In today’s market, it is possible to create content that is both newsworthy and clickable, but each website must have a strong plan in mind for how they want to accomplish that goal. The most clickable news usually has an unusual angle or is written in a unique way. Journalists can certainly generate digital stories that have both elements if they can find a different approach to their content that will peak the reader’s interest.
Of course, each website has their own definition of what they believe is newsworthy. Obviously, ESPN and The Daily Beast have different agendas when it comes to managing their sites. But, finding the perfect balance is necessary no matter what genre a site specializes in.
E! Online is an entertainment and pop culture website that succeeds at balancing clicks and newsworthiness. Their website doesn’t just feature sensationalized gossip stories to lure readers. In fact, all of the stories are properly sourced and verified. However, they still generate major clickable content. Why? They know who their audience is and what they want. All the stories are written in a way that is interesting, colorful, and easy to understand and still get the news across.
For example, an article written about National Siblings Day generated thousands of clicks on the site. It didn’t simply describe what the holiday was because that would be dull, and many readers either already know or could find that information elsewhere. Instead, the website grabbed attention with the “hottest celebrity siblings” and a game to vote on your favorites. The news of the holiday is still being communicated, but it’s in a way that people want to click on it.
Buzzfeed is one of the best when it comes to striking the ideal balance between the two components. The site focus on everything from news, lifestyle and entertainment, but it also distinguishes itself from anything else out there. The majority of their content is social media shareable, which increases the chances that it will be clicked. Another crucial element to their success is their headlines. Each and every one has perfect SEO and makes the reader take notice straight off the bat.
One example is a story about a shoe being thrown at Hillary Clinton during her speech in Las Vegas. Of course, the story is newsworthy but it’s also rare and a tad comical. The headline grabs the reader right away, but it doesn’t stop there. A story like this would have been covered by numerous other online sources. However, Buzzfeed cleverly decided to use GIFs in their approach, so they can accurately give readers a sense of what happened and a simple way to share the content with others to drive up their traffic.
The balance between creating newsworthy and clickable content can be tricky because readers’ want their news, but they also want to be stimulated. A website that only focuses on newsworthiness might be a tad boring, and a site that was only interested in clickable content probably wouldn’t be deemed as credible either.