What Is Clickbait And How To Use Clickbait Correctly

When you think of “clickbait”, you probably think of misleading headlines that lead to articles full of unrelated information. Many people use clickbait as a means to get more views on an article or video, making audiences hesitant to click on interesting titles. When used the way it was intended, clickbait can be an excellent way to help you drive traffic.

What Is Clickbait?

Clickbait is simply any content written to attract clicks. Eye-catching headlines, great copy, a strong appeal to emotion, and anything else designed to have your audience click a link is considered clickbait. There is a good chance you’ve unknowingly used clickbait through a witty social media post or clever blog headline! Titles such as “5 Tips For ___”, “The Best Guide To ___”, and “Ways To Improve ___” are some common examples of clickbait.

Advantages Of Clickbait:

When used correctly, clickbait is a great tool to use. One of the biggest reasons to use clickbait is to generate more visits to your website, blog, social media, or a specific post or video. Titles or captions that are made with the intention of getting your audience interested or excited about the topic of the content will encourage them to open the link, rather than scroll past it.

Clickbait can help drive your content to a wider audience. If what you are posting resonates with someone in your audience, they are likely to share it. If the title is interesting to their audience, they are likely to click the link and might even share it themselves!

Clickbait can also help you increase your brand image. By creating catching titles and captions, you are increasing your visibility. If you are able to do this consistently, your audience will start to look for new content from you that they know they will enjoy.

What To Avoid With Clickbait:

While clickbait can help you when done right, it can hurt you if used incorrectly. Search engines and social media sites aim to discourage misleading clickbait and will lower you in search results or on users’ feeds if they think that you are being dishonest with the content you are promoting. Avoid using phrases such as “Click to see what happened next”, claiming to reveal secrets, using poor quality images or images that do not relate to your content or anything that seems too farfetched. Aside from lowering your ranking and getting less visibility, this can make you seem gimmicky and lower your audience’s trust in you.

How To Use Clickbait:

The point of clickbait is to spark curiosity, not exploit it. Always be honest with your audience about what they are looking at, and be sure that you are not spreading any misinformation. If you promise them content in an article, follow through with that information without making them scroll through other content that they don’t want. Using numbers in your headlines (such as “5 Ways To Boost Facebook SEO“) helps you alert your audience to what they are getting into, and draws them in. Numbered lists also make it easier for them to scan the information to see if it is something that will be helpful for them. Using emotional trigger words also helps your title stand out.

Clickbait is a great tactic to help you grow, but make sure that you are using it correctly. If your content does not offer any value to your audience, then they are going to move on to other brands that they can trust. Listen to audience feedback and make sure that they are getting what they are looking for with your content. Have you ever tried using clickbait? Have you ever been tricked by a clickbait article?