An effective outreach e-mail means that you get the end goal that you are looking for. For many campaigns in digital PR, that may be a link, but you need to think like a PR, but also a person.
Too many outreach e-mails are sent forgetting that it’s an e-mail going to another person.
The most effective way to send outreach e-mails is to think about timing, about relevance, and about how you come across to someone you’ve never met. If it’s someone you have an existing relationship with then you can potentially be a bit more friendly and mirror their tone, but it can be hard to get right in initial e-mails. Some people prefer hyper-professional messages, where some prefer a lighter touch. Use sources such as Twitter and the journalist’s existing articles to get a feel for how they write and how they may like to be approached.
Be clear on what you’re asking, and be clear on why it’s relevant to them – if you feel like you’ll have to convince them then either the publication or the journalist is already wrong.