{"id":142230,"date":"2022-05-18T03:00:07","date_gmt":"2022-05-18T08:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/?p=142230"},"modified":"2022-11-26T08:04:56","modified_gmt":"2022-11-26T13:04:56","slug":"link-bait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/link-bait\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Link Bait? 7 Successful Examples"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"intro-txt\">Not every page on your website will earn you backlinks.<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>That is one of the many reasons why <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/link-building\/\">link building<\/a>&nbsp;is hard. Pages need links to rank. Yet not all pages will earn&nbsp;them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there is a certain type of page you can create that will naturally earn links better than others. In the SEO world, we call them \u201clink&nbsp;bait.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Knowing why and how link bait works will help you create more \u201clink magnets\u201d so you can get more links to your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But first, let\u2019s start with the basics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#1-what-is-link-bait\">What is link&nbsp;bait?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#2-purpose-of-link-bait\">What is the purpose of link&nbsp;bait?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#3-why-does-link-bait-work\">Why does link bait&nbsp;work?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#4-best-practices-for-creating-link-bait\">Best practices for creating link&nbsp;bait<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#5-seven-successful-link-bait-examples\">Link bait examples<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#6-how-find-good-link-bait-ideas\">How to find good link bait&nbsp;ideas<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"What is link bait?\" data-section=\"1-what-is-link-bait\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.t47gqjpa45f2\">What is link&nbsp;bait?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Link bait is content designed to attract backlinks. It\u2019s something so valuable and interesting that bloggers and journalists want to link to&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"What is the purpose of link bait?\" data-section=\"2-purpose-of-link-bait\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.ibe0p84qzcfc\">What is the purpose of link&nbsp;bait?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Link bait helps you rank higher on Google and get more organic traffic to your website.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two reasons why this is&nbsp;so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, because links are <a href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/now-know-googles-top-three-search-ranking-factors-245882\">one of Google\u2019s top three ranking factors<\/a>, pages with more links tend to rank higher and get more traffic. Our study of over 1 billion pages confirms this.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142201\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-backlinks-search-traffic-correlation.jpg\" alt=\"Line graph showing the higher the median number of referring domains, the more organic search traffic\" width=\"512.8\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-backlinks-search-traffic-correlation.jpg 1282w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-backlinks-search-traffic-correlation-341x425.jpg 341w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-backlinks-search-traffic-correlation-768x959.jpg 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/1-backlinks-search-traffic-correlation-1231x1536.jpg 1231w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1282px) 100vw, 1282px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>If you create a piece of link bait about a topic people are searching for, the links it attracts should result in more traffic to the page itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second, you can distribute some of the \u201cauthority\u201d your link bait attracts to other pages on your website using internal links. This can help boost the pages\u2019 rankings in <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/organic-search\/\">organic search<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142202\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2-internal-links.png\" alt=\"Flowchart showing more &quot;linkable&quot; webpage can transfer link authority to product page through internal links\" width=\"544.4\" height=\"640\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2-internal-links.png 1361w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2-internal-links-362x425.png 362w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2-internal-links-768x903.png 768w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/2-internal-links-1307x1536.png 1307w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1361px) 100vw, 1361px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Why does link bait work?\" data-section=\"3-why-does-link-bait-work\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.224l8tc9du3g\">Why does link bait&nbsp;work?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Link bait works because it takes advantage of psychological principles that make people want to link to it. These principles are called \u201cshare triggers\u201d and were coined by marketing professor Jonah Berger in his book \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/Contagious-Things-Catch-Jonah-Berger\/dp\/1451686579\">Contagious<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Social currency<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;People share things that make them look good to others.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Triggers<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 People share things that are top of&nbsp;mind.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Emotion<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 People need to feel something to share something.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Public<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 People tend to imitate others\u2019 behavior if they can see or observe it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Practical value<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 People like to pass along practical, useful information.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stories<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 People don\u2019t just share information\u2014they share stories too.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Best practices for creating link bait\" data-section=\"4-best-practices-for-creating-link-bait\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.djyjqquaz24m\">Best practices for creating link&nbsp;bait<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some best practices for creating link bait that \u201ctakes advantage\u201d of share triggers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Try to incorporate at least one or two into your link bait so it stands the highest chance of success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.ro3bcycv3tl3\">1. Make your link bait practical<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Making your content practical means creating something that the reader can use right away. Examples include tools, calculators, templates, checklists, and cheat sheets. For example, at Ahrefs, we created a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/free-seo-tools\">whole bunch of free tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/3-ahrefs-free-tools.png\" alt=\"List of free Ahrefs tools\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Each of them has a significant number of backlinks:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/4-free-tools-search-traffic.png\" alt=\"Table showing each free tool's page has lots of referring domains and backlinks\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.epjhok58tfim\">2. Make your link bait opinionated<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Another way to make your link bait valuable is to give the reader <strong>something new to think about<\/strong>. This can be done by tackling a topic from a unique angle and adding something unique to the conversation.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s an example: A few years ago, our chief marketing officer, Tim Soulo, published a <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/outreach\/\">\u201crant\u201d about bad email outreach<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It was incredibly opinionated and born entirely out of his own experience. But people loved&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This resulted in over 2,500 backlinks from 533 websites:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/5-outreach-post-links.png\" alt=\"Site Explorer overview of Tim's post on bad email outreach\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.1pa3m5vmh53o\">3. Make sure your link bait evokes emotion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re as old as me, you may remember the glorious days of Upworthy. During its peak, it was as if every single one of the site\u2019s articles went viral. (Although I\u2019ve not seen anyone share Upworthy\u2019s content in recent years.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Upworthy is a website dedicated to positive stories. People kept sharing its articles because each one was engineered to make people feel awe, surprise, happiness, and a general sentiment that the world was not as bad as it seemed to&nbsp;be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, the content worked incredibly well as link bait&nbsp;too:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/6-upworthy-post-links.png\" alt=\"Site Explorer overview of a positive, inspirational Upworthy article\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Positivity is just one aspect. There are tons of emotions you can try appealing to, such as anger, excitement, sadness, joy, etc. See if you can incorporate them in your link bait&nbsp;too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.ti3xdwsg9umi\">4. Make your link bait visual<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For someone to link to a piece of content, a four-step process has to&nbsp;occur:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>See<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;The potential \u201clinker\u201d stumbles upon your link bait for the first&nbsp;time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Consume<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 They click and consume it.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Enjoy<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 The content makes a lasting impression on their&nbsp;mind.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Link<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 They take the \u201cbait\u201d and link to&nbsp;it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>If your link bait isn\u2019t visually appealing, this process gets cut off between \u201cConsume\u201d and \u201cEnjoy.\u201d This is because visuals help people to consume content quicker and easier, thereby increasing the likelihood that someone will enjoy the said content and, thus, link to&nbsp;it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, check out <a href=\"https:\/\/vinepair.com\/wine-blog\/most-popular-beer-every-country-map\/\">this post<\/a> on the most popular beer in every country. Instead of a simple listicle, the information is actually conveyed in a&nbsp;map:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/7-beer-map.jpg\" alt=\"World map with logos of different beer brands on various areas\" width=\"1000\" height=\"655\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>With over 533 backlinks from 179 websites, it did pretty well.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142208\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/8-beer-map-links.png\" alt=\"Site Explorer overview of VinePair's article on the most popular beer in every country\" width=\"573.3\" height=\"202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/8-beer-map-links.png 1274w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/8-beer-map-links-680x239.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/8-beer-map-links-768x270.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1274px) 100vw, 1274px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.vytp8oyg8len\">5. Make your link bait newsworthy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If there is one thing that is top of mind for most people, it\u2019s the news. And journalists and bloggers are constantly on the lookout for stories to&nbsp;cover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, the biggest news story of the past two years is logically the pandemic and the resulting changes it created. In 2020, Nulab ran a series of surveys regarding remote work and <a href=\"https:\/\/nulab.com\/blog\/collaboration\/adjusting-to-remote-work\/\">published them in a post<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only did the post earn 103 backlinks from 80 unique websites\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/9-nulab-post-links.png\" alt=\"Site Explorer overview of Nulab's post about remote work during COVID-19\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>\u2026 but it also received links from major publications like Huffington Post, Yahoo, ZDNet, Refinery29, and&nbsp;more:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142210\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/10-nulab-referring-domains.png\" alt=\"List of domains and corresponding DR\" width=\"534.8\" height=\"392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/10-nulab-referring-domains.png 764w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/10-nulab-referring-domains-580x425.png 580w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 764px) 100vw, 764px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>So if you want big news publications to link to you, your content will need to incorporate some newsworthy elements. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.throughlinegroup.com\/2012\/01\/25\/the-11-things-that-journalists-consider-newsworthy\/\">Here\u2019s a great list<\/a>&nbsp;to look through and apply to your own content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another strategy to make your content newsworthy is to do newsjacking. Newsjacking is about monitoring live news and spotting opportunities to put your brand in the center of conversations by reacting with expert commentary and thought leadership pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We interviewed <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WillHobson\">Will Hobson<\/a>, the PR director at <a href=\"https:\/\/riseatseven.com\/\">Rise at Seven<\/a>,&nbsp;to share tips on how to successfully execute newsjacking. You can read his tips in the post&nbsp;below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recommended reading:<\/strong>&nbsp;<em><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/pr-tactics-examples\/#newsjacking\">9 Great Public Relations Tactics With Campaign Examples<\/a><\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.qai10nc5jwxj\">6. Make your link bait a&nbsp;story<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Bestselling author Yuval Noah Harari wrote:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">Humans think in stories rather than in facts, numbers, or equations, and the simpler the story, the better.<\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Humans are storytelling animals. It\u2019s how we function as a society. So it\u2019s surprising to no one that we share and link to stories.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, rather than bash people over the head with logic and reasoning about why debt is bad, Wealth Simple decided to go with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wealthsimple.com\/en-ca\/magazine\/couple-debt\">a story angle<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/11-debt-love-story.png\" alt=\"Excerpt of Wealth Simple's article where a couple shares their experiences dealing with debt\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>It earned a respectable 85 backlinks from 62 referring domains:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142212\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/12-debt-love-story-links.png\" alt=\"Site Explorer overview of Wealth Simple's article about debt\" width=\"565.2\" height=\"205\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/12-debt-love-story-links.png 1256w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/12-debt-love-story-links-680x247.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/12-debt-love-story-links-768x279.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1256px) 100vw, 1256px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Plenty of which came from large websites like Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Slate, and&nbsp;more:<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142213\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/13-debt-love-story-referring-domains.png\" alt=\"List of domains with corresponding DR\" width=\"490.5\" height=\"367\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/13-debt-love-story-referring-domains.png 754w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/13-debt-love-story-referring-domains-568x425.png 568w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 754px) 100vw, 754px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Telling a good story is difficult. But if you can do so with your link bait, it may be worth a&nbsp;shot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.knjz7wtb8td8\">7. Include what other people are already linking to<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If people are linking because of certain reasons in competing pages, it is logical to assume that the particular reason is important to that&nbsp;topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So before you create your link bait, you should look for common link reasons in a similar page\u2019s backlink profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/keywords-explorer\">Keywords Explorer<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Search for a topic you\u2019re writing about<\/li>\n<li>Look at the <strong>SERP overview<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Find a similar article with lots of referring domains<\/li>\n<li>Click on the number in the <strong>Backlinks<\/strong>&nbsp;column<\/li>\n<li>Skim the <strong>Anchor and target URL<\/strong>&nbsp;column for commonalities<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if we do this for Greatist\u2019s post on the perfect kettlebell swing, we see quite a few people linking because the post mentioned the benefits:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/14-greatist-link-triggers.jpg\" alt=\"Keywords Explorer results\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re writing about the same topic, mentioning benefits may give your link bait a chance to get more&nbsp;links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"Seven successful link bait examples\" data-section=\"5-seven-successful-link-bait-examples\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.mo43tfdb5xyl\">Seven successful link bait examples<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are seven of our favorite pieces of link bait, each of which attracted tons of links, shares, and attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We also reached out to their creator(s) and asked, \u201cWhat do you think made your particular piece so successful\/popular?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Their thoughts are included below.<\/p>\n<h3>1. <a href=\"https:\/\/neomam.com\/interactive\/13reasons\">13 Reasons Your Brain Craves Infographics<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/15-why-your-brain-craves-infographics.jpg\" alt=\"Picture of a brain with the article title\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This piece earned 75,300 backlinks from 1,500 referring domains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/16-infographics-link-bait-stats.png\" alt=\"Site Explorer overview of NeoMam's article about why the human brain craves infographics \"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what Danny Ashton, founder of NeoMam Studios, had to&nbsp;say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>I believe timing played a big part here; we published it when infographics were a hot topic in 2013. I think the interactive format also helped\u2014a lot of people hadn\u2019t seen anything like it back&nbsp;then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also made sure we only used scientific studies to support each point, as most other stuff out there was a mix of pseudo-science and opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And the fact that we promoted the hell out of it helped too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><div class=\"quote-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Danny Ashton\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/danny-ashton.png\"><\/div><div class=\"extra-box\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Danny Ashton,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">Founder <a href=\"https:\/\/neomam.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">NeoMam Studios<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.e1txowmx6xca\">2. <a href=\"http:\/\/inception-explained.com\/\">Inception Explained<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/17-inception-explained.png\" alt=\"The word &quot;Inception&quot; in all caps and subheader of the article below it\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This piece earned 714 backlinks from 324 referring domains.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142218\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/18-inception-explained-stats.png\" alt=\"Site Explorer overview of article &quot;Inception Explained&quot;\" width=\"575.1\" height=\"202\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/18-inception-explained-stats.png 1278w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/18-inception-explained-stats-680x238.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/18-inception-explained-stats-768x269.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1278px) 100vw, 1278px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what the creator, Matt Dempsey, had to&nbsp;say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>I think it was successful because it paired a subject matter people were interested in with a new medium people were delighted by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The site tapped into a film millions of people knew and loved but most didn\u2019t completely understand\u2014you just had to check the Google search trends for \u2018Inception explained,\u2019 etc., beforehand to see the demand for a succinct explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I also used parallax scrolling, which was a very new technique at the time. I think this was the most complicated and intricate implementation of it, so it resonated well with the tech\/design community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><div class=\"quote-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Matt Dempsey\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/matt-dempsey-sm.jpg\"><\/div><div class=\"extra-box\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Matt Dempsey,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">Creator <a href=\"http:\/\/inception-explained.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Inception Explained<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.5tt93a665ktf\">3. <a href=\"https:\/\/animagraffs.com\/how-a-car-engine-works\/\">How a Car Engine Works<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/19-how-a-car-engine-works.jpg\" alt=\"Sketch of parts of a car engine and text surrounding the sketch\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This piece earned 2,100 backlinks from 400 referring domains.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142220\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/20-car-engine-stats.png\" alt=\"Site Explorer overview of Animagraffs' article on how a car engine works\" width=\"577.8\" height=\"201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/20-car-engine-stats.png 1284w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/20-car-engine-stats-680x236.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/20-car-engine-stats-768x267.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1284px) 100vw, 1284px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what Jacob O\u2019Neal, the CEO of Animagraffs, had to&nbsp;say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>Personally, I think there are four main reasons the content performed well:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>It\u2019s \u2018evergreen\u2019:<\/strong>&nbsp;It will stay relevant for a very, very long&nbsp;time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It\u2019s a fresh new format:<\/strong>&nbsp;It\u2019s a media format no one\u2019s really done before that delivers learning super fast. It\u2019s a combination of moving images and text, but not a video. Videos require audio and some wait time for things to be explained, speakers\/headphones, etc. The learning process can be encumbered or a bit inefficient. With Animagraffs, text is right there if you want to read\/learn what the text is pointing to, right this instant.<\/li>\n<li><strong>It\u2019s well organized:<\/strong>&nbsp;The big, bold, moving illustrations catch your attention first, then supporting illustrations, and then the fine print of a particular point that really interests you. It appeals to all age groups and all levels of interest and intelligence.<\/li>\n<li><strong>We didn\u2019t fake it:<\/strong> We didn\u2019t hold back on the \u2018smart, boring\u2019 stuff. We design for the toughest crowd first. For example, if we\u2019ve impressed seasoned auto mechanics, we\u2019ve done the job right. No sacrificing quality for cheap views. This is in pretty stark contrast to a lot of marketing that focuses outward first and then inward. No one recommends trying to get friends by pretending to like what others like\u2026 why is marketing done this way? It\u2019s better to lead with real, quality work, no matter how tempting it may be to invert the process for a quick&nbsp;buck.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><div class=\"quote-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Jacob O'Neal\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/jacob-o-neal.jpeg\"><\/div><div class=\"extra-box\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Jacob O\u2019Neal,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">CEO <a href=\"https:\/\/animagraffs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Animagraffs<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.q6dr79cndvqd\">4. <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/search-traffic-study\/\">90.63% of Content Gets No Traffic From Google. And How to Be in the Other 9.37%<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/21-search-traffic-study.png\" alt=\"Drawing of a traffic light and article title below it\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This piece earned 6,600 backlinks from 2,600 referring domains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/22-search-traffic-study-stats.png\" alt=\"Site Explorer overview of Ahrefs' data study \"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what our CMO, Tim, had to&nbsp;say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>First of all, I didn\u2019t know that it would perform better than any other study I did. Otherwise, I would only publish the studies that do well and never publish anything that flopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As for why this particular one performed so well, in my opinion, it\u2019s because it provided people from the SEO industry with a striking stat that helped them pitch the importance of&nbsp;SEO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>90% of content gets no traffic from Google\u2014that\u2019s a killer argument to audit your own content and decide if you were investing enough in SEO for the past few&nbsp;years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bottom line: People love data-backed claims. So if you can do some form of industry research, there\u2019s a good chance people from your industry will reference your&nbsp;work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><div class=\"quote-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Tim Soulo\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/tim-soulo-ahrefs.jpeg\"><\/div><div class=\"extra-box\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Tim Soulo,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">CMO <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ahrefs<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.ixlc9e2nena8\">5. <a href=\"https:\/\/whydoiprocrastinate.com\/\">Why Do I Procrastinate?<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/23-procrastination.png\" alt=\"First page explaining what the &quot;Why Do I Procrastinate&quot; quiz is about\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This piece earned 201 backlinks from 52 referring domains.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142223\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/24-procrastination-stats.png\" alt=\"Site Explorer overview of the &quot;procrastination&quot; quiz\" width=\"593.1\" height=\"196\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/24-procrastination-stats.png 1318w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/24-procrastination-stats-680x225.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/24-procrastination-stats-768x254.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1318px) 100vw, 1318px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what the creator, Manasvini Krishna, had to&nbsp;say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>These are some of the reasons, in my opinion:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Popular subject<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;I think the subject (procrastination) was a common problem that many of us (and definitely our target audience!) struggle with. Knowing we should be doing something but somehow not wanting to do it, or able to do it, is a familiar feeling to most! Most of us can relate.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Interactiveness and engaging<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 I think the fact that it was an interactive quiz designed to specifically identify and isolate your problem at that moment helped. In general, quizzes are great because everybody loves to learn a little bit about themselves. And they\u2019re fun to&nbsp;take!<\/li>\n<li><strong>Different take than usual<\/strong> \u2013 The quiz gives immediately actionable and non-judgemental suggestions on how to solve your specific problem that you diagnose with the quiz. Many of us are used to viewing procrastination with a lot of guilt and negative feelings associated with it, so a solution based on the \u2018procrastination equation,\u2019 which basically just looks at procrastination as an equation, the various parts of which can be increased or decreased to fix the procrastination problem, is refreshing and not very common. (The quiz is based on a book called \u2018The Procrastination Equation.\u2019)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<\/div><div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><div class=\"quote-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Manasvini Krishna\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/manasvini-krishna.jpeg\"><\/div><div class=\"extra-box\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Manasvini Krishna,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">Founder <a href=\"https:\/\/bossasaservice.life\/\" target=\"_blank\">Boss as a Service<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.a5rqmkllpevy\">6. <a href=\"https:\/\/investmentcalculator.io\/\">Investment Calculator<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/25-investment-calculator.png\" alt=\"Options to toggle answers to various questions on left; on right, key data based on what information was provided\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This piece earned 1,100 backlinks from 306 referring domains.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142225\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26-investment-calculator-stats.png\" alt=\"Site Explorer overview of &quot;Investment Calculator&quot; \" width=\"588.6\" height=\"201\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26-investment-calculator-stats.png 1308w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26-investment-calculator-stats-680x232.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/26-investment-calculator-stats-768x262.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1308px) 100vw, 1308px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what the creator, Caleb Barclay, had to&nbsp;say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some initial thoughts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Design as differentiator:<\/strong>&nbsp;Free-to-use tool (no email exploitation), 10X improvement from competitor sites, designer websites linked to&nbsp;us.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Launch with controversial subject:<\/strong>&nbsp;We found a highly opinionated group that kick-started exposure (Hackernews).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Usefulness made it highly shareable:<\/strong>&nbsp;We needed this tool personally and spent a lot of time designing its utility (scratch your own&nbsp;itch).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Personalization:<\/strong>&nbsp;Users participating in generating personalized content make it more sticky.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<\/div><div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><div class=\"quote-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Caleb Barclay\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/caleb-barclay.jpeg\"><\/div><div class=\"extra-box\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Caleb Barclay,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">Founder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dwellito.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Dwellito<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.vsywzkccn60f\">7. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asherfergusson.com\/raising-a-family-index\/\">The 35 Best Countries to Raise a Family in&nbsp;2020<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/27-raising-families-countries.jpg\" alt=\"Excerpt of &quot;best countries to raise a family&quot; article\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>This piece earned 529 backlinks from 273 referring domains.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-142227\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/28-raising-families-stats.png\" alt=\"Site Explorer overview of &quot;best countries to raise a family&quot; article \" width=\"572.4\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/28-raising-families-stats.png 1272w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/28-raising-families-stats-680x237.png 680w, https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/28-raising-families-stats-768x268.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1272px) 100vw, 1272px\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s what the creator, Asher Fergusson, had to&nbsp;say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"small\"><div class=\"quote-content\">\n\n\n\n<p>I think what made my research on the best countries to raise a family in 2020 so popular is that it was original research on a topic that is close to home for a lot of people. And then on top of that, with the USA not ranking so highly, it was very controversial for most Americans. This helped it get on the front page of Reddit and then it went viral in the press, which brought the study countless awesome links and 35,000 hits per day for a while. My biggest error is not updating the study for 2021, but I plan to do an update for 2022, and I imagine it will go viral again and attract a bunch more&nbsp;links.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div><div class=\"quote-info clearfix\"><div class=\"quote-photo\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Asher Fergusson\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/asher-fergusson.png\"><\/div><div class=\"extra-box\"><span class=\"quote-author\">Asher Fergusson,<\/span> <span class=\"quote-author-job\">Founder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asherfergusson.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Asher &amp;&nbsp;Lyric<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"post-nav-link clearfix\" id=\"section1\"><a class=\"subhead-anchor\" data-tip=\"tooltip__copielink\" rel=\"#section1\"><svg width=\"19\" height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 14 14\" style><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><path d=\"M0 0h14v14H0z\" \/><path d=\"M7.45 9.887l-1.62 1.621c-.92.92-2.418.92-3.338 0a2.364 2.364 0 0 1 0-3.339l1.62-1.62-1.273-1.272-1.62 1.62a4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.885 5.884l1.62-1.62L7.45 9.886zM5.527 5.135L7.17 3.492c.92-.92 2.418-.92 3.339 0 .92.92.92 2.418 0 3.339L8.866 8.473l1.272 1.273 1.644-1.643A4.161 4.161 0 1 0 5.897 2.22L4.254 3.863l1.272 1.272zm-.66 3.998a.749.749 0 0 1 0-1.06l2.208-2.206a.749.749 0 1 1 1.06 1.06L5.928 9.133a.75.75 0 0 1-1.061 0z\" style \/><\/g><\/svg><\/a><div class=\"link-text\" data-anchor=\"How to find good link bait ideas\" data-section=\"6-how-find-good-link-bait-ideas\">\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.vaeltgjgz4h9\">How to find good link bait&nbsp;ideas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The simplest method for finding great link bait ideas is to piggyback off what\u2019s working for your competitors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enter your competitor\u2019s domain into Ahrefs\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/site-explorer\">Site Explorer<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Go to the <strong>Best by links <\/strong>report<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/29-best-by-links-hongkiat.jpg\" alt=\"Best by links report results overwhelmingly show listicles \" width=\"1600\" height=\"757\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Eyeball the list to see what kind of formats and topics resonate with people in your niche. For example, if we did this for the Hong Kiat blog, we\u2019ll see that <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/listicle\/\">listicles<\/a>&nbsp;are popular in the design niche.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whereas, if we analyzed our own blog, we\u2019ll see that data studies are the most popular in the SEO&nbsp;space:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"is-style-default aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/30-best-by-links-ahrefs.png\" alt=\"Best by links report results overwhelmingly show data studies\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.rnitvmsw0kcz\">Final thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Link bait is more than just creating something unique or visually appealing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For it to attract links, you\u2019ll need a combination of well-crafted content, a well-defined audience that has the ability to link to you, and a well-executed <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/content-promotion\/\">promotional plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It doesn\u2019t matter if you create the <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/how-to-write-great-content\/\">greatest piece of content<\/a>&nbsp;in the world\u2014you won\u2019t get any links if people don\u2019t know it exists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Any questions or comments? Let me know <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/siquanong\">on Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; That is one of the many reasons why link building&nbsp;is hard. Pages need links to rank. Yet not all pages will earn&nbsp;them. But there is a certain type of page you can create that will naturally earn links better<span class=\"ellipsis\">\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\">Read more \u203a<\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":146,"featured_media":142237,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"coauthors":[339],"class_list":["post-142230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-link-building","odd"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is Link Bait? 7 Successful Examples<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Link bait is content designed to attract backlinks. 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