Nancy Jorgensen
Clickbait Gets a Bad Rap—But It Might Be the Key to Better Essays

I waste too much time on word games. Eliminating letters to find the Wordle. Digging for clues to solve a Spelling Bee. Shuffling vowels to decipher a Word Snatcher. Searching, searching, searching.

Reading essays, I search too—not for words, but for message. Sometimes the message is obvious, sometimes I must work to unearth it. Part of the fun in reading a story is looking for a deeper meaning, getting past the situation, and understanding the greater idea. 

I struggle with this in my own essays. I’m not always sure what my universal message is, or even what the workaday tale is about. Some experts advise you to write your way into an essay and meaning will emerge. Occasionally that works. But what about when it doesn’t? 

Sometimes, the best solution is the obvious one. 

Clickbait works because we are curious. We want the answer to a question. The problem with clickbait is it doesn’t always deliver on its promise. 

But what if writers use the attraction of clickbait—minus the deception? What if we write a title to inform readers (and ourselves) what the story will be about, and then deliver?

For several years, I’ve kept a list of essay ideas, just vague notes of a concept, conversation, or theme. Recently, I switched up my approach. Now, I write a clickbait-y title for each idea. I propose a question and potential answer. I provide myself with a specific idea, and in the process a hook, and maybe a lede. When I sit down to write, I have an idea of where the essay is going, and what I hope my message will be. Perhaps the title will change as the piece morphs, but starting with a clear title shows where to begin. 

So: Write the title first. Leverage curiosity. Make it an attention-grabber. Make it intriguing.  Make it bold. Make it humorous. Then, be honest and relevant and fulfill expectations.

Nancy Jorgensen is a Wisconsin writer, educator, and musician. Her most recent book is a middle-grade sports biography, “Gwen Jorgensen: USA’s First Olympic Gold Medal Triathlete” (Meyer & Meyer).Her essays appear in HuffPost (forthcoming), Ms. Magazine, The Offing, River Teeth, Wisconsin Public Radio, and elsewhere. Find out more at NancyJorgensen.weebly.com

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