The Coventry Telegraph (1 Viewer)

oucho

Well-Known Member
I have no doubt that people already have - and have no doubt that it pisses viewers off. It's not the way I'd want to run a site, but this is what the company does and we just have to make it as good (read: Profitable) as possible.

I have been thinking about this approach lately and concluded that it's a fool's game. How many more clicks will such site get in future when people realise that the content behind the sensationalist click-bait stories are usually very underwhelming? Yes it'll generate short term clicks but longer term it's just a great way to drive traffic away from your site. This is happening to me already; I just ignore anything that looks like frivolous clickbait (including most of the Telegraph stories). Instead, readers will increasingly seek out more quality articles where they can actually learn stuff rather than be told what brands of pants Aguerro is wearing this week.

Another thing to think about is that whilst the person who reads an article for 5 minutes is one person whereas the hundred people who click onto a page for 5 seconds are 100 people, the fact is that the amount of time that the various ads are seen will be greater in the one person / 5 minutes scenario, and thus potentially more effective. Room for more ads with a longer article, too.
 

SlowerThanPlatt

Well-Known Member
I understand it’s his job remit to get as much activity towards the website as possible but I don’t get the need for a misleading headline. I and others would still read if it said ‘Stockdale makes surprise admission about his short stay last season’
 

chiefdave

Well-Known Member
I understand it’s his job remit to get as much activity towards the website as possible but I don’t get the need for a misleading headline. I and others would still read if it said ‘Stockdale makes surprise admission about his short stay last season’
Potentially it would get more clicks. I can't be the only one that now just assumes it will be bollocks and don't even bother clicking.
 

covcity4life

Well-Known Member
all media seem to do it now

saw other day on a different website that a tv show had been renewed for s2

then a clickbait website ran same article as "SHOWS FATE CONFIRMED"

screams its been cancelled to get people to click
 

Adge

Well-Known Member
Don’t know why anyone bothers with “Turners exclusives” or even clicking on it anymore.
 

ajsccfc

Well-Known Member
Having read what he actually said, I'd like to apologise to the Stockdales for any burning bags of dogshit they may or may not have found on their doorstep.
 

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