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A Bulletproof Link Letter

Several years ago, we were doing some link-building efforts for a major media website that had

just launched an innovative product.The product was interesting enough that we thought some of

the industry thinkers with blogs might want to take a look, and maybe even write a review.So, like

Little Red Riding Hood skipping into the forest,we sent out a bunch of our usual perky, polite link

request letters.

Hoo boy, were we in for a surprise! Bloggers can be a little bit like sleepy dogs that wake up snap-

ping their teeth.We received some less-than-polite responses:What were we doing pestering

them? Who the heck would want this product? Why the heck did we send this e-mail?

Worse, at least one blog actually published the text of our e-mail, with our full name and e-mail

address! That could have been more than a little embarrassing.

Luckily—or was it actually foresight on our part?—our letters were carefully written to avoid

embarrassment to ourselves or our client.We were eminently polite and professional.We described

the benefits of the product without resorting to heavy selling.And we took some time to review the

blogs for relevance before sending out our e-mails. Our punishment took the form of exposure, and

not worse.

Nowadays, there are blogs on every subject,from lost socks to lost souls,and surely there are some

in your industry.At some point in your link-building campaign, you’ll probably want to approach

one. Keep these guidelines in mind when you do:

•

Get to know the blog first.Read it for a while before you approach its owner.

•

Remember, it’s less about selling your site to the blogger and more about convincing them

that your site would be interesting to the blog’s readers.

•

If you really want a blogger to review your product,you’ll have better success if you send

them a freebie.Likewise, if your product is on a page that requires a login, consider offering

login information for the blogger’s sole use (but don’t send out login information in your first

correspondence!).

And, finally, imagine your e-mail posted on the blog for the whole world to see.Would this be

embarrassing in any way to you or your organization? If so,you need a rewrite.

To make your life a little easier, we’ve written a sample link request letter for

your use. Download it from our companion website at

www.yourseoplan.com

.

Now:

Open a new document and write your own general link request letter including your site’s must-

have information. Save it in your SEO Idea Bank.

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