Link Bait – The Current Copy Writing Nexxus of the Universe?

Link baiting…simply the most incredibly powerful, awe-inspiring and despicable move any writer can make…

Yes, link baiting is all of the above, and when you manage to nail the perfect article, to fool the media, to inspire the minions to want to link to your article, you have effectively become the great angler of people’s time and attention.

Link baiting, in its simplest definition, is simply anything that attracts other to post a link back to whatever it was you published. It might take the form of an unusual perspective that is refreshingly insightful, it might be an image with shock impact appeal, something that is easily perceived by the majority reader as having potentially life-changing results (..the release of the movie and book “The Secret” for example) , or a hoax that dupes the media, beating them at thier own game (the story in the UK about the young boys that use their father’s credit card to hire prostitutes only to play Halo on their X Box).

The latter resulted in over 1500 inbound site links from around the world in under 7 days and over 2453 Diggs.

So how can regular Joe or Joanne marketer apply link baiting?

Well, below is a list of resources and ideas borrowed from Jim Westergren:

Here is a list of ideas:

• Make a valuable resource (lists, special reports, history of, how to, etc.)
• Interview (e-mail/phone) prominent people and publish it.
• Build a useful tool
• Write an interesting article
• Run a newsworthy ‘event’ such as a contest
• Test something new that has not been done before
• Be the first in doing something on the internet
• Write something controversial
• Be the first to write the latest news in your niche
• Be the first to expose a scammer
• Disagree with an authority
• Write some funny humor
• Make an interesting picture
• Be the first to research and document something
• Make a theme, plugin or piece of software
• Make a tool that others can put on their sites but that links to you
• Make a joke about a known person
• Make a resource that is just in time for a major event
• Write an outrageous theory and back it up with logics
• Write useful comments on something that is happening
• Give something valuable for free
• Coin a new acronym in your niche and get people to talk about it
• Become an expert in your niche and write valuable information

Useful resources on Link Baiting (many of the tips above taken from here):

• Case Study from SEJ, 1,960 links during one month for running a contest
• Link Bait Ideas thread on SEO Refugee

Link Bait Services:

• Andy Hagans and his co-workers from TLA
• Rand Fishkin and his team at SEOmoz
• Michael Grays Link Bait service
• Todd Malicoats Link Bait service

Have fun, and remember to set the hook!

Ron

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