Clickbait headlines are written in a way to entice you to click on them because they pique your curiosity.(“The Moneymaking Secrets that Banks Don’t Want You to Know”). You’ve probably seen them in social media platforms and those paid partner content sections at the bottom of traditional media websites (check out CNN.com for example).
Now, these clickbait headlines are becoming more prevalent in traditional media, based on recent examples in the Wisconsin State Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, New York Times and CNN. You can tell a headline is typically clickbait:
- When it uses the word “why” (“Waukesha has Experienced a Substantial Increase in Health Care Providers Since 2018. Here’s Why”),
- When it uses the word “what” (“Your Finances Took a Hit From the Pandemic. Here’s What You Do Now”),
- When it uses the word “how” (“How Prince William and Kate are Getting Ready for the New School Year”),
- When it doesn’t name the subject (“This Freshman Traveled 5,000 Miles to Join the Badgers Volleyball Team. She Now Leads the Team in Kills”);
- When it includes “you won’t believe” (“You Won’t Believe the Main Ingredient in These Gourmet Dishes”).
I get it. Media need to sell impressions and clicks to advertisers. I just didn’t think they would stoop to the level of websites like BuzzFeed that are notorious for clickbait headlines.