How to Build Backlinks Using Link Insertion in 7 Steps

Link insertions are one of the most popular link building tactics used by 42% of SEO professionals, yet only 14% call them their best-performing tactic, according to Reporter Outreach's survey of 500 SEO pros.

That gap usually comes down to who you pitch and what you offer them. In this guide, I’ll show you how to find the right prospect list, write a pitch people can’t ignore, and run a successful link insertion campaign in ListBrew.

Step 1: Decide which content you want to build links to

Start by choosing the pages on your website that you want to build backlinks to.

Ideally, these should be pages that are already useful and relevant to your target audience, such as in-depth guides, original research, templates, or other link-worthy resources.

Once you’ve chosen your target pages, identify the topics and keywords they cover. This will help you find relevant articles where a link to your content would make sense.

Step 2: Find adjacent articles to pitch

Once you’ve chosen the page you want to build links to, look for articles that cover related topics, rather than the exact same topic.

Jelo Guia, SEO Outreach Manager at Position Digital, explained why:

"We won't be reaching out to prospects who have written the same article, because they wouldn't have an additional incentive or a reason why they should be linking to us."

The goal is to find adjacent content where your article could add useful information or provide additional context.

For example, if you have an on-site article on “Guest Post Outreach Examples”, you could look for articles covering related topics such as:

• How to run a guest post outreach campaign

• Guest post outreach best practices

These topics are closely related to your resource, but they don't directly compete with it. This gives you a clearer reason to suggest your content as an additional resource.

How to find adjacent articles in ListBrew

First, you need to create a new campaign and choose Link Insertion as your campaign type.

Then, add the page you want to build links to and add some context of what the page is about. You can also ask ListBrew to read the page and it will suggest several angles to target.

Follow the rest of the steps, and ListBrew will then find existing articles where a link to your page fits naturally.

Review the results ListBrew shows, then filter by domain authority, traffic, Google rankings, or AI visibility to prioritize opportunities with the highest impact.

Step 3: Find the right contacts

The right contact for a link insertion pitch is the person who can edit the article.

Our outreach team usually starts with content roles such as writers, editors, and content managers.

If the team can’t find contact roles, they move to SEO roles (SEO specialists or managers), then to general marketing roles (marketing managers), and C-suite (founders, directors, CEOs).

The domain’s generic email address (hello@domain.com) is the last resort, used only when nobody in those roles can be found.

Getting this right decides whether you hear back at all. Send the pitch to someone who can't change the page and you'll get silence, which Jelo says is worse than a no:

"It's always better that they reject you than that they ignore you, because at least you establish a connection with those prospects who rejected you."

How to find contacts in ListBrew

Inside ListBrew’s dashboard, click the Find contacts button at the top of the results.

Choose People by role and enter the roles you want to reach out, such as: content writer, author, content editor, content manager, content marketing specialist, etc.

Click Find Contacts and wait a few minutes as ListBrew populates the contact details of each opportunity.

Step 4: Write a personalized pitch

Avoid generic messages that simply ask whether the prospect accepts link insertions.

A good link insertion pitch should make it clear to the prospect what you want to add, where it should go, and why it would improve their article.

When writing your pitch, include the following:

• The article: Mention the specific page you're referring to.

• The placement: Point to the exact section, paragraph, or sentence where your addition belongs.

• The suggested text: Write the sentence or short passage yourself, so the prospect doesn't have to.

• The value: Explain how the addition helps their readers, such as answering a question the article skips.

For example:

Hi {{firstName}},

I was reading your article on {{article topic}} and noticed that the section on {{section}} briefly mentions {{topic}} but doesn't go into much detail.

We have a guide that covers this in more depth, so I thought it could be a useful addition for your readers.

Would you be open to adding this sentence after {{specific sentence}}?

“{{suggested sentence with link}}”

It would give readers a more detailed explanation of {{topic}} without disrupting the flow of the article.

Thanks,

{{name}}

How to write a personalized pitch in ListBrew

Select the opportunities that have contacts and click Add to Outreach.

Name the sequence, open it from the Outreach tab, choose who to contact, and create a personalized pitch for each prospect with the help of AI.

It already has existing fields where you can enter the prospect’s article URL, what the gap is, your article URL, and where to add the link or paragraph.

Step 5: Send the pitch during working hours

Send link insertion pitches while the prospect is at work. Our outreach team sends Monday to Thursday, between 8am and 6pm in the prospect's own time zone, and never on a Friday.

If the prospect doesn’t reply, the team sends a follow-up email after two days, said Christine Altiche, SEO Specialist at Position Digital.

"We usually send our follow-up emails two days after the initial email."

The follow-up should be a shorter version of the first pitch. It still says what the email is about, what you're offering, and what the prospect gets, and it doesn't introduce a new offer.

Here’s an example:

Hi {{firstName}},

Following up on my email about your article on {{article topic}}.

I suggested adding this sentence after {{specific sentence}}, as the section on {{section}} only touches on {{topic}}:

“{{suggested sentence with link}}”

It links to our guide, so your readers get more detail on {{topic}} without leaving a gap in the article.

Would you be open to adding it?

Thanks,
{{name}}

How to send the pitch from ListBrew

After personalizing your pitch, move to the Sequence tab to set up your initial and follow-up emails.

From the Options tab, you can add your sender email address, set the sending schedule, signature, and sending limits.

Step 6: Offer something in return

These days, most prospects who reply to a link insertion pitch will ask for something in return. It's very rare for a site to add the link and ask for nothing, so decide what you can offer before the first email goes out.

The offer should be something that helps their site too. For example:

• Sharing the prospect’s article on your LinkedIn and newsletter

• Featuring the prospect in a relevant roundup

• Linking back to the prospect from a partner site

Keep whatever you offer relevant to both audiences, and negotiate with confidence. Jelo's advice:

"Just offer what you can offer, something that obviously has value to them, before you completely let go of a prospect, because at least by then you know that you already offered everything."

If the prospect still declines after that, the answer is no for now. Move on to the next one.

Step 7: Keep the relationship open

A link insertion campaign doesn't end when the link goes live. Keep in touch with the author or editor, because a contact who has worked with you once is a ready prospect for your next campaign.

Christine ends every collaboration the same way:

"I always tell them, let's keep in touch, because I can reach out to them again when I have a new client."

Contacts from campaigns she closed for one brand have since become prospects for the next. The same applies to prospects who turned you down, which is why the team would take a rejection over silence.

“When you do link building, you're not necessarily just building links, you're building connections.”

Start building backlinks using link insertion

Building backlinks using link insertion is mostly decided before you send the first email.

Choosing the page, finding adjacent articles, reaching the right person, and naming the exact placement do most of the work, and what follows is largely a matter of negotiation.

ListBrew keeps those steps in one place: it finds adjacent articles, pulls contact details, helps you write the pitch, and sends the sequence.

Create your free ListBrew account and start your next link insertion campaign today!

Link insertion FAQ

Can you run link insertion and guest post campaigns together?

You can run link insertion and guest post campaigns together, and our outreach team always does. Jelo describes it as a schedule: guest post outreach goes out in the first week of the month, and link insertion follows in the second or third week.

The two campaigns use different prospect lists. Guest post outreach targets companies that share your audience, while link insertion targets individual articles on adjacent topics, and our guide to guest post outreach covers that process.

Is link insertion harder than other link building outreach?

Link insertion currently gets fewer replies than our other outreach campaigns. Jelo says listicle and ego bait campaigns bring the most responses for the team, guest posts come next, and link insertion comes last, although link insertion had the higher response rate before AI search arrived.

Jelo's view is that the fix lies in the pitch, which is why Steps 2 to 4 carry so much weight. If listicles suit your product better, read our guide to listicle outreach.

What is the difference between link insertion and the skyscraper technique?

The difference between link insertion and the skyscraper technique is who you pitch. A skyscraper campaign asks the sites linking to a competing article to link to yours instead, while link insertion, as our team runs it, pitches articles on adjacent topics that don't cover the same ground.

Position Digital's outreach team ran skyscraper campaigns before moving to adjacent targeting.