Outreach: Negotiating Placements
Six steps of the process from database collection to link verification, realistic response and timing figures, the main mistake of mass mailings, and how outreach complements automation.
Outreach is the work of obtaining placements through direct negotiations: you find suitable sites, contact the owners or editors, and negotiate publication. Unlike exchanges, there is no catalog and price list here — there is correspondence and human agreements.
What the Process Consists Of
- Database Collection. Searching for sites by topic, filtering out those that exist only for selling links.
- Quality Check. Traffic, link profile, whether the site is spammed with outgoing links.
- Finding Contact. A real person, not a general support address.
- First Email. Short, with a specific value proposition for their audience.
- Negotiations and Placement. Terms, timing, link format.
- Verification. The link is in place, the page is indexed, attributes do not block weight transfer.
Realistic Expectations
| Indicator | Typical Picture |
|---|---|
| Response Rate to Emails | Single digits percent in mass mailings |
| Agreement Rate | Even lower, unpaid agreements are rare |
| Time to First Publication | Weeks |
| Placement Cost | Usually paid, even when discussing "partnership" |
Main Mistake of Outreach
Template emails sent to everyone. They do not work and damage the sender's domain: spam complaints affect the deliverability of all your emails. Better to send ten personalized emails than a thousand identical ones.What to Write in the First Email
- Address the person by name, not "Dear Site Owner".
- One sentence showing that you have read their site: specific material, not general praise.
- A specific topic that they do not yet have, and how it is useful for their readers.
- What you offer in return: expertise, data, illustrations.
- A short question at the end — it should be easy to answer "yes" or "no".
Outreach and Automation
They are not competitors, but different tools: outreach provides targeted strong placements, automation — volume and repeatability. A mixed profile looks more natural than one built in a single way. Comparison by tasks is in the article "How We Differ from Link Exchanges".
FAQ
What response rate is considered normal?
In mass mailings — single digits percent, and agreements are even fewer. Targeted emails work significantly better than template ones.
Can placements be obtained for free?
Sometimes, if the material is truly valuable to the site's audience, but in most cases, placements are paid.
Does outreach replace automation?
No, they are different tools: outreach provides targeted strong placements, automation — volume and repeatability.
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