Email Outreach: 8 Best Practices to Increase Response Rates

Drafting outreach emails can be demanding, especially if you're a small or medium brand and the influencer has a significant following.

As a digital marketing expert, we've heard several brands complain that their email outreach campaigns aren't getting the desired results. Sometimes, it's because the outreach emails are poorly crafted, and other times, the mail gets lost in the spam folder.

Email outreach is a skill, and in this post, we've outlined some best practices that can help your cold email outreach efforts stand out.

What Is Email Outreach?

Email outreach is the process of reaching out to influencers or potential clients via email to build relationships, form partnerships, promote content, or get backlinks.?

In the context of influencer email outreach, the person you're reaching out to is an influencer or a potential brand ambassador. Usually, the aim is to form a partnership or alliance that benefits your brand.

While this may seem straightforward, many brands struggle to carry out successful influencer email outreaches. One major reason for this is their inability to craft appealing outreach emails.?

Indeed, we've read several cold emails that missed the mark right from their subject lines. Another reason outreach emails might fail is inadequate research. Before reaching out, you need to be sure that the creator's values align with your brand’s.?

Best Practices for Email Outreaches

As we mentioned in the introduction, crafting cold emails is a skill. If your influencer email outreach is not getting the desired response, consider applying the tips below.

1. Personalize Your Emails

Source: Backlinko

One of the best ways to improve response rates (the number of people responding to your email) is email personalization. You can achieve this by using their names, complimenting or referencing a recent work they did.?

Backlinko's analysis of over a million outreach emails revealed that personalized emails got one-third more replies than generic emails.

Personalizing your cold email reveals you have significant knowledge of your recipient's brand's values and the pain points they hope to solve. This demonstrates that your outreach email was a product of careful consideration.

2. Pay Attention to Your Email Subject Line

The subject line is the first part of your outreach email your recipient sees. Ensure you make it catchy and direct.?

Your subject line should summarize the main purpose of the outreach email without sounding boring or mundane.?

The quality of your subject line can significantly impact your response rate.

3. Draw Up a Template?

Drafting each email from scratch when contacting the people on your outreach list is time-consuming. We always advise brands to create templates they can quickly personalize and send out.?

Creating several templates for different scenarios might be best depending on the nature of your email outreach. You can find templates online or draft them yourself.?

?? When creating your own templates, leave enough room for personalization. Always try to send a different message to everyone on your email outreach list.

4. Keep Cold Outreach Emails Short and Direct

Short and direct cold outreach emails are more likely to get a response. Avoid beating around the bush.?

Open with a greeting, introduce yourself and your company name, say something friendly, and clearly state your reason for reaching out. You can then close with a thank you and CTA.

5. Offer Value

Always try to add value via your outreach emails, even if it's just a short word of encouragement or an acknowledgment of their hard work/creativity.?

You should also state from the get-go what the influencer stands to gain from the partnership. Are you offering them free products? A sneak peek into your new collection? Or a feature on your social media pages??

Check out this example:

We also advise that you deliver value first before presenting your request. Share valuable information, offer to do something for them, or give a free trial of your product or service.?

Clearly stating what they stand to gain can significantly increase your response rates.?

6. Show Social Proof

This is especially important for upcoming SME businesses. You might have researched them, but the recipient most likely does not know much about you.?

Presenting social proof at first contact proves to the recipient that your brand is worth working with. Briefly state your company name and its major selling points. You can also add a link to your social media platforms.

Other forms of social proof include colleague referrals and testimonials.?

7. End with a Soft CTA

Soft CTAs are questions that require either a yes or no answer. A soft CTA increases your response rate because it gives your recipient less information to assimilate and leaves space for several possibilities.?

Examples of soft CTAs include:

• Interested?
• Are you up for a collaboration?
• Can we send you some products?
• When is a good time to call?

Here is an example of a template that ends with a soft CTA:

8. Leverage Follow-Up Emails?

It's standard practice to send a follow-up email if you still await a response within 3 to 7 working days. However, you should be careful so you don't appear desperate.

Keep your follow-up email short and direct. Highlight the most important points of your previous email, reiterate the benefits of the partnership, and end with a CTA to reach out to you for more information.

Also, consider reaching out on other platforms. Many influencers check their social media platforms more than they check their mail. Sending them a direct message on their most active platform increases the chances of your message getting seen.?

Lastly, limit your follow-up email to at most three emails, and limit reaching out on other platforms to once or twice. If you still do not get a reply, consider waiting a few weeks before reaching out or requesting that they suggest a colleague.

5 Steps to Carrying Out an Effective Email Outreach Campaign?

Now that we've outlined some tips for mastering email outreach, here are five steps to an effective outreach.?

Step 1: Update Your Social Media Presence

This may seem unimportant, but your social media presence can greatly impact your response from a creator. Sprout Socials’ 2024 influencer report revealed that 93% of influencers agree that a brand's social media presence affects whether or not they accept the collaboration.?

A thriving online presence makes it easier for influencers to identify possible collaborations and accept your request.?

Step 2: Draw Up a List of Potential Creators

Source: Pexels

The next thing you want to do is draw up a list of creators you would like to work with. The ideal influencer for your brand is one whose brand values align with yours.?

Another quality to look out for in creators is their audience. Shoot for creators whose audience is within the same demographic as your target customers.?

Step 3: Gather Their Email Addresses and Social Media Handles

Once you've outlined the creators you wish to work with, the next step is gathering their email and social media handles. You can typically find this information in their bio.?

Step 4: Engage on Their Pages with Your Brand Page

Next, engage on their social media pages using your brand account. Engaging with their account from your brand page puts you on their radar. Think of it as warming up your cold leads. This way, when you finally reach out, you won't be a stranger.?

Step 5: Shoot Your Shot

Once you've gathered their email addresses, send out your outreach emails and await a response. Remember to apply the tips we discussed above.?

Let Vivian Agency Help You Manage Your Influencer Relationships?

Your outreach email is often your first contact with a potential influencer. The impression you make can determine whether or not they accept your collaboration request.

Managing influencer relationships can be daunting, especially for small and medium businesses without a selected workforce dedicated to that aspect of marketing. If this sounds like you, our team can help.

Vivian Agency is a boutique digital marketing firm specializing in customized affiliate and influencer marketing for B2C brands like yours. We've had great success in closing several influencer deals for our clients and can help you manage your partnerships, from outreach campaigns to onboarding and execution.

If this interests you, book a call today or reach out to the team via our contact page.