The Angry at "Clickbait" Thread

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rpm said:
Can you suggest how the headline should change to more accurately describe the article body?
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This is what the actual article headline reads and would've been a better headline:

"Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today."

The info is not things you "need to know," its just some random stuff.
 
I started a related thread about this a while back - https://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php/803177-Clickbait-headlines-hurt-clickthrough-rate

Reposting here:

element1 said:
Clickbait headlines hurt clickthrough rate, report for content marketers suggests

A report for content marketers on how to write better headlines suggests that clickbait titles that lure the reader with superlatives and hyperbole only succeed in lowering the likelihood that a reader will click on the article.

Research by content discovery platform Outbrain and marketing software firm HubSpot suggests from a study of 3.3 million paid link English language headlines that words that promise quick-fix solutions, are pushy and stress urgency also turn readers off.

Headlines with the words “easy,” “always,” “best,” “how to,” “cure” and “free” all have the tendency to decrease clickthrough rate.
Outbrain study on headlines

Words that decrease clickthrough rate. Source: Outbrain, October 2013 to September 2014

The words “simple,” “tip,” “trick,” “amazing” and “secret” when used in headlines also tend to reduce clickthrough, the study that spanned 12 months to September 2014 found.

Making a direct reference to the reader by using the words “you,” “your,” or “you’re” also has an adverse effect on clickthrough.

So does implying urgency by using the words “need” and “now”.

The worst performing words are those that gives instructions – “tip” – or offer rewards – “credit” and “cure”.

“Once a certain kind of headline becomes popular among clickbaiters, readers no longer trust the keywords in that headline,” the report argues. “Readers have spam filters too.”

Marketers should focus on the “who and not the why” in their headlines, the report reads.

Effect on clickthrough rateTitles that included the word “who” generated a 22 per cent higher clickthrough than those without the word. Headlines that used the word “why” prompted 37 per cent fewer clicks.

The headlines that are more likely to increase traffic include the use of bracketed clarifications that tell the reader what sort of content to expect, for instance slideshare, video or infographic.

Views per bracket type

Headlines with brackets perform 38 per cent better than those without.

“Readers are more likely to click when they have a clear picture of what lies behind the headline,” the report titled Data driven strategies for writing effective headlines reads.

The headlines that work the best are “moderate” in length – 81 to 100 characters, less than a tweet.

Length of headline

In terms of engagement, while the word “amazing” decreased clickthrough, those who clicked on the headline stuck around for longer.

Clickthrough Vs engagement

But “amazing” was the only word among those that led to a fall in clickthrough that led to an increase in page views per session.

Clickthrough Vs engagement

Negative superlatives also lowered engagement. “Worst” and “never” decreased page views per session by 59 per cent.

The word in headlines that most persuades the reader to take action is “need” – a word that results in a fall in clickthrough rate and page views per session but an increase in conversion rate.

Headlines that prompt action

“In this era of clickbait, it’s more important than ever to write a headline that delivers on its promise,” the report reads. “At the most basic level, you want the reader to have a good experience with your brand. When she clicks on a link, you’ve got to be sure she’s getting what she expected and not being duped in some sort of digital shell-game. Once you lose that trust, it’s gone.”


Source: http://www.mumbrella.asia/2015/06/clickbait-headlines-get-lower-clickthrough-rate-outbrain-report-for-content-marketers-suggests/
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Splinter said:
Yep. It's just a mob hobby horse lately. If you think it's clickbait, why TF are you reading it?
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You do realise that this is the reason why people are complaining about click bait titles. The reason being that they're reading it is because the title lured them in. Once having read the article, the title is shown to be a lie, or not what the article is about.
My definition of clickbait is when the title of the article is deliberately deceptive or exaggerated in order to lure in readers.
There's also been lots of times when I've seen forumites responding to the title of the article without reading the actual article because the title was written in such a way to illicit an emotional response from readers. I've seen this done a few times to ANC or Zuma related articles, they make themselves look bad all on their own there is no need for exaggerated or fake headlines.

All I ask is that mybb be as truthful has possible with the article title, even if the original source isn't.

I don't mind the amazing deals anymore as that has become a mybb inside joke.
 
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WaxLyrical said:
This is what the actual article headline reads and would've been a better headline:

"Here’s what is happening in and affecting South Africa today."

The info is not things you "need to know," its just some random stuff.
Click to expand...

Sounds like clickbait - I won't click on that.
 
The above is in jest, but I want to highlight that defining an "accurate" headline is not as easy as a right or wrong answer - for example, 2+2 is 4.

Calling a headline clickbait is not purely based on a set of defined rules, like maths, and there are elements of subjectivity in it.

What you consider not-clickbait may be horribly inaccurate to others, while what you consider an inaccurate headline is fine with many readers. Besides putting the entire article in the headline, this will be a continual work in progress. We are glad we have forum members who care enough to tell us when they see a potential mistake - thanks for the feedback, we will continue to find the right balance.
 
rpm said:
Can you suggest how the headline should change to more accurately describe the article body?
Click to expand...

BusinessTech Daily: January 26

Since it's posted almost every day it might be a good idea to put a time stamp on it. Make it like a, daily, morning update on things that might affect South Africa and be interesting to me, the reader. If the reader finds the content interesting he will then know (because of the time stamp) that there will be an article tomorrow and he will return. As it is now the headline is cringe-worthy.
 
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