More often than not, we see clickbait headlines that are spammy and sometimes even misleading. This is mainly why people choose to stay away from clickbaits.
These misleading and spammy clickbaits have created an immense misconception in the minds of people. The fact is, clickbait headlines are actually very useful, and if you’re able to write attention-grabbing titles without risking the reputation of your brand, you will achieve a lot.
There’s no doubt that clickbait headlines when used in the right way- are an amazing tool for grabbing the attention of the user and it also drives a lot of clicks.
That said, how can you use clickbait headlines without ticking off your people?
Learn Why Clickbait Headlines Work
A study conducted in 2017 analyzed several article headlines and the results showed that almost all headlines that had clickbait-y starting sentences/phrases, were able to generate a lot of engagement. This study was only focused on Facebook.
Phrases like “10 reasons why…” and “X reasons why….” Were able to drive the most number of clicks.
Another study that was done back in 2015 revealed that all headlines that were polarizing, were responsible for driving the most number of clicks.
However, any headline that that can be understood as “withholding information” are mostly demoted or taken down by Facebook and other social media channels.
Therefore, clickbait headlines can work wonders if used appropriately. While writing headlines, your intent should be to intrigue viewers without misleading them with the content they will interact with on the page.
The main aim should be to have them hooked, give them a hint about what they will see once they open the link, and in doing so, you must ensure you keep a live a little touch of mystery.
10 Clickbait Headline Examples That Work Wonders
Know why clickbaits are often considered as a bad thing? Because people choose to exaggerate the information and make big claims that stand way apart from truth.
Know that you if you mislead your readers, it will only backfire and cause you harm rather than bringing even a tad bit of profit. You’ll only end up losing credibility and potential customers.
To save yourself from the mistakes a lot of people do, use some of these best clickbait title formats given below to make titles and headlines. These examples won’t just grab the attention of viewers, but also go on to maintain readers’ trust with your brand.
1. “X Things You…”
You must have gone through a lot of headlines that start with the phrase, “X Things You…” and in a lot of cases, you must have clicked on these links. This is because such headings show a numbered list that gives the reader some level of personalization.
Moreover, the “You” in such headlines allows the reader to relate with the content and increases their motivation about finding out more about stuff that will interest them.
To give you a better idea, here are some clickbait headline examples that go with this format:
- 10 Things You Should Know When Styling A Denim Jacket
- 7 Interesting Facts About Your Favorite Sports Team You Didn’t Know
This is where people will be highly intrigued to find out what sits on the other side of the click.
2. “This Is What…”
The “this” in such clickbait headlines catches the attention of the viewer. It spurs their curiosity as they wish to find out what will they find out once they click through the page.
This happens to be one of the most common and arguably the best clickbait headline, but make sure you’re careful while using this one. It can easily go in the wrong direction if you are too secretive in the headline.
While crafting your headline in this format, you must ensure you don’t put titles like “This is why you’re at a loss”, or “This is why you’re suffering”, since such ideas are too cryptic.
Rather than highlighting only the negative, you can go for headlines like “This is why you’re not seeing an increase in your ROI” or “This is why people are investing in Bitcoin”.
The examples above give readers the context they need and will kill their scepticism about the content that sits behind the click.
3. “X Reasons Why”
There’s a high chance you’ve seen such headlines on famous social media platforms like Facebook and even on YouTube. This is mainly due to the fact that such headlines are proven to be the most effective approach in driving clicks on social media and increasing engagement.
A research study that analyzed more than 1 million famous headlines, concluded that the most shared headline type is the one that has numbers
These clickbait headlines are often successful because they come with the element of surprise and mystery for the reader, as they don’t really know the “reasons”.
While you work with this format, make sure you write in a way that your headline speaks emotion. For instance:
- 5 Reasons Why SmartWatches and bands Are The Best Fitness Gadgets
- 10 Reasons Why Gaming Mouse Is Worth The Money
4. Piggybacking
It doesn’t matter if your brand is new on the platform and you haven’t achieved much recognition at this stage. The “piggybacking” approach is made to build authority and ultimately drive engagement.
In this technique, you’d reference a well-recognized personality, like celebrities and influencers, in relation to your post.
Here are some examples of headlines that fall under the category of Piggybacking:
- “Forbes Businessmen Shares His Two Cents…”
- “Spending Time With The Stars Celeb Shows…”
Know that if you’re lucky enough to get a famous figure, you can use “piggybacking” to hook all eyes on your post.
5. “You Can Now…”
This headline also has achieved great success since it implies that the readers will now be able to do something they couldn’t before.
The attractiveness of good information is enough to intrigue people and have them click through your post.
How to write these clickbait titles? Here you go:
- You Can Now Start Travelling Without…
- You Can Now Earn X Amount By Just Doing This
- You Can Now Convert More Leads Without X
6. “The Last.. You’ll Ever Need”
Such headlines are mostly used by ecommerce business people, or those businesses that are highly product oriented. With such headline, you can easily put a product as the last X a customer will ever need.
This can be huge sigh of relief for customers who have to buy such products on a daily basis.
Take this example: if you have a store, and your data tell you that people generally choose to buy denim jeans every 3 months, you can market your jeans or similar products like “The Last Denim Jeans You Will Ever Need”.
Such headlines and the corresponding content will make customers happy because they will have a feeling that they’re saving a great deal of time and money by making this one-time purchase.
7. “You Won’t Believe..”
Titles that start with “You Won’t Believe This News!” are in most cases, big offenders and they turn people away. If you wish to not tick your audience away, it’s important that you add a little description in your headlines.
To give you an idea, these are some examples of “You Won’t Believe! Headlines that are good:
- The Most Beautiful Island You Won’t Believe Exists”
- 5 Facts About Travelling You Won’t Believe Are True”
- 20 Photos You Won’t Believe Are Photoshopped
8. “Why You Should..”
It’s not entirely wrong to command readers, but it has to be done with the right balance to not end up offending anyone. Want to sound a bit bossy and tell people what they should do? Do it while giving them the reason to.
With this headline format, you basically give readers the needed tip while attracting them to read and learn more.
Headline examples like “Why You Should Stop With This Fashion” or “Why You Should Buy Hair Care Products” give people the exact idea about what the content is about while also leaving the “why a mystery.
9. “See..”
We’ve all heard and read the term “seeing is believing”, and this works here as well. People prefer to see the “secret sauce” with their eyes before they implement any information provided in the link.
This headline creates a sense of curiosity and gives the reader the notion that there’s this information gap that has to be filled. They get the impression that you have something really interesting that they should not miss.
For instance:
- “See These Amazing Web Design Templates Before Buying”
- “See Results From This Diet Plan In Just 4 Weeks”
10. “Live…”
With the internet filled with remakes and recycled content, people love to see original content.
This is why when you choose to share a live webinar or video, the vast majority wishes to click because they know this content isn’t taken from anywhere else, neither are they going to find it anywhere else.
This example is mostly good for ads that want users to come to a live webinar, video session, or a conference.
These are just a few examples of how clickbait titles can work for you, without putting your brand’s credibility and reputation at risk. Want to avail top quality social media and content services? Head over to Seohub.pk and get your digital business up and running!
