Email template
You have news, data or a timely angle that a specific reporter's readers would care about, and the reporter has covered the topic in the last few months. Below: the template, a filled-in example, why it works, common mistakes and the follow-up to send if there's no reply.
Subject: {The news, in under 8 words}
Hi {first name},
Your piece on {recent article topic} {one specific point you took from it}.
A related story: {the news or finding in one sentence, with the key number}.
- {supporting fact one}
- {supporting fact two}
- {what makes it timely}
I can share {the full data / an interview with someone affected / images}. {Your name}, {title} at {company}.
Would this be useful for anything you're working on?
Thanks,
{your first name}
The situation: A higher-education reporter wrote last month about how students use AI for research. Margin has just run a survey on citation mistakes. The product is Margin, a fictional notes app for researchers.
Subject: New data: 61% of grad students lose sources
Hi Marco, Your piece on how students use AI for research noted that citations are the first thing students skip. Our data backs that up. A related story: in a September survey of 1,200 graduate students, 61% said they had lost track of a source while writing a paper. - 38% had cited a paper they couldn't find again - Losing sources was twice as common among students using three or more apps - Results come out as many universities update their AI and citation policies I can share the full dataset and put you in touch with two students we interviewed. Ana Ruiz, head of research at Margin. Would this be useful for anything you're working on? Thanks, Ana
The situation: A writer at a productivity newsletter that covers new tools weekly. An illustrative example, not a real email.
Subject: Free citation tracking for students, launching Tuesday
Hi Jess, You covered three note apps in last week's issue and flagged that none handled sources well. We're launching something on Tuesday that does. Margin's new citation tracking keeps the source attached to every note, even after it's moved or exported. It's free for students. Happy to give you early access before Tuesday, and the press release is here if useful: margin.example/press Thanks, 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},
One new detail in case it's useful: {a fresh fact, a regional breakdown, or a person available to interview}.
If it's not a fit, no worries.
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.
Journalists quote from a press release but cover stories that arrive as a pitch, so write the release with the press release generator and link it from this email. If you'd rather answer questions reporters have already posted, use the journalist request reply. For how coverage turns into links and brand mentions, see digital PR for SaaS and the digital PR definition. Plan any nudges with the follow-up planner, keeping in mind that timely stories go stale fast.
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.
Open with the reporter's recent work, state the story in one sentence with the key number, back it with two or three bullet facts, say what you can provide (data, interviews, images), and ask if it's useful. Put the news in the subject line. Keep it under 200 words.
Early in the week and early in their day, and well before any deadline you know about. For timely stories, pitch as soon as the news is ready. Avoid pitching during big breaking news in their beat, when nothing else gets attention.
No. Attachments get filtered and rarely opened. Put the story in the email and link the release or a press page for anyone who wants the full detail.
Answering a journalist's request for sources template
For queries on HARO-style services (Qwoted, Featured, Help a B2B Writer, Source of Sources): answer the question fast, in a quotable form.
Offering an expert quote template
For writers covering a topic you know well: offer a short, specific quote they can use with attribution.
Pitching yourself as a podcast guest template
For interview shows in your niche: show you've listened, offer two or three talk ideas and make booking easy.
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.
