Search Engine Journal staff writer Roger Montti outlines a framework for signaling authority in outreach emails to earn more backlinks. Aimed at businesses running link acquisition campaigns, the guidance focuses on highlighting specific credentials in one or two sentences to improve publisher response rates and differentiate legitimate outreach from spam.
Key Details
The article, titled "Five Things To Do That Will Increase Authoritativeness And Earn Links" on Search Engine Journal, presents a concise approach Montti calls "Establishing your Bona Fides." The method centers on quickly signaling legitimacy to website publishers during outreach.
- Montti identifies five types of credentials to feature: awards, media appearances or mentions, publications by organizations, publications by peers, and author authority.
- Awards can include industry recognition, community honors, or acknowledgments for volunteer and charitable work, all of which act as social proof.
- Appearances on television news or citations in respected publications are described as visible signals that can elevate perceived authority.
- Contributions to association or organization publications - including offline magazines and newsletters - are highlighted as valuable third party validation, even when they do not provide direct links.
- Montti recommends referencing work published by respected peers and tailoring listed author credentials to align with each outreach target.
- He argues that investing time in building and presenting these bona fides reduces the need for repeated follow up emails during link building campaigns.
The piece notes that outreach emails using strong, verifiable credentials can quickly distinguish legitimate businesses from spammers. Montti also suggests placing the same credibility elements on a company's About Us page to give publishers an additional way to confirm authenticity.
Background Context
Roger Montti is listed as a staff writer at Search Engine Journal and as owner of Martinibuster.com. His author profile credits him with long term experience in search marketing, and the outreach advice is presented as the result of trial and error from developing more effective link building campaigns.
Montti positions the five credential types as elements that can be summarized in one or two sentences, giving publishers a quick basis to judge trustworthiness. He cautions against aggressive, repeated outreach and suggests that stronger, clearly presented credentials can lessen the need for frequent follow ups.
The article calls out association and organization publications, including offline magazines and newsletters, as underused channels by online marketers. Montti notes that even without direct links, being published or mentioned by recognizable institutions provides brands that can be referenced in outreach. He adds that photos with well known figures and clear author bios further support claims of expertise.
Source Citations
This summary is based on information from the following official sources:
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