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Q&A The art of clickbait captions

All of those examples imply there is some specific kind of secret knowledge you can learn quickly that will change your life. In your example, "really famous" is not specific enough. First, in wri...

posted 5y ago by Amadeus‭  ·  last activity 5y ago by System‭

Answer
#4: Attribution notice removed by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-19T22:13:47Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/45328
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#3: Attribution notice added by user avatar System‭ · 2019-12-08T11:57:03Z (almost 5 years ago)
Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/45328
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
#2: Initial revision by (deleted user) · 2019-12-08T11:57:03Z (almost 5 years ago)
All of those examples imply there is some **specific** kind of secret knowledge you can learn quickly that will change your life.

In your example, "really famous" is not specific enough. First, in writing, "really" is an intensifier without meaning. What exactly is the difference between being "famous" and "really famous"? Or "mad" and "really mad"?

Even then, famous for what? Ted Bundy is really famous as a serial killer of 30 young women and girls.

Your examples make specific major promises easily learned: The secret of life with one simple trick. A single secret that implies you might become a billionaire. Ten specific actions that might save your life. There is a way you might be rich and unaware of it.

For your example, "One simple trick to gain thousands of new twitter followers" would be click-bait for people that want to become famous.

The trick is to offer something **specific** that people will want (a product, an experience, knowledge) in return for an extremely small **specific** effort. That is why such offers are often followed by "You won't believe #4!": Disbelief and surprise are typically pleasant visceral experiences, and you are teasing that with a specific slide (or list item).

#1: Imported from external source by user avatar System‭ · 2019-05-22T14:25:30Z (over 5 years ago)
Original score: 12