How to create catchy, effective subject lines for link outreach

In the world of link building, few things are more frustrating than spending hours sending carefully crafted emails to people and not getting a single reply.

None. Zero. Nada. Nichts.

Perhaps a bunch of those initial emails landed on seldom-used inboxes, or maybe some of the people on your list are not the right people to contact about your content.

At this point, most of us will sit down and build another list. It makes sense, right?

But before you decide to build another list, did you check your email open rates? If it’s below 5 percent, then your subject line probably sucks.

Before spending more time finding new sites, you should fix your subject line and try again.

Let’s look at tested formulas and subject-line mistakes you need to stop making right now.

Can a subject line really make such a difference?

Much has been written about the perfect subject line in the world of email marketing, but less about content promotion.

That’s why you see so many email marketing tips being applied to link outreach, even though they are two very different worlds.

In one world, you’re more likely to be contacting someone who has opted in because she wants to receive your emails.

In the other world, you’re pitching content to someone who doesn’t know you in hopes of getting a link back to your site.

The scenario is different, so your mindset needs to be different as well.

The foot-in-the-door technique

One of the most powerful theories I’ve applied to my subject lines comes from the world of social psychology, more specifically from the psychology of compliance.

The foot-in-the-door technique tells us that agreeing to a small request will increase the likelihood of agreeing to a second, larger request.

For example, imagine one of your colleagues asked you to sit in on her behalf at the weekly client call because she has a personal errand to attend to. This is a small request that seems reasonable: You work with this client and know what’s going on, so you attend the call and share updates with the client. A week later, the same colleague asks you to take her place on all future weekly calls with this client.

This is definitely a bigger request than the first one.

Research shows that the foot-in-the-door…

[Read the full article on Search Engine Land.]