Why You Should Never Use Clickbait Titles (This Will Change Your Life!)

Warning: this article won’t actually change your life

Lin
5 min readFeb 24, 2019
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When you’re a writer, the title of your book, blog post or article, is important. Actually, it’s not even important — it’s crucial. It’s the first thing a reader sees, and it’s often the very thing that makes them decide whether or not they’re going to read whatever you have to say.

A catchy title will draw readers in for a closer look, but a dull title could turn them away.

That’s a lot of pressure for writers, and it’s one of the reasons that so many bloggers and websites turn to clickbait-y titles that they know will entice readers.

But, while they may appear to be a good idea, clickbait titles are actually a terrible marketing strategy for writers and have served as a destructive force in online journalism for a long time.

What is clickbait?

If you’ve spent any time on the internet, you’ve encountered clickbait. These deceptive articles spread like wildfire across Facebook and Twitter, and you can spot them from a mile away.

These stories dangle a vague title that promises juicy details to readers, but never actually deliver on that promise.

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Lin

When I’m not writing, you can usually find me hanging out with my cats