Is clickbait good or bad for your text?

Clickbait is a headline whose sole purpose is to attract attention and entice readers to read the text they will reach by clicking on a specific link. The word ” bait ” is related to fishing, where the hook is hidden by the bait.

The headline we call clickbait is usually sensational and misleading. Therefore, if you are serious about copywriting, you should not use it.

Everything you need to know about clickbait

Clickbait is designed to provide enough information to pique the reader’s curiosity, but of course, not enough to satisfy that curiosity without reading the content the clickbait is linked to.

Although there is no universal definition for this term, in the Merriam-Webster dictionary clickbait is “something designed to make readers want to click on a link, especially when that link leads to content of dubious value.” The Dictonary.com dictionary defines it as “a sensational headline or piece of text on the Internet created to encourage people to follow a link to an article on another web page.”

Is clickbait good or bad for your text?

The use of clickbait , or something that could be called that, before the advent of the Internet is associated with “yellow press”. Even today, when you read the tabloids, you can see striking headlines, where the events that happened are exaggerated, all in order to attract the attention of the readers.

There are numerous examples where journalists paid their “sources” for information, which they then published without verifying its veracity. In the USA, this type of journalism is considered unethical, as it often turns celebrities and even politicians into targets of unproven accusations.

Web browsers have built-in tools to detect and mitigate the problems created by such sensationalist headlines, while social networks such as Twitter have implemented content filtering algorithms. Facebook also opposes this type of content.

Neil Patel believes that clickbait has a bad reputation, but it doesn’t have to be bad in practice. “When done right, it’s one of the best ways to get people to notice your content.”

Andrew Selepak , professor and director of the social media graduate program at the University of Florida, tells the Content Marketing Institute that clickbait doesn’t always have to be bad. “While we often look at clickbait negatively because it’s associated with fake news and online retailers, if your company has a good product that can really help consumers, getting people to your website in this way isn’t such a bad thing.”

On many blogs, including our blog , you can see examples of good headlines, which attract attention, but are not sensational and misleading.

On the Internet you can find texts that talk about how to use clickbait wisely, but there are also many texts that say why it is bad to use it at all. It is up to you to make the right decision.

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