Viral Marketing & Link Bait Basics: Part X

We have reached the end of our series, and today I would like to discuss the last important detail about link baiting and viral marketing, and that is specific content ideas to help you attract the most attention. When it comes to deciding on what kind of content format to use, you should always look at what is currently bringing in the most attention at the moment. Some will also be constant, and will always bring in a fail amount of traffic no matter what is currently popular.

Top 10 Lists

Lists are always your number one. Everyone loves to read a good “Top 10 of the Coolest Things To Happen During That Year” list. It gives them a quick bullet of a basic genre for them to enjoy. If you provide pictures, it is even better, but it isn’t necessarily needed. You can also consider a meme a list type, and provide something in that format.

When posting it, be sure you provide simple keywords on the page, and within the text. Make the title itself SEO targeted, as that will give you more hits on any search engine, and bring people directly to you. You should also make sure to write it in the most interesting way possible, but keep it succinct. You don’t need long passages, just a paragraph or two per item, to keep it snappy but interested.

Satire and Humor

Something funny always passes more quickly online. The funnier and more relevant to a niche it is, the more it will be passed between friends, or shared on social networking sites. You may even find that it sparks a craze that becomes well known, or even an Internet sensation (Think ‘Numa Numa’, or Peter’s Evil Overlord List). These are good examples of how a small idea can become internationally known and enjoyed if it can create a chuckle or two.

Drama and Inspiration

How many times have you gotten that annoying chain message in your inbox, or posted on your Facebook page, that talks about the tragedy of so and so, or the love of whatever god, or an unbelievable and exaggerated story of heroism that cannot be substantiated? They are irritating in the extreme, but they are also very viral. They pass like hot cakes, and even something obviously made up can become a huge success in a matter of weeks, to the point where it is taken by many by fact. But, the point is, it spreads, and keeps spreading.

News and Commentary

News passes quickly online, and even small sources can commonly be quoted and shared when you post something breaking. This also counts when you give a personal opinion or commentary that has been well written about a current piece of news. If you do a daily feature on current events, you will have a great resource for recycling traffic. This means you will continue to bring people in, rather than having a campaign that goes stale. This is one of the only types of content that will continue to provide relevant revenue.

Guides

There are two kinds of guides that you will see when you search the web,. The first is a ‘How To‘ guide, which gives instructions on a number of topics, from home improvement, to video game levels. The second is a ‘Best Of’ guide, which leads readers to the ‘best’ items, products, services, or places. Both types will draw in a large crowd, usually in small spurts and cycles. If they are on a relevant topic, and given plenty of SEO, they will keep linkbaiting well after you have moved on to the next project.

There are quite a few topics that are always relevant niches when it comes to these guides. For a ‘How To‘ you can find a large crowd for home improvement, computer and electronics, and crafts. For example, a guide on how to install hardwood flooring, how to burn backup copies of Xbox 360 games, or how to create your own custom scrapbooking pages might be good places to start.

When it comes to ‘Best Of‘ guides, there are also plenty of niches that are always popular. Travel is probably the biggest, such as the best European beaches, the best affordable hostels for Carnivale, or the best locations for a romantic U.S. Weekend getaway. Make sure to provide plenty of retails when doing this type of guide. The more details the better.

This concludes our ten week series on linkbaiting. I hope you enjoyed it, and that you learned all you need to get started. Good luck!