Getting heard without breaking the bank: How to scale smart link-building campaigns

Every company news or solution deserves attention—to be heard, seen, and, ideally, clicked. And getting noticed often feels like a luxury reserved for those with hefty budgets. For instance, some agencies charge anywhere from $5,000 to $20,000 for a single link-building campaign. During high-stakes seasons like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, this investment might seem the only way to make your product stand out quickly.

However, with smart planning, strategic execution, and a dash of creativity, you can achieve impactful results without breaking the bank. If you’re an SEO professional, marketing manager, or product owner, this material will be especially valuable. Our team has put together a practical guide for seasonal link-building campaigns, tailored to deliver results.

We’re sharing the steps that helped our team achieve an 81% increase in high-quality backlinks, boosting organic traffic and impressions, and improving SERP rankings to the 8th position—all without spending significant costs.

Short intro

Mailtrap’s journey began as a Railsware pet project—an internal sandbox for email testing born out of a simple need. It started with one engineer working part-time, minimal resources, and no grand ambitions. Yet, through word of mouth and organic growth, Mailtrap quietly found its place in the community. Over time, features expanded: first with email sending, and more recently, email marketing—a solution designed to help create, schedule, and send campaigns that truly resonate.

When the team decided to launch our third Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM) link-building campaign in the fall of 2024, we knew it was time to highlight the new Email Marketing feature. However, stepping into this space was no small feat. The market was already crowded with established players. For us, this was new territory. The reality was clear—our biggest challenge was high competition paired with low initial visibility.

Initially, our landing page wasn’t ranking for high-value keywords like “email marketing service,” and organic traffic was barely trickling in. We realized that to stand out, we had to think outside the box. So, we stepped back, mapped out a clear plan, and got to work. Here’s how it all unfolded.

Step #1

The first step in preparing for the campaign was to explore new opportunities and update our shared working sheet. It had to be the central hub for tracking progress and aligning efforts. The updates included:

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Lesson learned:

It’s always wise to prioritize stable traffic and a domain rating (DR) that is equal to or higher than your own. However, don’t overlook the potential of newer domains that produce high-quality content—even if their metrics fall slightly short.

Once the data was organized, the team moved on to developing the campaign’s core components:

For two years, our collaboration with partners focused on exchanges. However, this time we aimed to provide them with something new in return—so we decided to co-create an article. The results exceeded all our expectations. The blog article not only resonated with our audience but also drew direct inquiries from industry colleagues who discovered it.

Here are some key takeaways we’ll carry forward into next year:

– Communicate clearly with the content team — ensure they define the specific information they want to gather so you can align expectations for the article effectively.

– Create a form to gather input from partners: Ensure it is straightforward and specific, so they understand exactly what you’re asking for without needing to guess. Include:

– Don’t hesitate to ask for something in return: Partnerships work on mutual value, so be clear about how they can contribute.

To wrap things up, we held a brainstorming session. Together, we structured Mailtrap’s Black Friday/Cyber Monday article and aligned our SEO and social media strategies.

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Lessons learned:

    1. Don’t try to do everything alone.

Involving people from different areas—like Product Design, Product Lead, SEO, and Link Building—makes a huge difference. Each team brings unique insights that connect creative ideas with technical execution and promotional strategies. This collaboration keeps the process efficient and organized from start to finish.

    1. Prioritize clear communication.

Document everything and store it in one central location so everyone involved can easily access the information whenever needed.

    1. Establish clear communication paths.Define who to communicate with and when. Whether it’s about sharing ideas, exchanging value, or asking for support, having structured communication helps your team stay on track and ensures mutual benefits from collaboration.

Step #2

Once we’ve completed the creative groundwork and detailed campaign schedule, we realized we needed additional hands to make the campaign a success. That’s when we brought in two outreach specialists to join the effort.

To integrate them seamlessly into the process, we introduced them to the updated working sheet that included all the generated information, such as:

As a team, we reviewed and refined the data, added new contacts where needed, and even updated the domains list when fresh opportunities came up through networking. This approach ensured that every valuable lead was captured and utilized effectively.

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Lessons learned

  1. Assess your team’s availability early in the process, especially when preparing for a campaign.

Be mindful of potential blockers, such as vacations or other commitments, and adjust plans accordingly. This approach ensures that you maintain an organized system, allows for efficient scaling, and keeps the team flexible for new opportunities.

  1. Simplify responsibilities to avoid overload.

Assign a single person to oversee the entire process. Having one point of accountability eliminates confusion, ensures clarity, and streamlines management. While it’s beneficial to involve multiple team members and resources, keeping one person in charge of coordination prevents miscommunication and inefficiencies.

Step #3

Once the foundational work was complete, we shifted our focus to preparing the pitch and launching the campaign. Instead of reinventing the wheel, we opted to streamline the process using a personalized approach to maximize engagement. Here’s what we learned and applied:

We crafted a unified subject line for the campaign to maintain brand recognition and clarity.

Each email was individually personalized to resonate with the recipient. While the core message shared information about the Mailtrap deal, the content was adapted to include relevant context for each contact.

We included a subtle call-to-action—offering the opportunity to contribute to our Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM) blog article. This return-favor option encouraged engagement and built goodwill.

To ensure broad coverage, we targeted multiple channels:

The campaign officially launched five weeks before Black Friday. This gave us plenty of time for follow-ups, tweaks, and maximizing outreach opportunities. 

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What worked for us: Timing was key, but so was a strategic mix of personalization and channel diversity. It ensured our message reached the right people in the right way, with enough flexibility to adapt as the campaign progressed. Speaking in numbers: through combined channels and collaborative efforts, we achieved a 70% response rate from the 256 partners we contacted, resulting in a 48% success rate for this campaign.

Step #4

As the campaign picked up steam, our inboxes filled up quickly, and new deals kept rolling in. To stay on top of everything, we leaned on three essential tracking points:

We ensured every team member consistently kept track and filled out all fields in the required sheets to prevent gaps or miscommunication.

To keep things moving efficiently, we focused on two key strategies:

With the scale and intensity of the campaign, some hiccups were inevitable. One recurring issue was when a pitch or offer aimed towards Mailtrap landed in the wrong person’s inbox. To address this, we quickly forwarded those messages to the assigned team member, ensuring no leads were overlooked or mismanaged.

Thanks to everyone’s dedication — the first publication of our Black Friday deals article went live on November 11th. In four days, we ramped up social media promotion, sharing our deals across LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), and Facebook.

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Always make the final check:

Double-check your tracking docs for completeness.

Ensure all submitted deals are live.

Use tools like Ahrefs to confirm published links.

Follow up with all partners to return or finalize agreed mentions.

How long did the campaign take?

For any seasonal event—whether it’s Black Friday, Halloween, or something else where you want to make a big impact—it’s essential to start planning at least three months in advance. You don’t need an entire team for this – just one dedicated manager can handle the planning. Active preparation, however, should kick off two months before the big day.

In our case, the campaign ran from late September to December. Being a seasonal effort, it was carefully structured, with each phase building on prior experience to refine and improve our approach. Here’s a breakdown of how the timeline unfolded:

The groundwork began with preparation. Our team focused on updating the shared working sheet with fresh data, aligning efforts, and setting the stage for the campaign. Outreachers reviewed domain lists, contacts, and confirmed their availability to participate.

Outreachers worked through the domains, ensuring that each was reviewed and evaluated. This phase focused on organizing opportunities and creating a solid outreach strategy.

The campaign took off with the pitch finalized and outreach efforts launched. This marked the beginning of active communication with potential partners, as we set the tone for the entire campaign.

With the campaign in full swing, tracking became the top priority. We monitored outreach efforts, updated tracking sheets, and stayed consistent with follow-ups. These processes were key to keeping everything on track and ensuring momentum didn’t slow.

As the campaign wound down, we focused on tying up loose ends. Communication with partners was finalized, and we started introducing them to co-marketing opportunities. The team made sure all data was complete and up to date, paving the way for reporting.

By mid-December, we wrapped up the campaign, tying up loose ends and reflecting on what worked. It was a well-paced effort that allowed us to focus on what mattered most without unnecessary rush.

The results

Overall, the campaign led to stronger backlinks, a rise in organic traffic, and better search rankings, climbing to the 8th position. Engagement levels were solid, with more sessions logged and active use of the discount code we offered as part of the email marketing push.

One of the highlights was how we used the seasonal timing to our advantage. This not only boosted visibility for our Email Marketing page but also resulted in a blog post that continues to connect with readers and co-marketing partners.

Overall, the process showed the value of planning and staying adaptable, making it easier to achieve meaningful results while keeping things manageable.

Get visible even with a lack of resources

Success isn’t dictated by budget size – but by the ability to create something that truly resonates. The Mailtrap team’s journey to cracking the top 10 rankings in just two months, with 57 indexed keywords and 122 mentions, is a testament to the power of strategic focus. We prioritized building genuine value, fostering mutual collaborations, and producing assets worth sharing—approaches that amplify impact without relying on big spending.

The lesson here – impactful campaigns aren’t sold, but shared. When your idea stands out and offers real value, it organically attracts attention. A smart strategy and thoughtful execution can transform limited resources into opportunities for visibility and growth.

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