Ha! Made you look.
Admit it, we all fall for some sort of clickbait marketing from time to time. Just trolling through Buzzfeed or Upworthy and you’re bound to click on one article or another. But is clickbait really worth your time as a marketer?
First, an explanation of clickbait – when you’re scrolling down your newsfeed to read the latest saga of your friend’s relationship woes, you’ll come across an ad or a page post that reads something like this: “You won’t believe what these adorable child stars look like today!” You’re intrigued…which child stars are they talking about? What happened to them? Did that one girl get fat? You’re tempted, you must know the rest of the story. It will haunt your dreams if you don’t. And so, against your better judgment, you click on the story.
And that, is clickbait.
The problem with clickbait is it’s a form of manipulation. According to Jake Beckman, the creator of the comedic Twitter account @SavedYouAClick, clickbait is just another form of yellow journalism. It makes you want to read the story, even though there’s really no value to the information you’re presented. Do you notice how many advertisements are included in these clickbait stories? That’s right, this is all a way to sell you something.
Sure you can argue that these stories can be used as entertainment – the majority of Buzzfeed’s stories aren’t sensational. But as a content marketer, you may be faced with this question: To clickbait or not to clickbait?
Absolutely not. Writing sensational stories is just bad business. But you can learn a thing or two from clickbaiting. No matter how well written blog post or page is, you have to draw in a crowd in order to get readers. Do you think people really want to spend their time reading about your business? Unless they are part of the same industry, probably not. There are two elements that will draw a person in – a good picture and a well-crafted headline. Just like you wanted to know what those adorable child stars look like now, your headline needs to pop, to draw in the crowd. But be careful, it also needs to explain the content so you’re not misleading your reader.
If you have any questions about content marketing, we can help! Contact ENX2 Marketing today for a free, 20-minute consultation.