15 Clickbait Examples: What Works and What Doesn’t

The battle for online attention has never been fiercer. With millions of websites competing for views, it’s tempting to resort to sensational, clickbait titles that promise much more than they can deliver. While these tactics might boost short-term traffic, they erode reader trust and damage brand credibility, making it harder to win traffic that actually converts. 

So why do people still fall for clickbait, even when they know better? It’s simple psychology: Our brains are wired for curiosity. Headlines that tease shocking revelations or impossible promises work because they tap into our natural impulse to fill in missing information. 

In this guide, we’ll break down real-world clickbait examples, analyze why they work (or fail), and show how marketers can harness attention-grabbing tactics responsibly — without sacrificing trust. 

What Is Clickbait? 

What does "clickbait" mean? If you’ve ever seen a title like “11 Unbelievable Facts — The Fourth One Will Shock You!” or “Doctors Hate This One Simple Trick!” then you’ve seen clickbait. 

Clickbait is any headline designed to attract attention and clicks. They incite an emotional reaction to draw the reader in, rather than focusing on the facts that would appeal to your customer personas. When readers actually open the content, it fails to deliver what was promised.

While clickbait titles thrive on social media and viral news, the quality of the article often has no bearing on the attention the title gets. The titles are rarely informative, and the content behind the clickbait doesn’t have to be interesting. That’s why clickbait has gained a reputation for being poor quality or even dishonest. 

These clickbait headlines rely on three key tactics. 

1. Misleading claims: They distort or exaggerate facts to entice readers to click
2. Sensational language: Words and phrases such as “shocking,” “unbelievable,” or “worst ever” trigger emotional reactions.
3. Artificial urgency: Phrases such as “Must Read!” create a false sense of urgency, even if the content isn’t timely.

Examples of Bad Clickbait Headlines

Plenty of clickbait headlines gain traction on social media, racking up shares and clicks with sensational claims. These infamous examples showcase why clickbait fails. 

Taboola: 'Gut Doctor "I Beg Americans To Throw Out This Vegetable"'

This notorious clickbait headline lured readers with fake vegetable warnings, only to redirect them to a $45 diet powder sales page — a textbook example of deceptive marketing. 

Biggest clickbait sin: Complete misdirection to a diet powder sales page

Takeaway: Never bait-and-switch your audience.

Ever Tricks: 'When You See These, You Already Have Cancer'

This fearmongering headline exploited cancer concerns to drive clicks, then delivered zero relevant health information. 

Biggest clickbait sin: Exploits health fears without relevant content

Takeaway: Fear-mongering destroys trust.

Tiffany Largie: 'This Is Why You're Losing Money'

This vague clickbait headline exploits financial fears without providing immediate context — burying genuinely helpful content behind manufactured urgency. 

Biggest clickbait sin: Vague panic trigger with no specifics

Takeaway: Always clarify the value proposition.

Forbes: '9 Big Trends for 2014 (You Won't Believe What's #9)'

Forbes' "9 Big Trends For 2014 (You Won't Believe What's #9)" demonstrates how even reputable sites used now-dated clickbait tactics, sacrificing clarity for cheap curiosity hooks.

Biggest clickbait sin: Vague curiosity bait

Takeaway: Avoid "You Won't Believe" constructions and give readers context instead of banking on curiosity.

Travel and Leisure: '5 Stunning Places You've Probably Never Heard of but Need To See, According to a Woman Who's Traveled to 100 Countries (Video)'

Travel and Leisure’s overstuffed headline — while truthful — feels pushy, proving that even honest titles can become clickbait when they sacrifice clarity for keyword-stuffing. 

Biggest clickbait sin: Length

Takeaway: Keep titles short.

Why Can Clickbait Be Bad for Your Site?

While clickbait headlines may drive short-term clicks, they can do serious damage to your search rankings and brand perception. Here are the key reasons to avoid them.

Damages Credibility

On a personal level, clickbait will break your audience’s trust. After years of clickbait being spread around the internet, most users associate it with poor-quality writing. When they see a headline that feels like clickbait, they avoid it. In an era where almost 60% of consumers are more likely to make purchases when they trust the brand, this loss of credibility can directly impact their bottom line. 

Increases Bounce Rates

Even if readers do click on your article, a misleading title will show them that you don’t respect their time. Visitors may immediately leave the site — often in under 10 seconds. Google interprets these high bounce rates as a signal that your content doesn’t match search intent, further hurting your SEO relevance. 

Hurts Long-Term SEO Performance

Over time, clickbait can severely damage your SEO performance: 

• Clickbait titles rarely include target keywords, which Google uses for ranking opportunities. 
• With deceptive or exaggerated content, visitors will spend less time on your site, hurting your rankings. 
• Google’s Helpful Content Update specifically targets low-quality, sensationalized material in its site-ranking. 

Poor Engagement Metrics

As soon as your content is labeled as “clickbait,” it’s marked as low quality. This can affect other critical engagement metrics that keep your content — and website — high on Google’s search engine ranking:  

• Fewer social shares
• Reduced return visitors
• Lower conversion rates
• Poor backlink potential 
• Lower ad revenue 

5 Clickbait Examples That Work

In today’s crowded digital landscape, grabbing attention is only half the battle. Keeping trust is what separates fleeting clicks from lasting engagement. 

These five proven headline formulas show how to captivate audiences with genuinely exciting content — without crossing the line into clickbait. 

1. The 'X Things You…' Formula 

Clickbait version: “10 Secrets Airlines Don’t Want You To Know”

Trust-building alternative: “10 Airline Perks You Might Be Missing (and How To Claim Them)” 

Why it works: Specific numbers create a clear structure, while the parenthetical adds actionable value. 

2. The POV Hook 

Clickbait version: “POV: You Wake Up to 1M Followers Overnight”

Trust-building alternative: “POV: A Content Creator’s Journey from 0 to 50k Followers in 90 Days” 

Why it works: First-person perspective builds relatability, as long as you provide specific details and an achievable timeline. 

3. Piggybacking on Trends

Clickbait version: “TikTok’s Latest Obsession Will Change How You [Blank] Forever!” 

Trust-building alternative: “How the ‘Digital Detox’ Trend Is Reshaping Social Media Engagement” 

Why it works: This headline ties to trending topics while offering specific and professional insight. 

4. The '...of the Year' Format

Clickbait version: “The Scam of the Year That’s Stealing Your Data” 

Trust-building alternative: The Cybersecurity Solution of the Year — How [Company] Stopped a Major Breach

Why it works: This strategy recognizes something exceptional and noteworthy without fear-mongering.

5. The 'You Won’t Believe…' Framework 

Clickbait version: “You Won’t Believe What This Celebrity Did!” 

Trust-building alternative: “You Might Be Surprised by These 2024 Social Media Statistics” 

Why it works: Concrete data paired with a more authentic word choice (“surprised” instead of “won’t believe”) makes this heading more credible.

Start Writing Better Titles Today

There's no need to rely on clickbait anymore. If you're trying to build a respected brand, clickbait actively makes it harder. Take advantage of a more effective content marketing technique. Utilize SEO and develop a strong content strategy, and you'll quickly see how much more effective it is than clickbait.

You can build better titles by writing or commissioning quality content, writing for your audience, and being transparent and honest. Not only will this make it easier to write accurate headlines instead of clickbait, but you'll also show your respect for your audience.

The result will be higher-quality traffic, a loyal readership, and better SEO. Avoiding clickbait is simply better for your brand in every way.

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