Outreach Do's and Don'ts

Outreach was one of my main tasks for 4 years. So, I've decided to share a few insights I've come up with working as Partnership Manager.

Before I list my do's and don'ts, I'd like to cover what is outreach first?

What is Outreach?

Shortly, outreach is the process of finding partners, reaching them out via mail, social channel, etc.

From the company's view, the primary outreach goals can be: finding new partners, guest-post placing, reciprocal marketing, etc.

From the Influencer/blogger's view, the main outreach points can be cross-promotion, common articles/videos (for instance, interviews), guest-posting, etc.

Outreach Dos:

⚡Make your email/message personal
Discover the person you reach out to, read all important pages (like, contact us, about us), check social media profiles.
⚡Be brief, but not too long
Make a quick introduction, share your message purpose.
⚡Follow up
Honestly, I don't like to be annoying, but lots of emails get lost or go to the spam folder, so make sure to follow up with the person after a month or so.
⚡Be kind
I think it's obvious, but sometimes I receive rude and non-polite emails, so please be patient, honest, and kind.
⚡Convenient contacts
Find the most comfortable way for a person to be contacted. Sometimes, the person hates email or messenger. You can find this information on contact/about/social pages.

Outreach Dont's

😩No bulk mailing
Please don't do mass newsletters; it's annoying.
😩A lot of links
You may include a necessary link in your message, but don't over-spam the person you reach out to.
😩Strict/Demanding tone of voice
Your email is about "to ask", not "demand". So, no need to write "reply asap", "you must", or smth like this.
😩Spamming mails
Each person has limited time for reading your emails; thus, don't overuse this attention and make your email/message understandable. For instance, sending an email with 1 sentence ("Do you have time for chatting?", "How are you?") - these questions are okay in personal communication, but not in professional.

Sum up

In conclusion, I'd like to highlight my three main principles: be friendly, brief, and understandable.

What are your top dos in outreach? 😊