We’re all inundated with emails on the daily. But some messages excel at cutting through the noise. Do you know what day of the week to send an email for best effect? What about what time of day? What do you include in the body? Is the title of your mail a no-go? Find out the answers to these questions and more in our infographic below. Enjoy!
Outreach marketing centers around creating and nurturing ongoing relationships by bringing other parties into your brand. Even with the recent rise of social media and in-app engagement, email remains one of the most potent ways to engage parties for your brand (if it’s done right!).
Step One: Define a Goal
1.) Building brand awareness
2.) Generating a sale
3.) Obtaining a backlink
4.) Surveying
5.) Engaging community
6.) Making an introduction
Step Two: Identify Target Audience
1.) Bloggers
2.) Webmasters/site owners
3.) Journalists and contributors
4.) Academic, government, or non-profit members
Steps Three-Five: Proofread, Test, Repeat
Writing a Marketing Outreach Email
Email title: Regarding your 101 SEO Tips Article
Explanation text of title: Site managers are more likely to be interested in comments about their content, even if you transition to your own pitch afterwards!
Body of email:
Actual text in body:
1.) Dear Seth Rogan,
Explanation: Whenever possible use full names. Many emails that start with generic introductions are never read.
I stumbled upon your [link]101 SEO Tips[end of link] article and have to say that it’s the most comprehensive I’ve seen in the subject! I particularly liked the section on meta tags. Getting insight from someone who tweaks and tests this form of seo daily is invaluable to us readers.
Explanation: Be nice! Proof that you follow the site in question makes your inquiry more legitimate.
2.) My name is Jimmy McJimmy, and I’m the community manager at [link]Conversion INC[end link].
Explanation: What is your name and why should you matter to your contact? Keep it short!
Thumbnail image of page you’re linking to
Explanation of image: using buttons or linked images is a proven way to increase engagement. It let’s readers immediately know the core component of the email.
3.) We used your article for [bolded]the creation of an infographic on the same topic[end bolded]. We would love for you to take a look and [bolded]let us know if you have any feedback. Feel free to share the graphic with your site’s viewers, on social media, or so forth.[end bolded]
Explanation: Jump right into what you want and provide a definitive course of action for the reader to take. Bold important steps. This is your value proposition.
4.) Warm Regards, Jimmy McJimmy
@jjmmyHandle
(xxx)(xxx)-(xxxx)
Skype:JJmmy
Explanation: Don’t let the absence of the readers preferred method of contact keep them from getting back in touch.
Breaking it down
Timing is Everything
Subject Lines That Grip
Over 1/3 emails are opened based on only the subject line. [4]
Tips:
Simply describe email contents.
Nothing spammy in the least.
B2B Tips:
Words that work: “Breaking” and “Alert”
Words that don’t: “reports” “forecast” and “intelligence
Number of Attempts:
Percentage of responses by email attempt:[7]
First email–35%
Second email–30%
Third email–21%
Fourth email–10%
Fifth email–4%
Your chances of a response are doubled by the third email, but drop off rapidly after that.
Think about the size of your message (and site)
Traffic Generated from Successful Outreach
1 Big Time Blogger = ~6 Small-Time Bloggers
Finally, please just please avoid the following:
– Reaching out to media outlets or journalists not interested in your service.
– Sending requests from generic email addresses.
– Sending copy/paste messages.
– Using poor grammar.
– Never mention anything about a “link”.
– Forgetting to get familiar with your audience, or what your contacted site offers.
Citations:
- http://blog.wishpond.com/post/113876194838/9-email-hacks-guaranteed-to-increase-engagement
- http://mailchimp.com/resources/research/?_ga=1.29799871.1890848815.1441490352
- http://www.convinceandconvert.com/convince-convert/15-email-statistics-that-are-shaping-the-future/
- https://www.ringlead.com/blog/sales-stats-facts/
- https://uplandsoftware.com/adestra/resources/blog/writing-enticing-subject-lines-tips-inspiration/
- http://www.byreputation.com/Link-Building-Outreach-SEO_a/423.htm
- http://www.terakeet.com/insights/top-5-outreach-email-tips-for-your-2015-digital-marketing-strategy/
- http://research.frac.tl/subject-line-open-rates-thank-you?submissionGuid=549f149c-5802-46b2-82a9-b401f0076add