Free field guide · worksheet included
Run your first useful-links experiment
Turn one useful resource into a small audience experiment. Find relevant partners, prepare a thoughtful pitch, and record what happens.
No signup required. The worksheet is a blank template. Examples are illustrative unless explicitly identified as observations.
Choose one audience, publish one practical resource, identify five suitable places to share it, and record the response. A link is an editorial choice, not an owed return.
Write a small hypothesis.
“People who help [audience] with [task] may find [resource] useful enough to reference.” Pick a worksheet, documented example or transparent calculator. Set an effort limit. One work session for the resource and another for five prospects is a planning choice, not a proven success formula.
Check access before testing interest.
On October 20, 2026, we retrieved four portfolio homepages, their robots.txt files and main sitemaps. These public observations used one normal HTTP client. They do not establish Google indexing, verified bot access, rankings or demand.
| Site | Homepage | Own-host canonical | Main sitemap URLs |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI Teachers | 200 | Present | 91 |
| Waymaker Agency | 200 | Present | 280 |
| Website Traffic | 200 | Present | 118 |
| Wealth Experiment | 200 | Present | 334 |
Counts are main-sitemap URL entries before this release, not indexed pages. Additional sitemaps may exist. This convenience sample of our own sites is not an industry benchmark.
Technical availability and market response answer different questions. Establish the former, then investigate the latter with an audience.
Select prospects by fit.
| Prospect | Fit | Useful offer |
|---|---|---|
| Workshop organizer | Teaches the practical task | Participant guide and teaching outline |
| Newsletter editor | Covers the reader problem | Concise, sourced resource |
| Educator | Maintains relevant resources | Ungated guide with limitations |
| Podcast host | Interviews practitioners | Specific lesson and example |
| Existing collaborator | Knows the work first-hand | Relevant update to an existing reference |
Make the invitation specific.
I noticed your [specific relevant program or resource]. I put together a [guide] for [audience] working on [task]. It includes [specific feature] and explains [important limitation]. Here is the resource: [canonical URL]. If it fits your readers or participants, you are welcome to consider it. If another format would help more, I would value that feedback.
Personalize from something you actually read. Do not imply an existing relationship or endorsement. Do not condition a gift or exchange on a ranking link. Follow submission and community rules.
Record the outcome, including silence.
Track source, fit, resource, draft, send status, response and any public mention. Keep private contact details and correspondence out of published reports. An unanswered pitch does not prove the resource is bad; timing and fit matter.
Do not mark drafts as sent or links as earned until verified. An accepted workshop is not proof of attendance, and attendance is not proof of customers.
Choose keep, change or stop.
- Keep: relevant feedback supports another small test.
- Change: people recognize the need but want a different format or example.
- Stop: fit is weak, claims are unsupported, or effort exceeds your limit.
These are decision prompts, not statistical thresholds. Review after a reasonable response window. Do not manufacture websites or duplicate posts merely to create links.
Sources and evidence.
The table records public portfolio requests on October 20, 2026. Other examples are proposed methods, not completed outreach or customer results. See Google’s link-spam guidance.