Be viral -- really viral.
A lot of people get so caught up in their product that they forget what it means to go viral. Going viral with a piece of link bait is when you have everyone interested -- even when they typically would not be interested in the topic you are pushing.
For example, interest in urinals is not widespread. However, if you were to write an article about the craziest urinals around the world, then almost anyone would be interested in taking a look.
So when you're thinking about your link bait, try to think about how you can appeal to the broadest audience of people on the web and not just your particular niche.
Plan your campaign.
Each social community is a little different than the next, so make sure you do some research and consider the trends of the users in the social communities in which you want to succeed. You don't really want to put Apple down on a site like Digg, where users tend to be Apple fans. So when considering your link bait topic, ask yourself these questions about the social community you want to succeed in:
- What position do the users take on your specific topic? Are they typically for or against it? This will help you pick the right tone for your writing.
- Is there a category that is lacking quality submissions? This might present an opportunity to write content around that category to increase your chance of success.
- Has anyone done a similar article recently? If so, you might want to consider a different topic, since most users do not like to see the same general content again and again. There are only so many articles on how Windows 7 is better than Vista that someone is willing to read and support.
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