The first click bait

Clickbait feels like a product of the internet age, but it is far older than websites and social media. The tactics that drive today’s “You won’t believe…” headlines were already shaping public attention two centuries ago.

Here’s a quick look at three classic examples.

1. The New York Sun – 1835 “Moon Hoax” Claimed astronomers had discovered bison and bat-men on the Moon, sending newspaper sales soaring.

2. Pete Best – 1965 “Best of the Beatles” An album of first Beatles drummer Pete Best misleadingly titled to suggest Beatles hits, but featuring none of the famous band members.

3. The First Internet Clickbait – 1994 HotWired Banner Ad A simple line, “Have you ever clicked your mouse right here? You will,” achieved a 44% click-through rate.

Modern internet click bait uses three classic “bait” tactics:

• Ambiguous but technically true title
• Exploiting fan curiosity (“Wait, unreleased Beatles songs?”)
• Leveraging name confusion for sales

Click bait might have lost its power due to over-use but I can't help myself smiling when I see titles like: “This Meeting Could Have Been an Email. You Won’t Believe What Happened Instead.” “She Changed One Line of Code. Production Will Never Forget This Day.” “He Read the Documentation. What He Found Shocked Absolutely No One.”

See click-bait as entertainment and you will be able to spot it sooner. And then it is up to you to decide wether to follow it.