Did the headline get you?
Thanks for the click.
I’m no stranger to criticism. Whatever the niche or content type, should you choose to create for (and share with) the masses, you’re bound to get some of it. And honestly, if you’re doing things the right way, you should expect lots of it – that’s just the nature of the beast, I’m afraid.
One of the most common pieces of criticism Green Splatter gets?
Clickbait.
I’m sure you know what the term means, but just in case you don’t, “clickbait” refers to a link, headline or thumbnail whose main purpose is to entice people to click, read or watch.
Done well, those caught in the crossfire of well-crafted clickbait struggle to resist the urge to engage with a piece of content out of a fear of missing out (FOMO) on something important. Even though the mere mention of “clickbait” might send shivers down your spine …
The fact of the matter remains the same:
It’s ALL clickbait.
And it’s intentional.
This is the case outside of disc golf.
And it’s certainly the case inside of it, as well.
Brodie Smith does it.
Foundation Disc Golf does it.
Even a respected channel like Overthrow Disc Golf does it, too.
They’re all doing it.
Care to know why?
It works.
The goal is to get you to click – that’s half the battle. In fact, believe it or not, back in the days of literal, paper-and-ink newspapers, The New York Times had a staff writer whose sole purpose was to craft enticing headlines for articles other reporters had written – that’s all the guy did.
Zero reporting. Only headlines.
Sell papers.
Let’s use the headline of this post as an example …
- Good: Clickbait in disc golf
- Better: My take on clickbait in disc golf
- Premium: The truth about clickbait in disc golf
See the difference?
Better yet, can you feel the difference?
Now that doesn’t mean all clickbait is created equal – or that it’s justifiable.
In my experience, people go ape over clickbait for three reasons:
- They’re lazy, jealous or both, so clickbait is an easy accusation.
- They don’t agree with the content, so the “clickbait” label is applied.
- The content itself doesn’t satisfy the promise of the headline, so it’s dumb.
The first two reasons are idiotic.
The third is fair game.
Green Splatter is a blog.
As a blog, nearly all of its content is opinion-, response- or commentary-based. This is freaking fertile soil for clickbait. As the guy who edits 100% of content on the Green Splatter site, there’s certainly a bias, but I feel our stuff does a good job of addressing the headlines that precede it. The writing is strong. The grammar is sound. And artificial intelligence has never been used.
I like it.
If you don’t, you’re free to take your eyeballs elsewhere.
I won’t be offended.
Better yet, I’ll even give you a tip as to where you might find what you’re looking for. Admittedly, where you tend to get less clickbait content is in news and coverage.
It’s still there, but it’s far less common. And when it is there, it’s not nearly as strong. Seriously, though more of a podcast at this point, read through a bunch of Ultiworld headlines, and you’ll see what I mean. It’s largely hard, by-the-numbers information with little injected personality.
Vanilla to the max.
This is NOT what we do.
Moreover, this is not what most content creators in disc golf do with a sizable following of supporters – or haters, for that matter. Whether a proponent or troll, I’m happy you’re here.
Keep clicking.
Have anything to add? Take to X to let us know – we’ll actually (for real) get back to you.
Editor’s Suggestions:
- Perk No. 5: Competence comes quickly in disc golf
- TDs: Never hold a disc golf tournament without these
- What happens if you miss a hole in a disc golf tournament?
Real quick, if you happen to buy something through a link in this article, there’s a chance we’ll get a small share of the sale. It’s how we keep the lights on. To learn more, click here.
Instructional clickbaits are just the worst. Reach back, don’t reach back, coil this way, coil that way, your x step is wrong. You can find five videos that easily contradict another five videos. Sometimes the same provider will contradict their selves in a follow-up video. I have a buddy that I play a few rounds a week with and he’s a reasonably decent player but he can’t improve because every time he comes to the course he’s doing something different based on some video that he’s watched. It then ruins his swing. So of course he’ll go back and watch another video that’s going to fix it that runs it even worse. Just yesterday he was talking about the ridiculous turn the key thing. Ugh. Love me some green splatter though. Oh and by the way ulti world sucks
I’ve been where your friend’s at …
Honestly, this might make for a good article.
Seek to improve, but don’t go overkill, you know?
Also, Ultiworld’s not my favorite, but hey – they’re good at what they do.
I just wish they wrote more, instead of hopping on the “podcast bandwagon” like everyone else, you know?
Writing’s a dying artform.
Thanks for reading, Joe!
Great comment, as usual 🙂
Hey…your comments and article had me thinking. What podcast, or more specifically, what form of disc golf podcast do you prefer? If you’ve written on this in the past, I apologize.
I agree with TurboJoe, at least to the point that I do not like Ultiworld’s website. I find it clunky…not updated in sections…and not super helpful/interesting. However, I easily find that “The Upshot”(presented by Ultiworld) is my favorite podcast. The Upshot is concise(most episodes about an hour), well-planned, interesting, and has two distinct voices.
Because I do about an hour and half of commuting each day, I do tend to listen to the other major Podcasts. Smashbox is mostly good, but lasts too long, and chases too many rabbits. Tour Life is decent, but it is long, and I have to be in the mood for Brodie(also Debate Night). Staggered Stance can be interesting, but has way too many voices these days.
My biggest point is this…I like the podcast that is not beholden to a live comment board. When hosts are distracted, and don’t even follow what their co-hosts are talking about, it makes me very frustrated as a listener.
I like Upshot for many of the same reasons I like GreenSplatter…well-planned, well-thought out, respectful, and gets to the point.
Thanks for the kind words, David!
As far as disc golf podcasts go, I couldn’t agree more wit this …
I can’t stand the consuming of live-feed content from hosts.
Have the producer do that – it makes the show run smoother.
The Upshot is best for what you’re talking about.
I’m also a fan of Grip-Locked, as it’s a bit of a lighter listen.
Between The Upshot and Grip-Locked, I’m covered in the podcast department for disc golf.
Most of my podcast listening is outside the sport, to be honest: news, sports, politics, religion, etc.
That sort of thing.