Email template
The post ranks products like yours and hasn't included you. This is the most common, and most successful, product pitch. Below: the template, a filled-in example, why it works, common mistakes and the follow-up to send if there's no reply.
Subject: Your {post topic} list
Hi {first name},
Your list of {post topic} is one of the few that actually explains who each tool is for. The note on {specific entry or section} was spot on.
I work on {product}, {one-line description}. It might fit next to {comparable entry}, especially for readers who {specific need}.
Would you consider adding it? I can send screenshots or set you up with a free account to try it.
Thanks,
{your first name}
The situation: A post called "The 9 best note-taking apps for researchers", last updated four months ago. It praises one app for exporting citations but says it loses the source when you move a note. The product is Margin, a fictional notes app for researchers.
Subject: Your note-taking apps for researchers list
Hi Lena, Your list of note-taking apps for researchers is one of the few that tests what happens to sources once you start writing. The point about losing the citation when you move a note was exactly right. I work on Margin, a notes app that keeps the source attached to every highlight, even after you move or merge notes. It might fit next to Zotero in the "for academics" section, for readers who write long reviews from many papers. Would you consider adding it? I can set you up with a free account to try it. Thanks, Ana
Send once, four to seven days later, in the same thread. Add one new reason; don't repeat the pitch.
Subject: Re: Your {post topic} list
Hi {first name},
One more detail in case it helps when you next update the list: {new specific fact, such as a free plan, a feature the post mentions, or a recent award}.
If it's not a fit, no problem at all.
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.
This is the core pitch behind listicle link building. To build the list of posts to send it to, use the prospecting search strings or follow our method for finding every roundup in a niche. If the post is a "[competitor] alternatives" page, the alternatives post pitch fits better.
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.
Search Google for "best {your category}", "top {category} for {audience}" and "{category} tools" and open the top 20 results. Skip lists that already include you and lists written by your competitors. The link prospecting search strings tool builds these queries for you.
Yes, if your product has a free or trial tier. Authors who try a product write a more accurate entry and are more likely to add it. Offer it as an option, not a condition.
Lists that show a recent "updated" date are refreshed regularly, so the author is used to adding new entries. Lists older than two years are less likely to be edited, but still worth a pitch if they rank well.
Getting into an alternatives or comparison post template
For "{competitor} alternatives" and "A vs B" posts, where readers are actively choosing a tool.
Pitching a roundup for a niche audience template
For roundups written for one audience (students, nurses, freelancers) where your product serves that group well.
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.
