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Evil Blog Promotion Ideas

written by John Chow on March 5, 2007

Profit from binary options

Forget the traditional banner ad or doing link exchanges with other blogs. Let’s talk about some evil blog promotion techniques! The following are some blog promotion ideas that are not well known by many bloggers, could send you a lot traffic, may get you in trouble, and are evil enough that you would join the clan of evil for just attempting them. Evil scores are out of five stars.

Evil score: 4 stars – You RevewMe Me, I ReviewMe You

This one only works when ReviewMe has a 50% coupon code available. You agree to review another blog through ReviewMe (aff) if they will do the same for you. Let’s assume your blog cost $100 for a review and you find another blog that cost the same. Agree to review each other and sign up with for an advertiser’s account using your own ReviewMe affiliate code. You will pay $50 for the review with the 50% coupon, but that is canceled out by the $50 you’ll get for reviewing the other blog. At the end of the day, you’ll have a free review and make $25 for referring yourself. :twisted:

Evil score: 4 stars – The Text Link Ad Shuffle

Text Link Ads offers a $100 coupon for new advertisers using their Link Buying Starter Kit (aff). This is a great way to test out the service. TLA does requires you to buy $125 of links to take advantage of this offer, but it gives you $125 of links for just $25.00. And you can get a bonus $25 if you’re a TLA publisher and refer yourself for an advertiser account. :twisted:

Evil score: 5 stars – The PPC Shell Game

Occasionally, Google Adwords, Yahoo! Search Marketing and Microsoft AdCenter will issue $100 (or more) coupons for new customers. I normally don’t post about these because the coupons are always in short supply. The last one from MS AdCenter was for $200. For the truly evil among us, you can set up five accounts with one credit card number. Can you imagine how much traffic you can buy with $1,000 of free targeted contextual ads? Now imagine if you have two or more credit cards. :twisted:

Evil score: 3 stars – The Tech Link Train

This one was sent to me by Jimi of JMH Techtronics. It’s a list of tech sites/blog that anyone can add to. You reproduce the original list and then add up to five other tech, science or CE blogs that you like. Then let those added blogs know and tell them to do the same thing. Soon, the list will a mile long, spread all over the blogshpere, and drive Technorati nuts. :twisted:

***Start copy here***

1. Write a short paragraph at the beginning of your post and link back to the blog that put you on the list in the paragraph. This isn’t a suggestion. You need to break up the duplicate content string. Someone took the time to add you so the least you can do is give them an extra linkback.
2. Copy the list of originals below COMPLETELY and add it to your blog. If you would like a different keyword for your blog then change it when you do your post and it should pass to most blogs with that keyword.
3. Take the adds from the blog that added you and place them in the “Originals” list.
4. Add no more than 5 new TECH, SCIENCE, or CONSUMER ELECTRONICS blogs to the list in the “My Adds” section.

My Adds:
The TechZone
Mega TechNews
Tech Buzz
Techzi
Connected Internet

The Originals:

John Chow dot Com
Ted Leung on the Air
Geek is a chic.
you’ve been HACKED
IDIOT TOYS
JMH Techtronics
Web Services
UtterlyGeek
Tech It Like A Man!
Ugh!!’s Greymatter Honeypot
techboyardee
The Tech Inspector
***End Copying Here***

Evil score: 1 star – Sponsoring a WordPress Theme

This one is not that evil but I included here because it’s pretty unique. Thousands of bloggers use popular WordPress themes which are free to download. What you do is sponsor a WordPress theme by buying a link in the footer text. Maki at Dosh Dosh wrote Link Building through Word Press Theme Sponsorship: A Good Idea? It’s worth checking out.

The main problem with sponsoring a WordPress theme is the evil blogger who downloads it will remove the footer link. :twisted:

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Clever - evil - but clever.

Ohhhh... Now I see. I kept always overlooking your evilness John. I have been busy so I have not been able to really read up on all of your evil techniques. But now with this post it really helps me see your true colors.

I think I will try to play by the rules when there are rules, but maybe I can use at least some of what you mentioned. >:P

Interesting read, but is it really evil enough? If Evil were Coke, I think these ideas would be Diet Cherry-flavoured Pepsi Max.

Look for my aboutpage. Well, why don't you tell what you can and what you can't do to your reader. They will know you better. Heh...

Review me and link chain is a good idea.I want to try it but with a different idea.Lets see if i can work on that this weekend.

Thats another evil way to get traffic but pufff i dont like the idea if its not corelated....dont use them for traffic make the ppl come back for your site again...

That's why the idea about deep linking John posted last week is so great. People come in to read your site and you keep them there bouncing around to all the articles you write for a while. Post things with some value and they will come back. You gotta start somewhere.

Deep linking is a better idea than this....ppl will surely stay but ppl coming from those site if they see they are being just spammed with links...i dont think so

Depends. I submit stuff to Digg a lot, but only if it is an original article of some use. I didn't submit the Tech list because it really doesn't ahve a use for the overall Digg community. IF I see something on a site that is useful I will submit it, or if I have some news that is very new I will. It gets traffic, but your site also has to have good content on it too.

Deep linking helps a lot for those sites that like to jack your content. They post the whole article sometimes, but people will clikc ont he links in it and get directed to your blog.

Yup you got my point.!!! :twisted:

omg techcrunch too didnt get the pint submitting there ...negetive 2 for that

So who submitted that list to Digg?

http://digg.com/tech_deals/The_Tech_List_get_blog_...

:lol: Thanks to whoever did. I'm getting so much traffic from here, Digg, and TechCrunch right now.

lol went to digg to haha.Guess we have the way to find out submitter there

Thanks for adding me to the tech blog link love thingy-ma-bob. :roll:

You need to teach us all how to get favourited on Technorati infinite times now... ;)

Yeah John.. this is what we expect from you :D

Any hints, tricks or ideas anyone ?

He aint not getting evil but he is upto something for sure.Devincing an evil idea is a good concept but how many of them are successful is what will matter.

1.Review me thing will not work for small bloggers.
2.Train chain: either you add them to technorati or on your blogroll.Both are not easy after some period of time.

3.Tla is good but then again small bloggers are still stuck..

rest i am not sure if i got it so clear.

There can be some idea if could be deviced for everybody...any ideas?

Thanks Thilak, There is one thing missing on the list though , like one thing can be addeds is a small description or maybe the blog underline.That will be more effective...What do you thing JC

Ashish: I have put you on my list :D

Damn, good ideas John...very evil indeed! :twisted:

Review me and link chain is a good idea.I want to try it but with a different idea.Lets see if i can work on that this weekend.

I agree with you. These two are the most common methods used by bloggers, and site owners. Beneficial for both parties.

The first related post shows link to 'Proof That Girls Are Evil'. I wonder how that topic is related to this post apart from the word evil????

Lol don't go the topic its the algorithm that matched evil on both the post slug....I don't want to comment on that post lol

Just because the word 'evil' pop up afew times more than intended, it may have caused it to indirectly be 'related'. Now that's 'evil'...

I have put your link on my list

Thanks for the add, I will follow the train this evening :D

Eviill concepts John. Real viable to implement.

For the You RevewMe Me, I ReviewMe You, it is pretty common for blogs (both parties) to exchange a free one with each other as well. It ends up with 'free' cost for both as well.

I can agree with you, It depends how popular your blog is.If JC is writing it might be a hit lol but if i write you wont get much traffic.

Yea, but deep-linking inter-blogs are definitely important in the long run as well. Not that you cannot be a 'hit' in the near future.

I guess, its not about traffic. The whole idea is to make Technorati go nuts and there is nothing you can do :D

Regarding sponsoring wordpress themes, free web templates have been doing this for ages too. One author claims to have up to 200k downloads of their templates, and has 2000 backlinks listed in google.

I agree. But that is if the user of the sponsored templates do keep their promise of keeping your links on them

A lot of this applies to this incestuous pile trying to be a pyramid of ad and tech blogs. How long can it continue before someone figures out it's smoke and mirrors unless there's real info about something other than making money from ads?

I don't come here to learn how to optimize ad income, but to see what's being said about the real basics of blogging: titling, content and commenting. I have to dig, but it's there.

How would it serve me to have my blog reviewed by a tech and ad blogger? Say two hundred extra folks wander into a blog about food, ecology and fashion, how many would stick? In my estimation, none. Linking with you makes my numbers look better, but doesn't affect my traffic. I'm still a fan because I would like to see the destructive spammers find a better outlet for their efforts.

I have a question about the The Tech Link Train: Do you have to wait to be put on the list before making the post?

If you were truly evil, you wouldn't have to ask that question. :evil:

Lol I guess he has that aspect ( no offenses) he just keeps on adding some evil plus minus on things but its cool

I've already given thoughts to the first one about the cross-reviewing of each others blog.

Sounds interesting haha!

Yea, and the true fact is that it is a win-win situation for all parties!

I'm gonna start looking for coupons like crazy!

That really EVIL :mrgreen:
I'm gonna try that all! :twisted:

This is truly evil. Will you be my Su Fu? :twisted:

Porting free CSS themes over to Wordpress: 1/2 star :?: :twisted:

Some of these points are REALLY evil! :twisted:

great post john! this is the kind of posts, that will have "thousands of thousands" of readers. Keep the show on the road, i'll say it again GREAT POST :mrgreen:

These are very very evil!! :twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

I'm gonna try them!! Thanks!!

Great post John

I feel slightly evil just for having read it

My blog isn't monetised but hey, those tips may work out in the end

I blog about my actual business and I feel that's the best way to make money out of it, if people actually head off to my business and buy my product.

It doesn't have to be monetized to give it a try. What you can do in the meantime is to really build up links and connections. The rest remains to be told in the future.

Its just about getting links one way or the other but then be careful whom u link.Deep linking is a big concept but the train idea can work for any blog

How about an accidental 'evil blog' tip. Along the lines of the WordPress one you gave...

a) Someone creates a theme for Word Press. It's an 'SEO and adsense optimized theme'...already has adsense ad placed and working. Key point.

b) A newbie (like me) downloads it, finally gets it up and running over, say, about a three month period (day job and the family is priority 1, so the other web work happens elsewhere).

c) All that time, while I am getting the blog really humming, getting my Adsense account set-up, etc....the owner of that blog theme obviously included their own adsense publisher number in there. So, until I finally go in and add my adsense registration # (in whatever .php file has it) , he or she is reaping clicks. And dollars from Adsense.

The theme I downloaded works great, and I am happy the individual was able to glean what they could until I added my adsense info in. But think about it.

Wonder if it will encourage a flurry of adsense optimzied themes!

Hope that helps...and if you want to know what the name of the theme is...you'll have to just visit my site. :)

Well, that is a little evil if they don't disclose that it's their AdSense code! They need to have ads showing so you can see it working, but they should let you know to ad your own code!