There’s a lot of debate about cold emailing in the SEO world. Some people are hesitant because it can sometimes come off as spammy or may be viewed negatively. But, if done correctly, cold emailing can be a powerful tool in an SEO’s arsenal.
Of course, misusing this method could hurt your brand’s reputation or lead to penalties from email providers. As major players like Google and Yahoo just redefined email practices with fresh policies, it’s crucial for you to respond and prepare your email address before any blasts. Conversely, a well-executed cold email strategy can grow your website’s backlink profile, boost your brand’s visibility, and help you form valuable connections in your industry.
Source: Freepik
To reap these benefits, you need to craft personalized and relevant cold emails, follow legal guidelines like GDPR, and keep improving your approach based on feedback and engagement data. A strategic approach to email outreach, which may seem like a risky play, could become a key part of your cold email outreach strategy.
Want to know more? Explore our expert guide to discover top cold email strategies for boosting your SEO efforts.
The Power of Cold Emailing in SEO
Email marketing is a strategy employed by 68% of businesses to enhance their SEO performance. Cold emailing, as part of this strategy, can achieve impressive outcomes if used properly. Here are some ways it can be beneficial:
- Building Links. By using cold emailing, you can achieve more link-building opportunities. Simply reach out to relevant websites and provide quality content or resources, and in turn, you could gain valuable backlinks to your own site.
- Guest Posts. Cold email messages can also lead to guest posting opportunities on well-respected websites. Craft appealing pitches and contact suitable platforms so you can contribute guest posts, improving your brand visibility, traffic, and backlinks.
- Nurturing Relationships. Cold emails are key to conversing with influencers or like-minded individuals in your industry, paving the way for future collaborations, partnerships, and extended online presence.
These instances illustrate how cold messages can be a significant asset in the SEO industry, helping you create link-building opportunities, secure guest posts, and form valuable industry connections.
Best Cold Email Tactics to Elevate Your SEO Strategy
Here, we’ll explore some of the top cold email strategies you, as a sender, can implement to boost your SEO game. Discover how strategic communication can supercharge your online visibility and unlock fresh opportunities on the internet.
#1. Perfect Your Subject Line
Your email’s subject line is its first impression, a crucial moment to get your reader’s interest. 35% of email recipients open emails based on the subject line alone! With that, 99% of cold email subjects look like spam. Only 1% get it right. It’s essential to craft them carefully.
Here’s how to create the perfect subject line for SEO-focused cold emails: aim to be intriguing, personalized, and relevant.
Including keywords or phrases tied to your recipient’s interests or field straight away shows the email’s value. Taking advantage of a keyword research tool by Backlinko or SE Ranking, for example, can help you find trending keywords and make your subject line more relevant and appealing.
One counterintuitive thing to avoid is naming the recipient in the subject line. It may seem personalized, but it often comes off as just the opposite. Instead, aim for a less flashy, more straightforward subject line.
“Subject lines of 1, 2, or 3 words work best. You need to make your subject line look boring. Everything that stands out in a subject line will instantly be marked as salesy and annoying.” – Yurii Veremchuk
Finally, consider A/B testing your subject lines. This can offer useful data on what your target audience responds to well, helping you refine your approach in the future.
If you don’t know where to start, try one of the AI tools for subject line generation.
#2. Keep It Brief
Long emails can become a burden to read. With short attention spans, people often disregard lengthy emails.
The key is to make your communication succinct yet powerful. Shorter emails tend to attract more attention because they are easy to digest amidst a cluttered inbox. The aim is to ignite interest and evoke a response while respecting your recipient’s valuable time.
Source: LinkedIn
Alt: Yurii’s post on the importance of getting straight to the point
You’ll want to keep your cold emails between 50 and 125 words. Skip all the unnecessary greetings and “hope this email finds you well…” Be greedy to every word!
Below are some additional tips to help you achieve the perfect length for your cold emails, based on the post of Ruslana T. from the Outbounders community:
- Remove filler words.
- Personalize the first line.
- Add impact, numbers, and tangible results.
Source: Outbounders
Alt: Cold email that can be shorter – if we remove accessive fillers
#3. Impeccable Grammar
The significance of perfect grammar in your cold email endeavors shouldn’t be underrated. In fact, it’s one of the most critical elements that contribute to building an impression of unwavering reliability and credibility.
- Creating a Great First Impression. Understand that your email might be your first interaction with your potential clients or partners. Any grammatical slip-ups can sabotage your first impression and might portray you as someone who lacks attention to detail and due diligence in their work practice.
- Enhancing Message Clarity. Correct grammar usage ensures that your message is conveyed as planned without any ambiguity. Grammatical inaccuracies may lead to misunderstandings, causing potential clients to misconstrue your services, benefits, and calls to action. This, in turn, can dampen the potency of your outreach activities.
- Boosting Response Rates. Well-drafted and error-free emails tend to garner more positive responses. An email written professionally encourages interaction, while errors can take away from your message, thereby reducing the chance of getting a reply.
#4. Don’t Forget a Call to Action (CTA)
Even the best email can miss the mark without a clear CTA. This is the part that guides your prospect to the next step, making your email effective in grabbing business opportunities.
Make it easy to reply ‘yes.’ Getting a positive response from your prospect can be easier if you make it simple for them to say ‘yes.’ Use a psychological trick and make your CTA straightforward and attractive. Such an email reduces the effort needed for your reader to decide. Craft a specific request or suggestion that benefits them or resolves their problem.
➖ Is Tuesday or Thursday better for you? (Meh, none of them.)
➕ Worth a chat?
➕ Curious to learn more?
➕ Should I provide more information?
Give before you ask. Offering something of value first sets the stage for an equal give-and-take relationship. For instance, an email ending with “Thoughts?” might come off as demanding without first offering assistance. This could deter the recipient from putting in the effort to provide feedback. However, offering some helpful insights, data, or a free mini SEO audit makes your outreach campaign more likely to get a positive reaction.
➖ Do you have time for a 30-min call tomorrow?
➕ Open to learning how they’re doing it?
➕ Would you be opposed to learning how?
Don’t push for a meeting. Your prospects are usually busy and might not appreciate such demands from an unsolicited email. Instead of asking for a meeting immediately, focus on building trust first. Recommending a direct meeting in the first email can overwhelm your prospect. A smarter approach is to invite them to read an article you’ve written, watch a relevant video, or answer a simple question. Over time, as you build credibility, proposing a meeting will seem like the sensible next step rather than an unwanted intrusion.
➖ Are you free next Monday?
➕ No rush but is this worth exploring?
➕ Is X on your radar for <time frame>?
Here’s one more example of how to improve cold email copy, particularly with a CTA revamp:
Source: LinkedIn
#5. Include all Contact Information
Sign-offs in your email should always include a signature with all your contact information – your name, company name, title, address, and phone number. Also, include the social media platforms where you’re active.
Giving complete sender contact details, like your phone number, email, website, and social media profiles, encourages prospects to connect with you in the way that suits them best. This lets them know that you’re a genuine business, not a faceless email attempting to spam them.
Source: Woodpecker
For instance, linking to your business website where prospects can see case studies or testimonials can be a great boost to your credibility. This practice also reinforces your brand identity and showcases your professionalism and attention to detail.
When you include your contact information, it simplifies things for your prospects. Whether they want to know more about your SEO services or different content optimization tools you have, having your contact information at their fingertips means they’re more likely to take the next step without delay.
#6. Send Follow-Up Emails
Following up on your initial email is crucial in cold outreach. This keeps your message actively in your prospect’s inbox and conveys your sincere interest. Given that your targets most likely receive a lot of emails, a follow-up gives them another chance to see your message and respond.
Did you know that a follow-up email gets 21% more replies than a first-time email? It’s worth including 1-4 follow-up emails in your tactics because they typically receive higher reply rates. You might lose out on potential opportunities if you don’t send at least a single follow-up email.
Remember, there’s no universal rule for follow-ups, but they definitely increase the likelihood of getting a reply. Also, it’s worth considering the timing of your follow-up. If done too soon, you might come off as overly eager. However, wait too long – and your cold email risks being forgotten.
#7. The Basics
When writing cold email copy for SEO purposes, it’s crucial to be friendly and avoid sounding like a template. Adopting a friendly tone can create a more engaging and approachable message that resonates with the recipient.
The SEO world is bursting with generic cold email templates. When the cold email directly addresses their unique SEO requirements, like improving their site’s keyword ranking or boosting their content plan, recipients are more likely to respond.
Today, many tools solve this personalization problem. You now have tools like Autobound, which researches a prospect and writes a personalized, thoughtful email you can send for 10-20 minutes, increasing the email reply rate by generating personalized, relevant sales emails using AI.
Source: Autobound
Also, it’s challenging to find one who hasn’t heard about Lemlist’s feature that allows you to send pictures with the recipient’s name written on a cup or a paper. Woodpecker went further and created a new tool that employs AI to make the same magic with videos. This friendly communication start gives the recipient a sense of importance and respect, which is a fantastic starting point for building rapport. Especially in SEO, which can be seen as convoluted or technical, a friendly approach makes your services seem easier to comprehend.
Source: Woodpecker
In short, set the stage for lasting, meaningful business relationships. When you open a dialog with your email by focusing on the recipient’s needs and how you can help, you’re laying the groundwork for future engagements. Over time, this leads to loyal customers and recommendations.
Summary
Using these cold email methods can significantly improve your SEO approach. From creating an interesting subject line to sending a follow-up email, each step is essential for building connections and starting engaging dialogues with industry experts. Give these strategies a try and witness the positive impact on your SEO metrics!