8 Tips For Getting Links From Other Blogs

"imagining links" by Will Lion

There’s more to getting links from other blogs than going out and asking people to exchange links, which I wouldn’t recommend. Here are eight tips you may find useful.

1. Inspire Other Posts

Sometimes it’s all too easy to get wrapped up in how many comments a post gets. If it didn’t get that many, then maybe it wasn’t such a great post.

I’ve written posts that haven’t had a lot of comments, but they have prompted other bloggers to write a spin-off with a link back to my post. This is far more satisfying than “tagging” another blogger and forcing them to answer some pointless questions.

2. Write Guest Posts

Of course, this depends on getting the post accepted, and you’ll have to write a good post – no, make that a GREAT post – to get published.

It’s not just about getting your link from that blog, though – you may find that it causes other bloggers to link to the guest post, or to find your blog through the guest post and then link to one of your other posts at a later date.

3. Establish a Forum or Group

Setting up a blogging forum or a kind of “focus group” can be a great way to meet other bloggers, discuss ideas, and exchange links with them. Networking with other bloggers is an important part of getting links from other blogs.

It helps if people actually care about your forum, instead of feeling obligated to post because they know you. If they don’t care… well, they won’t mention it. Or they might, rather begrudgingly.

4. Provoke a Response

This doesn’t mean saying things just to get a reaction. But don’t always play it safe. Go out on a limb. Take a risk. Say things you might not usually say. Look at topics that other blogs haven’t covered.

You may not get a positive response, and you should be prepared for this. But whether you’re seen as right or wrong, if someone links to you, they obviously cared enough to mention it.

5. Turn an Unrelated Subject Into a Relevant Post

Some bloggers don’t like to write off-topic posts. Others publish little other than off-topic posts.

But you can do better. Instead of writing an off-topic post, find an unusual topic and relate it back to your niche. It’s clever, it’s interesting, and it will bring many more “oh yeah!” moments than a “normal” post.

It might bring a few “um, no” moments too, but you’ve got to take risks, right?

6. Don’t Report – Review

Instead of saying there’s a new WordPress release coming up, why don’t you go and download it and try it out before you write such an obvious post? Surely anyone could write that post?

Don’t just say “this is happening” – REVIEW IT. Give your opinion. Otherwise, you’re not going to stand out at all.

7. Collaborate

Even if you network with other bloggers in the sense of exchanging links, reviewing people’s sites, and leaving comments, blogging can still feel a bit of a lonely experience as you struggle to think up post after post on your own.

Don’t work alone. Look for guest writers who might be willing to contribute on a semi-regular basis (and return the favour, if you can). Start a group blog with other writers. Or just find people who you can work with towards a common goal.

8. Go Viral

If your post goes viral, everyone’s linking to it. How do you get that? Well, create something that’s unique, ingenious, clever, interesting, funny, outrageous, or a combination of everything in the list. As with blogging tips, you can’t guarantee successful results with this one – it’s all about how you apply the theory.

So, how can you go viral? Damned if I know! (Great tip, eh?) Still, it’s a “way” to get links… if you’ve got any ideas, please share them.

Over to You

How do you get other blogs to link to you? Is it something you can control? Do you have any other tips?