Sign up for an account, and plan to participate daily. A wishy-washy attitude will not work well with fellow Diggers.
Be sure you understand how Digg works before you begin actively participating.
Pay attention to user comments, and be prepared to respond as well as become an active part of the conversation.
Get a feel for how and why certain stories become popular. This will give you a better understanding of Digg, and also give you insight into how to make your stories and postings more popular as well.
Try to accumulate as many friends as you can. Much like Twitter, you want as many contacts and outreaches as you can garner so you can affect more people that way.
Start a buddy list. This list is designed to give you a one on one ability within Digg. It allows IM use, but be careful and try to not use this feature too much or you’ll turn people off.
Build your profile up to make it look as thorough and professional as possible. Just like any other website or service, this is the home base where people will be looking to find out who you are and what you’re about. Make it as good as you possibly can.
Look for the power users of the site, and then be friends with them. This is a huge help to you because others will see that you’re associated with them, and it will help you get much more exposure in the long run.
Only submit content that is worth something. Don’t bombard the site or your page with worthless links and silly stories. Make sure they are interesting and relevant.
Send out shouts. On Digg, people can send out shouts to each other. This is the single best way to get noticed and to get some feedback, so send shouts often.
Keywords are very important. Just like any articles or information on your website, keywords are what get peoples’ attention, so think some through and then use them in your posting title and in your content.
Aim to become a top user. The top users on this website get the most notice.
Do your homework and find out what people are talking about and then expand on that with your own postings.
Learn the language and how people express themselves. Every website has its own unique lingo that users pick up on, so be sure you are in the know.
Only keep friends who provide feedback, who link to you, and whom you can link to as well. Get rid of any friends who are just idle or who are not contributing.
Try to dedicate yourself to taking time each and every day to focus on content expansion and editing. Dedicating this time will really reflect on your profile.
Keep up on what the Digg users like and hate. For example, most users love Apple products, but hate Microsoft (as a whole). Get a feeling for the pulse of what is popular.
Overall, there are more male than female users on Digg. Get an idea of the demographics of the site so you can have more success.
Relevant content is important, and currently topics like the environment, science, breaking news, politics, technology, and comedy are hot topics. Use these in relation to your business somehow, so that people will want to know more.
Do not vote thumbs up on too many of your own articles. This can raise a red flag and could potentially get your account removed.
Make your title WOW viewers and visitors. This is your first line to people and the best way to get noticed and get some Diggs.
Descriptions are also important, so be sure to write these well and with important keywords included.
Use real numbers instead of written numbers. This really does get more attention than a lot of people realize.
Try not to just comment on stories. Remember the purpose of Digg, and if you like something, Digg away!
Avoid spamming people with keywords. They are very important, but too many of one particular thing can drive people away almost instantly. Savvy users know spam when they see it, so DON’T DO IT!
Do not use any non-English websites or content. The temptation to post some Chinese language website links to reach out to global users might be really strong, but it’s not allowed on the website since it is an English speaking only site.
Subscribe to the RSS feed offered by Digg so you can keep up with the latest updates and see what is the most popular post.
Check the upcoming stories, link to other’s postings, and push your way up to the top by recommending others and making as many friends as you can.
Write about Digg. Although this may sound a little redundant, fans of Digg actually want to hear more about how to get the most out of the website.
Discuss the latest technology, since many people who use the site are big fans of the latest applications, websites, and electronics. Firefox noticed a large influx of users after people discussed them on Digg, and this can happen for your business as well.
Participate in the Digg Town Halls. The site now has occasional town hall style discussions, where you can share information, ask questions, and meet new users.
Be sure your content is a must see. Try to post things that have not been put up before, and make them intriguing and tantalizing. Again, this is where the effective title writing comes into play.
Unlike some other sites, users on Digg do not like for you to ask for Diggs. Instead, let your content speak for itself.
Try to be selective about your friends. Too many friends will be overwhelming, and your inbox will get overloaded. It’s good to have a lot of contacts and friends, but too many can actually be a bad thing because it takes up way too much of your space and time. Choose friends who will do you a favor, just as you will do for them.
Do not Digg every single thing you see. By Digging every little posting, you look less legitimate, and you’re giving certain people more credit than they actually deserve. The goal is to Digg content that is relevant and well put together, not just everyone’s postings.
Remind people to Digg your stuff from other sites, like your blogs and even your home page.
Submit a good amount of posts, but don’t overdo it. Some people will submit so much content every day that they overload the website and their profile. It’s not a attractive habit, and it can make people leery. Instead, only post a few, select things per day.
Think about the numbers involved with Digg, such as the number of hits per hour, number of buries, and the number of popular articles that have hit within the last day or so. All of these statistics and more are important and help you gain a better grasp of your progress.
Don’t try to do it all on your own. If you’re a very busy business owner or website host, recruit coworkers and friends to help post some things on Digg. As long as they follow your own personal guidelines for posting, it can be a huge help.
Be sure to include a picture for a thumbnail. Choose something that will get peoples’ attention and make a statement, as well as something that defines who you are.
Widgets are an awesome new way to get more people reading. These can be personalized so you can make them all your own, and they really add personality to your page.
Add the Digg button, image and all, to your company or personal website.
Numbered lists make for easy reading, and keep peoples’ interest. Write some content with top 10 lists, or other forms of numbered lists, which create small tidbits of information.
Keep in mind that the top 100 users on Digg control over half of the website’s content ranking. Pay close attention to what they are looking at and commenting on.
Be as unique and individual as you can. Try to stay with the feel of the site, but go against the flow with your content.
Be open. The users of Digg are pretty open, honest, and out there when it comes to how they feel about things. If you do not like something, don’t feel like you cannot express it. Just do so with a bit of discretion so you are not bashing people or businesses to the point of no return.
Focus on your audience, and decide what topics are of the most interest to them.
Do not make baseless claims. If you post some topics or information, do not make promises you cannot keep. It’s never a good idea to sound like a salesman or make pitches for things people may not want. Instead, entice them to your site to make a purchase with relevant content.
Utilize the newest buzz on Digg to your advantage. While you never want to copy others’ content, you can use the popular topics to give you fresh ideas that will rope people in.
Have fun. While the purpose of using Digg in this context is to expand your business and gain new contacts, remember to have fun!