Skyscraper Outreach Email Template for Travel

Free editable Skyscraper Outreach Email Template for Travel. Copy, personalize, or download the Word .docx template from UNmiss.

Use these scripts for the skyscraper technique in travel: you found a popular guide or roundup that many sites link to, built a clearly better and more current version, and now you're asking those linking pages to point to yours instead. Travel content ages fast — prices, opening hours, and entry rules change every season — so a genuinely fresher resource is an easy yes. Personalize the opener with the exact page and the exact outdated link, and keep the ask soft and singular.

6 ready-to-use variants

Outdated Guide Swap

Reach out to a travel page linking to an older destination guide you have since rebuilt and updated.

Subject: A refreshed [Destination] guide for a link in [Article Title]

Hi [First Name],

I was reading [Article Title] ([Their URL]) while planning a trip, and it's one of the clearer [Destination] write-ups I've found. I noticed it links out to [Older Guide] for the on-the-ground details.

That guide is a few years old now, and in travel the practical parts — prices, opening hours, visa and entry rules — go stale fast. I rebuilt the whole thing for [Year] at [Your URL], with current costs and a fresh section on [specific update].

If it reads as an upgrade to you, it might serve your readers better than the older link. No pressure either way, and thanks for keeping that piece maintained.

Best,
[Your Name]
[Title, Company]
[Email / Phone]

Depth Upgrade

Pitch a roundup or best-of list that links to a thin destination post your guide clearly outdoes.

Subject: More depth for the [Destination] link in your roundup

Hi [First Name],

Your roundup [Article Title] ([Their URL]) is a great starting point for anyone heading to [Region]. The entry for [Destination] points to [Linked Post], which is a nice overview but stops fairly short.

I put together a much deeper guide at [Your URL] that adds [day-by-day itinerary, budget breakdown, and a neighborhood map] — the stuff travelers usually go hunting for after they read the overview.

If you think it would give your readers a stronger next step, I'd be grateful for the swap. Either way, thanks for putting the list together.

Best,
[Your Name]
[Title, Company]
[Email / Phone]

Reader Upgrade

Lead with the reader's experience when the linking site cares most about trip planning quality.

Subject: Something more current for your [Destination] readers

Hi [First Name],

Travelers who land on [Article Title] ([Their URL]) are usually deep in planning mode — booking, budgeting, and figuring out logistics. The [Destination] resource you link to helped them once, but a lot of it predates [recent change: new entry requirement, reopened site, seasonal pricing].

I keep [Your URL] updated every season so those details stay accurate, and I just refreshed the parts on [specific area]. It's built to answer the exact questions a reader has right after your article.

If it's a fit, pointing the link there would save them a stale detour. Thanks for the genuinely helpful piece regardless.

Best,
[Your Name]
[Title, Company]
[Email / Phone]

Short Version

Send a three-line ask to busy travel editors who prefer brevity.

Subject: Updated [Destination] guide — quick swap?

Hi [First Name],

[Article Title] links to [Older Guide], which is now a few years out of date. I rebuilt it for [Year] at [Your URL] with current prices and hours.

Worth pointing the link there? Happy to send the exact anchor text if so.

Best,
[Your Name]
[Title, Company]
[Email / Phone]

Visual Asset

Use when your guide includes original photos, an interactive map, or a downloadable itinerary worth linking.

Subject: A map and itinerary your [Destination] readers can actually use

Hi [First Name],

I really liked how [Article Title] ([Their URL]) frames a trip to [Destination]. The resource it links to covers the basics, but it's mostly text.

My version at [Your URL] adds an interactive map, original photos from [recent trip / year], and a downloadable [number]-day itinerary readers can save. These are the assets people tend to bookmark and share.

If that's a better landing spot for your link, I'd love the mention. And feel free to reuse the map or photos with credit either way.

Best,
[Your Name]
[Title, Company]
[Email / Phone]

Soft Follow-Up

Send one friendly nudge when your first skyscraper email got no reply.

Subject: Re: [Original Subject]

Hi [First Name],

Just floating this back up in case it got buried — inboxes fill fast, especially in travel season.

Short version: the [Destination] resource linked in [Article Title] is a bit dated, and I've got a current version at [Your URL] I'd be glad to hand you the anchor text for. If it's not a fit, no worries at all — just let me know and I'll stop there.

Thanks again for the work you put into [Their Site].

Best,
[Your Name]
[Title, Company]
[Email / Phone]

How to use this template

  1. Pick a popular, aging travel resource — a destination guide, roundup, or best-of list — that still ranks but has outdated prices, opening hours, or entry rules and that many sites link to.
  2. Build a genuinely better version: current costs, a clearer itinerary, original photos or a map, and coverage of the seasonal details the original misses.
  3. Pull the backlink list of the older resource so you know exactly which travel blogs, OTAs, and destination sites point to it.
  4. Qualify each linking page for topical relevance and a real travel audience, then find the author or editor instead of a generic info@ inbox.
  5. Reference the specific article and the exact outdated link in your email so the recipient sees you actually read their page.
  6. Make one soft ask — consider pointing the link to your updated guide — and offer to supply the exact anchor text and sentence.
  7. Follow up once about a week later, then log the outcome and move on to the next prospect.
  8. Track sends, replies, and live swaps in a simple sheet so you can see which destinations, angles, and subject lines convert.

Pro tips

  • Lead with what changed since the old guide went live — new visa rules, reopened attractions, or refreshed prices — because recency is the whole reason a travel editor swaps a link.
  • Do the editor's work for them: pre-write the exact anchor text and the sentence it sits in, so saying yes takes one click.
  • Make sure your guide really is the better resource on merit, with current data and something the original lacks; the stronger the asset, the less you have to sell.
  • Segment prospects by destination and pitch in small batches, keeping a swipe file of the subject lines and angles that earn replies in each region.

Frequently asked questions

What makes the skyscraper technique work for travel content?

Travel information decays quickly — prices, hours, transport, and entry rules all shift by season. When your guide is demonstrably more current and complete than the one an editor already links to, swapping the link is an easy improvement for their readers. The freshness gap is your main leverage.

How do I find sites linking to the older travel guide?

Run the URL of the resource you outdid through a backlink analyzer to export its linking pages. Then qualify each one for relevance to your destination and a real travel audience before you reach out. A short, well-vetted list beats a large unqualified one.

Isn't asking someone to swap a link pushy?

Not when your version is genuinely better and you frame it as a benefit to their readers. Keep the ask soft and singular, acknowledge the work they put into their page, and accept a no gracefully. Editors update stale links routinely, so a helpful, specific nudge is welcome.

What reply rate should I expect?

It varies widely by destination, list quality, and personalization, and most campaigns land in the single digits. Tight targeting and a clearly superior guide are the main levers. Judge success by live link swaps earned rather than opens or replies alone.

Do I need original photos or a map to make this work?

No, but they help. Original visuals and downloadable itineraries give editors a concrete reason to prefer your page and give readers something to save and share. If you don't have them, focus your pitch on current data and depth the original guide lacks.

How many follow-ups should I send?

One well-timed follow-up, about a week after the first email, captures most of the extra replies you'll get. Beyond that, more nudges mostly annoy people and risk spam complaints. Send a single friendly follow-up, then log the no-reply and move on.