The secret of “Tips and Tricks” headings
The phenomenon is widespread and all too well known: Facebook pages that offer simple tips and tricks for household, gardening or other topics generate enormous traffic and receive thousands of likes. But how do they do that? It starts with the headline. It has to attract attention, arouse curiosity and get the user to click on the article. That's why headlines are often sensational and promise revolutionary discoveries that could change users' lives.
The psychology behind the tension
The excitement created in the “Tips and Tricks” status messages is an important tool for arousing users’ interest. People like stories and surprises. Wrapping something simple and everyday, like a household tip or a gardening tip, in a mystery can be very attractive. We as users want to solve the puzzle, discover the surprise, reveal the secret and that motivates us to click on the article and interact with the Facebook status posts.
Typical Facebook status posts
Here are three examples of typical Facebook status posts that can often be found in groups or on simple tips and tricks pages:
Post using clickbait technique
“You won't believe what happens if you put an onion in your socks before you go to sleep! Click on the link and discover the incredible health tip that could change your life!”
Post with tension generation
“Check out this revolutionary method to grow your tomatoes in record time! No fertilizer, no chemicals, just a simple trick you probably don't know! Click on the link to reveal the secret!”
Both examples attempt to pique the reader's curiosity and get them to click on the link to learn more. It is important to view such posts critically and not automatically believe everything they promise.
Post with interaction generation
“You won't believe how this simple household ingredient will make your plants grow like never before! Watch the video to learn the secret trick that's delighting gardeners everywhere. Do you have your own gardening trick that works every time? Share it in the comments and let’s all learn from each other! Don’t forget to share this post if you find it helpful!”
Here, too, a mixture of a curiosity-arousing headline, a direct request for interaction and a request to share the post is used to generate attention and achieve a high number of likes, comments and shares.
The role of interaction
Facebook’s algorithm rewards interactions. The more likes, comments and shares a post receives, the more people it will be seen. This means that pages and posts that generate a lot of interactions using simple tricks have an enormous reach. And this reach is worth its weight in gold for the site operators.
What do the site operators get out of it?
The operators of such websites can benefit from the high reach in various ways. They can make money through advertising revenue, strengthen their brand, or increase the visibility of other content or products. In some cases, they may even use users' data for marketing purposes. All of these benefits can be a powerful incentive to turn simple tips and tricks into interesting, clickable content.
Respectability of the pages
Although the principle of building tension and interaction in itself is neither dubious nor manipulative, there are sites that abuse this principle. They promise sensational tips that are ultimately banal or even wrong. Such sites can be classified as dubious, especially if they spread misleading information or misuse user data.
Notice
In this context, however, it must be pointed out that not all websites and groups that post tips, tricks and advice attract attention and encourage exchange in this way. There are many reputable pages and communities on Facebook whose main goal is to share valuable information and useful tips and tricks without resorting to click bait or excessive tension.
These sites and groups are often characterized by honest and direct communication and focus on the quality of the information provided. They focus on the quality of their content and the benefits for their followers and not on sensational headlines and building tension.
Therefore, it is important to be critical when surfing Facebook and learn to differentiate between high-quality information providers and those that are more focused on generating clicks through sensational content. A well-informed and attentive community is the best protection against misleading and worthless content. Related: the three sieves of truth in social media
Conclusion: The enormous excitement that simple tips and tricks create on Facebook is not a coincidence, but the result of a clever mix of psychological tricks, the clever use of the Facebook algorithm and natural human curiosity. However, users should always be aware of the potential pitfalls and critically examine what information they consume and share.
Visit us on Facebook
Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )