Just curious...when you email people requesting link exchanges...do you keep it short and sweet or long? What sort of info do you throw in there?
I would rather get something short and to the point, and no butt kissing. Make the person know it's in their interest as well. Best tip I can give you, go ahead and put the link up before you send the email. If you don't hear anything after a few days or see your link on their site, then take it down.
I visit the site I want to link have the link exchange with, and put something in the email that shows I have seen thier site (comment on a photo, an article etc). I also try and find the name of the person who runs the site, and put their name in the subject line of the email - so the link request is not deleted as spam before they have even read it. This takes a bit longer, but I find that I get better responses this way.
As a person who's been in the position of receiving tons of those requests, I can honestly say that very few of the spam-like mails have been taken seriously. Keep it short and to the point, make some kind of remark that indicates you know the site your contacting and hope for the best. Usually people know what you want, why you want it and so on. Success is based on whether or not the individual you’re sending it to agrees and wants it too...