The Skyscraper Technique: How to Create Content That Ranks

Finding it increasingly difficult to capture the attention of your target audience? Can’t seem to actually deliver on their expectations? In the current marketing landscape, the competition is heating up.

As a result, marketers are getting more creative, experimenting with new content mediums, and varying their approaches to bringing in targeted new customers. From listicles to infographics to video content, those who are taking action to find out which type of content resonates best with their audience are coming out on top.

What can you do to stay in the game? Try the Skyscraper Technique.

Designed to help you create content that actually drives traffic, this method has helped earn over 70,000 page views from just one post. To help you get started, we’ll walk you through the technique below, show you how it’s been used, and provide a helpful checklist to ensure you don’t miss a beat.

What’s the Skyscraper Technique? (And Why Does It Work)

Created by Backlinko’s Brian Dean, the Skyscraper Technique is a system for turning content into high quality backlinks.

Here’s how it works: You start by researching popular trends, topics, and already well-received pieces of existing content across the topic areas your business typically covers. Then, you look for new and unique ways to create content that communicates a similar message – with a twist. This might mean that you leverage a new, more engaging medium, update the statistics, or employ a better design.

Once you’ve created a new and improved piece of content, reach out to the folks that have already linked out to similar content to put your piece on their radar … and hopefully earn a link.

This technique works really well for a few reasons:

• There’s already demand. By discovering existing successful content, you’ve already established that there’s proven demand in the marketplace for content around the topic you’re considering addressing. From here it’s important to examine why that individual piece of content was so successful. Did it solve a problem for the readers? Was it particularly entertaining?
• You’re dealing with a primed audience. If you can create something even better than the original resource you come across, you’ll have the potential to really excite the existing audience for that piece. If the topic you select is timely, it’s recommended to simultaneously build out a target list of brands, publications, and influencers who either shared the previous piece or linked to it so you can reach out right away.
• There’s serious ranking potential. Google has likely already indexed the existing resource well. In creating something that’s even better, you have the potential to topple that older piece of content, outrank them, and drive in more traffic – especially if you win those high quality backlinks by reaching out.

Understanding the Core Mechanics

The Skyscraper Technique is not about copying; it is about improving. The core premise is that the market has already validated a specific topic. When a piece of content has thousands of shares and high search rankings, it signals that the audience is hungry for that information. The challenge for modern marketers is not finding a topic, but finding a way to present that topic more effectively than the current leaders.

This approach shifts the focus from guessing what the audience wants to analyzing what they are already consuming. By identifying the gaps in existing high-performing content—such as outdated statistics, poor design, or lack of depth—you can create a resource that naturally attracts the same attention.

Why Backlinks Matter More Than Ever

In the context of SEO and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO), backlinks remain a critical signal of authority. When you create content that is demonstrably better than the competition, you give other publishers a reason to link to you. These links not only drive direct traffic but also signal to search engines that your content is a trusted resource. In an era where AI-driven search engines prioritize authoritative sources, earning these links through superior content is more valuable than ever.

How the Skyscraper Technique Drove 70K+ Page Views

Earlier this year, a notable article from Fast Company about a new freelance hourly rate calculator was making its way through the freelancing community. In just a matter of weeks, it had been written about or mentioned by almost every online publication, brand, and influencer that weighs in on freelancing-related topics.

The Fast Company article already had thousands of shares and was the clear winner in terms of search rankings. Because this specific niche topic aligned well with much of the business content produced over at CreativeLive, this was a great opportunity to piggyback off of the proven demand and clear success of that existing piece of content.

The hypothesis was that presenting the same solution to freelancers – helping them calculate the hourly rate they should charge for their services – in a more visually appealing manner, could be a big hit.

To take advantage of this, the design team developed a high quality infographic on calculating your freelance hourly rate and strategically built many distribution opportunities into the design of the infographic. They made sure to mention several notable online tools and services that are useful for freelancers, with the intention of asking them to share once the infographic went live.

An ebook on the essentials steps to launching a freelance career was also put together. This was done the week before the infographic was published so that a topically relevant call-to-action could be tied to the bottom of the post and capture more leads for freelance-related classes.

After publishing, the infographic was an instant success with the existing audience. BuzzSumo was used to identify all of the other brands and blogs that publish and share content related to ‘freelance hourly rates’ and reached out to each of them, asking if they’d be up for sharing or republishing a uniquely written post featuring the infographic.

The result? This post has been shared over 8,200 times and has outranked the Fast Company article for the key search term of ‘freelance hourly rate.’

A total of 72,000+ page views and 3,648 new email subscribers were driven from this post since it was published, not to mention the dozens of valuable backlinks and re-published versions of the infographic that continue to go up on freelance-related sites around the web.

The Power of Visual Content

One of the key differentiators in this case study was the shift from a standard blog post to a high-quality infographic. Visual content is often more shareable and digestible than long-form text. By transforming the calculator concept into a visual guide, the content became more appealing to social media users and bloggers looking for embeddable assets. This strategic choice amplified the reach of the content significantly.

Strategic Distribution and Outreach

Creating great content is only half the battle. The success of this campaign was heavily driven by a proactive outreach strategy. By using tools like BuzzSumo to identify who was already linking to similar content, the team could target individuals who were already interested in the topic. This personalized approach increased the likelihood of earning shares and backlinks, as the outreach was relevant and timely.

6-Step Checklist for Using the Skyscraper Technique

Ready to try the technique out? Here’s a quick checklist to guide your execution.

1) Research and uncover opportunities.

Set up Google Alerts for keywords related to topics you want to cover, use BuzzSumo to research the pieces of content that have been most-shared around specific keyword phrases, and analyze opportunities based on search volume with HubSpot’s Keyword App or Google’s Keyword Planner.

2) Build a list of potential distribution partners.

Start with who you know. Are there any brands, blogs, or influencers you know that would genuinely find this piece of content interesting? From there, jump back into BuzzSumo and add the other websites and people that have published or shared content like yours. Chances are, they have an audience that would love to hear about your great new piece of content.

3) Create better content.

If you stumble upon a blog post from a competitor on a topic that you’d love to cover, perhaps you could make an infographic, video, or even a more in-depth guide that could deliver more value. Consider which content medium your audience engages with most, and start by relying on the skills your organization is best at.

4) Promote to your audience.

Getting that initial buzz going with your own audience is essential to showing social proof before reaching out to other brands and influencers. Share on all of your social channels, with your email list, and internally with your employees.

5) Reach out to the right people.

Now that you have some momentum picking up with your great new piece of content, it’s time to spread out and start sharing with your list of targeted influencers, brands, and bloggers who publish and share related content. In your reach out message, be sure to show genuine interest in them, make your ask very clear, and provide them with sample copy they’ll be able to copy/paste.

6) Stay current.

Over time, the usefulness of your amazing piece of content will decline. Others will publish new content on the topic, the industry will change, and new alternatives will arise. Updating your content so that it stays relevant to your audience is crucial to maintaining the value you worked so hard to create.

Adapting the Technique for AI-Driven Search

As search engines evolve, the Skyscraper Technique remains relevant but requires slight adaptation. In the age of AI-generated answers, content must not only be visually appealing but also structurally clear and authoritative. When creating your “skyscraper” piece, ensure it is optimized for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). This means providing clear, concise answers to common questions, using structured data, and citing reputable sources. This helps AI models recognize your content as a reliable source, increasing the likelihood of it being featured in AI-generated summaries.

Measuring Success Beyond Page Views

While page views are a good metric, they are not the only indicator of success. When implementing the Skyscraper Technique, also track backlinks earned, social shares, and time on page. These metrics provide a more holistic view of your content’s impact. Additionally, monitor your search rankings for target keywords to see if your new content is displacing older, less relevant pieces.

Final Thoughts on Content Strategy

The Skyscraper Technique is a powerful tool for any content marketer. By focusing on creating content that is better than what already exists, you can attract more traffic, earn valuable backlinks, and establish your brand as an authority in your niche. However, it is not a one-time fix. It requires ongoing research, creativity, and outreach to maintain its effectiveness.

As you implement this technique, remember that the goal is not just to create content, but to create value. By solving problems for your audience and providing insights that are not available elsewhere, you build trust and loyalty. This, in turn, drives long-term growth and success.

Have you tried the Skyscraper Technique? Share your experiences in the comments section below.