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One of the biggest goals for many bloggers is to write a post that hits the front page of Digg.
Unfortunately, most bloggers will never sniff the front page of Digg, and in fact, they’ll never even get
close to that level of success.

The truth is hitting the front page of Digg is pretty hard. Not only does it take quality content, but it also takes a lot of luck. Since you can’t control the luck factor, let’s talk about things you can control—the
content.

How can you make your content more Digg-able?

Here are 7 simple tips you can use.

1. Start with a good headline — A boring headline will instantly kill your chances of Digg success. Remember, the headline is the thing Diggers see when your post is submitted and listed. The headline alone is what determines if a Digg user will click on your post and up-vote it. The headline needs to be catchy, clear, clever, and compelling.

2. Make it pleasing to the eye — Sure, the post needs to be written well, but it also has to look pleasing to the eyes. Diggers tend to really favor posts that have good images and videos mixed in. Also, make sure you format your post with nice headings throughout as it helps the post look a little better.

3. Keep it easy to scan — If your post is a huge block of text, no one is going to Digg it. Online users get overwhelmed by big passages of text, because they tend to scan content rather than read it word for word. With that in mind, you need to make your copy easier to scan by using short paragraphs, bullet lists, numbered lists, and bold headings throughout.

4. Get rid of the text ads — Digg users don’t like blogs that are blatant advertisements. It’s all about content first, and your ads shouldn’t interfere with that. So, if your blog is full of those contextual AdSense ads, you’re really limiting your chances of Digg success. The ads just look unprofessional and spammy.

5. Do something different — “Me too” content doesn’t tend to hit the front page of Digg. Why should someone get excited about voting for content they’ve seen a million times before? You have to be different. Talk about things that no one else has talked about, or cover old topics with a fresh, new, or funny angle.

6. Write with a personality — You can’t bore people into Digging your content. So you have to really let your personality shine through in your writing. Don’t worry about being so formal. Write like you talk, and feel free to be funny or sarcastic.

7. Add Digg buttons to your post — Finally, you need to make your posts as easy to share as possible. By adding social media buttons to your blog, someone can Digg your post with one click on the button, helping you attract a lot more Diggs.

What are some other things you can do to make content more Digg-able?

Viral marketing. The term just sounds sinister,   doesn’t it? Like its name implies, it’s a way of spreading your message like a virus from person to person. How do you do it? By creating content that begs to be shared with others. Sometimes, it’s a funny video. Other times, it’s a unique application that performs a really cool function.

So, which companies have used viral marketing to spread their brand to the masses? Here are 11 viral examples we can learn from.

1. Hotmail- Hotmail is one of the most classic examples of successful viral marketing. They offered free e-mail to the masses, and simply attached a signature at the bottom of each e-mail message that promoted their free service. Every single e-mail sent by a Hotmail user contained this message, thus spreading it like a virus. Recipients would see the ad, and as a result, they too signed up for Hotmail.

2. Subservient Chicken- Burger King’s 2004 viral marketing campaign for their chicken sandwiches shows just how fun going viral can be. The Subservient Chicken was a man dressed in a chicken outfit who would perform whatever action you commanded him to. Just one day after the site’s launch, one million people had already given their commands to the subservient chicken.

3. Watchmen- One of the most recent examples on this list, Watchmen’s viral campaign has consisted of fake newscasts and mock PSAs. Judging from the buzz online, these videos are doing their job. Fans are pumped up, and anxiously awaiting the movie’s release.

4. Jack in the Box- The latest Jack in the Box campaign is another new example of viral marketing. During the Super Bowl, Jack in the Box ran a commercial (in some regions) that featured Jack getting hit by a bus. The commercial urged people to visit www.hangingtherejack.com . Unfortunately, the site wasn’t ready for the surge in traffic, and it crashed during its biggest chance to go hot.

5. Dark Knight- The Dark Knight viral campaign was one of the most widespread of its kind. It included everything from websites for Gotham Cab company to a real life campaign for Harvey Dent. The point is this—the campaign engaged people on a different level. And you can’t argue with the results. The Dark Knight made ridiculous amounts of money at the box office and on DVD. Of course, there were other factors involved (Heath Ledger’s death, and just how great the film looked,) but the viral campaign succeeded in creating unprecedented amounts of hype.

6. Transport for London- This is one of my favorite examples on the list, because I can say from personal experience that I helped spread their virus. In this video, you’re asked to count how many times the white team passes the basketball. Of course, there’s an unexpected surprise that accomplishes two things—it makes the video highly share-worthy and it promotes their message without shoving it down your throat.

7. Smirnoff- Smirnoff’s viral “Tea Partay” video was an instant hit. It features preppy, Ivy League white boys doing a rap about throwing a tea party. The video just begs to be shared with others, making it a viral success.

8. Dove- The Dove Evolution viral ad is effective because it sends a unique, positive message about the true definition of beauty. And this video really did spread like a virus. Not only did it get nearly 2 million hits within a month’s time, but it also received attention from top TV shows Ellen, The View, and Entertainment Tonight.

9. Peerflix- At the time of launching their viral campaign, Peerflix was a new company offering P2P DVD trading. Playing off the Hollywood theme, they created an online paparazzi game that made participants capture scandalous photos of celebrities. Within just 90 days, 2 million people had played the game, and 5% went on to view the Peerflix website. That’s a significant boost in brand exposure.

10. Bob Dylan- To help promote his greatest hits boxset, a viral campaign was created that allowed users to send messages in the form of the classic Subterranean Homesick Blues video. I love this idea because it’s simple, effective, and engaging.

11. Simpsons- When the Simpsons Movie came out, it boasted one of the biggest opening weekends of the year. While it’s easy to say this was because of the show’s illustrious history, the producers believe there’s more to it than that. In fact, they said the viral marketing campaign was the reason for the film’s great success. This campaign consisted of everything from changing 7-11s to Kwik-E Marts to allowing online users to “Simpsonize” themselves.

Which viral marketing campaigns are your favorites? Share them in the replies!