7 Ways to Resuscitate a Boring Links Post

The links post is steeped in tradition. After all, the very first blogs were little more than a collections of links.

As blogs have multiplied, changed, expanded and evolved, the links post has remained, essentially, unchanged. It’s a weekly fixture on most blogs, which is actually a little strange, when you think about it.

Has one of your weekly link round-ups ever bought in a lot of traffic? Has it ever been successful on social media? Has it ever received a lot of links? Probably not.

The links round-up post is one that rarely aims high. It serves to give your readers something to chew on while you take a day off. It demonstrates appreciation for some of the content you’ve enjoyed over the week. It sends out trackbacks, helping you take the first step in networking with other bloggers. These are all fine things. They’re the reason why link posts have lasted so long without changing or adapting.

Despite that, I think the humble links post could be much more than it is.

In this article, I want to suggest seven methods you can use to breathe new life into your weekly link round-ups. They might even start to attract more links than they send out.
1. Turn your links post into a resource list

One of the main downfalls of the traditional links post is its unattractiveness to social media.

The main factor driving most submissions to social media is value, or how valuable something is perceived to be (whether it’s entertainment value, knowledge value, or some other form of value). Link posts are generally seen as holding little value when compared to other types of posts.

Resource lists, however, are essentially just another form of links post, and they tend to do tremendously well on social media. So, what’s the difference? It’s all in the presentation. Grouping links together in themed bundles, rather than the common ‘scattered topics’ format, helps your links post take on the dimensions of a resource list.

Each week, you could publish a bundle of links structured around only one of the topics you cover. Give it the kind of headline usually reserved for a resource list (i.e. 10 Essential Putting Tips for Golfers). Something that takes the same amount of effort as a normal links post now has a good chance of being bookmarked and doing well on social media.
2. Group links on one topic

If you don’t like the idea of presenting your links post as a resource list, you could simply give your links post a theme. This week it might be business, next week it might be design… of course, topics will vary depending on what your particular audience is interested in. Those topics are just examples.

Grouping links by topic increases your chances of being bookmarked. It allows your links post to take on some of the elements of a resource list without going all the way.
3. Build links around remarkable quotes

Another interesting way to present links is to reproduce your favorite quote from the article you’re linking to. It’s less work for you and it also encourages readers to contextualize the excerpt.
4. Build links around sensational quotes

Expanding on the last method, this variant changes the criteria for what you decide to quote. Using this method, the aim is to reproduce a quote that’s been deliberately de-contextualized for entertaining and sensational reading. Readers will find it hard not to want to contextualize the quote you’ve provided, particularly if it’s something that sounds very juicy out of context, and especially if the quote comes from someone they’re familiar with.

A note: make sure not to quote anyone in a way that makes them look bad!
5. Weave links into your commentary

One particularly elegant approach is to work links into your words in a way that’s as subtle as possible. Jason Kottke, for example, works links into his commentary rather than separating the two. Instead of the awkward ‘link then explain’ format, why not make things more seamless and meld the link and explanation of the content into one?
6. Handle links with a tumblelog

Unlike many bloggers, I don’t post a weekly round-up of links. Instead, I update a dedicated tumblelog throughout the week. I particularly like this method because it allows me to give those who follow the tumblelog a guided tour of the web.

Instead of being a static resource, it evolves from day to day. Though it’s unlikely ever to go viral or have social media success, I’ve found it to be the most enjoyable, quick and stress-free way to handle links.
7. Links as threaded discussions

Rather than structuring your links around a theme, you could structure them around a particular controversy or discussion occurring across your niche. Start with the post that kicked things off, then present other bloggers’ reactions as a threaded discussion.

When linking to another blogger’s contribution to the debate, you could reproduce a quote encapsulating their point of view. You could group together those that agree, or those that disagree.

If your links provide a nice overview of the controversy or debate, it could start to serve as a one-stop overview for people to link to when they want to provide some background for their readers. In other words, your humble links round-up could become a link bait.

Dolies is the founder and editor in chief of Lascha.com ,a blog on Blogger tips ,tricks ,designer resources and many premium wordpress templates for free use.