There are a number of different techniques that you can use to create content that goes “viral”, or is shared across many mediums to many audiences. This is what we are all hoping for right? To gain better SEO value for what we create on the web, and to spread our message to many different potential customers, clients, donors or contributors. Here are two opposing techniques you might want to consider…

The Manifesto

The Manifesto is the web content equivalent of “preaching to the choir”. Write a passionate, eloquent, or well-researched argument that your niche will wholeheartedly agree with. Since you’ve already got an army of believers who agree with you, they’re already primed and ready to share your argument.

Such As: “Why I’m a Vegetarian, Dammit” an essay that was posted on a vegetarian recipe blog,  received over 14,000 mentions within StumbleUpon (one of the second tier social bookmarking sites) alone.

The Controversy

The opposite of the Manifesto, the Controversy is all about stirring up some dissent in your niche. Write a well-written rebuttal to another argument, challenge a popular opinion, or spark a controversial discussion and watch the reader comments fly.

Such As: Warren Buffet wrote an August 2011 op-ed piece in the New York Times that was titled Stop Coddling the Super-Rich. It straddled the line between a manifesto and controversy: it went against everything we expect the super-rich to argue, true, but it was also something the general public agreed with. As a result, the controversial-but-popular article landed the NYT a ton of coverage and shares.

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