The Many Different Ways Publishers Define ‘Clickbait’

By: Ricardo Bilton | Digiday

Clickbait for publishers is a bit like some people’s definitions of pornography: It’s hard to define, but people know it when they see it. Put another way, if you ask 10 people what clickbait means, chances are you’re going to get 10 different answers.

 

The infinitely squishy nature of the word was laid bare last week when BuzzFeed News editor-in-chief Ben Smith penned an article about why BuzzFeed doesn’t do clickbait.