Link Reclamation: How to Turn Unlinked Brand Mentions Into Backlinks

Your founder gets quoted in an industry newsletter. A review site adds your tool to its “best software” roundup. Both name your brand, but neither links to you.

Link reclamation fixes that gap. It’s the process of finding pages that mention your brand without a link, then asking for one. The writer already chose to cover you, so the ask is small.

Those mentions carry real weight. In Ahrefs’ study of 75,000 brands, branded web mentions had a 0.664 correlation with AI Overview visibility. Backlinks scored just 0.218. A mention helps AI tools recognize you. A link also sends readers and authority to your site.

This guide shows SaaS founders how to find unlinked mentions, pick the right ones, and turn them into backlinks.

What Is Link Reclamation?

Link reclamation means claiming link credit you should already have. However, SEOs use the term for two related jobs.

This guide covers the first job. For links that vanished after a redesign, read our guide to reclaiming lost backlinks. For the basics, see our primer on unlinked mentions.

Why Should SaaS Brands Turn Mentions Into Links?

A plain-text mention isn’t a link. Search engines can’t follow it, and readers can’t click it. As a result, you lose value in three ways:

1. Authority: a link can pass ranking signals to your site. A plain mention can’t.
2. Referral traffic: readers of “best tools” roundups are often comparing options right now.
3. Conversions: a link sends evaluators straight to your trial page. Otherwise, they search your name and see competitor ads.

The mention itself still helps with AI answers, as the Ahrefs data shows. So keep earning mentions, then add links where you can. That’s why VH Info focuses on earned brand mentions on sites SaaS buyers read. For the AI side, see our guide to GEO for B2B SaaS.

Which Unlinked Mentions Are Worth an Email?

Not every mention deserves a link reclamation email. In fact, emailing every name-drop annoys editors you may pitch later.

Here’s a simple rule. If you can’t explain how the link helps the reader in one sentence, skip it.

How Do You Find Unlinked Brand Mentions?

Every link reclamation campaign starts with a search list. Next, run it through a tool or two. Finally, check each page by hand.

Step 1: List the names people use for you

Writers rarely stick to your official name, so search for:

1. your brand name and common misspellings
2. product and feature names
3. your founder and spokespeople
4. names of your reports, free tools and templates

Step 2: Run your searches

On Google, search “Your Brand” -site:yourdomain.com to hide your own pages. Then use the Tools menu to filter results to the past month.

Step 3: Confirm there’s no link

Tools can get this wrong. For example, a writer may link your logo, or add the link after the tool’s crawl.

1. Open the page and find the mention.
2. View the page source and search for your domain.
3. For long lists, run the URLs through Screaming Frog’s custom search.

What About Expert Quotes Published Without a Link?

Expert quote link building often produces mentions without links. You answer a journalist’s request, and the article runs. Then your founder appears with a name and title, but no link.

These are easy link reclamation wins. You supplied part of the content, and the link has an obvious home beside the quote.

1. Log every quote you submit, with the outlet and expected publish date.
2. Include your preferred URL when you send the quote.

For the pitching side, read our guide to expert quote link building. Our older post on HARO link building also helps.

Which Page Should the Link Point To?

Ask for the page that fits the sentence. Don’t ask for the page you most want to rank.

Also, keep the writer’s own words as the anchor text. Our guide to anchor text ratio explains why a natural mix matters.

Who should you email?

On blogs, start with the author, then the editor. On news sites, email the corrections or news desk instead. Page One Power found that journalists often move on after publishing. Meanwhile, desk staff handle the edits. Copy the journalist in.

Which Link Building Outreach Email Templates Work Best?

A good link reclamation email stays under 100 words. It thanks the writer, quotes the sentence and shares the URL. Then it explains why the link helps readers.

Use these link building outreach email templates as a base. Rewrite the first line for every send.

Template 1: Product or brand mention

Subject: Thanks for including [Brand] in your [topic] post

Hi [First name],

Thanks for mentioning [Brand] in “[Article title]”.

Would you be open to linking “[Brand]” to [URL]? It would help readers check [the feature / pricing] without searching.

Either way, thanks for the mention.

[Your name], [Role] at [Brand]

Template 2: Your data or study was cited

This structure comes from Page One Power’s case study. Their “Correction:” email got a reply within 11 minutes.

Subject: Correction: [Exact article title]

Hi [Name / News desk],

Thanks for covering [Brand]’s [report name] today.

Could you add a link to the original data at [URL]? Readers could then check the full numbers themselves.

[Your name], [Role] at [Brand]

Template 3: Founder or expert quote

Subject: [Founder name]’s quote in [Article title]

Hi [First name],

Thanks for including [Founder name]’s comments in your piece.

Could you link [Founder name] or [Brand] to [URL]? It shows readers who’s behind the quote.

[Your name]

Follow-up email

Subject: Re: [original subject]

Hi [First name],

Just checking you saw my note about “[Article title]”. The link would be [URL].

No worries if it doesn’t fit your policy. Thanks again!

[Your name]

Notice what’s missing. There’s no SEO talk and no offer in return. For more formats, see our outreach email templates.

What Outreach Subject Lines Get Opened?

Most outreach emails never get a reply. In fact, Backlinko and Pitchbox studied 12 million emails, and only 8.5% got a response. The same study found two useful patterns:

1. Subject lines of 36 to 50 characters had the best response rate.
2. Personalized subject lines lifted response rates by 30.5%.

For link reclamation, the article title is your easiest personalization. Good outreach subject lines tell the editor exactly which page you mean.

Avoid a fake “Re:” on a first email. For more formulas, read our guide to outreach subject lines.

When Should You Send and Follow Up?

Timing has a big effect on link reclamation, so send on the day the mention goes live. Page One Power cites Digitaloft data from over 100 link reclamation campaigns. It shows same-day outreach almost doubles the success rate. In their own case study, 13 of 18 pieces of coverage became links. That’s a 72% success rate.

To move that fast:

1. Set Google Alerts for your brand, founder and report names.
2. Check your alerts several times a day during a launch.

Then follow up twice at most. The Backlinko study found that multiple follow-ups doubled the average response rate.

What Mistakes Should You Avoid?

A solid link reclamation process won’t save a badly worded request. Watch for these five mistakes:

1. Offering something in return: Google’s spam policies list exchanging money, goods or services for links as link spam. That includes a free Pro account.
2. Asking for keyword anchors: Changing “Acme” to “best CRM for startups” is a bigger edit and a red flag.
3. Making it about your SEO: Talk about their readers, not your rankings.
4. Sounding like a demand: Nobody owes you a link, so lead with thanks.
5. Arguing with a no-link policy: Some publications never link to companies they cover. Thank them and move on.

For broader tips, see our guide to link outreach.

How Do You Track Link Reclamation Results?

Keep one row per mention, and update it after every email.

A link only counts once you’ve seen it live and pointing to the right URL. After that, re-check reclaimed links monthly with your backlink monitoring setup.

Each month, report five numbers: mentions found, mentions qualified, emails sent, replies, and links added. A link building report template keeps those numbers consistent. Try our link building report template. Our guide to link building metrics covers what else to track.

Ready to Start Reclaiming Links?

Block one afternoon this week. Search your brand, set up alerts, and check the ten most relevant pages. Then email anything published in the last month first.

FAQs

1. What is link reclamation in SEO?

Link reclamation is the process of finding pages that mention your brand without linking to your site. You then ask the publisher to add a link. Some SEOs also use the term for restoring links you used to have. Both aim to turn existing references into backlinks that pass authority and traffic.

2. Is link reclamation the same as recovering lost backlinks?

Not quite. Claiming unlinked mentions means asking for a link that never existed. Recovering lost backlinks means restoring a link that was removed, broken or redirected. People often group both under link reclamation. However, you find them with different tools, and each needs a different outreach email.

3. How can I find unlinked brand mentions for free?

Search Google for “Your Brand” -site:yourdomain.com and filter results to the past month. Then set Google Alerts for your brand, products and founder. Before you email anyone, open each page and check the source code. That confirms the writer hasn’t already linked to you somewhere.

4. What success rate should I expect from link reclamation?

It varies with how fresh the mention is. In Page One Power’s case study, same-day outreach turned 13 of 18 pieces of coverage into links. By contrast, general outreach averages an 8.5% reply rate. Old, generic name-drops usually convert far less often than recent, specific mentions.

5. Is it against Google’s guidelines to ask for a link?

No. Asking a publisher to add a link to an existing mention is normal outreach. It becomes link spam when you offer money, goods or services for the link. That includes free accounts or upgrades. Keep the request about helping their readers, and you stay within Google’s policies.