The verb “to bait” translates very well as “to lure”. The idea is to somehow hook the user. In the case of click-baiting, this means clickbait. The bait is a small but powerful story.
This technique is not new: We are all familiar with it from the tabloid media and the tabloids. But while a print medium only has to be “delivered” once to the customer, online it’s all about as many clicks as possible. Here, every teaser, every hyperlink, and every banner is an independent offer that has to be “sold”. Especially on social networks like Twitter or Facebook, where headlines determine the success of a campaign.
It’s all about click numbers! Attracting attention at any price. Content quickly becomes a secondary matter.
Click-baiting is the method of promoting content on the web and social networks with the help of clickbait. It is the deliberate act of over-promising or otherwise misrepresenting with the aim of increasing the number of clicks and thus also increasing advertising revenue.