Email template
You changed URLs, merged pages or moved domains, and some sites now link to dead or redirected pages. Below: the template, a filled-in example, why it works, common mistakes and the follow-up to send if there's no reply.
Subject: Updated link for {product} in your post
Hi {first name},
Thanks for linking to {product} in your post on {topic}. We recently {moved to a new domain / reorganised our site}, so the link under "{section}" now {redirects / goes to a 404}.
The current page is {new URL}. If you get a moment to update it, readers will land in the right place.
Thanks again,
{your first name}
The situation: Margin moved its guides from margin.example/blog/ to margin.example/guides/ and one redirect broke. A writing-tools post still links to the old guide URL, which now shows a 404. The product is Margin, a fictional notes app for researchers.
Subject: Updated link for Margin in your post
Hi Ravi, Thanks for linking to our guide in your post on academic writing tools. We recently reorganised our site, so the link under "Organising sources" now goes to a 404. The current page is margin.example/guides/keep-sources. If you get a moment to update it, readers will land in the right place. Thanks again, Ana
Send once, four to seven days later, in the same thread. Add one new reason; don't repeat the pitch.
Subject: Re: Updated link for {product} in your post
Hi {first name},
Just a gentle reminder in case this slipped through. The old link still shows an error for readers.
Thanks,
{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.
Lost links rarely announce themselves. The nofollow link checker confirms a link's status, and our guide to monitoring backlinks covers catching removals before they cost you. If the editor named you but never linked, it's an unlinked mention request instead.
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.
Usually not. 301 redirects pass most of the value. Contact sites only when a redirect can't be set up, the page was removed, or the link is one of your most valuable.
Export your backlinks from a backlink tool and filter by target URL status. Links pointing at 404 pages are the ones to fix first.
Yes. After a name change, also look for mentions of the old brand name and ask for the name and link to be updated in one email.
Replacing a broken link template
For pages that link to something that now returns a 404, when you have a close replacement.
Turning an unlinked brand mention into a link template
For pages that already name your brand or product but don't link to you.
The one follow-up template
For pitches with no reply after four to seven days. Send it once, in the same thread.
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.
