Maybe you’ve heard of the term “native ads.” If you haven’t, they refer to ads that look like they’re a part of a website, a newspaper, a magazine, etc. They look like they belong.

Native ads have been used for decades, typically providing an education to the reader. David Ogilvy did this in spades with his classic full-page ads on removing different stains using Rinso.
David Ogilvy Rinso Ad

Today, however, there are much more slimy tactics that marketers employ to attract clicks, and hopefully sales. Take for instance this block of 8 native ads that I found on CNN or Forbes or some other news site yesterday.

The fat guy with the gold chain…The headline reads “Math Trick to Win Any Lottery (7 Time Winner Reveals His System).”

What a nice, simple ad. It’s too bad the product and landing pages are the ickiest of slime. But the ad wouldn’t be running if it wasn’t working.

That’s what’s important to note here. These ads work. They work so well, in fact, that Yahoo is running an arbitrage campaign on the native networks. They’re paying $0.01-0.02/click, then taking prospects to their own Yahoo pages with a dozen ads, netting them $0.03-$0.04 per click. They are playing a numbers game, effectively doubling their money.

What you think about is how YOU can use the headlines here to create intrigue in your business… in your products.

Rewrite a headline. 

To start the swiping and rewriting game, here’s a great headline I saw:

“13 Celebrities Who Used to Be Famous But Now Work Regular Jobs”

If we rewrote it, how could we do it and be effective?

Maybe…

13 Celebrities Who Made This One Critical Mistake That Cost Them Millions

or…

13 Celebrities Who Screwed Their Family by Forgetting this Crucial Step…

or…

13 Celebrities Who Lost It All (#3 will SHOCK you!)

Just rewriting these headlines can help you re-position your offer in a new light.

As long as you’re being ethical in how you serve your customers, using a little click bait can be a very effective way to get the initial attention. It’s the same thing as a guy driving a Ferrari – he gets your attention BEFORE he even says a word. 

Stay relevant and build the business you want.

Casey


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