“Marketers Tried to Boost Page Views… What Happens Next Will Blow Your Mind”
Let’s be honest, if this blog post had a headline more like this one, a lot more people would probably click on it. It’s classic clickbait – a clever title that intrigues you just enough to get you to click. While many agree that clickbait is annoying and often misleading, it’s usually incredibly effective. But what gives these types of headlines so much power?
Clickbait 101: the good, the bad and the ugly
Clickbait headlines get clicks by putting a creative or unexpected spin on what otherwise might be a dry topic. The problem is, clickbait headlines don’t always deliver what they promise. How many times you have been curious enough to click on one of these titles, but the actual content was not what you were expecting?
A clickbait headline is good for attracting what can be described as “curiosity clicks,” but these clicks usually come with a high bounce rate and low average time on page. This might not be a big deal for sites like Upworthy and Buzzfeed whose main goal is generating the maximum amount of page views. However, if your website sells a product or service, you’re probably going to want content that resonates with potential customers and gets them to stick around and click through to other pages on your site.
Not only can clickbait-y headlines detract from your brand’s message and disappoint your readers, they can also hurt your visibility on social media. Facebook, for example, has tweaked its algorithm to penalize titles that smack of clickbait. So, too many sensational headlines could cause you to drop off many of your fans’ News Feeds.
The science of clickbait
What is it about clickbait that keeps people clicking? A lot of their power can be explained by behavioral science. When you see a clickbait headline, you’re aware that you’re being baited but often click anyway. Emotions are largely to blame: studies have shown that emotional responses play a big role in determining what we click on. Anger and sadness are especially compelling forces while humor, inspiration and surprise work almost as well.
Curiosity is another driving factor. The “information gap” theory says that the difference between what people know and what they’d like to know produces uncomfortable feelings of deprivation – in other words, curiosity. It’s easy to provoke people’s curiosity by giving them a little bit of information about something, but not too much. That’s why you’ll see plenty of “you’ll never guess what happened next” headlines on Upworthy and other sites, teasing readers to click and satisfy their urge to know more.
Yet another way clickbait uses psychology to get page views is its heavy reliance on lists. List headlines are especially tempting to readers and there are a few different reasons why. First, numbers tend to stand out when you’re skimming through endless headlines – odd numbers in particular. Numbers and list also help organize information and people are naturally drawn to material that’s easier on the brain. Finally, list headlines give a reasonable idea of an article’s length, so readers know how much time and attention they’ll need to devote to a story.
Make sure your content delivers what your headline promises
Clickbait headlines are powerful and there is no reason you can’t use some of the psychology they use to get clicks to improve the traction of your own content. But I’m not saying you should start rewriting your headlines to sound more like Buzzfeed. The goals of clickbait sites tend to focus on traffic, without taking engagement into account.
Conversely, most marketers will do better with a longer-term approach that focuses on building trust and authority with valuable content. The best headlines don’t just get clicks, they get the right kind of clicks that both gain the attention of new customers while keeping existing ones engaged.