Is Clickbait Ever Okay? (7 Clickbait Examples)

It’s a word with such negative connotations, but are there examples of positive uses of clickbait? In this post, we’ll have a look at what clickbait is, whether it is always bad, and (spoiler alert) show you how you could use it for good with seven examples.

What Is Clickbait?

Firstly, let’s establish what it is we’re talking about. Merriam-Webster defines clickbait as:

“something (such as a headline) designed to make readers want to click on a hyperlink especially when the link leads to content of dubious value or interest”

The word has been with us since 1999, according to Merriam-Webster, but its techniques have been around for much longer. After all, what is the purpose of a headline if not to entice people to read the article?

Clickbait relies on the instinctive curiosity of humans and marries that with eye-catching invitations that pull emotional strings.

You may have gone online to research a serious piece and…ooh, cats.

Well, we’ve all been there.

Clickbait works by teasing that there is some information you are missing that you can obtain instantly by clicking on the link. If you want to read more about the psychology behind this, have a look at this article in the Harvard Business Review.

The techniques can be used ethically. If you go in search of a solution to a problem and a catchy headline leads you to it, then there is nothing wrong with that.

It’s the second part of the definition that has given the techniques a bad rap: headlines that lure you to misleading or sensationalist content.

Is Clickbait Bad?

As we’ve seen, the term clickbait was coined to refer “especially” to the unethical use of headline-writing techniques, but we’ve also seen that there is room for some ethical uses. Let’s have a look at the pros and cons of using clickbait (or clickbait techniques).

Pros:

• More views: As we have seen, we humans are hard-wired to scratch the itch caused by the suggestion that we are missing out on something, so a clickbait title will get new readers clicking through to your content.
• More shares: If you’ve been attracted to a headline, odds are so will your social circle. The proliferation of social media platforms means that a catchy clickbait title can be shared instantly with a multitude.
• Higher profile: It follows that the more people who visit your site and share your post, the higher your profile will become.

Cons:

• High bounce rate: You may get an abundance of views, but they won’t be worth much if what you want is for your reader to engage with you and come back for more.
• Damage to SEO: Quality has been increasingly preferred over quantity in terms of SEO, so if your content doesn’t hold your readers’ attention, it won’t matter how many views you have. As an illustration, Google’s policy now even expressly prohibits clickbait ads, looking for phrases along the lines of “You won’t believe what happened.” 
• Damaged reputation: If your content doesn’t live up to the hype of the title, you run the risk that all those views and shares you encouraged will turn against you. This can be damaging to your credibility.

How to Make a Clickbait Title

Having established that clickbait uses techniques that work, let’s have a closer look at how (and how not) to use them:

1. Ask a Question (And Show You Have the Answer)

What better way to suggest a gap in someone’s knowledge than to ask a question? But to make it credible, make it clear that there will be an answer. We did it in the title of this post. The key things here are to make sure that your question is one that your target audience might have and to make sure your content answers it. This heading from a blog post on decision fatigue is a good example:

What Is Decision Fatigue? (And How to Avoid It)

2. Be Direct

For anyone going online looking for a solution to their problem, a title that declares “This Is What You Need” will likely entice them to follow it. Other variations of this approach could include “This Is How…” and “Why You Should…”. For instance:

Why you should start cycling in 2024

3. Appeal to Emotions

If you’re looking to turn idle curiosity into an irresistible urge to follow a link, then an emotional pull is what your title will need. Try using power words, adjectives like powerful, amazing, or brilliant. But make sure that your content lives up to the description. Here’s an example from Upworthy:

Dad found out his son bullied a kid at school and came up with a brilliant teaching moment

4. Create a Sense of Urgency

A step up from appealing to emotions is to create the feeling that your reader needs to click on your title straight away, rather than scrolling past it. It can be used to suggest a simple, easily achieved solution, which is fine if the content delivers on that promise. Take a look at this example from The Muse:

Got an Hour? 10 Things You Can Do To Improve Your Finances

5. Use Numbers

If you include a number in a title, it immediately suggests well-organized and easily digestible content. Just make sure that your content includes the promised number. Although some numbers come with emotional or superstitious connotations, which you could harness, you should avoid artificially making your content fit a number if you want to retain credibility.

7 Must-Haves for an Engaging Blog Introduction

6. Use Lists

If you see a list, or listicle, chances are you’ll be attracted to click through to a series of simple, actionable steps to your goal. Using them in your title, therefore, is a good way to attract readers to your article. Then you just need to make sure that those steps appear in your content. For example:

How To Make A DIY Rain Barrel In 8 Simple Steps

7. Avoid Sensationalist Text

If you want to build credibility and avoid the cons of clickbait we mentioned, then you should avoid using negative life events to scare people into clicking on your title. Trading on salacious gossip is also likely to cross the line. Avoid phrases like “You’ll Never Believe…” so that you aren’t tarred with the same brush as this:

Wow! This Child Actress is All Grown Up, and You Won’t Believe How Much She Hates Your Obsession With What She Looks Like Now

Becoming a Freelance Writer

Although clickbait in its strictest sense may not be okay, the techniques it uses certainly can be put to good use in attracting people to read what you’ve written. The key point, whichever technique (or combination of them) you use, is to ensure that they give an honest and accurate indication of the content. Concentrate on creating engaging content first, then write your title to fit, and you won’t go wrong.

To take your writing to the next level, including writing compelling blog posts with headlines to match, why not try our Becoming A Freelance Writer course? You can even try it for free.