Linkbait: Humor, Conflict, and Controversy
Make 'em laugh, make 'em cry, or make 'em angry. One of the easiest ways to design successful linkbait is to create content that incites strong emotions. Articles, blog posts, games, and videos can be used to tell jokes, stir-up controversy, or cause conflict.
Use humor to engage your audience and convey a serious advocacy message at the same time. For example, more than half a million people at YouTube alone have viewed a video that portrays Al Gore as a buffoon in a penguin suit. While these YouTube viewers are laughing, they are also presented with messages that debunk the global warming claims in the movie An Inconvenient Truth. See for yourself: http://youtube.com/watch?v=IZSqXUSwHRI
Many of the most popular destinations on the internet focus on humor. People love to email funny links to their friends. Consider these ideas:
- Write a humorous article that advances your cause (i.e., "The 10 Silliest Excuses for Not Getting a Colonoscopy")
- Create a satirical video that mocks the opposing point of view. Create a list of cause-related jokes. A cat protection organization could include a list of jokes for cat lovers; a science organization could include a list of jokes for scientists. (Only use jokes if they fit the overall tone of your website.)
- Create a regular comic series that shares your advocacy message. For example: The Humane Society of the United States publishes Mutts comics about animal protection during National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week. Some of these comics are humorous; others are heart-wrenching or inspiring.
Controversy and conflict are also effective linkbait tactics. If you want to get people talking about your content, create articles that are worth debating. But beware: controversy will almost always create enemies. Be sure that your facts are straight before publishing and be prepared to deal with hostile blog comments and emails. When creating controversial content, consider one of these strategies:
- Expose a story as a fraud: If you find out that a food company is lying about its treatment of animals, write an exposé about it.
- Rant: Hire a columnist to create a blog post or essay about an activity that is in opposition to your cause. For example: "10 Things I Hate About Poachers."
- Offer a scathing, negative review of an article or webpage that promotes ideas that go against your organization's cause.
- Create flamebait, which are claims that directly attack an individual. A typical title for this kind of linkbait is: "Why <Famous Person> Doesn't Know What He's Talking About." Flamebait aims at creating conflict with an individual who is well-known in your field, in order to get attention from newfound allies and opponents, while influencing a wide audience of undecideds who will pay attention for the same reason they slow down to watch car crashes. If you choose to try flamebait, don't libel or mislead. But even when your flamebait is squeaky-clean, expect some kind of retaliation, which could include a lawsuit aimed at costing you a lot of time and money to defend yourself. Flamebait should almost never be used, but may be the fastest way to gain notoriety in your field.
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