These Intranet headlines will make you rich!
‘Link bait’ and ‘click bait’ are terms used by marketers to describe headline links that are so tantalizing they’re bound to be linked to from other websites, and shared on social media.
These tactics are most famously used at Buzzfeed and Upworthy, but newspapers also pander to our curiosity, especially on their websites (e.g. Daily Mail).
We had some fun last Friday transforming dull corporate headlines into Buzzfeed style titles, with the #IntranetLinkBait hashtag on Twitter.
#intranetlinkbait Friday fun: should your #intranet use more linkbait tactics? e.g. “The secret video the CEO didn’t want you to see”.#ic
— Sam Marshall (@sammarshall) June 6, 2014
#intranetlinkbait: "Learn the 5 words that drive project sponsors wild” #intranet
— Sam Marshall (@sammarshall) June 6, 2014
#intranetlinkbait “Bizarre loophole lets you bring your own device to work” #ic — Sam Marshall (@sammarshall) June 6, 2014
#intranetlinkbait “5 SharePoint user interface conventions that really will surprise you – every time!” @sammarshall
— Chris Tubb (@christubb) June 6, 2014
@sammarshall @DigitalJonathan When you find out what the new annual leave policy is you will literally shit bees! #intranetlinkbait — Sharon O’Dea (@sharonodea) June 6, 2014
#intranetlinkbait “10 hottest figures for 2014 – balanced scorecard” #intranet. More suggestions?
— Sam Marshall (@sammarshall) June 6, 2014
@sammarshall #intranetlinkbait One weird tip to cut your email by half! — Sharon O’Dea (@sharonodea) June 6, 2014
@sammarshall #intranetlinkbait “You’ve been chopped! Find out who’s been sacked in this interactive guide” #ic #intranet
— Jonathan Phillips (@DigitalJonathan) June 6, 2014
#intranetlinkbait “The pension deal HR don’t want you to know about” @DigitalJonathan @sharonodea — Sam Marshall (@sammarshall) June 6, 2014
#Intranetlinkbait the search that actually works. Find out where. #intranet ping @sammarshall
— Kristian Norling (@kristiannorling) June 6, 2014
#intranetlinkbait ‘This guy updated his profile and you won’t believe what happened next!’ — ClearBox Consulting (@ClearBoxTeam) June 6, 2014
“10 things senior management are saying you just aren’t going to believe” #intranetlinkbait well obviously cc @sammarshall @DigitalJonathan
— Chris Tubb (@christubb) June 6, 2014
#intranetlinkbait “The CEO sent what to the secretary!? The email you weren’t supposed to see.” — Andrew Wright (@roojwright) June 6, 2014
#intranetlinkbait C-suite survivor: we let you vote on who stays.
— Rebecca Jackson (@_rebeccajackson) June 6, 2014
#intranetlinkbait “Ten reasons why you don’t have a corner office yet” #ic #intranet — Sam Marshall (@sammarshall) June 6, 2014
The purpose of a headline is to help people decide whether to read more. So much of our internal communications on the intranet can be overlooked because of dry headlines that don’t consider the audience’s needs. So should we go the same way with internal comms?
Probably not, but here’s a thought – could your comms take advantage from the ever-popular listicle format? People love the clarity of ‘Seven steps to…’ and the simplicity of the seven paragraphs when scan-reading.
If you want to craft more engaging comms for your intranet, download our free guide to creating intranet content.
Many thanks to all our Twitter friends who joined in. Ready for another round? Tweet using #intranetlinkbait
Intranet Lounge
These Intranet headlines will make you rich!
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