Don’t be a non-playable character (NPC)

Getting links isn't just about having good content or a solid pitch anymore. Site owners and editors are bombarded with dozens of outreach emails daily. 

They've developed a sixth sense for spotting fake personas.

When they detect an NPC—those generic, one-dimensional outreach characters—your email gets deleted faster than you can say "interested in a guest post collaboration?"

Most link builders don’t put any effort into their pitch persona. Instead, they do the absolute bare minimum:

• Using free Gmail accounts with a generic name like "sarahwriter@gmail"

• Using stock photos of "Sarah from Minnesota" as their avatar

• Creating basic social profiles with zero engagement

These shortcuts might save you time up front, but they're killing your response rates and costing you the high-quality links you need to actually move rankings.

Instead of creating another crap persona, let's transform your NPC into a main character that site owners actually want to work with.

Step one: choose your character class

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of leveling up your persona, you need to decide which type of character you're creating. Think of it like choosing your character class in a role-playing game (RPG).

You've got three options:

1. The authentic-self approach

If you're already established in your niche, this is your easiest path. Reach out to sites using your own name and info. 

If I were trying to write for Ahrefs, Semrush, or any other site in the online marketing niche, I would use my own name because I have a website, newsletter, and LinkedIn that all show I’m real.

Pros:

• Most authentic (because it literally is)

• Easiest to maintain

• No awkward moments if/when someone wants to jump on a call

2. The real-author strategy

The next strategy is to find a freelance writer. 

We crushed it with this approach on my first affiliate site. Our writers were legitimate experts, and when we pitched big sites with their names, editors could verify they were the real deal. 

Our writers loved this approach, as well, because it got them extra work along with bylines on other websites.

This in turn also helped the E-E-A-T of our website. As our writers got a better reputation online and became known to Google, our website became more trustworthy because well-known writers were writing for us.

3. Create a persona

This is the route most of you will choose, but you need more than an AI photo and a dream—you need a whole new mindset. 

Think of this as creating a custom character from scratch. You build everything: the backstory, the profile picture, the whole digital footprint. You can literally make them the perfect picture for your niche.

No matter which route you choose, you can’t stop there. 

Step two: leveling up your character

1. Your personal brand

First things first . . . you’re going to build a professional-looking website that showcases your previous work. This way, when editors and content managers look up who’s emailing them, they’ll review your site and immediately know they can trust you. 

You do not have to spend $1,000 building this website. 

I personally love using Carrd and its website templates. Costs $19 a year for 10 sleek websites. 

On top of that, it literally takes me one hour to build a decent site. It’s easy af. I built the landing page for the lazy link building email course in a little under 60 minutes.

Once the site is built, it’s time to buy a domain for your persona.

If your persona is named “Sean Case,” then buy “seancase(dot)com,” or be creative, depending on the niche. For example, if you’re in the fitness niche, consider “seancase(dot)fit” or something similar. 

Now you need a face to go with the name. The best solution here is to search around for “AI avatar creation” for about 30 mins and you’ll find something. The market is full of options and the quality is unreal these days.

Just please don’t use thispersondoesnotexist(dot)com. We’ve all seen these photos far too much online.

Now that you have a website with photos, a custom domain, and a professional design, add two to three pieces of content on the site to showcase your work. 

Make sure these are good pieces of content and not 500-word AI-generated garbage. Remember, this is your first impression and you need to show them you’re legit.

2. LinkedIn presence

LinkedIn is your new resume. Spend time building it out:

• Use a proper headshot

• Create a decent-looking banner

• Connect with real people in your target industry

• Show previous work history

• Show education history

Once that’s all done, I like to have a team member spend 10–15 minutes daily engaging as your persona. It’s also good to create your own post two to three times a week.

The main message here: Put some damn effort into this. To fully optimize your profile, check out this article by the LinkedIn guru himself, Justin Welsh. He breaks down exactly how to stand out and look legit.

3. Professional email setup

One of the reasons we buy a custom domain for outreach is that we want to send from a professional email, i.e., a custom domain.

Sending from “guestpostservice147@gmail” or any other free gmail account just looks spammy and your deliverability will suck.

All this email finds is the trash folder.

Sending from “sean@seancase(dot)com,” though, looks legit.

Editors and content managers will see the email address you’re sending from, see the website it’s associated with, look at the website, and realize you’re legit.

That’s it! 

Everything outlined above is how I create an avatar that gets over a 35% response rate.

Now don’t get me wrong, this is a hell of a side quest, but trust me when I say it’s worth it in the long run.

Your next steps

Reading articles and theory is cool, but you know what will actually move the needle for your business?

Action. Don't just read this.

Implement it or send it to a team member.

Here's what to do next:

1. Choose your persona type (authentic self, real author, or created persona).

2. Register a professional domain for your outreach.

3. Set up a basic site with 2–3 quality posts.

4. Create and optimize a LinkedIn profile.

5. Set up professional email.

6. Start sending.