Entertaining is a perfect term used to describe the titles of clickbait. The titles often include over exciting language to excite the reader’s curiosity, and lure them in to click on the content whether it be an advertisement, commercial, or video such as on YouTube. For example, Facebook advertisements are notorious for containing clickbait. An advertisement is titled, “3 secret tips to lose those extra pounds. Click to find out!”. This definitely makes the reader curious as to what the tips are, leading them to click on it. What is not entertaining is the way clickbait over promises and under delivers; it is extremely disappointing. Even with the above example, a less intense use of clickbait, the actual tips end up being things that most people already know, thus the reader is very disappointed. Clickbait is exactly how it sounds, it is bait to lure a reader in like a little fish and then snatch them up.
To gain a better understanding of the tactics clickbait uses to draw the reader in, I will examine three overarching strategies used. The first being pathos based titles, tugging at the readers emotions and making them feel a certain type of way, the second being fear induced clickbait instilling a sense of fear and wonder, and the third strategy being dramatic and over exciting language used in the titles. All three of these strategies are used regularly by “clickbaiter’s” to gain that view or click. I also would like to examine what the writer gains from using clickbait. Sure, they gain a click or a view, but how do those totals benefit them. Money? Popularity? More subscribers? Overall, through examining the tactics clickbait uses we will be able to better understand how these tactics excite the readers curiosity, leading to drawing them into the product, advertisement, or video. In the end clickbait seems appealing and exciting, but the majority of the time it is too good to be true.