There are several ways that people do this. Some challenge their readers with outlandish statements, expecting them to post rebuttals on their blogs (I’m not linking to any of the proponents of this, even with a nofollow). Others run contests, offering a variety of prizes for a winner. Jim Boykin just blatently comes out and offers a free wall clock for anyone that links to one particular post on his site by 5pm EDT on Friday (yep, there’s also a contest element too, where you can win $720 in free ads for your site, along with some handy, dandy rubber throwing stars to sate your inner ninja).

So why would anyone link to this post? Is the, sight unseen, wall clock really enough of an enticement to link to a post on linking to him? Well, maybe, if it’s a nice wall clock, free is a nice price to pay.  But freebies aside, the post itself does have links to the newest additions to “The Best Of Jim’s Posts”, and those are some good posts on Links, SEO, and the Supplemental Index in this post that are really worth a read, or even a re-read, although for some reason his political posts didn’t quite make the list (sorry Jim).   

Now Jim, if you read this, let me just say…

Hey mr Boykin,

First thanks for your site which I frequently visit, at {url}. Your articles, stories and tips have helped me a lot, which has resulted in more profits at the bottom line. So an incredible thanks for you great site, keep up the good work!