Free tool
Outreach volume planner
Pick a link target. The planner works back to how many posts you need to find, how many emails that means once follow-ups are counted, and how many sending mailboxes you need to do it safely.
BacklinkGenie's ceiling is 35. Going higher on one mailbox raises spam risk.
Posts to pitch each month
first pitches
Total emails each month
pitches + follow-ups
Mailboxes needed
Time until full volume
for new mailboxes
What this means
The formula
First pitches = links ÷ (reply rate × win rate). Each prospect who doesn't reply gets your follow-ups, so emails ≈ pitches + non-replies × follow-ups. Divide by sending days and by what one mailbox can safely send per day to get the number of mailboxes.
Improve the rates before adding volume
- Pitch posts that already list tools like yours. A roundup that's missing you converts far better than a cold guest post request.
- Find the person who edits the post, not a generic sales inbox.
- Name the post in the subject and the first line. Check yours with the subject line tester.
- Stop at two follow-ups. More rarely helps and annoys editors.
If the numbers say you need more mailboxes, read sending outreach from Google Workspace before adding seats, and use the warmup calculator to plan the ramp. Or compare the cost of running it yourself with a managed sending setup. Not sure what link target to enter? Work it out from the pages you want to outrank with the how many backlinks do I need calculator.
Questions people ask
How many outreach emails does it take to get one link?
It comes down to two rates: how many pitches get a reply, and how many replies end in a link. Multiply them and invert. At 8% replies and 30% of replies converting, you need about 42 first pitches per link. Better targeting moves both rates more than sending more email does.
Do follow-ups count toward sending limits?
Yes. Every follow-up is another email from your mailbox, so it uses the same daily allowance as a first pitch. If you send two follow-ups to prospects who don't reply, your total volume can be close to three times your number of first pitches. The planner includes that.
How many emails a day can one mailbox send for outreach?
Far fewer than its technical limit. Google Workspace allows thousands a day, but cold outreach at that volume ends in spam folders. Keep each mailbox in the low dozens per day once it's warmed up. BacklinkGenie caps each mailbox at the shared ramp used in this planner.
Why does a new mailbox take weeks to reach full volume?
Mailbox providers trust senders with a history. A new domain that sends dozens of cold emails on day one looks like a spammer. Ramping slowly, a few more emails every couple of days, builds that history. Plan for about a month before a new mailbox sends at its ceiling.
What if I need more links than one mailbox can support?
Add mailboxes, each on its own domain, rather than pushing one mailbox harder. Spreading volume keeps every mailbox at a safe daily number and limits the damage if one domain has a bad week.
Related
Mailbox warmup calculator
See how many days a new outreach mailbox needs to reach full volume, and how many pitches a month you can send across several mailboxes.
Link building cost per link calculator
Work out what one earned link really costs when you do outreach yourself, hire an agency or buy placements, using your own reply and win rates.
SPF and DMARC record generator
Build correct SPF and DMARC TXT records for a new outreach domain, with the exact host and value to paste into your DNS.
See where your next links could come from.
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.
