Most broken link pitches get one thing right — there's a genuinely dead link — and one thing wrong: the replacement doesn't actually fit what was there before. Site owners can tell the difference between "I found a real gap on your page" and "I found an excuse to insert my link." The template doesn't fix that. Matching the ask to what actually died does.
What died, and what should replace it
Before picking a template, figure out what kind of page the broken link sits on and whether your replacement genuinely matches it. This is the step most broken-link guides skip, and it's the reason a lot of pitches get ignored even when the link really is dead.
| What died | Check before you pitch | What to ask for |
|---|---|---|
| A link inside a blog post or guide, close replacement | Same content type, same depth, actually covers the topic | Direct replacement |
| A link inside a blog post or guide, adjacent fit only | Would this read as a stretch to someone who didn't write it | Soft heads-up, no hard ask |
| A link inside a curated resource or links page | Page still gets traffic, isn't itself abandoned | Resource-page addition |
| Sent one of the above, no reply | New detail to add, not a reminder | Follow-up |
Skipping this table is how a real dead link turns into a generic pitch. The link being broken gets you a legitimate reason to email — it doesn't get you a legitimate reason to be the replacement.
The 4 templates
Direct replacement notification
Use this when the dead link and your page are a close match — same content type, same depth, same question answered.
Hi Priya,
The link to Mailgun's warm-up guide in your "Email Deliverability Checklist" post 404s as of this week.
We cover the same warm-up process, plus the sending-subdomain step that guide left out: capsule.io/blog/email-deliverability. Might be worth swapping in if it still fits the section.
Tom
Name the exact post and the exact dead link — "a link on your site is broken" forces the reader to go find it, and most won't.
Typical benchmark
The dead link is the opener, not the pitch. The reason it converts is that your page actually replaces what was lost — not that you found a 404.
Soft heads-up
Use this when the link is genuinely dead but your page is only an adjacent fit, not a clean 1:1 replacement.
Hi Dana,
Noticed the link to Streak's pricing page in your CRM comparison post is dead — redirects to a 404.
We're not a direct swap for that section since we focus on smaller sales teams specifically, but figured you'd want to know either way. Happy to share what we've got on CRM pricing breakdowns if it's useful for the fix.
Tom
No hard ask. The value here is flagging something real and leaving the door open, not forcing a fit that isn't there.
Typical benchmark
A soft heads-up with no ask often earns a warmer reply than a hard pitch with a weak match — it reads as helpful instead of transactional.
Resource-page addition
Use this when the dead link sits inside a curated resource or links page rather than a blog post — the ask is inclusion, not just a fix.
Hi Marcus,
The Streak link on your "CRM Tools for Small Teams" resources page is dead — it 404s.
Beyond the fix, wanted to flag Capsule as a possible addition if you're updating the list: capsule.io. We're built specifically for small B2B sales teams, which seems to be the angle of that page.
Tom
Confirm the page still gets traffic before you pitch it — an outdated resource page that nobody links to anymore isn't worth the ask, dead link or not.
Typical benchmark
This is closer to a cold pitch than the direct-replacement template — the dead link gets you in the door, but the addition itself is still an ask a site owner has to actively decide on.
Follow-up
Send this four to six days after any of the above, if you haven't heard back.
Hi Priya,
Following up on my note from a few days ago about the dead link in your deliverability checklist.
One thing I should have mentioned: our guide also covers checking inbox placement before scaling sends, which ties into a couple of the warm-up questions in that section. Wanted to flag it in case it changes whether it's a fit.
Tom
Add something new instead of just checking in — a bare reminder gives the reader no new reason to act.
Typical benchmark
Skipping this step leaves most of the potential replies on the table, even on a small ask like a broken-link fix.
What makes a broken-link email read as spam
- The replacement doesn't actually match. A blog post offered as a fix for a dead tool link is the fastest way to look like you were searching for an excuse, not a real replacement.
- No exact post or section named. "Found a broken link on your site" makes the reader go hunt for it — name the page and the anchor text.
- Leading with the ask instead of the link. The dead link is the reason to open the email; if the pitch comes first, it reads like every other cold email.
- Treating every dead link as a hard ask. Not every broken link deserves a direct pitch — some are only worth a heads-up.
Before you send: quick checklist
- Does the replacement actually match what died — same content type, same depth?
- Is the exact page and dead link named in the first two sentences?
- If it's a resource page, does it still look maintained and worth being added to?
- If it's a follow-up, does it add something new instead of just checking in?
If any of those come back no, it's worth another pass before sending.
Finding a dead link is the easy part — Check My Links or a quick Wayback Machine pull gets you there in minutes. The harder part is knowing which dead link is worth pitching and what should actually replace it. Mentiohunt surfaces opportunities like this with a fit rationale attached, so you're not guessing whether your page is a real match before you write the email.
Founder at Mentiohunt. Building distribution tools for founders and small marketing teams. Writes about backlink building and founder-led growth.
@nicolasmore_