Why clickbait titles are so bad for your brand, and what to do about it.
We look at when a business should think again about their headlines.
Before we dig in lets just define what clickbait is.
Clickbait is a type of content designed to entice readers with provocative headlines and images. Its goal is to generate clicks on the content, regardless of whether the information inside is relevant or accurate. Clickbait often exaggerates facts, including using false headlines, misleading photos, and exaggerated text to lure visitors into clicking on a link. It's important for users to be wary when encountering clickbait and only click if they are sure that it will lead them to a legitimate source.
Clickbait can seriously damage a brand's reputation and customer loyalty. First, clickbait often misleads visitors into visiting websites that contain malicious content or are not relevant to what they were searching for.
This can lead to an overall decrease in visitor confidence as they may associate the brand with false information or low-quality sites. Additionally, using clickbait techniques on social media can be harmful as it is seen as unethical by many users and could tarnish the brand's image.
Finally, customers may feel betrayed if they are tricked into clicking a link only to find irrelevant content. This will create mistrust between the company and its customers which can ultimately lead to a loss of loyalty over time.
Let us make sense of it for you
Our short-form summary:
Clickbait headlines are not a reliable way to build meaningful relationships with potential customers.
Clickbait is creating headlines or images that make false promises about the content within.
To create a loyal and trusting customer base, brands should be human, honest, and engaging with their audience.
Listen to the audio version of the blog below or click the button to read it.
Don’t just take our word for it…
Here we share some related reading that we found interesting on the topic of clickbait headlines and brand reputation.
How publishers are fighting clickbait ads and protecting audiences
by Digiday
Here’s how Google Search plans to tackle clickbait by Digitaltrends
Clickbait, Fake News & Your Brand Reputation by Forefrontweb
What not to do…
Don’t lose your brand reputation on the hunt for clicks.
Just a few minutes spent on any social media site and you’ll spot clickbait headlines.
“You won’t believe what happened after…”
“37 ideas for the perfect…”
“This will shock you...”
“This website is so good it feels illegal to know…” (a current TikTok favourite)
“Leading expert reveals the biggest secret…”
They might catch your attention but rarely does the content behind it bare close scrutiny. This example is sensationalist and inaccurate. This Tweet not only got called out, but ended up having a label attached to it to provide further context so it didn’t mislead. Not a great way to build a loyal and trusting audience.
While this back-and-forth on Twitter also serves our point well. The clickbait headlines might well be bringing the eyeballs but the staff writing it and many of the audience reading are not happy.
The lesson? Clickbait titles can be deceiving. They promise you an exciting, emotional story with crazy twists that will leave your jaw on the floor - and what do they actually deliver? Poorly written content, splayed out over pages of advertisements. It's no wonder it's impossible to find a page without typos when clickbaiting is involved! But why do we still get suckered in by these tactics? Humankind has an undeniable appetite for stories; even if it turns out to be one drenched in mediocrity.
You may very well see more clicks, but the quality of the audience you attract is likely to be poor or even irrelevant. All you’ve achieved is wasting time and effort chasing vanity metrics that won’t help the long term success of your business.
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