Creating linkbait blog posts

Want more traffic and links? Perhaps you need to write more scintillating headlines and blog posts.

(Definition – Linkbait: a term used to describe a variety of practices that focus on generating attention and incoming links from other sites and blogs. Some linkbaiting practices are good, many sketchy, but it’s clearly an area worth thinking about.)

One fun idea-generating tool is www.linkbaitgenerator.com which allows you to plug in topics and it will generate a series of topic ideas in response.

So, just for fun, I plugged in the term “social media” to see what would happen. Not bad! Here’s the list:

1. 10 under-appreciated things about social media
2. 8 outrageous frauds involving social media
3. 10 epic fails involving social media
4. 5 reasons social media is the new drug prohibition
5. 10 common misconceptions about social media
6. Why social media sucks: myth vs. reality
7. 8 reasons to fear social media
8. 8 ways social media can help you survive a plane crash
9. 5 reasons social media is the new Twitter (ironic one…)
10. 10 ways that civilization could collapse because of social media
11. 9 crazy ways that social media is infiltrating pop culture
12. 7 ways social media could cure cancer
13. 15 must see websites about social media
14. 8 reasons to fear social media
15. 10 of the biggest social media screw ups of all time
16. 5 insane but true things about social media
17. 6 ways Hollywood makes social media look ridiculous in movies
18. 10 funny ways social media has appeared in music videos
19. How social media is part of the liberal/conservative agenda
20. 10 of the best social media movies of all time
21. 5 amazing things you probably didn’t know about social media
22. 5 reasons social media is the new MTV
23. 5 reasons social media is the new cocaine
24. 10 surprising ways social media will be different in 20 years (just change 20 to 1 and you’ve got a hit)

and my personal favorite:
8 ways social media could help you survive a zombie outbreak

Hmmm, how could it help you survive a zombie outbreak? Warning you of when one is approaching? Identifying zombies to your friends? Sending out zombie alerts via Foursquare?

I recommend you try linkbaitgenerator.com and other sites like it, you might get some great ideas for your next post.

Which of these do you think I should write? Let me know in the comment section below!