Partnerships
Authority without buying links
A working plan for pages, assets, partners and outreach that a founder can approve.
By Alex Iliescu, OwnedSignal
Published 2026-09-14
Principle
A link is useful when the other page is relevant to the same buyer problem and the reader can verify the claim. Buying sitewide links, PBNs or ‘guest post packages’ is not part of this plan.
OwnedSignal cannot independently publish on third-party sites. Outreach is drafted here; sending still needs Alex’s accounts and approval.
Pages that deserve a link
Definitions of OwnedSignal terms, the Signal X-Ray method, the get-found architecture, original frameworks, and research notes with visible sources. Service pages are for buyers, not for link begging.
Outreach that is worth sending
Offer a specific asset, a correction, a data point with a source, or a partnership test. Do not ask for a ‘backlink’. Ask whether the page would help their reader.
Templates live on the authority page so they can be copied into email or LinkedIn after approval.
Related
Articles
Answer assets that can be indexed, cited and reused
The article is a working object, not a calendar slot.
Owned distribution
Get found, remembered and recommended
The three jobs inside OwnedSignal’s distribution work, and why AEO, SEO, articles and backlinks are tools rather than the offer.
AEO research
What AEO can and cannot do for a bootstrapped SaaS
Answer-first pages, entity clarity and prompt tests as research, not as a ranking product.
If this is the constraint, start with the sprint.
AEO, SEO, articles and authority are later routes. The 21-day sprint decides whether they have a job.
Fit call is free. The sprint is €750 for 21 days.