Link Building Outreach Skill
Reviews the full link building outreach pipeline: reads your opportunity list, finds author contacts, analyzes target articles, and generates personalized outreach drafts for manual sending.
Overview
Use this skill to turn outreach opportunities into a structured workflow: article analysis, contact discovery, personalized email drafting, and follow-up planning.
Best For
- SEO teams running link-building campaigns that need better reply quality
- SaaS teams trying to earn placements in listicles, comparisons, and resource pages
- agencies that need repeatable outreach without mass-template language
- operators who want contact research, relevance analysis, and draft writing in one system
Start With
Setup outreach — my product is https://yourproduct.com, my audience is SEO teams, my name is Jane, my title is Founder
Prepare outreach drafts
Prepare outreach drafts for https://example.com/best-seo-tools
External Access And Minimum Credentials
This workflow can touch external services. Use the minimum credentials needed for the stage you are running:
GOOGLE_SHEETS_TRACKER_URL: optional source for opportunity rows; prefer read-only or exported CSVSERPAPI_API_KEY: recommended for article discovery and search-driven contact research- no mail credentials are required for research and draft generation
If these are unavailable:
- accept pasted tables or CSV files instead of assuming sheet access
- stop at draft generation instead of pretending the skill can send mail
- do not claim private inbox or spreadsheet access without explicit credentials
Access Policy
Safe default: this skill should stop at research, contact discovery, and draft generation.
- spreadsheet input is optional; pasted tables and CSV exports are valid inputs
- do not assume Gmail, Workspace, inbox, or sheet access by default
- if credentials are missing, produce drafts and a send-ready checklist instead of pretending delivery happened
- if the user wants delivery, hand off to a separately approved sender workflow rather than assuming this skill can send mail directly
Core principle: The only reason outreach emails don't get replies is that authors can tell in one second it's a mass template. Every step in this pipeline exists to produce one thing: an email that could only have been written for that specific article.
When to Use
- Before or during a link building campaign
- Processing a batch of outreach opportunities from a spreadsheet
- Finding contact info for article authors
- Generating personalized outreach drafts at scale
- Single-opportunity quick outreach
Quick Start
First time: Tell Claude:
"Setup outreach — my product is [URL], my audience is [description], my name is [name], my title is [title]"
Every time after:
"Prepare outreach drafts" or "Prepare outreach drafts from this CSV / sheet export"
Setup (One-Time Only)
Ask the user for these four things if not already provided:
| Input | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Product URL | Main product/service page | https://yourproduct.com |
| Target Audience | Who uses the product | SEO professionals, growth hackers |
| Your Name | For email signature | Jane Smith |
| Your Title | Job title | Founder at Acme SEO |
During Setup, Claude Will:
- Fetch product page — Extract product name, features, USPs, tone/voice
- Identify differentiators — What makes this product stand out vs. alternatives
- Generate base email templates — One per article type (Best/Top, How-to, Review, Resource)
- Confirm with user — Show a summary before proceeding
⚠️ Note: Competitor analysis requires either a manually provided competitor list or a connected SEO API. Claude will ask if none is available.
Store all setup output in memory for the session. If context is lost, re-run setup.
Outreach Pipeline (6 Steps)
Step 1 — Read Opportunity List
Source: A connected tracker if explicitly configured, or a CSV/table pasted directly.
Required columns:
| Column | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|
URL | Target article to get a link from | https://example.com/best-seo-tools |
Target Page | Your page to link to | https://yourproduct.com |
Status | Processing flag | pending |
Auto-detected optional columns: Article Type, Anchor Text, Notes
If a tracker is explicitly configured, filter to rows where Status = pending. Update Status to processed after each row completes. If no tracker is configured, ask the user for a pasted list or CSV export instead.
Step 2 — Detect Article Type
Fetch each target URL and classify based on title keywords and page structure:
| Type | Detection Signals | Author's Core Interest |
|---|---|---|
| Best / Top List | Title: best, top, N tools, review of | Content coverage — did I miss anything important? |
| How-to / Tutorial | Title: how to, guide, tutorial, step-by-step | Reader success — can readers actually complete each step? |
| Review / Comparison | Title: review, vs, comparison, alternatives | Helping readers choose — did I cover the right options? |
| Resource Page | Many outbound links, aggregator structure | Resource completeness — is this list genuinely useful? |
| Other | Cannot classify | Flag for manual review |
Why this matters: The same product needs a completely different pitch depending on article type. For a Top List, the angle is "your list is missing this tool." For a How-to, the angle is "this tool removes the hardest manual step in your tutorial." Same product, entirely different email. Getting the type wrong means the entire email will feel off.
If user pre-filled Article Type, skip detection and use their value.
Step 3 — Find Contact Information
Priority principle: Finding the right person matters more than finding any email. Sending to the actual author or site owner gets 3-5x higher reply rates than sending to a generic contact address.
Never guess an email address. A guessed email that bounces damages your sending domain's reputation and flags your domain as a spam source. An honest "Not Found" is always better than an unreliable guess.
Search in this priority order. Stop as soon as a high-confidence result is found:
1. Article byline
→ Extract author full name
→ Search "author name + site domain" to find their contact
2. Website Contact / About page
→ Visit /contact, /about, /team, /advertise
→ Extract any email directly listed — this is the most reliable source
3. Author personal website
→ If byline links to author's own site, visit it
→ Check their About or Contact page
4. Twitter/X bio
→ If author has a linked Twitter profile, visit it
→ Check bio text and pinned tweet for email
5. Not found
→ Mark as Not Found
→ Recommend Twitter DM or LinkedIn message instead
→ Do NOT attempt to guess or construct an email address
⚠️ LinkedIn: LinkedIn prohibits automated data scraping. If LinkedIn is the only available source, flag the entry as
confidence: Lowand explicitly recommend manual DM. Do not attempt to extract data from LinkedIn profiles.
Output per entry:
email: [email protected]
source: contact page / byline search / Twitter bio / not found
confidence: High / Medium / Low / Not Found
Confidence levels and recommended actions:
| Confidence | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| High | Directly from Contact page or official source | Send immediately |
| Medium | From social bio or indirect page | Quick verify on Hunter.io before sending |
| Low | Single unverified source | Must verify on Hunter.io before sending |
| Not Found | All channels exhausted | Switch to Twitter DM or LinkedIn message |
Step 4 — Deeply Analyze Target Article
This step determines email quality. Generic outreach tools stop at Step 3. The difference between a reply and an ignored email is almost entirely decided here.
Fetch and read the full article content. Extract four things:
① Find a specific, quotable reference to use in the email
Goal: Make the author know in the first sentence that you genuinely read their article — not a bot, not a template.
Find one specific thing from the article: a concrete claim, a data point, a recommendation, or a position the author took. This will be the opening of the email.
❌ Without this analysis:
"I really enjoyed your article on SEO tools. It was very insightful!" (Could apply to any article. Author ignores it.)
✅ With this analysis:
"Read your SEO tools comparison — you pointed out that most tools have a 24-48hr backlink data lag. That's something we hear constantly from users too." (References something specific. Author thinks: "This person actually read it.")
② Identify the content gap — your entry point
Find what the article does NOT cover: a tool category, a use case, a type of user, or a feature area that's missing.
This gap is the reason your product belongs in the article. It's not "our product is great" — it's "your article covers X and Y but not Z, and Z is what [Your Product] does."
Example: An article reviewing 10 SEO tools covers keyword research, technical audit, and backlink analysis — but says nothing about AI Overview tracking. If your product tracks AI Overviews, that's the gap. The pitch writes itself.
③ Assess the author's writing style and audience
Determine: Is this author data-driven or experience-driven? Are they writing for beginners or experts? Is the tone formal or casual?
This directly controls the email's tone and vocabulary. A mismatch in tone — too formal for a casual blogger, too casual for a professional publication — will make even good content feel wrong.
| Author Style | Email Approach |
|---|---|
| Data-driven, cites research | Lead with numbers or a specific metric |
| Experience-based, practical | Lead with a relatable scenario or problem |
| Beginner-focused | Plain language, explain what your product does simply |
| Expert/technical | Skip basics, reference specific technical differentiation |
| Casual, conversational | Short sentences, informal language, no corporate speak |
| Formal, professional | Complete sentences, structured, no slang |
④ Define the one-sentence relevance statement
Combine the above three into a single sentence: what your product does for THIS article's readers in THIS specific context.
This sentence is the core of the email body. Everything else supports it.
Produce this analysis card before writing the email:
article_summary: [one sentence on what the article covers and its main conclusion]
key_reference: [the specific quote, claim, or section to open the email with]
gap_identified: [what topic/tool/use case is missing that your product covers]
author_style: [data-driven / experience / beginner / expert + formal / casual]
relevance_statement: [one sentence: your product helps this author's readers do X]
Step 5 — Generate Personalized Email
Using setup data + the Step 4 analysis card, generate one email per opportunity.
Five non-negotiable rules:
Rule 1: Under 150 words — strictly enforced
Authors are busy. Every word over 150 reduces reply probability. The email must be completable in 30 seconds. If you cannot say it in 150 words, cut — don't expand.
Rule 2: First sentence must prove you read the article
Never open with:
- "Hope this finds you well"
- "I came across your article"
- "My name is X and I work at Y"
- Any sentence that could apply to any article
Open with the specific reference identified in Step 4①. Make the author's first reaction be "this person actually read my piece."
Rule 3: Reference ONE specific piece of content — never generic praise
One precise reference > five vague compliments.
❌ Generic: "Your article was really comprehensive and well-researched." ✅ Specific: "Your point about backlink data lag (24-48hrs for most tools) is something our users bring up constantly."
Rule 4: One ask only — make it impossible to misunderstand
The author must finish reading and know exactly what you want them to do.
❌ Vague: "Would love to explore some collaboration opportunities or a potential partnership." ✅ Clear: "Would it make sense to add [Product] to your list? Happy to set up a free trial account."
One action. Clear outcome. Low effort to say yes.
Rule 5: Match tone to author style
Use the author style assessment from Step 4③. Casual author = casual email. Technical author = technical email. This is not optional — tone mismatch is one of the most common reasons good pitches get ignored.
Full before/after example:
Target article: "Top 10 SEO Tools in 2025" Author style: Data-driven, professional, expert audience
❌ Email without Skill:
Subject: Partnership Opportunity
Hi,
Hope this email finds you well. I came across your article about SEO
tools and found it very helpful and insightful.
I wanted to reach out because we have a great SEO tool called [Product]
that I think would be a great fit for your article. It has many amazing
features including keyword tracking, backlink analysis, site audit,
and much more.
Would love to discuss a potential partnership or collaboration.
Please let me know if you're interested.
Best regards,
[Name]
✅ Email with Skill:
Subject: One gap in your SEO tools roundup
Hi [Name],
Read your SEO tools comparison — your point about backlink data lag
(24-48hrs for most tools) is something we hear constantly from users.
One category your roundup doesn't cover: AI Overview tracking.
It's becoming a significant o
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