Despite its somewhat doubtful reputation, Clickbait continues to be an effective tool for marketers to draw more traffic to their website and help increase brand awareness. However, not all Clickbait is created equal. If you aren’t writing Clickbait content that is powerful without seeming gimmicky, your entire strategy could end up backfiring. So before you start baiting that hook, consider these 6 important factors:
#1 It Will Increase Page Views, But…
Clickbait does have the ability to do what its name suggests, bait people to click. With an effective Clickbait headline, you will be able to entice your audience to click. This will definitely increase the number of visitors you get to your website. But one important thing you can’t forget:
Just because people click through the link doesn’t mean they’ll stay. If your increased number of page views is followed by a comparatively high increase in your bounce rate, then you aren’t writing Clickbait effectively.
That is a sign that your actual content isn’t living up to the promise of your enticing headline. So if you are going to use Clickbait, make sure that bait is attached to something your visitors will actually want to read.
#2 Writing Clickbait Headlines Can Increase Social Shares
In addition to increasing page views, a great Clickbait headline can also be a kind of “share bait.” That is, your audience will feel compelled to share it on their social media because it sounds like something their followers need to know about.
That bump in shares will accomplish two things. First, it will further increase your total number of page views. Second, it will generate buzz and conversation around your content, making you more relevant and increasing your SEO ranking.
But, again, to get the full benefits of this, you need to make sure you don’t stop at the headline. An irresistible headline needs to be followed by content that actually provides what the reader expects. Disappointing content does not get shared and it does nothing to help your brand.
#3 A Lot of People Are Wise to Your Tricks
Marketers far and wide have seen the power of writing Clickbait but, unfortunately, not everybody can do it well. So what we have now is a surge of Clickbait headlines that lead visitors to a pretty bland or poorly written post.
After repeated disappointment, internet users have become wary of Clickbait headlines and their bold promises. Are these secrets really that weird after all? Probably not but hopefully they are things you “never knew” before reading.
Disappointed visitors are likely to bounce and never return to your website. The distrust that is created out of that will be hard for your brand to overcome. So if you aren’t ready or able to write compelling content that actually provides something to your readers, you aren’t ready to bait them to your website.
No matter what your brand identity is, trust is an essential part of your relationship to your audience. Nobody is interested in cheap, empty marketing promises. They want real substance. If your Clickbait gives them that, you’ll gain all of the rewards that writing Clickbait can offer you.
#4 Let Your Content Be Ruled by Emotions
One of the essential features of any great piece of Clickbait content is the ability to evoke emotions in its readers. That’s why headlines can tend to be a little dramatic or over the top sounding. It’s not “6 tips,” it’s “6 weird secrets.” We don’t feel anything in particular about plain old tips. But the phrase “weird secrets” evokes excitement and curiosity. It gives you the feeling you’re about to learn something you shouldn’t know.
The headline is the most important place to evoke an emotion but that emotion does need to carry through the rest of your content. More importantly, you need to be consistent. If your headline evokes astonishment or wonder, maintain a base level of that emotion throughout the content.
You don’t need to be as heavy handed in the body of the post as you are in the headline. However, you do need to be conscious about your word choice and make sure that you are being consistent when writing clickbait.
#5 You Need to Know Your Audience First
An over the top emotional headline followed by an emotionally charged post is really effective and rewarding for an emotional reader. However, not all readers are drawn to emotion based content. There are many readers out there who prefer a more straightforward presentation of reality.
Then, there is the bulk of readers who fall somewhere in between on the spectrum of rational and emotional writing.
Before you launch a content campaign of any kind, you need to sift through the data and find out what your audience is reading and sharing. If your target audience isn’t sharing clickbait style content, they aren’t likely to be very interested in your clickbait efforts.
On the other hand, if they do show a trend toward consuming more emotionally charged writing, a well-executed clickbait campaign could be exactly what you need to reach your audience.
#6 You Still Need to Prioritize SEO over Clickbait
One important drawback of a Clickbait headline is that it isn’t very good for SEO. Most clickbait headlines avoid clearly stating the keyword and topic in favor of enticing clicks through mystery and curiosity.
For example, a clickbait headline like “Find out how this crazy new startup is totally changing the game” has all the characteristics of clickbait. But what do you really know about the content from reading that headline?
What kind of startup is it? What game are they changing? Without answers to those questions, a reader will have no idea whether or not the content is really relevant to them. They will also immediately recognize that you are trying to bait them.
A more effective clickbait headline will actually include the keyword and the topic. The headline for this post uses clickbait style to grab attention but still clearly conveys what you’ll get from reading the post. You’ll get 6 pieces of information about writing clickbait content.
So the best way to write clickbait is actually to avoid overt clickbait altogether. Instead, borrow the clickbait qualities that work like emotional language and share-worthy headlines. Then combine those with clear, SEO friendly headlines and meaningful content that actually delivers what is promised.