Outreach is difficult, but in many cases, it’s the first step in establishing a solid relationship with a possible client.
It’s probable that the individual you’re contacting gets hundreds of outreach requests every day, so make sure yours stands out otherwise you’ll be among the trash with the rest.
Let’s take a look at some of the most egregious outreach mistakes you should avoid at all costs.
The audience is a mystery to you.
Let’s start with the most basic principles. Make sure you get the recipient’s name correct! There is nothing more unappealing than opening an email only to discover that it was sent by a computer that made a mistake and misspelt your name. Automated emails are certainly simple, but taking that few extra seconds to double-check that each name is correct might make all the difference. It may appear to be a no-brainer, but this error is frequently made and can be avoided if you keep your eye on the ball.
Offending the reader in the first two lines
Here’s the hitch: no matter how famous the individual is, you’re reaching out to them and asking for their help, so be cautious of how you come across. A little flattery and a personal touch will go a long way.
Selling what they already have
According to George, from SEO link building agency Niche Inbound, reaching out to people who have no need for your project just increases the possibility of receiving no responses. Nothing says “lazy” like someone who hasn’t bothered to do their homework properly. If you don’t have unique content, no one will want to link to your website if there’s already something similar on it, and doing so may harm your reputation for future uses.
Bad email etiquette
Only a tiny proportion of the computer-savvy public should need to be chastised in 2018 for poor email etiquette and not getting them very far!
The most crucial aspect of your email is its subject line. Any message that is too long will not be read. It may appear abrupt and unpleasant if it’s insufficiently lengthy. Most importantly, the topic line must be perfect. A spelling or grammatical error in the subject heading might cause it to be discarded straight into the junk folder.
Use short, concise language. Be considerate of others’ time by avoiding needless waste of it. The initial touchpoint should be a hook that you can use to reel in the potential customer with the following details.
Reaching out to expired websites
Another common outreach violation is infesting dead and out-of-service websites. It’s yet another huge time waster for both the end customer and you. Once again, research is critical, and you must ensure that the site you are attempting to contact is still active and accepting requests.
Disturbing your contacts
With any form of a sales pitch, the line can frequently be blurred between providing what consumers want and becoming a nuisance. It’s easy to become desensitized to the convenience of automation and forget that the people you’re contacting are actual humans like you or me with lives, jobs, and an overflowing inbox. It will not be beneficial to contact someone fifty times in a row, believing it is your first encounter.
