Click Bait Can Have the Reverse Effect

I don’t mind taking one for the team and being Captain Obvious here.  Click bait has absolutely gotten out of hand.  And I wish it would stop.

Those who write that way (and I wonder how they sleep at night) would hate that I didn’t bury the lead.  They would cringe if they saw what I put in that first paragraph because they would prefer that I write a bunch of useless nonsense just to fill up space and then finally come out with my main point in, I don’t know, maybe paragraph seven.

Guess what?  We all see right through it.

There’s an app on my phone called SmartNews that (I'm thinking of uninstalling that) sends countless push notifications wherein the overwhelming majority of them are click bait headlines.  And I am underwhelmed by the level of journalism on the landing page when I do choose to, ugh, tap on one of them.

Here is where I stop to acknowledge that, “Hahaha, we got you!  Whether you like how we sucked you in and/or how our article is written, we still got you to click through.”  Duh.  I get it.  That’s what click bait is, Einstein.

The fact is, I’m done with it.  And I know that I’m not alone.  It’s going to backfire on you (click bait writer).

One of the many disappointing elements is that I even see it being done by publications that I used to have a reputable opinion of.  Every time I see such an occurrence, they lose more and more credibility with me.

Then there are the publications who do it that I’ve never even heard of.  With those I scratch my head and think, “I’ve never heard of you, so I guess you’re paying SmartNews to get your ridiculousness pushed out, in the hopes that you’ll build up new readers?”

Yet, here’s the thing.  They bury the lead because they want you to scroll and scroll – for advertisers, for the algorithm, but, psshh, not for you.

This is where I call out the YouTubers also who are titling their videos with click bait.  I recently saw someone who referred to “(name withheld) last interview” – yet the interview with that individual (who had just passed away) was quite old.  You might say, “Well that’s just deception,” and I respond with, “And click bait isn’t?”

Let’s take a closer look.  I have criticized my own titles of my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast episodes.  Lots of people in the podcast world are outspoken, against putting your episode number in the title.  I do it anyway, and maybe that’s a blog for another time.  And sure, somebody might look at an episode title and say, “I don’t know who that (guest) is,” although duh, that’s why you read the episode description.  But at least I don’t put a title just to get you to press Play, only for you to listen and get frustrated that it’s (a) not what you expected it to be, or (b) taking me forever to get to what you think you clicked in for.

I certainly understand that there is so much competition that creators feel they have to do something to get people to click – on their blog, their YouTube video, their podcast episode, their email, and so on.  But to engage in practices such as the red circle that too many people draw over a video thumbnail, for example, is just yucky.

Another word that comes to mind from the world of journalism is ‘sensationalizing’ a story.  In 2025 that has taken on a whole new look and, sadly, it’s all too regular.  There was actually a point in time when it was only reserved for the National Enquirer.

What is really in bad taste is how often click bait headlines are written in connection with someone’s death.

I think even the NFL decided to hit the reset button as I’ve noticed they’ve stopped sending out push notifications in which they try to suck you in with the word “revealed,” even though it’s just in reference to the injury report.  Yawn.  I know that to fantasy football players that’s big news, but let’s leave that word for expecting parents and their guests at a party waiting to find out what gender the baby is going to be.

You could lose credibility and audience if you engage in this practice.  Do a self-audit on your journalistic approach and ask yourself what matters.

Now a Member of the Recording Academy, I have been helping indie music artists, authors, actors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, filmmakers, small business owners, and more for over twenty years.  What challenges are you having in your creator career that I can lend some insight to?  Connect with me so you can take advantage of all my experience, and I can help and keep you moving forward.