September 7, 2010

If you have a blog, linkbaiting may have become a rule of thumb when writing content. It’s not always a good thing, but it’s not completely evil either. If you have a blog, read on to find out whether you know how to use linkbait or not.

What is Linkbait?

Linkbait or linkbaiting is all about writing blog posts that will stir people into action and spur a discussion. In the online world, a ‘reaction’ means your website or article will be mentioned and linked to in various places like forums, blogs and even social networks. With the way discussions are done over the internet right now, they are likely to write about your post on their own websites, or any page online where they can voice an opinion. If your blog post is interesting enough, people cannot help but say something about it on twitter, facebook etc.. Linkbait is nothing more or less than written content that attracts a buzz, comments and, above all, links.

Is it always good to linkbait?

Linkbait can be ethical or not, depending on the situation. Good linkbaits are those that interest and provoke your target audience, like something on sex ed on a parenting blog. A bad linkbait is something that could damage your credibility, like a rant or an article flaming other people. But then again, some people will argue that anything that draws attention, whether negative or positive, is good linkbait.

Linkbait Writing 101

There are article types that make people link back. Tutorial blogs are very popular, especially when the topic is a new gadget. If you’re opinionated, you might want to write a controversial opinion article on a hot topic. “Exposure” articles get people curious but could seriously compromise your credibility.

Inflammatory pieces make very good linkbaits but that doesn’t mean you have to resort to writing these to grab attention. Just look at the way tabloids sell their stories.

The only rule of thumb to linkbaiting is this… always be accountable for anything you write about online.

How to Use Links to Receive Link Backs

Sometimes, reacting to other people’s opinion can be the most effective linkbait. Linking out to another blogger by reacting to his or her post can be very effective if your intention is to draw attention. Furthermore, some blogging platforms like wordpress allow trackbacks, which automatically places your “reaction” article’s URL under the blogpost of the other blogger.

You’re communicating with people through your website or blog. There will be people who will like your blog, there will be people who will hate it, and there are those who are indifferent to things you write. For a blog to be popular, you must command the attention of all these people. Your role as a blogger is to write posts that people will enjoy. Keep your audience in mind when link baiting.

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