Also make sure not to appear as a sales type of person including SEO, marketing and PR and other types of disciplines most people on the Web loath. Just describe yourself in your signature as what you are, an outreach person.

You don’t need to sound lofty like a “blogging relationship management officer” or something.

Just state in a plain and simple manner what you do. Also make sure to mention your actual client both in the message and in the signature so that it’s clear that you reach out on behalf of someone else not just for yourself.

Let’s see how that template would look with the hypothetical fashion blog I have introduced earlier:

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Relevance and Customization Are the Secret to Successful Outreach

You may ask yourself whether such an outreach email does work. It does! I got lots of replies. I think

two thirds of bloggers replied to these highly relevant messages.

Unlike most people who send hundreds of barely relevant or customized messages I usually get roughly a success rate of 50% – meaning that half of the recipients will respond.

The rest depends on you. Convincing the bloggers to really publish is not as easy as making them read your email and reply. It’s a good start though.

Make sure to customize this template a bit depending on your needs.

In case everybody starts sending the exact same message it will soon stop working as bloggers will assume it’s some kind of automated mass mailing.

Customize the wording as much as you can without harming the overall objective to start a conversation.

Using a template is not a problem as long as you personalize the email properly and know who you are talking to. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel each time.

Additional blogger outreach resources elsewhere on the Web:

• Do you ever contact people who have had a positive impact on you?
• We Analyzed 12 Million Outreach Emails. Here’s What We Learned
• How to successfully pitch The New York Times (or, well, anyone else)
• How To Get Big-Name Media Sites To Credit Your Content With a Link
• 3 Ways to Drastically Improve Outreach for “Big Content” [Case Study]
• 13 Ways to Find Anyone’s Email Address (Level Up Your Outreach Game)
• How to Unleash the Power of the Pre-Outreach Strategy
• How To Get Your Cold Emails Noticed, Read & Replied To [Whitepaper]
• 9 Powerful Influencer Marketing Research Tools That Get Fantastic Results
• The 13 Best Tools for Outreach

*Creative Commons image by Tomi Tapio