Ego bait
What is ego bait?
Ego bait is a content marketing strategy that leverages people's natural desire for recognition and validation to earn backlinks, social shares, and mentions. It involves creating content that features, compliments, or showcases industry influencers, experts, or brands with the expectation that they'll share your content with their audience once they see themselves mentioned. The approach taps into the psychological principle that people generally respond positively to recognition, making them more likely to amplify content that portrays them favorably.
How does ego bait work in content marketing?
Ego bait works by creating a mutually beneficial relationship. You create valuable content that features industry experts or influential brands, then notify them about their inclusion. When done well, the featured individuals or companies feel recognized and are naturally inclined to share the content with their networks. This process typically follows these steps: First, identify relevant influencers or experts in your industry with engaged audiences. Second, create high-quality content that meaningfully incorporates them. Third, notify them about their inclusion through personalized outreach. Finally, they share your content, driving traffic to your site and potentially creating backlinks that boost your SEO performance.
What are the most effective types of ego bait content?
Expert roundups are particularly effective, where you gather insights from multiple industry experts on a specific topic, giving each contributor a platform to showcase their expertise. Interview features work well for in-depth connections with individual influencers, allowing them to share their story and insights extensively. Awards and rankings lists that recognize "Top 10" or "Best in Industry" performers create strong incentives for featured organizations to share their achievement. Resource lists that include tools, services, or content created by others can generate goodwill and shares. Testimonial collections or case studies highlighting success stories make featured clients feel valued while providing social proof. Data-driven content that cites or references others' research acknowledges their work while adding value through your unique analysis.
How do you measure the success of an ego bait campaign?
Success metrics for ego bait campaigns should align with your specific goals. Track new backlinks generated from featured individuals or organizations using tools that monitor your backlink profile. Measure social engagement including shares, comments, and overall reach of your content across platforms. Monitor referral traffic from the websites and social accounts of those you've featured. Assess relationship development by tracking new connections, conversations, and potential collaboration opportunities that emerge. Calculate conversion rates if your campaign aims to drive specific actions beyond awareness. Evaluate content performance metrics like time on page, scroll depth, and overall engagement to understand how audiences respond to the content beyond the ego bait elements.
What are the ethical considerations when using ego bait?
The most important ethical consideration is authenticity—your content should genuinely add value and feature others for legitimate reasons, not simply to manipulate them into sharing. Transparency matters; never mislead featured individuals about your intentions or the nature of your content. Respect boundaries by allowing people to decline participation or request removal from your content. Avoid excessive flattery that feels insincere or manipulative. Balance your approach by featuring a diverse range of voices rather than repeatedly targeting the same high-profile individuals. Remember that relationship building should be the primary goal, with backlinks and shares as a secondary benefit rather than the sole purpose. The most successful ego bait doesn't feel like bait at all—it creates genuinely valuable content that benefits your audience, the featured individuals, and your brand alike.