Farting sheep cause plane to make emergency landing

10 replies
Of course I had to take a look at the story after reading this headline that I saw on AOL! Good example of a headline that got the click through :-)

Farting sheep cause plane to make emergency landing - AOL
#emergency #farting #landing #make #plane #sheep
  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    Originally Posted by EJ Lear View Post

    Of course I had to take a look at the story after reading this headline that I saw on AOL! Good example of a headline that got the click through :-)

    Farting sheep cause plane to make emergency landing - AOL
    A clever headline that creates curiosity, but it drives traffic to a news story, not a sales piece. So in my opinion, it's nothing more than click bait.

    Compare it to these two famous headlines. Both created curiosity AND included (one implied) a huge benefit...

    "Atlanta Housewife Investigated and Almost Arrested for Losing 73 Pounds”

    “The 23-Cent Life-Saver Heart Surgeons Never Tell You About!”

    Alex
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    • Profile picture of the author shawnlebrun
      Originally Posted by Alex Cohen View Post

      A clever headline that creates curiosity, but it drives traffic to a news story, not a sales piece. So in my opinion, it's nothing more than click bait.

      Compare it to these two famous headlines. Both created curiosity AND included (one implied) a huge benefit...

      "Atlanta Housewife Investigated and Almost Arrested for Losing 73 Pounds"

      "The 23-Cent Life-Saver Heart Surgeons Never Tell You About!"

      Alex
      I think I used a modeling of that awesome Clayton Makepeace headline
      for a supplement letter I did... not sure it would work, and thankfully it
      did. Sometimes all it takes is looking at what the greats have written... to
      inspire a similar headline.

      One of my Gary Bencivenga faves...

      "The Safest Seat on an Airplane... and the Scary Reason Why"

      I just read an article by Danny Sullivan from Search Engine Land... Google is
      working hard to crack down on the rampant use of clickbait/misleading headlines.

      Goes to show you... with today's over-marketed world and busy lifestyles... you got
      a second to catch attention... hence the proliferation of clickbait.
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    • Profile picture of the author EJ Lear
      Originally Posted by Alex Cohen View Post

      A clever headline that creates curiosity, but it drives traffic to a news story, not a sales piece. So in my opinion, it's nothing more than click bait.

      Compare it to these two famous headlines. Both created curiosity AND included (one implied) a huge benefit...

      "Atlanta Housewife Investigated and Almost Arrested for Losing 73 Pounds"

      "The 23-Cent Life-Saver Heart Surgeons Never Tell You About!"

      Alex
      Yeah, and guess what? They make money by impressions on their ads so they completed their goal.

      The post isn't about making money, it's about a good headline that built curiosity and generated a click.

      EJ
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      • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
        A click without a sale, optin, or some other action is like an empty cloud in the middle of a drought.

        Alex
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        • Profile picture of the author dmaster555
          Originally Posted by Alex Cohen View Post

          A click without a sale, optin, or some other action is like an empty cloud in the middle of a drought.

          Alex
          I don't think you understand how sites like these make money.

          If the headline made someone click through and see the material, it has done it's job because that was the goal.

          Every person who clicks and views the page is making them money.

          How is that like an empty cloud in the middle of a drought exactly?
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          • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
            Originally Posted by dmaster555 View Post

            I don't think you understand how sites like these make money.

            If the headline made someone click through and see the material, it has done it's job because that was the goal.

            Every person who clicks and views the page is making them money.

            How is that like an empty cloud in the middle of a drought exactly?
            Since I called the headline "click bait" in my original reply, you should assume that I DO understand the model. Dang, the model's been around for eons (in internet years).

            In fact, I've been on the paying end of the model. Specifically, as a buyer of banner ad displays. And I found that the views I got via click bait sites were a bad investment when trying to sell legitimate products.

            Alex
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    • Profile picture of the author EJ Lear
      Originally Posted by Alex Cohen View Post

      "Atlanta Housewife Investigated and Almost Arrested for Losing 73 Pounds"

      "The 23-Cent Life-Saver Heart Surgeons Never Tell You About!"
      I see these tired old headlines used everyday and since they are overused and simply lack credibility I don't think I've ever visited a site that uses them.

      I'd rather watch a video about sheep flatulence than read either one of these.

      "An eccentric picture may do you serious damage. One may gain attention by wearing a fools cap. But he would ruin his selling prospects" ~Claude Hopkins Scientific Advertising
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  • Be interestin' to see how many people this sheep pulls in with its attention-seekin' anal waft.

    Sure suckered me.
    Signature

    Lightin' fuses is for blowin' stuff togethah.

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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    They had 2,000 sheep on a confined airplane & never considered it might smell like shit?
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