Ive heard more than once that "link requests" or using e-mail in general to get links doesn't work.

Got me wondering, whether people saying this are mostly people doing it wrong (spamming and hoping to get links to a site that doesn't have anything to offer really). I've seen it work out in fairly uncompetitive fields.

How is using e-mail to spread great/unique content (not crap) working out for you? Does it still work or is it way too uneffective?

And more importantly: how is it working out in international markets, where webmasters might not have been bombarded with link requests, yet?