What's your "this shouldn't work but it does" SEO tactic?

Let’s be real: we all have that one unconventional SEO tactic that works despite going against conventional wisdom. Maybe even despite warnings that it could backfire on you. Mine is still using exact match keywords. Not all the time, and not keyword stuffing, but I do try to use them in the page title, H1, maybe an H2, and once or twice in the text—plus getting into semantic variations. What's your "this shouldn't work but it does" tactic?