The document provides guidance on creating effective linkbait content. It recommends defining the target audience, brainstorming ideas and filtering them based on criteria like simplicity and credibility. Key steps include pre-outreach to test ideas, creating the content, and promoting it through outreach to journalists and bloggers with follow up. The goal is to produce content that people want to share and link to.

1. Lessons in Linkbait
Hannah Smith - Distilled
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

2. Hannah Smith
Distilled
hannah.smith@distilled.net
www..distilled.net
www.seo-chicks.com
http://twitter.com/#!/hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

3. What is Linkbait?
Content which people
*want*
to share
and
link to…
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

4. 316 Linking Root Domains
http://www.thomson.co.uk/blog/wp-content/uploads/infographic/interactive-music-map/index.html
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

5. 450 Linking Root Domains
http://www.27bslash6.com/overdue.html
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

6. 1767 Linking Root Domains
http://www.seomoz.org/beginners-guide-to-seo/how-search-engines-operate
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

7. But
for every piece of content that succeeds
there are hundreds that remain...
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

8. unseen,
unshared and
unlinked to 
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

9. So, before you begin…
• Make sure that your boss (or your client)
know that there are risks
• Manage their expectations
• Set metrics ahead of time so you know what
‘success’ looks like
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

10. The Process
• Define your audience
• Go & find them
• Brainstorm Ideas
• Filter Ideas
• Pick the form for your content
• Pre-Outreach
• Create
• Outreach & follow up
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

11. Define your audience
• Think ‘Who’ not ‘What’
• ‘What’ you create depends on ‘who’ you want
to attract links and social shares from
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

12. Find Real-Life Examples
• What do these people like?
• What do these people hate?
• What do they already link to and share?
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

13. Brainstorm
• Brief people before the brainstorm so they
come with ideas
• Keep the meeting short
• Just capture all the ideas
• Don’t sit and argue their merits
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

14. Filter your Ideas
Key Questions:
• Will this appeal to my target audience?
• Can I get the data I need?
• Do I have enough time / resource to deliver
this properly
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

15. Think about Shelf-Life – Don’t get trapped…
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

16. ‘Current’ v ‘Evergreen’ Content
• Something that’s very current might do really
well…
• But if it doesn’t, then you’re stuck
• Evergreen content can be outreached for
longer – probably increasing your chances of
success
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

17. Are we
done
with the filtering, now?
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

18. No
not yet 
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

19. Filtering Checklist
Is this idea…
• Simple
– Is your idea easy to communicate & understand?
– Can you explain it in a tweet?
• Unexpected
• Concrete
– Real, definite rather than abstract
• Emotional
– Will anyone care?
• Credible
– Is your data good enough?
http://www.distilled.net/blog/seo/link-building-seo/how-to-make-sticky-content/
Inspired by ‘Made to Stick’ by Chip & Dan Heath
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

20. Obtaining Credible Data…
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

21. Trusted Data
• If data is central to your story & want to get
links from news outlets make sure you use a
trusted data source e.g.
– http://www.spaghettiopendata.org/dati
– http://www.linkedopendata.it/
– http://www.dati.gov.it/ricerca_dataset
Thanks for these links Gianluca Fiorelli - @gfiorelli1!
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

22. Surveys Don’t Always Cut It
• Need at least 1000 respondents
• Data isn’t robust / representative
• Lots of people won’t cover stories based on
survey data
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

23. So we’ve picked out an idea…
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

24. Now pick the format
• What’s the best way of telling this story?
• What does your audience like?
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

25. Yay!
Now we’ve got our idea & we know what
we’re going to create…
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

26. Stop!
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

27. Pre-Outreach
• Reach out to a few contacts and see if they
like the sound of your idea
• If they don’t respond positively – do
something else
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

28. But if they
*like*
it…
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

29. Now you can Create it!
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

30. We’ve just made something beautiful.
We can sit back & relax now, right?
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

31. No.
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

32. Promote your Linkbait
• Outreach to journalists / bloggers etc
• Syndicate a press release
• Guest post
• Seed to influential social contacts
• Follow up with those who haven’t linked to
you as the source
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

33. Now you can relax
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

34. Key Takeaways
Don’t forget the process…
• Figure out what success looks like
• Set targets
• Define your audience
• Go & find them
• Brainstorm Ideas
• Filter Ideas
• Pick the form for your content
• Pre-Outreach
• Create
• Outreach & follow up
• Relax (!)
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

35. Key Takeaways
Check that your idea is…
• Simple
• Unexpected
• Concrete
• Credible
• Emotional
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

36. Key Takeaways
• Outreach like your life depended on it!
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

37. Thank you!
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

38. Hannah Smith
Distilled
hannah.smith@distilled.net
www..distilled.net
www.seo-chicks.com
http://twitter.com/#!/hannah_bo_banna
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net

39. Image credits
• It’s a trap! - http://www.flickr.com/photos/koisny/5597404306/sizes/z/in/photostream/
• Credible data - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bfishadow/4930961643/sizes/z/in/photostream/
• Idea - http://www.flickr.com/photos/evilpeach/2697408894/sizes/z/in/photostream/
• Stop - http://www.flickr.com/photos/aquilaonline/5912499536/sizes/z/in/photostream/
• Create it - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tim_norris/2377652663/sizes/z/in/photostream/
• No - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwl/4493219149/sizes/z/in/set-72157625725205643/
• Relax - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwl/3875936992/sizes/z/in/set-72157605226236207/
• Get a room - http://www.flickr.com/photos/kwl/5405412150/sizes/z/in/set-72157623544311963/
@hannah_bo_banna
hannah.smith@distilled.net