Email template
A writer has posted a request for expert sources on a topic you know first-hand, and the deadline hasn't passed. 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: {query title}
Hi {first name},
Responding to your request for {what they asked for}.
{Direct answer to their question, two to four sentences, with a specific example or number.}
{Optional: a second short point if they asked more than one question.}
{Your full name}, {title} at {company}. {One line on why you're qualified.}
{Company site} | {LinkedIn or headshot link if they asked}
Happy to answer follow-ups before your deadline.
{your first name}
The situation: A writer on Featured asked: "What's the biggest mistake students make when writing a literature review?" for an education site, deadline in two days. The product is Margin, a fictional notes app for researchers.
Subject: Re: Biggest mistake students make in a literature review
Hi Rachel, Responding to your request for the biggest literature review mistake. Losing track of where ideas came from. Students read 40 papers, take notes in three apps, and by the time they write, a third of their notes have no source attached. In our survey of 1,200 graduate students, 61% said this had happened to them. The fix is boring but works: write the source next to every note at the moment you take it. Ana Ruiz, head of research at Margin. I've studied how researchers take notes since 2021. margin.example | linkedin.com/in/anaruiz-example Happy to answer follow-ups before your deadline. Ana
Send once, four to seven days later, in the same thread. Add one new reason; don't repeat the pitch.
Subject: Re: {query title}
Hi {first name},
Only if it's still useful before your deadline: here's a one-line version of my answer, "{shorter quote}".
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.
Answering posted requests is the fastest form of digital PR: the writer has already said what they need. When you want to start the conversation yourself, the media pitch template is the outbound version, and the expert quote offer works for bloggers who don't post requests. Quotes in news coverage are also the kind of mention that shows up in AI search answers.
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.
HARO (Help a Reporter Out) was shut down and later relaunched, and several alternatives now carry most journalist requests: Qwoted, Featured, Help a B2B Writer, Source of Sources and #journorequest on social media. The same reply format works on all of them.
Reply quickly, answer the exact question in the first lines, include a specific example or number, and give your name, title and why you're qualified. Keep it under 200 words. Writers pick quotes they can paste with little editing.
Sometimes. Many publications credit sources with a name and company, and some link to the company site. Even without a link, the mention helps brand searches and is the kind of citation AI answers pick up.
Offering an expert quote template
For writers covering a topic you know well: offer a short, specific quote they can use with attribution.
Pitching a story to a journalist template
For reporters who cover your topic: one newsworthy angle, the facts that back it, and what you can provide.
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.
