17.08.2026
7 min read
By Floor Jansen in Digital PR
A guide to planning link-bait content
Most digital marketers agree that Digital PR and link building are hard work, and they take time.
For sites with an existing backlink profile and relevant rankings, it is possible to attract new links without outbound outreach by creating quality link‑bait content that people want to reference.
When content and link building strategies support each other like this, link‑bait content can earn links on its own and take the pressure off constant outreach.
What is link-bait content?
Link-bait content is designed to earn links on its own, without ongoing pitching. It answers questions people are searching for and gives them something to cite.
Instead of contacting reporters and convincing them to publish your story, they find your content while researching their article, and cite you as the source for the information they share.
How does link-bait content differ from regular informational on-site content?
Some of your existing informational content might already act as link‑bait, but you probably won’t prioritise it in your usual content plans unless you are deliberately thinking about links. Data‑heavy statistics round‑ups, for example, can naturally earn links, but they may not be your first choice when you are planning content around commercial topics.
You might already be creating tools such as mortgage or calorie calculators, to meet an audience need. To turn them into link‑bait, you may need to make your sources more prominent or provide easy ways to embed and link back to the tool. That way, third parties can share the resource and credit you as the original producer.
As with any other content, add original insights and commentary wherever you can to offer something journalists cannot already find elsewhere.
Types of link-bait articles
01
Statistics pages
Statistics pages round up key data on a topic in your industry, bringing together freely available data and any useful owned data you hold. These pages often rank better for generic statistical queries than the original datasets, and people searching for statistics frequently need to cite their sources.
Journalists may also prefer to link to an authoritative page that matches their readers’ level of understanding rather than sending them directly to complex source material.
Example:
Click Boarding - Onboarding Statistics, 361 links across 202 referring domains.
02
Tools and calculators
Tools and calculators that solve a real problem for your audience are a well‑known way to generate leads, and if they are easy to use and clearly presented, they can work as link‑bait too. Tools that help people calculate things like personal finances, health, or working patterns are particularly strong candidates because people keep coming back to use them.
Tools usually take more resources to produce than a statistics page, but if your tool offers something others do not, it has the potential to attract a larger volume of links over time.
Example:
Online Disc Profile - Free Profile Assessment, 52 links across 30 referring domains.
03
Resource pages
Free templates, checklists, and practical expert advice can help potential customers and clients, and they are also useful assets for reporters to include in their articles.
Well‑structured resource pages that make it easy to download or reuse elements are more likely to be bookmarked and cited when someone needs a quick, trustworthy reference.
Example:
Riverside - Podcast Script Template, 49 links across 34 referring domains.
03
Guide content
Guides should be as comprehensive as they reasonably can be, covering processes with clear steps, screenshots, diagrams and, where relevant, walkthrough videos or graphics.
This type of content is more time‑intensive to create than a simple resource page, but the depth means a single guide can support a wide range of queries and be cited by many different writers.
Step 1
Gathering information
Before you plan new link-bait content, you need a clear picture of what your competitors are doing, how your existing content is working, and what resources you have available for content production.
This helps you focus on ideas that are realistic and likely to earn links, rather than guessing or recreating content that competitors have covered.
Competitor research
Start by comparing your link profile with your main competitors. Look at which types of pages are winning them links; are they relying on large-scale industry reports, or do they get value from simpler resources, guides or listicles? Make note of topics and page types you see again and again, as these patterns help shape ideation.
You can use reports like Pages > Best by links report on Ahrefs, or similar features on other tools, to see which URLs are attracting the most links. When reviewing pages and their backlinks, ask:
Are the links recent? A page type that was popular a decade ago may not still be popular now.
Does most coverage come from the same time period, or does it continue to attract links over time?
Are journalists linking because of a story on that page, or are they citing a useful data point or resource in a different context?
Keyword research
Next, build a list of topics people are actively searching for. Use your main commercial focus areas as seed keywords, and explore related search demand to identify potential link‑bait ideas.
Tools like Semrush, Ahrefs, Google Search Console, Google Keyword Planner and AlsoAsked can all help you uncover questions, themes and subtopics that matter to your audience.
Determine scope
Any content plan needs a clear scope. Be realistic about how much time your team has for link‑bait content and how long you want this work to run. Decide how many articles you can create within a specific timeframe.
Note which content types are likely to fit within that scope, and which do not. For example, you might decide you have capacity for a few statistics pages and one in‑depth guide, but not for commissioning an external survey or building a bespoke tool.
Make sure you also set aside time for regular reviews and updates of existing content, as refreshing a strong piece can often be more efficient than starting from scratch.
Step 2
Coming up with link-bait content ideas
Questions that can help to guide the process include:
Which link-bait content types best fit your business niche and expertise?
How does this align with your existing content calendar, and which themes are the highest priority for capturing links and traffic?
Given your resources, which formats are achievable and which need to wait?
Did you notice a gap between your existing content and that of your competitors that can be closed?
Are competitors gaining links from a specific link‑bait tactic or topic that you could improve on or adapt?
Have you noticed a need for a particular resource or tool in your niche that hasn’t been addressed yet?
Do you already have content with link-bait potential that will benefit from a refresh or update?
Aim to end this stage with a short, focused list of ideas that you can actually deliver, rather than a long wishlist. That makes it easier to move into planning and production without losing momentum.
Step 3
Create a content plan
Once you are happy with your list of link-bait content ideas, plan them into your regular content production cycle. Aim to align production of this type of content with any wider themes you’re focusing on throughout the year.
For example, if your main content calendar for Q1 is centred around consumer health, schedule link‑bait content on related topics to land at the same time and brief your social and email teams to share those pieces when they go live.
Make it clear who owns each link‑bait piece, when it is due, and how it connects to other activity such as product launches, campaigns, or seasonal spikes.
If you have a digital PR team, involve them early so they can plan how to highlight these resources when talking to journalists and publishers.
While link‑bait content is designed to earn natural links over time, an initial push to relevant contacts can speed up that process and help the content gain visibility faster.
Floor Jansen, Digital PR Specialist at CandourMake it clear who owns each link‑bait piece, when it is due, and how it connects to other activity such as product launches, campaigns, or seasonal spikes.
Step 4
Review performance, and repeat
Once your link‑bait content is live, treat it as something to monitor and improve, not a one‑and‑done task. Track metrics such as backlinks, referring domains, and unlinked brand mentions so you can see which pieces are performing the best over time.
Use what you learn to decide whether content needs to be improved or would benefit from being replicated across other topic areas.
Over time, this cycle of publishing, reviewing and refining will help you build a range of assets that reliably support your link‑building efforts.
Let the natural links roll in
I will not pretend that planning and producing link‑bait content is always simple. But for most brands with an existing backlink profile and relevant rankings, there is usually a way to weave it into your wider digital marketing plans.
From small businesses creating niche statistics round‑ups to larger organisations investing in industry reports and tools, there are plenty of options for creating content that is genuinely useful to writers and journalists.
If you keep your link‑bait goals in mind, build content that people want to reference, and give it time to work, some of your links will start to come to you naturally, rather than needing a pitch every time.
Need assistance with links and content?
If you’re thinking about starting a new content and digital PR strategy, would love to hear from you. Get in touch to learn more about our offering and the other services we can provide:
