The SEO world thrives on connection. Any project requires a group of people with different expertise and skills, and networking is important for this. The simplest and most risk-free way to introduce yourself to a business or potential client of interest is via email.
Email marketing is a great way for businesses to connect with their target audience and current customers. B2B or B2C businesses effectively use email templates to generate higher-quality leads by pushing prospect companies deeper into the sales pipeline.
This article covers the best cold email templates that you can use to nail your email marketing efforts that can guarantee improved response rates and boost your link building effectiveness.
Key Points From The Article
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What is A Cold Email Template?
A cold email template is a personalized message you send to someone you haven’t reached out to before. This person or business hasn’t been contacted by you about your products or services yet.
The goal of email outreach is to connect with someone who can benefit your business by sparking their interest in your product, service, or a specific action you want them to take.
Cold outreach template.
Tip: It’s very important to target the right prospects during cold calls. These ideal customers are typically decision-makers or potential buyers within a company. These are the people who have the authority to make purchasing decisions or have a strong influence on buying choices.
B2B companies majorly use cold calls. Here’s why:
Why do B2Bs Use Cold Email Templates for SEO?
Here are some key advantages of using a cold email template:
Cost Effective
Email outreach templates are usually cheaper than other types of advertising and marketing. Think about it: sending an email costs almost nothing but offers a really high return on investment for your campaigns.
Data Collection
Email outreach templates provide insights into your marketing campaign’s effectiveness. They help your business track key metrics such as conversion rates (how many recipients take the desired action), click-through rates (how many recipients click on links in your email), and open rates (how many recipients open your email).
B2B and cold email marketing.
Scalability
By using email outreach templates, you can quickly send personalized emails to a large number of recipients without having to write each one from scratch, saving time and effort.
These templates can also be integrated into email automation systems, allowing you to schedule and send emails at optimal times, further increasing your reach without extra manual effort.
Ease of Use
These templates are easy to make, use, and modify. With simple adjustments, you can customize your emails to different campaigns or target audiences without starting from scratch each time.
Quick Results
Also suitable for the new players in the market, SEO client outreach can achieve quicker results with the help of a template.
Moreover, you can use email outreach coupled with other methods.
Remember, it may initially have a lower conversion rate compared to more aggressive strategies like content marketing, however, it helps you to secure long-term contracts through focused and high-quality outreach.
How to NOT Write A Cold Email Outreach – Mistakes to Avoid
When crafting email outreach templates for SEO outreach, it’s important to avoid certain mistakes to improve your SEO attempts.
- Overly Generic Messages: Avoid sending mass-produced emails that lack personalization. Customize each message to the recipient’s specific needs and context.
- Ignoring Relevance: Ensure your email content is relevant to the recipient’s niche, pain points, and goals. Generic pitches that don’t resonate are likely to be ignored.
- Lack of Clarity: Be clear and concise in your communication. Clearly state the benefits of your SEO services and what sets you apart from competitors. You have taken the time to reach out; you might as well get straight to the point rather than wasting time.
- Spammy Language or Tactics: Avoid using spammy tactics like excessive exclamation points, all-caps subject lines, or overly aggressive language. These can turn potential clients away.
- Neglecting Proof or Social Proof: Including case studies, testimonials, or examples of past successes can build credibility and trust. When people see real evidence of your skills and success, they’re more likely to trust you and consider working with you.
- Bad Grammar: Poor grammar is the biggest red flag of them all. Surprisingly, people still make grammatical errors in their email marketing attempts, that can do a lot of damage. It reflects poorly on your brand’s reputation and attention to quality.
Writing Effective Cold Emails: Best Practices To Strengthen Your Pitch
Crafting effective outreach emails that receive responses requires more effort than simply copying and pasting generic spam messages. However, it’s not overly complicated to achieve.
Here are some tips to consider whether you’re using templates or writing your own email from scratch:
Personalization
If you are resorting to email campaigns, you can’t skip personalization. In simple terms, personalization equals effort.
Email personalization stats.
According to research from Propeller, customizing emails doubled the number of times people responded to a company’s messages. This is because personalizing emails shows the recipient that you have put in the effort to understand their company and what they aim to achieve.
Personalization of emails is a lot easier than it seems and gets better with practice:
- Use the recipient’s first name (in the subject line or opening line).
- Acknowledge their recent news or accomplishments.
- Talk about their company (important!).
- Mention recent contributions of theirs that you liked.
- Establish value by stating common interests or goals.
Tip: Don’t bother with email marketing if your emails don’t scream personalization. That’s the only way to get the recipient’s attention without making it look generic or spammy.
Headers And Subject Lines
Since your name and the subject line are the first things that catch the recipient’s attention, you might want to pay attention to this section.
Do not use spammy, keyword-packed text as your name. Using a real name increases your chances of appearing trustworthy because people prefer connecting with individuals rather than brands or obvious marketing emails.
Keep your subject line short and compelling. This not only helps it display well on mobiles but also creates a sense of urgency, drawing attention faster.
Top subject lines for an outreach email.
Content Length
When it comes to content length, there are 2 ways to go about it: short and long.
Short emails are concise and get straight to the point. Longer emails focus on relevant and personalized information.
From my experience, shorter emails work best. People are busy and won’t read a long message, especially not from someone they don’t know. Why would they? They get tons of these emails regularly. But, not everyone is apt to the concision task, instead, what they create is either incomplete or ineffective. This is the reason why I suggest getting assistance from Editpad’s summarizing tool that can automatically shorten your words without losing the original intent or meaning.
Instead of cramming everything into one email, I suggest spreading it out over a few. Build a relationship before diving into your sales pitch.
In very rare cases, longer emails can perform better; however, it’s important to keep these things in mind, regardless of content length:
- Try to keep your email concise.
- Break text into smaller blocks for easier reading.
- Avoid copying too much; it’s noticeable and can make the recipient lose interest in what you have to say.
- Keep things friendly and approachable, maybe even throw in a touch of humor.
- Make sure your message prompts action so the reader knows exactly what to do next.
- Avoid sounding too salesy or pushy; it will only backfire. Keep it light and appreciative instead.
A/B Cold Call Testing
A/B testing in sales email marketing involves sending variations of an email to different segments of your audience to determine which version performs better in terms of engagement metrics like engagement rates, reply rates, click-through rates, and conversions.
A/B Email testing tips.
By testing different elements such as subject lines, email copy, images, and calls to action, you can optimize your emails to improve their effectiveness in driving engagement and, ultimately, lead generation.
Focus on The Company
Cold emails are not the place for you to brag about yourself. Instead, make it about the recipient.
Keep the email recipient focused and show them how you can be valuable to them. Politely acknowledge what they’re struggling with or aiming for and explain how your company can help.
If you’re aware of a recent specific issue, mention it. Acknowledge their requirements and propose a solution.
Demonstrate Value
Don’t get me wrong, while your email should mainly revolve around the recipient, it’s important to prove that you’re actually worth their time by giving a clear value proposition.
Here’s how you can do that:
- Be genuine. Use your real name or your company’s name in the email header.
- Share proof of your credentials or authority in the industry where relevant.
- Provide examples of your previous work, like guest posts or rankings.
- Highlight common interests.
- Provide contact details.
Tip: Mention mutual contacts right at the beginning. If you don’t have any, start by focusing on the recipient. When you talk about yourself, keep it brief—just 1-2 lines.
Follow Up
Businesses receive tons of networking emails every day. So, no matter how catchy your initial email was, there’s a good chance they’ve already forgotten about you or have moved on to the next distraction.
A friendly follow-up email not only subtly reminds but also adds a personal touch. Let’s say your first email is ignored; a personalized follow-up shows that they matter to you.
In fact, according to research by LeadFuze, about 85% of your leads will likely come from following up with those you’ve cold-emailed before.
Using Cold Email Templates for SEO Services
Since you know not to overdo cold sales email templates at the risk of sounding repetitive, this section helps you with guidelines for an effective cold email campaign.
For Getting SEO Clients via Email
The idea behind this email template is to grab a lead’s attention by offering free services like a video or SEO audit that explains why their competitors are ranking higher. It’s basically a free trial.
Here’s the cold call template:
Subject: [First Name] – Why [Competitor] is out-ranking you for [Keyword].
Hi [First Name],
I searched for [Keyword] on Google today and saw that [Company name] isn’t on the first page (you’re currently #[Current Rank]).
Because [Positive thing about their Company website], you can easily outrank your competitors like [competitor 1] and [competitor 2], and I’ve made a video showing how you can do that.
I’ve successfully ranked and generated leads for other [Niche/Business Type] in [City] and [City]. You can see [Proof of ranking].
Would you like to take this conversation further? If you are interested, just reply to this email and I’ll send it over right away.
If I should talk to someone else, please let me know! I’d hate for [Company name] to miss out on this opportunity.
Thanks, [First Name]!
Cheers,
[Full Contact Information].
Guest Post Cold Email Template
If you know anything about SEO, then you know that guest posts are a great way to improve website traffic and get backlinks for your site.
Once you’ve filtered and found opportunities for guest posting, it’s time to reach out by email.
You can use this template to start a conversation with the site owner about writing a guest post for their site, which will help you earn a high-quality backlink.
Subject: Your Post about [Recent Post of Theirs].
Hi [First Name],
I recently came across [Their Website] and wanted to say that you’re doing an amazing job! Your recent post about [Recent Post Topic] really helped me with [How the post helped you]. Keep up the fantastic work!
I’m also a writer in the [Niche] niche and have some ideas for articles I could contribute to [Their Site] that I believe your readers would find incredibly valuable.
Here are a few ideas based on the content on [Their Site]:
- [Article Idea 1]
- [Article Idea 2]
- [Article Idea 3]
You can check out some of my recent guest posts on [Website 1] and [Website 2] here:
- [Article URL 1]
- [Article URL 2]
If you have any other article ideas that you think would be a good fit for my expertise, let me know! I’d love to be featured on [Their Site].
Thanks for considering my ideas, and I look forward to reading your next post!
Best,
[Full Contact Information].
Link Exchange Template
Link exchange, also known as reciprocal linking, is a widely used SEO practice that helps two websites or brands become more visible in search engine rankings.
Subject: Link Exchange Proposal
Hi [Recipient Name],
I hope this email finds you well. My name is [Your Name], and I own [Your Website], a platform dedicated to [Briefly describe your website’s purpose, goals, and topics].
I recently came across your website, [Recipient’s Website], and I’m impressed by the valuable content you provide. I believe that a collaboration through a link exchange could be mutually beneficial.
Would you be interested in exploring this opportunity further? I’ve prepared a piece of HTML code below that you can easily incorporate into your website:
[Insert HTML code here]
I’d be happy to discuss this further at your convenience. Looking forward to your response.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
[Your Website]
[Your Contact Information]
Resource Page Cold Outreach Email
Resource pages are where authors gather lists of useful pages or articles for their readers to learn more about a specific topic.
Subject: Question about Adding a Resource to [Article Name]
Hi [First Name],
I recently read your impressive article about [Article Topic], and I found it full of useful resources for readers:
[Article URL]
I also wrote an article for [Site Name], a site that [What benefit your company provides], and you can find it here:
[Article URL]
I believe it would be a valuable addition to your resource page because [Reason why it’s a good fit]. I would be thrilled if you considered listing it!
Thanks for your time, and keep up the great work!
Regards,
[Full Contact Info]
Brand Mention Cold Email Strategy
This template is meant to mention a company, brand, or service online in blog posts, reviews, news articles, and educational content.
Subject: Thank You for Mentioning [Insert SEO Brand or Service]
Dear [Contact Name],
Thank you so much for mentioning [Insert SEO Brand or Service] in your [publication, article, blog post, video, etc.]. It means a lot to us to be recognized by leading SEO influencers, and it shows that we’re making a real impact in helping businesses succeed online.
I really appreciate you including us in the conversation and hope we can continue to build our relationship.
I think your readers would benefit from having access to [Your Site], so it would be great if you could include a link to it in your [publication, article, blog post, video, etc.].
If there’s anything you need from [Insert SEO Brand or Service], please feel free to reach out.
Warm regards,
[Your Name]
Link Reclamation Template For a Cold Email Campaign
This process involves identifying, correcting, and recovering lost links where your company or brand has been linked incorrectly.
Whenever online content mentions your brand or quotes your articles, these mentions are easy opportunities you can take advantage of since you don’t have to demonstrate value; the content creators already see your brand as valuable and relevant.
Subject: Thank You for the Mention – Quick Fix Needed
Dear [Name],
Thanks for mentioning my website [website URL] and the [product/service] we offer in your recent [blog post, article, etc.].
I regularly check my backlinks and noticed that the link you used isn’t working. Could you please update it with this new link?
[Updated link URL]
I’d appreciate it if you could let me know once it’s updated.
Thanks again for the mention, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Sending Cold Emails for Broken Link Building
Broken link building involves finding broken links and offering webmasters helpful resources to replace them.
It’s a convenient tactic because you’re not just helping the company or webmaster; you’re also getting a link back to your own or your client’s site.
Subject: Issue with Link on Your Website – Can We Assist?
Hi [Name],
I hope this message finds you well. I’m writing on behalf of [name of organization]. Recently, we noticed a broken link on your website located at [URL].
We’d like to offer an updated link as a valuable resource for your audience. This link pertains to an article about [topic].
Our replacement link covers the same subject matter and is current as of [year]. Here’s the updated link for your reference: [Replacement Link].
We believe this content will be beneficial for your readers.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Using A Cold Email for Lead Generation: Are They Even Worth it Anymore?
The truth is that cold emails are saturated due to the excessive number of AI-automated email outreach tools released over the past year. Hence, inboxes are flooded with emails trying to sell or promote something.
Although you’re looking to network with businesses, you need to remember to treat the recipients like people. They are not bots; they don’t care about what you do or how you do it; they care about how it benefits them.
In my opinion, open rates are pretty useless, unreliable, and not the most effective measure of outreach email success rate. And nobody cares to read long emails because people overdo poorly crafted email templates, making prospects steer away from anything that resembles an outreach email.
Therefore, keep it short and to the point. Every unnecessary word drains their attention from what truly matters. Don’t overwhelm them with long paragraphs or multiple case studies hoping something will catch their interest. It won’t.
I believe email marketing can still be valuable even if your response rate is low. Even if you don’t achieve the conversion rates you want, you can still use this strategy to nurture relationships with existing clients.
Final Thoughts
Crafting a cold email for SEO is more than just open rates and conversions. It’s a powerful tool for building connections with your audience and maintaining relationships with current clients.
By using personalized and targeted outreach email templates, businesses can improve engagement and generate high-quality leads.
Remember, the key lies in respecting your recipients as individuals and focusing on how your offerings can benefit them. Keep your emails concise, relevant, and genuinely valuable to maximize your chances of success in your digital marketing efforts.
FAQs
1. What is a Cold Email Template?
A cold email template is a personalized message you send to someone who hasn’t heard from you before about your products or marketing services. The goal is to spark their interest and potentially start a business relationship.
2. Why do B2Bs Use Cold Email Templates for SEO?
B2B companies and SEO agencies leverage cold email templates because they are cost-effective, provide valuable data insights, and can be scaled to reach a large audience efficiently. They’re a practical way to connect with decision-makers and influencers within target companies.
3. Is Email Marketing Worth it Despite Low Response Rates?
Yes, email marketing remains valuable even with low response rates. It’s not just about immediate conversions but also about maintaining and nurturing relationships with current clients, which can lead to long-term business growth.
