5 Ways for Marketers to Use Clickbait

The term ‘clickbait’ often has a negative connotation. People automatically assume that clickbait is a bad thing. If you ask the average internet user, they will tell you that clickbait is when a headline exaggerates the story behind a click. However, there’s nothing wrong with a clickbait headline as long as you back up your statements with evidence and don’t mislead the reader.

What’s Clickbait?

With clickbait, the idea is to grab the user’s attention in a dramatic way. With a social media post, your headline should inspire an emotion. By intentionally leaving information gaps in the headline, you’ll challenge the reader and peak their interest.

There’s no doubt that clickbait can be used inappropriately, and we’ve seen many examples with companies using a misleading headline to get people to their website. We’re sure others will continue to use clickbait in a negative way, but today we want to encourage you to use it positively.

History of Clickbait

Clickbait is usually regarded within the context of companies trying to get people from a social media page to their website. Recently, ‘YouTubers’ have leveraged it in their titles to get viewers. However, the genesis of clickbait can be traced to the 1920s.

In February 1927, John Caples wrote the following headline:

‘They Laughed When I Sat Down At the Piano, But When I Started to Play!’

This is one of the earliest examples we have of a lead magnet. The headline was written to connect with an audience, tell a story, generate interest and ultimately send contact information so the company could respond with a free product.

Not long after, Caples struck again during the latter years of the Great Depression. He wrote the headline:

‘How you can retire on $200 a month’

Sound familiar? There’s only one exception — these were the innocent days of clickbait, back when companies would use it to capture the imagination, provide hope and excite readers. Unfortunately, the reputation of this useful marketing strategy has been soiled by those who write headlines to fool readers. They lie and tease information that isn’t even provided after a click.

The Science Behind Clickbait

The power of clickbait is so strong that we click even when we know the writer has used clickbait techniques to grab our attention. Researchers have shown us how headlines entice our curiosity. Here are some of the most important aspects:

Suspenseful Language — ‘Roger tried a new hair growth formula, you won’t believe what happened next’ — simple, but this storytelling is effective because it makes the reader wonder: what did happen next? Mention that Roger had been bald since his mid-20s and struggled for confidence and you’ll have an even bigger cliffhanger. Regardless of your product, there is scope for suspenseful language and storytelling with your headlines.

Empty and Unresolved Pronouns — In the world of clickbait, the word ‘this’ is almost essential. Often, we’re told that ‘this is the only thing we need to see today’, and we’re left wondering what this is. Again, there’s an information gap and readers are intrigued.

Numbers — Just as we see with listicles, lots of clickbait headlines use numbers because who doesn’t want to know about the 17 celebrities who eat fast food at least once per week? Interestingly, research suggests that odd numbers generate more clicks than even numbers.

Action Words — Next, you’ll see a lot of action-based headlines whether the writer is asking you to ‘look’, ‘watch’, ‘find out’, or more. There is a specific call to action for readers to take.

Reverse Narratives — ‘Is it true that this one vitamin helps with weight loss?’ — this would be the normal way to pose this question, but clickbait will normally reverse the narrative. By the end, we have the following headline — Experts believe that this one vitamin aids weight loss. Is it true?

Using Clickbait in a Good Way

With this, we’re now ready to learn more about the implementation of clickbait. At the moment, clickbait is associated with lies, fake news, and those who want a click when the headline can’t even be backed up properly. If you have a product or service that genuinely helps customers, there’s nothing wrong with using clickbait because you CAN back up statements and promises.

In recent times, experts have split clickbait headlines into two camps:

Mysterious — Here, the idea is to be ambiguous and not really give too much away with the headline. For example, a sporting goods service might offer a headline of ‘the one piece of equipment that will change your game as a baseball player’.

Spectacular — On the other hand, you can give more information away with a spectacular headline because you’re enticing people in with the extravagant and exciting promise of information. Using a similar example, it could be ‘baseball players tried these five tips for hitting…you won’t believe what happened’.

When clickbait is done correctly and fairly, it appeals to the naturally curious side of people Whether we use subtle or extravagant tactics to get attention, it doesn’t matter so long as we can back it up and deliver on promises.

5 Ways for Marketers to Use Clickbait

How do we use clickbait in a good way? Let’s look at some effective and efficient strategies to finish.

1. Play on FOMO — A Need to Know

What information do you have that customers need to know? Think about the basics of what the business offers, the About page, the mission and vision of the business, and more. Also, remember that a number will always make a headline look more exciting.

• Before — Facts About Famous Guitar Players
• After — 7 Facts About Famous Guitar Players You Need to Know

You could also change ‘need to know’ to ‘every music fan should know’. This way, music fans will want to click because they don’t want to fall short on their music knowledge.

2. Link to Other Articles

We know about clickbait in headlines, but did you know they can be used elsewhere on the website? ‘Recommended reads’ sections at the bottom of blogs or articles are a great way to use this technique. This way, you’re making it easier for all visitors to spend more time on your website. After finishing one article, they see another that catches their eye and end up exploring more of your content. Whether you offer the original headlines or new clickbait titles to catch the eye, it’s a great way to increase the average visit time.

3. Add Humor

When it comes to marketing, humor has always been a good strategy to catch the attention and hearts of an audience. Laughter is a good starting point for building a relationship with a customer.

4. Be Relevant

Wherever possible, try to tie your content to current events. Can you integrate a trending phrase, a holiday, or even the name of a celebrity? Since these topics are already at the front of the readers’ minds, they’re sensitive to the words and will immediately recognize them again with your content.

5. Don’t Overdo It

We get that you want to attract customers, but this doesn’t mean losing your professionalism and respectable brand image. Here’s an example of what we mean:

• Appropriate — 9 Surprising Ways to Use Coconut Oil Every Day
• Inappropriate — 9 Crazy and UNBELIEVABLE ways to Use Coconut Oil EVERY.SINGLE.DAY!!!!!!

It is important to consistently uphold your professional reputation.

Wrap Up

The idea with clickbait is to put readers in a position where they just have to click through. If you’re giving too much information in the headline, the motivation to click has gone because the reader knows the answer already.

With both headlines and topics, keep it fresh with a variety of content. Don’t be predictable; instead, keep providing value and always keep headlines appropriate and professional (even with clickbait!).

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