Three proven link building tactics for affiliate sites

Executive overview

Getting backlinks is a numbers game, but expertise multiplies your hit rate. Even a passionate hobbyist has more credibility than a faceless pitch.

Three tactics — HARO, guest posting, and podcast interviews — each put you in front of editors or journalists who are already looking for sources.

Expertise is the real link building asset; the tactics are just delivery mechanisms.

HARO (Help a Reporter Out)

• Sign up as a source at helpareporter.com; journalists from major publications send daily query lists.
• Filter your inbox: set the From field to haro@helpareporter.com, subject to [HARO], and add niche keywords using the OR operator.
• Prioritise queries where journalists want multiple experts — plural phrasing ("therapists") or a numbered article outline signals they need several contributors.
• State credentials at the start of your reply; keep the response as short as possible.
• No end date needed — quality of links justifies the ongoing effort.

Guest posting

• Use Ahrefs Content Explorer: search a niche topic, filter domain rating 30–60, one page per domain, published in the past 90 days.
• Switch to the Websites tab to get the top 100 prospects — manageable to review manually.
• Look for sites with multiple authors; that signals they accept external contributions.
• Check the About page for an editor contact before pitching.
• Links within guest content are usually allowed if the link adds value to the article.

Podcast interviews

• Being a guest takes roughly one hour and links are near-certain — episode pages almost always link to the guest's homepage and social profiles.
• To find prospects, reverse-engineer backlinks to a known podcast guest in your niche using Ahrefs Site Explorer.
• Paste their homepage or Twitter URL, open the Backlinks report, and filter by page title containing "podcast" or "episode".
• Pitch yourself as a guest on relevant shows from the results.
• Side benefits: reputation building and network growth, both of which compound SEO value over time.