Email template
They reply with a price for a "sponsored post" or a link. Common, and worth answering politely. Below: the template, a filled-in example, why it works, common mistakes and the follow-up to send if there's no reply.
Subject: Re: {original subject}
Hi {first name},
Thanks for getting back to me. We don't pay for links or sponsored placements. We'd rather earn a spot when it genuinely helps your readers.
If it's useful, I'm happy to {offer something of value: a free account for your team, a quote for the article, data from our users on X}.
Either way, thanks for considering it.
{your first name}
The situation: The editor of a study-tips blog replied: "We charge $150 for a link insertion." The product is Margin, a fictional notes app for researchers.
Subject: Re: Your note-taking apps for researchers list
Hi Sam, Thanks for getting back to me. We don't pay for links or sponsored placements. We'd rather earn a spot when it genuinely helps your readers. If it's useful, I'm happy to set up free Margin accounts for your writers, or share what we've learned from 2,000 students about how they organise sources. Either way, thanks for considering it. Ana
Send once, four to seven days later, in the same thread. Add one new reason; don't repeat the pitch.
Subject: Re: {original subject}
Hi {first name},
Understood, and thanks for being upfront. If your editorial policy changes or you write about {topic} again, I'd be glad to help with {non-paid offer}.
{your first name}
A template saves time on structure, not on research. Every placeholder should become a detail only this editor would recognise: their name, the post, the section and why your product helps their readers. Send it from a properly authenticated outreach domain, one email per prospect, and stop after one or two follow-ups.
Being asked for money is common, especially on affiliate lists. See what backlinks cost by method to understand the going rates, and the white-hat checklist for why paid links are a risk worth declining. Then keep the conversation going with the standard best-of list pitch to the next editor on your list. If the ask is a link swap rather than money, use the link exchange reply.
Doing this for dozens of posts a week is where most outreach stalls. BacklinkGenie finds the posts, writes a pitch like the example above for each one, and sends it from a mailbox it manages for you once you approve. See how it works.
Paid links should carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow" under Google's guidelines. A paid followed link is a link scheme and can lead to the link being ignored or a manual action.
A free account, exclusive data, an expert quote, a custom image or chart, or a correction of outdated information in their post. Anything that makes the article better for their readers.
Sites that sell links to everyone often look like link farms and their links carry little value. A site that asked once out of habit can still be a good prospect.
The one follow-up template
For pitches with no reply after four to seven days. Send it once, in the same thread.
Offering an expert quote template
For writers covering a topic you know well: offer a short, specific quote they can use with attribution.
Getting added to a best-of list template
For "best X" and "top tools for Y" posts that rank products like yours but don't include you yet.
Link outreach email checker
Paste your filled-in version and see what an editor or spam filter will object to.
Outreach subject line tester
Check the subject for length, mobile cut-off and spam triggers.
All outreach email templates
Every template on one page: 19 situations from listicles to paid-link replies.
Paste your URL. The agent finds lists, comparison pages, resource pages and guides where your product fits, checks each site and finds the editor to contact. Free, no card.
