Blogger outreach is one of the most impactful yet underrated digital marketing strategies. Consider these recent statistics:
- 65% of brands participate in influencer marketing (Influencer Marketing Hub)
- 81% of marketers say influencer marketing is effective (Civic Science)
- Influencer marketing generates $5.20 for every $1 spent on average (Influencer Marketing Hub)
Whether you‘re a solopreneur, in-house marketer, or agency owner, blogger outreach can help you:
- Earn high-quality backlinks to drive organic search traffic
- Increase brand awareness and trust with your target audience
- Drive targeted referral traffic to your website and landing pages
- Generate social media engagement and followers
- Grow your email list with qualified leads
But let‘s face it – conducting manual outreach is incredibly time-consuming and mind-numbing. Finding relevant bloggers, gathering contact information, sending personalized emails, following up… it‘s a lot. That‘s where blogger outreach tools come in to streamline your workflow and get better results in less time.
As a digital marketing consultant who has been in the game for over a decade, I‘ve tested dozens of outreach tools. Most were clunky, glitchy, or just plain ineffective. But after much trial and error, I‘ve settled on my top 9 picks for the best blogger outreach software.
In this ultimate guide, I‘ll be sharing:
- An overview of what to look for in blogger outreach tools
- Detailed reviews of the top 9 tools including features, pricing, and pros and cons
- Comparison tables to help you make the best decision for your needs
- A step-by-step outreach campaign process (with tool recommendations)
- Tons of insider tips to maximize your ROI
Whether you‘re new to blogger outreach or a seasoned pro, this guide will give you everything you need to choose the right tools and execute effective campaigns. Let‘s get started!
What Makes a Great Blogger Outreach Tool?
Not all outreach tools are created equal. When evaluating different software options, these are the key factors I consider:
Influencer Database: How robust is the tool‘s database of bloggers and influencers? Can you search and filter by criteria like niche, domain authority, follower count, etc.? Are the contact details accurate and up-to-date?
Email Capabilities: Does the tool offer email finding, verification, templates, personalization, scheduling, tracking, and automated follow-up sequences? Can you send bulk outreach while maintaining a personal touch?
Relationship Management: Is there a way to keep track of your communication history and relationship stage with each influencer? Can you set reminders and tasks for important follow-ups?
Reporting and Analytics: Does the tool provide performance data on your campaigns, such as email open and reply rates, link placements, social shares, and ROI? Can you track your progress towards goals?
Ease of Use: Is the interface user-friendly and intuitive? Are there in-depth tutorials, resources, and customer support? Can you easily integrate the tool with your other marketing and sales software?
Price: Does the pricing model make sense for your budget and outreach needs? Is there a free trial or money-back guarantee? Are you paying for features you‘ll actually use?
Throughout my in-depth reviews, I‘ll be evaluating each tool based on these criteria. I‘ll also share my personal experience using the tools, good and bad. My goal is to help you avoid costly mistakes and invest in blogger outreach software that will generate real results for your business.
The Best Blogger Outreach Tools in 2024 (Detailed Reviews)
1. BuzzStream
Overview: BuzzStream is my top overall pick for blogger outreach software. This comprehensive platform covers all the bases from prospecting bloggers to managing campaigns and measuring results. It‘s a popular choice among top brands and agencies for good reason.
Features:
- Influencer research with 15+ search criteria
- Automated email finding and verification
- Email templates, personalization, and scheduling
- Automated follow-up sequences
- Relationship stage labeling and note-taking
- Tasks and reminders for timely follow-ups
- Link tracking and partner management
- Detailed reporting and team collaboration
Pros:
- All-in-one outreach CRM saves a ton of time
- Powerful prospecting and search capabilities
- Intuitive interface and easily accessible support
- Flexible plans for different size teams and needs
Cons:
- Higher learning curve than simpler tools
- Email sending limits on lower tier plans
- Pricier than standalone outreach tools
Pricing: BuzzStream offers five pricing plans to choose from:
- Starter: $24/month – 1 user, 1,000 contacts
- Group: $99/month – 3 users, 25,000 contacts
- Professional: $299/month – 5 users, 100,000 contacts
- Custom: $999+/month – unlimited users and contacts
Annual plans come with a 20% discount. A 14-day free trial is available on all plans.
Best For: In-house marketing teams and agencies that do a lot of influencer outreach. BuzzStream is totally worth the investment if you need a robust, scalable platform for managing high-volume campaigns and client campaigns.
2. Hunter
Overview: Hunter is best known as a powerful email finding and verification tool for marketers. But it also offers basic outreach features like email tracking, scheduling, and templates. At an affordable price point, it‘s a great option for bloggers and lean teams.
Features:
- Domain search and email pattern recognition
- Bulk email verification and confidence scores
- Chrome extension for on-page email lookups
- Email scheduling and tracking
- Follow-up reminders and reply detection
- Simple campaign management
Pros:
- Most affordable tool for email finding
- High email deliverability rates in my testing
- Handy Chrome extension for quick searches
- Generous free plan with core features
Cons:
- No influencer database or prospecting filters
- Limited CRM and team collaboration features
- Basic reporting and performance insights
Pricing: Hunter keeps it simple with three pricing options:
- Free: 50 monthly searches and 100 monthly verifications
- Starter: $49/month – 500 monthly searches and 1,000 verifications
- Growth: $99/month – 2,500 searches and 5,000 verifications
Save 30% with annual billing. Upgrade or downgrade plans anytime.
Best For: Bloggers, solopreneurs, and small teams that primarily need an accurate, affordable email finder. It‘s also great for marketers who want to quickly find and reach out to decision makers while browsing their websites.
3. BuzzSumo
Overview: BuzzSumo is an incredibly powerful content research and influencer outreach tool. Its standout features include content discovery, social media analytics, and curated influencer lists. If content marketing is a big part of your strategy, this tool is a must-have.
Features:
- Content analysis and performance metrics
- Influencer identification and outreach
- Question analyzer for finding popular topics
- Trending content alerts and digests
- Facebook analyzer for audience insights
- Backlink analysis and monitoring
- Content insights and comparisons
Pros:
- Best-in-class content research capabilities
- Saves hours of manual influencer prospecting
- Shows historical share counts for older content
- Highly accurate and up-to-date Facebook data
- Useful content alerts for staying on top of trends
Cons:
- No built-in email finding or verification
- Content and influencers limited to certain platforms
- Priciest tool on this list for all features
Pricing: BuzzSumo offers four subscription tiers (billed monthly or annually):
- Pro: $99/month – 1 user, 1-5 trending feeds, 1-50 keyword searches
- Plus: $179/month – 3 users, 5-10 feeds, 5-100 searches
- Large: $299/month – 5 users, 10-15 feeds, 10-150 searches
- Enterprise: $499+/month – 10+ users, 20+ feeds, 30+ searches
A free trial is available for all plans except Enterprise.
Best For: Content marketers, SEOs, and content creators who want to identify trending topics and top-performing content in their niche. It‘s also great for finding thought leaders to partner with on content.
Blogger Outreach Tools Comparison Table
To help you compare the key features and pricing of the top blogger outreach tools, I put together this handy table:
| Tool | Pricing (Monthly) | Email Finding | Influencer DB | Outreach Mgmt | Analytics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BuzzStream | $24+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Advanced |
| Hunter | $49+ | Yes | No | Basic | Basic |
| BuzzSumo | $99+ | No | Yes | No | Advanced |
| Pitchbox | $500+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Advanced |
| Mailshake | $59+ | No | No | Yes | Basic |
| Ninja Outreach | $119+ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Basic |
*Pricing based on lowest available paid plan. Check individual tool sites for latest prices and plan info.
As you can see, BuzzStream covers all the essential features at a reasonable starting price, making it my top overall recommendation. But depending on your top priorities and budget, another tool may be a better fit.
For example, if you‘re mostly focused on finding accurate email addresses, Hunter is a great affordable option. If you‘re a content marketer who wants to find the most engaging content to emulate, BuzzSumo is unbeatable. And if you‘re doing outreach on a massive scale, Pitchbox is worth the enterprise investment.
How to Use Blogger Outreach Tools to Execute Effective Campaigns
Now that you‘re equipped with the best blogger outreach tools, let me walk you through the steps to running an effective campaign:
Step 1: Define Your Goals and Target Influencers
Before you start reaching out to anyone, get crystal clear on your goals:
- Are you primarily seeking backlinks, social shares, or both?
- What kinds of websites and influencers are most relevant to your niche?
- Do you have specific criteria like site metrics or audience size?
Once you know what you‘re aiming for, it‘s time to build your initial prospect list. Here‘s where tools like BuzzSumo and BuzzStream come in handy for influencer research and list building.
Pro Tip: Look beyond the usual suspects and consider up-and-coming influencers in your vertical. They may be more responsive and yield better engagement than huge names with crowded inboxes.
Step 2: Find and Verify Contact Information
With your list of target websites and influencers in hand, the next step is gathering contact information. While some outreach tools have built-in email finders, I‘ve found Hunter to be the most reliable for bulk searches and verification.
Run your prospect list through the email finder and aim for at least 100 verified contacts. Discard any addresses with low confidence scores to maximize deliverability.
Pro Tip: When in doubt, test email addresses with Hunter‘s free email verifier before attempting outreach. A hard bounce can hurt your sender reputation and land you in spam folders.
Step 3: Craft Your Pitch and Personalize at Scale
A great outreach email is personalized, concise, and clearly communicates the value for the recipient. Avoid generic link requests or vague "collaborations."
Do your homework on each prospect and reference something specific from their content. Offering a relevant guest post or exclusive discount can increase your odds of a response.
But how do you send 100+ personalized emails without losing your mind? Enter outreach tools like Mailshake and BuzzStream:
- Create a master template with personalization tags
- Upload your prospect list with custom fields
- Schedule emails individually or in batches
- Set automatic follow-ups for unopened emails
Pro Tip: A/B test your subject lines and body copy to optimize open and reply rates. Just change one variable at a time for accurate results.
Step 4: Track, Adjust, and Scale Your Campaign
Congrats, your outreach campaign is live! But your work isn‘t done. This step is where most influencer marketers drop the ball. Use your tool‘s analytics capabilities to monitor your key metrics:
- Open, click, and reply rates
- Placement rate for content/links
- Conversions and revenue generated
Based on your results, make strategic adjustments like tweaking your template, increasing follow-ups, or adjusting your prospect criteria. With consistent tracking and optimization, you can turn a lackluster campaign into a revenue-generating machine.
Pro Tip: Nurture relationships with responsive influencers for future collaborations. Comment on their posts, share their content, and keep a pulse on their latest projects.
Final Thoughts: Investing in the Right Blogger Outreach Tools
I‘ve shown you the best blogger outreach tools on the market and how to leverage them for maximum ROI. But at the end of the day, tools are just that – tools.
The real "secret sauce" to effective outreach is in playing the long game. Build genuine relationships, put in the work to create valuable content, and always focus on creating win-wins. Ironically, the best "hacks" are usually the fundamentals.
That being said, investing in the right outreach software will absolutely give you an edge. And when used strategically, tools like BuzzStream can literally 10x your results by streamlining the busywork that usually eats up your precious time and energy.
So whether you go with my top pick of BuzzStream, email finding superstar Hunter, or any other tool featured here, you‘ll be well on your way to running better blogger outreach campaigns in less time.
Now I‘d love to hear from you:
- Have you tried any of the blogger outreach tools in this guide?
- What are your biggest challenges with influencer outreach?
Let me know in the comments and I‘ll do my best to help out. Happy outreaching!
