How to Comply with Legal Ethics in Your Guest Post Outreach Template

Guest post pitches are harmless; or so they seem. You just write a quick email, introduce yourself, pitch a topic, and send it off. But are you forgetting about the legality and the ethics of it all?

Turns out, it’s not that simple. 

When it comes to guest post outreach, businesses are bound to a specific set of rules – legal and ethical. An email that looks like friendly outreach in any other industry might come across as solicitation or misrepresentation. What if you forget a disclaimer? Are you using language that sounds like a promise of results? Maybe you’re sending bulk emails without thinking about data privacy?

This can all lead to ethical complaints, fines, and damage to a company’s reputation, which is why a guest post outreach template needs more than catchy subject lines or clever wording.

Why Outreach Isn’t Like ‘Regular’ Marketing

Guest post outreach is a content strategy where a business (or individual) would reach out to other websites to contribute articles – aka guest posts – in exchange for a backlink. This backlink is very valuable as it helps build authority, which leads to higher rankings in search engines, which leads to more traffic coming your way.

You’re here, reading this for one reason – times have changed. Before, businesses had aggressive strategies when it came to marketing, especially outreach. Plus, the privacy laws and regulations were more forgiving.

These rules exist to protect the public from misleading claims and to uphold the integrity of a business. That means every single outreach email has to be written carefully because even something as simple as offering to contribute a guest post can be a red flag if the language seems like solicitation or if it doesn’t have proper disclaimers. 

Emails from businesses are under more scrutiny because they’re expected to be more professional and transparent.

As a result, you get this very tricky balance where marketers need to promote their services and build authority online, but they also need to make sure that every outreach reflects their ethical obligations.

What to Watch Out for in Your Outreach Template

Even a tiny mistake in an email of this kind can snowball into serious ethical issues. 

Here’s what can land you in trouble. 

1. Don’t Overpromise or Mislead

In outreach, accuracy is everything. So never hint at guaranteed outcomes or overstate your expertise. If you do, you’ll cross the ethical line. 

For example, a law firm might say something like, “Our legal strategies will win cases for our clients”. Instead, they could say, “Our insights help readers understand legal strategies”. 

In such cases – if you’re a law firm or a lawyer – it’s best to hire a marketing agency with experts who can help you out with creating and editing templates. If you’re a law firm, think of them as a legal link building guide who’ll help increase your online presence, which will attract more clients. 

But not only law firms. Many businesses, regardless of industry, do so!

2. Add Disclaimers Where They’re Needed

Disclaimers protect both you and your recipients. You don’t need to write a novel – a simple line like “This content is for informational purposes only” is enough to set boundaries. Add it to the end of your email or in your signature, not plastered at the top. 

This’ll keep your message professional and won’t disrupt the flow, which is what potential clients want.

3. Stay on the Right Side of Privacy Laws

Privacy laws like GDPR, CCPA, and CAN-SPAM set clear rules for outreach. Identify yourself (always), include an opt-out link, and carefully handle data on recipients. Avoid mass emails and focus on relevant contacts you obtained properly. 

This shows you respect privacy, and it’ll keep your outreach compliant. 

How to Keep Your Outreach Compliant

This isn’t overly complicated, but it needs a good amount of attention to detail. First off, make sure each email is personalized. 

This way, you’ll avoid spam filters and show respect for the recipient’s time. Always be upfront about who you are and why you’re reaching out, with a professional tone.

Guest Post Outreach Template CHECKLIST

• Personalize (address recipient by name, mention their website, make sure that the content you’re offering contextually/topically fits)

• Be clear, be concise, don’t mislead

• No overpromises

• Add disclaimers

• Respect privacy compliance laws (GDPR, CCPA, CAN-SPAM)

• Add ‘opt-out’ for recipients

• Add a non-spammy, non-aggressive CTA

• Use only ethically acquired contacts

• Review/Edit (double-check grammar)

• Each email should be customized separately (to avoid sounding spammy)

Remember that this is the last place for overly promotional or aggressive language because, in the eyes of the regulators, it can be considered as solicitation.

You’ll also want to regularly review and update your outreach templates to keep up with the changing rules and best practices.

Conclusion

It’s easy to get kind of paranoid and overthink every word, but at the end of the day, this really isn’t so complicated if you don’t think like an average marketer who’s trying to promote a product or a service.

If you aren’t 100% confident that you can do this on your own, it’d be best to turn to a professional agency that can help you out. 

If you don’t, you risk sounding like a late-night infomercial, which is the last thing you want.