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- Andrew J Calvert
- 1 day ago
- 1 min read
Because They're Asking the Wrong Questions (In Under 5 Minutes a Day).
I know you've seen them, clickbait headlines. Designed to trigger predictable psychological responses: curiosity, fear of missing out, surprise, identity, social proof, or the promise of an easy solution.
Most clickbait headlines are built from a surprisingly small set of interchangeable templates. They're almost like LEGO bricks:

[Number] + [Audience] + [Mistake] + [Secret] + [Transformation] + [Urgency] + [Authority] + [Curiosity Gap]
And after you've seen enough of them, you start noticing they're generated from the same formula. The headline promises certainty, simplicity, exclusivity, speed, and transformation, all at once.
Ironically, the most memorable articles aren't necessarily the ones with the most sensational headlines. In many contexts, especially where long-term credibility matters, specific, honest headlines appear to build more trust than exaggerated ones writing follows the clickbait template.
So if you're writing, are you after getting a click or being remembered? and if you're reading...you'll never believe what happens next.
(Only kidding. You already know how this ends.)