Let’s face it. Scandals sell. Sometimes, you really have to be provocative to get attention.

I’m not asking you to strip down to nothing and start a webcam session.

I mean that, as a writer, sometimes it takes more than the most intelligent efforts to gain a decent following. In some cases, you have to be willing to “go the distance” and employ shock-and-awe tactics to have people sit up and notice you.

I tried out this theory of mine on Informative Post yesterday. A few days ago, I got wind of this bit of juicy gossip on MSN: Jeff Archuleta, father of today’s hottest popstar-to-be, David Archuleta, got the boot for messing with the creative process.

Now everyone knows how rabid teenage girls can get when defending their idol, so I was pretty much anticipating a landslide of vitriol. I knew that, if I was smart enough, I could get Archuleta fans to take the bait and send the popularity of my Informative Post article rocketing sky high.

So I decided to expedite the article — meaning I had to waive the automatic article fee — because I knew it would be pointless to be reporting on this weeks after it happened. I still get money from the hits, though, so what the hell. It’s an experiment anyway.

Just like I predicted, people started foaming at the mouth and sent ad hominem attacks against me, the “hapless” idiotic writer. Only I’m not so idiotic, and I actually anticipated the attention that my scandalicious story would get.

I’d like to clarify, though, that I didn’t stoop down to TMZ level. It’s not an attack per se, it’s just my opinion. When it comes to fans, though, even the slightest hint of dissatisfaction with their beloved can cause a rampage, so it worked. By my standards, the article wasn’t even vitriolic enough (you should see most of my personal posts), but it got them to rant didn’t it?

Verdict: theory is astoundingly, significantly TRUE. I have been getting tons of comments since last night, and my hits are through the roof. You really can make money off fangirls. Kaching!

To see what I wrote, check this out.

XOXO,