12 Surprising Examples of Clickbait Headlines That Work

tic
5/9/23, 11:06 AM 12 Surprising Examples of Clickbait Headlines That Work

of SEO tools could
be key to your Sear
agency’s success.
ch
Download Now Strat
egy
Join this webinar
and learn how to
12 Surprising Examples of Clickbait Headlines

SEJ ⋅ Content
combine insights
and data from
That Work
paid and organic
channels to
create a cohesive
search strategy
that enhances
yourwithout
Clickbait headlines don’t have to be spammy or misleading. Write attention-grabbing titles online risking your brand’s
reputation. Follow these examples. presence.
Register Now
VIP CONTRIBUTOR
Jason Hennessey 403 188K
SHARES READS
April 22, 2020 ⋅ 8 min read
Clickbait gets a lot of hate and probably for good reason.
Clickbait-y headlines are often sensationalist, misleading, or just outright ridiculous.
But there’s no doubt that clickbait headlines – when used appropriately – do work
when it comes to grabbing a user’s attention and driving clicks.
The key word here is “appropriately”.
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/12-surprising-examples-of-clickbait-headlines-that-work/362688/ 1/7
How can you use clickbait headlines without misleading or ticking off your
audience?
It all comes down to using the right headlines in the right way.
Why Clickbait Headlines Work

The most recent (2017) study analyzing article headlines found that many headlines
with “clickbait-y” starting phrases generated the most engagement (in this case, on
Facebook).
Phrases like “X Reason Why…” and “This is What…” were responsible for driving the
most clicks.
An older study (2015) – but one that focused primarily on clickbait titles – found that
the most polarizing headlines drove the most clicks.
However, it’s important to note that headlines that could be interpreted as

“withholding information” were often demoted by Facebook and other channels.
So, clickbait headlines do work if used correctly, and by that we mean that they
must intrigue viewers without misrepresenting the content they will find on the
page.
The goal is to grab their attention, give a hint as to what they will find once they
click, but leave just a touch of mystery.
12 Clickbait Headline Examples That Actually

Work
One of the biggest reasons why clickbait gets such a bad rap is that people often
exaggerate the information or simply make claims that can’t be true.
If you mislead your readers, this can certainly backfire – causing you to lose
credibility and potential customers.
Instead, use some of these clickbait headline formats below to craft titles that grab
attention while maintaining readers’ trust in your brand.
1. ‘X Reasons Why…’
You’ve likely seen this headline around a lot, and that’s likely because it was found to
be one of the most effective titles when it comes to driving social media
engagement and clicks.
Further, in an analysis of about 1 million popular headlines, it was found that

numbered lists are the most shared of any headline type.
This clickbait headline does leave a little mystery because readers don’t know what
the “reasons” are, so they are inclined to click and find out.
Whichever phrase follows should be one that speaks to emotion, like:
“10 Reasons Why Noise Cancelling Headphones Are the Best”
“27 Reasons Why Celebrities Love THIS Product”
2. ‘X Things You…’
Similarly, “X Things You…” headlines include the benefit of being a numbered list
while being personalized to the reader.
The “you” here works to make this title relatable and entices readers to find out
more about themselves (at least, this is what is implied).
You can use this headline like so:
“10 Things You Need to Do Before Buying a House”
“19 Things You Don’t Know About Your Favorite Sports Teams”
Again, people will be intrigued to find out what exists on the other side of the click.
3. Piggybacking
Whether or not you already have some brand recognition, you can use the
“piggybacking” technique to build some authority and drive clicks.
This involves referencing a well-known figure or company in relation to your

brand/post.
Some examples of this are headlines like:
“Forbes Entrepreneur Shares X Tips…”
“Dancing with the Stars Celeb Reveals…”
“Nike Swoosh Designer Teaches Us…”
Etc.
If you are fortunate enough to feature a prominent figure – or simply do a follow-up

piece about an existing news story or interview – then you can use “piggybacking”
to grab attention and attract visitors.
4. ‘This Is What…’
In this clickbait headline examples, the “this” makes people curious about what they
will find when they click through to the page.
This is a common clickbait headline, but it can also go awry if you are too secretive
in the title.
Avoid titles like “This Is Why You’re Losing Money” or “This Is Why You’re Lonely”, as
these are too broad and cryptic.
Instead, aim for headlines like “This Is Why You’re Not Seeing an ROI on Your
Marketing” or “This Is Why Business Owners are Investing in Bitcoin”.
In the later examples, you give readers more context and make them less skeptical
about what your content is about.
5. ‘This Is the…’
Another headline that popped up in the BuzzSumo study was “This is the…” – which
is also responsible for driving a lot of social media engagement.
Titles like “This is the most Florida way to remember the CDC’s guidelines on
coronavirus social distancing” (Click Orlando) and “This Is The Surprising Way
Coronavirus Has Changed Travel Insurance” (Forbes) have been shown to drive
clicks and social shares.
6. ‘This Is How…’
Much like the “This is the…” headline, “This is how…” clickbait headlines intrigue
readers by keeping “this” a secret while giving a hint as to what the content is about.
Again, the goal here is to not be too cryptic, otherwise, readers might get frustrated
by your obviously clickbait-y title.
Some good examples of headlines in this format include:
“This is how business owners are saving thousands on their taxes”
“This is how parents can relieve stress throughout the day”
“This is how designers can make more money with fewer clients”
7. ‘You Can Now…’

This headline is a favorite because it implies that readers can now get/achieve/do
something they weren’t able to before.
The appeal of novel information can be enough to get people interested and click
through to your post.
This might include headlines like:
“You Can Now Land More Clients Without X”
“You Can Now Save Money with Y New Strategy”
“You Can Now Travel Abroad Without Having to…”.
8. ‘The Last … You’ll Ever Need’

This headline is a great one for ecommerce because you can position a product as
being the last X a customer will ever need.
For products that customers usually have to buy on a regular basis, this can be a
huge relief.
For example, if you know that people often have to buy hair flat irons every 3 years,
you can market your flat iron as being “The Last Flat Iron You Will Ever Need” if it
lasts 10+ years.
Customers will be happy to know they can save time or money by making a one-
time purchase.
9. ‘You Won’t Believe…’

Headlines like “You Won’t Believe THIS Hack!” and often the worst offenders when it
comes to clickbait-y, misleading titles.
To be effective (and not tick off your audience), you’ll want to be a bit more
descriptive.
Some examples of “You won’t believe…” headlines done right include:
“Amazing Inventions You Won’t Believe Exist”
“You Won’t Believe This Dog’s Dance Moves!”
“166 Photos You Won’t Believe Are Not Photoshopped”
“50 Random Facts You Won’t Believe Are True”
10. ‘Why You Should…’

If you’re going to be bossy and tell readers what to do, you might as well give them a
reason.
With this headline, you appear to give readers a helpful tip while enticing them to
read more.
Headlines like “Why You Should Stop X and Do Y”, “Why You Should Stop Buying X
Product”, or “Why You Should Invest in Real Estate Now” tell people what the
content is about while leaving the “why” a mystery… until the click through to your
site.
11. ‘LIVE…’
People love original content – what, with all the recycling content out there.
So if you share a live video or webinar, they’ll be inclined to click because they know
they won’t find this content anywhere else.
This especially works for ads that direct users to a live webinar, video session, or
conference.
You can set a timer so people only have access for a limited time.
Titles like “LIVE: Digital Nomad Conference” or “LIVE Video: How to Level Up Your
Marketing Agency” can be quite effective.
12. ‘See…’
Sometimes seeing is believing – and people want to see the “secret sauce” for
themselves before they put the information into practice.
“See…” headlines create a sort of information gap where people get the impression
that you have something interesting they just won’t want to miss.
You should follow up this phrase with an urgency-creating headline like:
“See results from your marketing in just 2 weeks”
“See these SEO strategies in action – before your competitors do!”
These are just a few examples of how clickbait headlines can work for your site –
without you jeopardizing your brand’s credibility or reputation.
More Resources:
11 Headline Writing Tips to Drive Traffic & Clicks
Title Tag Optimization: A Complete How-to Guide
What You Should NOT Do When Writing a Title Tag
Image Credits
Featured Image: Created by author, April 2020
Content

12 Surprising Examples of Clickbait Headlines That Work

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

12 Surprising Examples of Clickbait Headlines That Work

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

tic

5/9/23, 11:06 AM 12 Surprising Examples of Clickbait Headlines That Work

12 Surprising Examples of Clickbait Headlines

Clickbait gets a lot of hate and probably for good reason.

Clickbait-y headlines are often sensationalist, misleading, or just outright ridiculous.

The key word here is “appropriately”.

Why Clickbait Headlines Work

However, it’s important to note that headlines that could be interpreted as

12 Clickbait Headline Examples That Actually

Further, in an analysis of about 1 million popular headlines, it was found that

Whichever phrase follows should be one that speaks to emotion, like:

“10 Reasons Why Noise Cancelling Headphones Are the Best”

“27 Reasons Why Celebrities Love THIS Product”

You can use this headline like so:

“10 Things You Need to Do Before Buying a House”

This involves referencing a well-known figure or company in relation to your

Some examples of this are headlines like:

“Forbes Entrepreneur Shares X Tips…”

“Dancing with the Stars Celeb Reveals…”

“Nike Swoosh Designer Teaches Us…”

If you are fortunate enough to feature a prominent figure – or simply do a follow-up

Some good examples of headlines in this format include:

“This is how business owners are saving thousands on their taxes”

“This is how parents can relieve stress throughout the day”

7. ‘You Can Now…’

This might include headlines like:

“You Can Now Land More Clients Without X”

“You Can Now Save Money with Y New Strategy”

“You Can Now Travel Abroad Without Having to…”.

8. ‘The Last … You’ll Ever Need’

9. ‘You Won’t Believe…’

Some examples of “You won’t believe…” headlines done right include:

“Amazing Inventions You Won’t Believe Exist”

“You Won’t Believe This Dog’s Dance Moves!”

“166 Photos You Won’t Believe Are Not Photoshopped”

“50 Random Facts You Won’t Believe Are True”

10. ‘Why You Should…’

You should follow up this phrase with an urgency-creating headline like:

“See results from your marketing in just 2 weeks”

“See these SEO strategies in action – before your competitors do!”

Title Tag Optimization: A Complete How-to Guide

What You Should NOT Do When Writing a Title Tag

Featured Image: Created by author, April 2020

You might also like