Short answer: collect relevant websites from search results, competitor backlinks and resource pages; remove weak and irrelevant sites with a bulk DR check; find the right person to contact on each site; and organise everything in a simple sheet. A small, well-researched list beats a huge, random one every time.
Step 1: Decide what you are pitching
Your list depends on your offer. A guest post pitch, a resource-page suggestion, a broken-link replacement and a data story each target different sites. Write down in one sentence what you are offering and why the site’s readers would care.
Step 2: Collect prospects
Good sources include:
- Search results: search your topic with phrases like “resources”, “useful links”, “guide” or “write for us”.
- Competitor backlinks: sites that link to similar content are proven to link in your niche.
- Roundups and lists: “best tools”, “top blogs” and similar articles.
- Communities: blogs of active members in forums, newsletters and industry groups.
At this stage, collect generously. You will filter next.
Step 3: Clean the list
Remove duplicates, social networks, big platforms that will not reply, and sites that are obviously unrelated. Paste the remaining domains into the bulk DR checker – it removes duplicates and URL paths automatically and gives you a live DR for each site.
Step 4: Filter by authority and age
- Sort by DR and set a sensible minimum for your niche. Our guide what DR should a site have helps you choose.
- Use the free Domain Age checker to spot very young domains with surprisingly high DR. Review those manually.
- Keep a few lower-DR sites if they are highly relevant and active – they often reply more.
Step 5: Check relevance and activity
Open each remaining site. Has it published recently? Does it cover your topic? Would your contribution genuinely fit? Remove anything that does not pass this quick human check. This is the step that most improves reply rates.
Step 6: Find the right contact
Look for the author of relevant articles, the editor, or the site owner. Contact pages, author bios and the about page are the best places to start. Personal emails get far better responses than generic info@ addresses.
Step 7: Organise your sheet
| Column | Why |
|---|---|
| Domain and DR | Prioritise the best sites |
| Domain age | Context for unusual authority |
| Relevant page | Personalise your pitch |
| Contact name and email | Reach the right person |
| Pitch angle | Know what you are offering |
| Status and dates | Track follow-ups |
The CSV export from the DR checker gives you the first columns ready to paste.
Step 8: Personalise and follow up
Mention a specific article, explain briefly why your resource helps their readers, and keep the email short. Send one polite follow-up after about a week. Stop there – persistence beyond that rarely helps and can hurt your reputation.
Step 9: Measure and improve
Track reply rate, link rate and the DR of the links you win. If replies are low, your list is probably too broad or your pitch is not relevant enough. Tighten the list before you write more emails.
Common mistakes
- Emailing thousands of unfiltered sites with the same template.
- Targeting only very high-DR sites that receive hundreds of pitches a day.
- Ignoring relevance in favour of authority.
- Not recording who you contacted and when.
Example: a 150-site list for a travel guide
You have published an in-depth guide to budget travel in Southeast Asia. You collect 600 prospects: travel blogs found through search, sites linking to two competing guides, and “best travel resources” roundups. After removing duplicates and big platforms, 420 remain. A bulk DR check and a minimum of DR 20 reduce that to 260. A quick relevance and activity check leaves 150 active travel sites that cover the region. You find named contacts for 120 of them and write short, personalised emails pointing to the specific section of your guide that would help each audience. That focused list will typically outperform a generic blast to all 600.
Tools you need
- A search engine and a backlink tool to collect prospects.
- The bulk DR checker to filter by authority, and the free Domain Age checker for registration dates.
- A spreadsheet or simple CRM to track contacts and follow-ups.
Frequently asked questions
How many prospects should I contact?
Enough to reach your goal with a realistic reply rate, but never more than you can personalise properly.
Should I include low-DR sites?
Yes, when they are relevant and active. They often reply more and bring engaged readers.
How do I avoid being marked as spam?
Send personal, relevant emails in small batches, follow up only once, and stop contacting anyone who asks you to.
Final thoughts
The best outreach lists are small, relevant and well researched. Collect widely, filter fast with the bulk DR checker, and spend your time on personal pitches to the sites that matter. If you would rather start from a ready-made list, browse our guest post sites by country and domain ending.