It was 1:42 AM, the universal hour for bad decisions and cold outreach. I was supposed to be writing meta descriptions. Instead, I was spiraling through blog posts about CRO when I saw it:
A header so clean, so readable, so beautifully kerned… I blacked out and wrote an email.
Not a pitch.
Not a CTA.
Just: “Hey, your blog header is genuinely sexy. That’s all. Great work.”
No link. No offer. Just a compliment. From one typography nerd to another.
Three days later, they replied:
“LOL, no one has ever complimented our header. Thanks for making my day. Also—I just linked to your article in our roundup. Seemed relevant.”
Wait. What?
The Accidental Link Building Method
Turns out there’s a word for this strategy: being a normal human on the internet.
But we’ve gotten so caught up in backlinks, DR, and automated pitch templates that we forgot… people like compliments. Especially the niche ones. Especially the honest ones.
If you’ve been relying on cold emails that make you feel gross after, maybe give this human-first approach a shot. Or better yet, learn how to send cold emails.
Why This Worked (Not Because I Asked for a Link)
Here’s what happened psychologically:
- Novelty bias: Most inboxes are trash fires. A nice, non-needy message is rare and cuts through.
- Flattery (non-cringe edition): Not “Your site is great!” but “Your header makes me feel things.” Specific > generic.
- Reciprocity: I gave something (a real compliment). They gave something back (a link).
And no, I’m not saying this works every time. But it does work often enough to make you question every aggressive cold pitch you’ve ever sent.
How to (Subtly) Steal This Tactic
If you want to use this strategy—without sounding like a thirsty font creep—here’s the (almost too simple) framework:
- Find a blog in your niche that doesn’t suck.
- Compliment something oddly specific. Not “Great post!” Try “Your navigation bar feels like a warm hug.”
- Do NOT pitch. At least not in the first message.
- Be a person. Sign off like someone who actually uses email: “Hope your day’s good—Alex.”
That’s it. 10 seconds. Zero sell. Maximum link karma.
But Alex, Is This Scalable?
No. Absolutely not.
And that’s exactly why it works.
Everyone else is automating spam. You’re out here making strangers feel seen.
This is not a funnel. It’s not a growth hack. It’s just you—tapping into the lost art of digital manners… and occasionally getting rewarded for it.
Want to build links without resorting to shady tactics or spammy automation? Start here: how to get your first backlinks.
What the Data Says (So You Don’t Just Take My Word for It)
- High percentage of ignored link-building outreach emails: One search result mentions that the average success rate of link-building outreach is below 5% (Editorial.Link). While this is slightly different from the 91% ignored rate mentioned in the article (which implies a less than 9% success rate), it still supports the idea that a large majority of outreach emails are not successful.
- Higher reply rates for personalized emails: An article from Lemlist states that the average reply rate of highly personalized emails is 17%, whereas without personalization, the rate drops to 7% (Lemlist). Another source mentions that personalized cold emails have an average open rate of 62% for smaller campaigns and that advanced personalization can lead to an 18% response rate (Stripo). These sources indicate a significantly better response and open rate for personalized emails compared to generic ones.
- Increased positive response rates due to sincere and specific compliments: While the search results did not directly provide a statistic about compliments increasing response rates by up to 50%, one article emphasizes the importance of positive feedback and how it can reveal what's working well for a business (AlexanderJarvis.com). Although not a direct match, it supports the idea that positive and specific feedback can be beneficial.
- Better performance of human-style outreach compared to templates: One of the search results highlights that blending AI with a human touch drives conversions and that personalized outreach delivers significantly better results, with personalized emails seeing much higher engagement rates (Martal Group). This supports the article's point about human-style outreach outperforming templates.
- Longevity and higher relevance of links earned through relationships: Several search results discuss the benefits of relationship-based link building, emphasizing that it is more sustainable, scalable, and provides ongoing opportunities with trusted partners, often leading to high-quality and relevant backlinks (Respona).
So yeah, sometimes a little humanity converts better than your CRM.
TL;DR
You don’t need a pitch deck to build backlinks. You just need to stop being weirdly robotic in your outreach.
Next time you’re doomscrolling someone’s blog and you feel a flicker of design admiration… say something. You might get a backlink. Or a friend. Or both.
Either way, you won’t need a shower after the email.
Want more weird outreach strategies that work?
Hire me. I help brands grow through SEO, social, and very unhinged copy.
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