The Subtle Art of Linkbaiting

Thanks for the tip. I figured you need a good headline to get people to come over!! Then you need to make sure that you have great content so that people believe what you have to say.

I think that 5 of the first 6 are good, but the 7th is great, and my least favorite. My Twitter stream and plenty of my feeds are filled with “27 Illustrative Icon Sets”, “31 Fonts Every Designer Needs”, and “25 Days of Christmas Deco”. I am so tired of seeing this stuff, but they’re always mixed in with other more useful posts.

This is a really good list though, and will be tagged “7 Ways to Bait Your Posts for Linking”.

I think that 5 of the first 6 are good, but the 7th is great, and my least favorite. My Twitter stream and plenty of my feeds are filled with “27 Illustrative Icon Sets”, “31 Fonts Every Designer Needs”, and “25 Days of Christmas Deco”. I am so tired of seeing this stuff, but they’re always mixed in with other more useful posts.

This is a really good list though, and will be tagged “7 Ways to Bait Your Posts for Linking”.

Nice write up Chris. But really at this point don’t you think that everyone can smell the slightest hint of link bait? Each of the points above is a great way to create good link bait. Add brilliant content to the formula and you will have a ton of links.

Chris, I think Todd Malicoat’s Link Baiting Playbook is what you were referring to. It’s a great article!

Hmmm…Maybe that’s why my last two weeks of posts, while generating readership haven’t been linked – I’m not doing it properly – or too much…..

As usual – thanks for the great insight and blog food for thought!

I like that list – “7 Basic Types of Linkbaiting.” Thanks for reposting it.

Question: In what format did you write that note that you were able to find it and not find the link? Not a criticism, just a question – as I have lots of old “Black n’ Red” type notebooks myself.

Comment: I have a personal pet peeve when people use the “Resource Hook” and don’t add value with opinions, commentary or original ideas. If you’re going to take that approach, just tag the resource or start a wiki. IMO – it’s not a blog if you don’t include any original content. Add value.

I love this!

Does writing a post that was inspired by another post count?

Sometimes, I can’t think of anything to write about, so I go and read. Then, after reading, I find myself inspired. When I link back it’s to give credit where credit is due.

I love the web!

In my opinion, the acceptability of linkbaiting depends on where your priorities lie. If linkbaiting is employed as a means of encouraging links with little concern for the quality of the content, then criticism will invariably be drawn sooner or later. On the other hand, if you are using linkbaiting in an attempt to draw attention to high quality content, then arguably it is perfectly acceptable. The acceptability of linkbaiting revolves around whether your priority is in the provision of value to your community, or simply in the careless aggregration of numbers.

As you suggest, Chris, linkbaiting is essentially the creation of content that incites a reaction from the community. As long as this is done subtly and the content remains strong, then linkbaiting as an activity doesn’t seem overly questionable. I would suggest that as long as community and content remain the focus, encouraging visibility through link baiting seems like a viable option for drawing attention to content specifically designed to be developed by the community.

TLR

There’s link bait, yes–but there’s also comment bait.

For instance, Twitter Porn and Why I’d Like to Help is an ego hook for link bait.

On the flip side, Beware Facebook Wall Messages About SinkStumble.com is a successful resource hook for comment bait.

For bloggers who receive far less links than you, Chris, comments are equally as important and deserve as much subtle requests for action, don’t you agree?

I’ve sat through three-hour seminars that had less to chew on than this. Great read. Thanks Chris for another great post.

Yeh, this totally works. I know that these tactics are effective in drawing me in. The title is the thing that tugs at me, and the content keeps me reading and makes me want to provide it as a resource for my readers. Good tips.

If I write a post “Why I’m Not Following Chris Brogan On Twitter Anymore?”, there will be like 600 posts named “Why I’m Not Following Sergey Smolin On Twitter Anymore”.

Any usefulness aside, I really just enjoyed the fajitas analogy. That, to me, makes for quality writing in any form of media.

And I still can’t get the mobile (wap) version of your site on my BlackBerry.

I hate fajitas.

Ooo and don’t forget using incendiary titles like “Seth Godin is a Big fat Idiot” http://gerardmclean.com/seth-godin-is-a-big-fat-idiot.html I could have titled it something more banal, but then Mr. Godin himself would not have commented on the article. Pretty sure that was it.

@sean808080 right there with you. I hate fajitas too.

ah! Great post- and another linkbait piece is giving away anything free that is of extreme value- like “20 free social media ebooks” which is such a HUGE value to folks. great post and LOTS of ideas to ponder! fajitas? being from Texas- HOT analogy!

Thanks for the tips Chris. I use link bait to help people move from my blog to my articles. Works great. These tips are great for blog titles too. You know when you get it right when your articles gets tons of traffic.

I agree with @The Lovable Rogue, linkbaits to attract traffic to poor content is eventually meant to fail. I can see why these lists/top something site do bring visitors and triggers curiosity, but a lot of the time these posts seem a bit “empty” in the end.

mmmm, Fajitas :>

I’m a sucker for this stuff, I’ll admit.

Not enough hours in the day.

Thanks for the tips! I enjoyed the read. So much “stuff,” so little time . . .

I absolutely LOVE that you don’t take yourself too seriously and that you can have fun with a post like this, Chris. Thanks for always being a good sport ;)

Why am I not following Chris Brogan anymore?
because as soon as I hit follow on twitter, my entire history was filled with conversation spam with people I don’t know with no context and I suddenly could not see any of my friends, and all those posts were only seconds apart! 5 seconds later I un-followed so I could re-enable visible friend updates :p

I still read his blog through!

A high value list with valuable commentary will keep folks coming back for more… it is the sizzle. Sadly, too many link bait list authors seem to have never even evaluated whats on their list, and it ends up a huge waste of time and bandwidth. To me, such link baiting works in reverse, they get put on my blacklist to not follow.