Linkbait can be anything from a downloadable anti-fur poster to an "Are You Fat?" calculator. By creating useful, appealing content, you can encourage internet users to recommend your webpage to others by posting a referral link to you.
This is easier said than done, because success depends on making your linkbait stand out from the crowd. If there are already a dozen websites that offer a tool to calculate ideal body weight, then make your calculator more valuable by offering customized healthy-eating tips based on the degree of obesity. Or offer a photo uploading and morphing feature that shows the end-user what she would look like thinner if she followed your healthy-eating tips to reach her ideal body weight. The point is that your linkbait needs to be more desirable to your audience than any other alternative. In your case, "more desirable" may mean "funnier," "easier," "wiser," "more exhaustive," or "more salacious."
This chapter will highlight several types of linkbait, including:
- Humor, Conflict, and Controversy linkbait
- Tools and Freebies Linkbait
- Case Studies and Research Findings linkbait
- Interactive "Games" and Screensaver linkbait
- Lists (e.g., "101 Ways to...") linkbait
- Celebrity Photos and Interviews linkbait
- Critical Reviews linkbait
- Scholarship and Awards linkbait
Note: Creating buzzworthy linkbait is an art. If you strike-out a few times, consider hiring a professional writer, researcher, cartoonist, animator, filmmaker, or programmer who has created wildly successful linkbait in the past.
