Broken link outreach email template
Telling a site a link is dead, and offering a replacement.
A broken link email should name the exact page, quote the anchor text, and give the replacement URL in one line each. The favour is the report, not the request, so lead with the broken link and keep your suggestion to a single sentence.
At a glance
| Use it when | You have found a genuinely dead link on a relevant page |
|---|---|
| Length | 70 to 110 words |
| Tone | Helpful, not transactional |
| Ask for | Nothing directly, suggest the swap and let them decide |
The template
Subject lines that work with it
- Broken link on [page name]
- Dead link in your [topic] guide
- Quick fix for [page title]
How to write this email well
- Check the link is actually broken from more than one connection. Reporting a working link ends the conversation.
- Give the exact anchor text and where it sits on the page. Editors will not hunt for it.
- Suggest the replacement in one sentence, and make it genuinely equivalent. A hard sell here converts worse than a soft one.
Questions
Does broken link building still work?
Yes, because the first half of the email is a real favour. Reply rates are higher than generic link requests.
What if my page is not a perfect match?
Do not send it. A poor match wastes the goodwill the report earned you.
Should I follow up?
Once, after a week. The fix often happens without a reply, so check the page before chasing.
More link building templates
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Guest post pitch
Proposing an article to a site that publishes outside writers.
Link building
Resource page request
Asking to be added to a curated list of links.
Use this template in Gmail
Copy the HTML above and paste it into Mailplate, the free Gmail extension that inlines the CSS so the layout survives sending. Or edit the wording directly in the preview and insert it into your message.
See Mailplate