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5 Deadly Mistakes to Avoid in Your Outreach Emails

SalesLegacy

By Zak Mustapha

Frustrating isn’t it? You've been working really long hard hours on your business, but no one’s showing appreciation. You’ve tried reaching out to several influencers, but…no response. In fact, you’re starting to doubt if you sent your message to the right email addresses in the first place.

Oh no, don’t worry you’ve got the right addresses. You probably just made a few deadly mistakes that sent your message to their trash folders. Good news for you, those days will soon be over once you learn to avoid these mistakes and implement these solutions.

But, before I get into that, let me tell you about the Golden Rule of outreach--the rule you must abide by if you ever want to succeed in influencer marketing and PR. Here it is:

Thou shalt make everything about them, offer them value, and continue to offer value WITHOUT asking in return."

Read that a few times so it sticks in your head. Now, let’s get started.

1. Trying to Be Batman (or Batgirl)

There’s a 10/10 chance you’re not reaching out to save someone's life; you’re reaching out because you want something. Yet, some marketers still insist on going anonymous. Your first and last names aren't enough (unless you’re famous). Here’s why.

The people you’re reaching out to are busy. They don’t have time for everyone. For that reason, they need to prioritize and pick whom they want to work with (and help). The way they do that is by figuring out who’s worth their time, and one way they do that is by looking at your name, job title, and company.

For example, if you’re just “John Doe,” then the chances of getting a response are low. For all they know, you could be a spam bot. On the other hand, if you’re “John Doe, VP of Growth at Cool Startup”… now we’re talking.

Action Plan: Make sure you introduce yourself in the beginning and end your message with a solid signature with your real contact details to prove that you’re a real person. Don’t hide behind a mask.

2. Thinking You’re the Only One in Their Life

You wish you were; unfortunately, you’re not. Remember, you’re reaching out for a reason (Hint: It’s because they can offer something) and most likely other marketers are reaching out for the same reason as you are.

When marketers forget that the person on the other end is loaded with emails, they begin to smack out paragraph after paragraph, forgetting that the person on the other end doesn’t have the time to read such an email.

Starting off your relationship with a long email is already taking up a lot of their time. They’ll be actually doing you a huge favor if they even read it, let alone respond.

Action Plan: Keep your emails short and to the point. Your emails should be no longer than 200 words, preferably 150 words or less.

3. Fanning Out

Appreciating the recipient’s work is nice, but sucking up to them like they’re out of this world is not. It makes them feel uncomfortable and it also burns your credibility. Oh and by the way, credibility is important if you want to get a response.

Action Plan: Show moderate appreciation and respect to the recipient. Speak to them in a professional tone.

4. You Sound Like a 6 Year Old

Nothing can hurt your credibility more than terrible grammar and typos. Granted, your English doesn’t need to be perfect, but that’s not an excuse for poor writing. Even if you don’t believe in judging someone based on their writing, it doesn’t matter. What matters is what the other person may be thinking. You want something from them--not the other way around.

Action Plan: Proofread your email before sending it and let someone else read it. Letting another pair of eyes have a look will sometimes point out errors you never thought existed.

5. Asking for Food, Shelter and Their Life

Not literally, but many marketers tend to have huge "asks." Whether it's asking for multiple things in one email or just having one massive ask, they are both bad. Remember these people are busy and they get asked for things all the time. Unless you’ve built a solid relationship beforehand, it’s best to keep your ask small and quick.

A good thing to do is to imagine you’re in a video game and you need credits to make asks. Whenever you give, you increase your credits; whenever you take, your credit bank reduces. So what are some ways to increase your "ask credits" with influencers?

  • Make them look good by offering a case study or testimonial for their books, courses, or products.
  • Refer clients and customers to them.
  • Offer valuable feedback and ideas on a regular basis.
  • Engage with them on their blog, social media, and newsletters.
  • Volunteer to do something for them.
  • If they’re hiring, introduce them to an awesome candidate.

And the list goes on and on. Just find a way you can offer value.

Action Plan: Give before you ask for something. Make sure to ask for one thing at a time.

About the Author

Post by: Zak Mustapha

Zak Mustapha is the founder of Zonifer.com and FoolishnessFile.com. He's on a mission to help entrepreneurs progress faster through learning from other people's mistakes. When he's not working on his startups, he's working out and practicing his Ninjustu.

Company: Foolishness File

Website: https://foolishnessfile.com

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