Ok so obviously the title is going to be clickbait... as I watch my hits go up today.
And yet it works. You can see all the links to articles on the net...
"Breaking NEWS!!!..."
"XYZ is going viral"
"What rich people don't want you to know"
Etc...
And yet it all works, it gets people to click on the link.
WHY?!
I'm sure we all have seen such link titles before, I'm pretty sure everyone has seen clickbait before.
And yet why do people continue to click on it? Which perpetuates the cycle, if marketers know people click, then they will create titles which are clickbait, and people continue to click. Cos it works, they will continue to do it.
I think it all boils down to our human nature.
A sense of urgency and curiosity of secrecy?
Breaking News!!! What XYZ doesn't want you to know.
It's also very similar to sales in shops.
SALE!!! For a limited time only! Get this item at 50% off.
Then there's also those shops that's forever on sale. Always 20% off, everyday of the week.
Why does urgency attract people?
Cos humans used to live in uncertainty. When food is available, they eat and make sure they are full, cos they won't know when the next meal is going to come. So when there's an opportunity, we humans take it or make a rushed decision. That's where our Singaporean kiasu come in.
Why are we so interested in what the rich don't tell us?
Cos they are rich, so many people want to be rich too. Maybe if I know a little bit of their secrets I can be rich like them. So people continue to click these links...
And do you really think that these link will really help people get rich?
Everyone likes to know a "secret"
Everyone wants to know "Top 10 things that EVERYBODY gets wrong!"
To learn something new? Or to find out that they aren't part of the "everybody" that gets it wrong?
How about those puzzles online that say, "Only the top 1% can solve this puzzle"
Then it's some puzzle that is some simple algebra. But it gets so many comments from people having the answer...
Why? So that they can prove that they are the 1% that can solve this? And obviously NO ONE verifies that it's a test for the top 1%, people just like the thrill knowing that they "are" the 1%.
But all these... boil down to ONE thing in our current world of technology and internet.
We are all bored. We have nothing to do.
We surf Facebook, or other sites, cos a lot of us are bored. It is our form of entertainment.
And when there's something "interesting" (clickbait) we just click on it. It doesn't really matter whether there's any good info in the article. It just looks interesting.
It's like when I went shopping in Japan last time buying presents for family. The packaging looks nice. Ok I'll buy it. When I get back, the product, usually some food, was just "meh".
The thing is... marketers know this. They know they only have 1 shot to make an impression and if customers/readers aren't interested, they move on.
So they find creative ways to attract people. The product itself is maybe only fairly important. But not as important as the presentation. Cos if no one even buys the item, then there's no point in how good the item is.
All the more so for online, cos all online marketers have is just a small area for a picture, and a line of text. They don't have much space for a sales pitch.
So their title needs to generate human emotion to make people inherently WANT to click on it. It needs to be worthy of our "entertainment".
Is it annoying when I surf the net. Sure.
Cos I keep seeing stuff like...
"Wall Street furious over Bitcoin Millionaires".
"The most tactical torchlight in the market"
And yet, on the other hand I see this as nothing more than marketing like those done at brick and mortar shops.
People are trying to "earn a living".
It's for consumers to discern for themselves what to "buy/click" and to be aware of the marketing vs the actual product in itself.
Unfortunately, such things can turn into scams easily...
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And yet it works. You can see all the links to articles on the net...
"Breaking NEWS!!!..."
"XYZ is going viral"
"What rich people don't want you to know"
Etc...
And yet it all works, it gets people to click on the link.
WHY?!
I'm sure we all have seen such link titles before, I'm pretty sure everyone has seen clickbait before.
And yet why do people continue to click on it? Which perpetuates the cycle, if marketers know people click, then they will create titles which are clickbait, and people continue to click. Cos it works, they will continue to do it.
I think it all boils down to our human nature.
A sense of urgency and curiosity of secrecy?
Breaking News!!! What XYZ doesn't want you to know.
It's also very similar to sales in shops.
SALE!!! For a limited time only! Get this item at 50% off.
Then there's also those shops that's forever on sale. Always 20% off, everyday of the week.
Why does urgency attract people?
Cos humans used to live in uncertainty. When food is available, they eat and make sure they are full, cos they won't know when the next meal is going to come. So when there's an opportunity, we humans take it or make a rushed decision. That's where our Singaporean kiasu come in.
Why are we so interested in what the rich don't tell us?
Cos they are rich, so many people want to be rich too. Maybe if I know a little bit of their secrets I can be rich like them. So people continue to click these links...
And do you really think that these link will really help people get rich?
Everyone likes to know a "secret"
Everyone wants to know "Top 10 things that EVERYBODY gets wrong!"
To learn something new? Or to find out that they aren't part of the "everybody" that gets it wrong?
How about those puzzles online that say, "Only the top 1% can solve this puzzle"
Then it's some puzzle that is some simple algebra. But it gets so many comments from people having the answer...
Why? So that they can prove that they are the 1% that can solve this? And obviously NO ONE verifies that it's a test for the top 1%, people just like the thrill knowing that they "are" the 1%.
But all these... boil down to ONE thing in our current world of technology and internet.
We are all bored. We have nothing to do.
We surf Facebook, or other sites, cos a lot of us are bored. It is our form of entertainment.
And when there's something "interesting" (clickbait) we just click on it. It doesn't really matter whether there's any good info in the article. It just looks interesting.
It's like when I went shopping in Japan last time buying presents for family. The packaging looks nice. Ok I'll buy it. When I get back, the product, usually some food, was just "meh".
The thing is... marketers know this. They know they only have 1 shot to make an impression and if customers/readers aren't interested, they move on.
So they find creative ways to attract people. The product itself is maybe only fairly important. But not as important as the presentation. Cos if no one even buys the item, then there's no point in how good the item is.
All the more so for online, cos all online marketers have is just a small area for a picture, and a line of text. They don't have much space for a sales pitch.
So their title needs to generate human emotion to make people inherently WANT to click on it. It needs to be worthy of our "entertainment".
Is it annoying when I surf the net. Sure.
Cos I keep seeing stuff like...
"Wall Street furious over Bitcoin Millionaires".
"The most tactical torchlight in the market"
And yet, on the other hand I see this as nothing more than marketing like those done at brick and mortar shops.
People are trying to "earn a living".
It's for consumers to discern for themselves what to "buy/click" and to be aware of the marketing vs the actual product in itself.
Unfortunately, such things can turn into scams easily...
<<PREVIOUS POST // NEXT POST>>
Did you like this post? If so, could you "blanjah" me 1/4 cup of my morning coffee pls.
You may also consider subscribing to receive the articles in your email, link in the column on the right.
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