Practical Sales Training™ > How to connect with your buyer > Engagement Bait
What is it?
Engagement bait is content that is created to trigger likes, comments, shares or rewatches rather than genuine interest.
It uses tricks, curiosity or small annoyances so people feel they have to react, instead of reacting because the content was naturally helpful or interesting.
How does it work?
Platforms reward content that gets quick and strong engagement.
Engagement bait takes advantage of this by:
-
Triggering emotion
It uses irritation, curiosity or the urge to correct someone so people feel compelled to respond. -
Creating a visible hook
A mistake, a strange object or a missing detail stands out in a busy feed and stops the scroll. -
Driving fast interaction
When people like, comment, share or keep rewatching, the algorithm shows the content to more people, which boosts reach.
Used carefully, it can give a short term lift in visibility. Used all the time, it can make your brand feel cheap or manipulative.
How can you use it?
If you choose to use engagement bait, use it on purpose and tie it back to a useful message or offer.
You can:
-
Intentionally say something incorrect to trigger corrections in the comments.
-
Do obvious maths wrong in the video so people rush to point it out.
-
Add a random object in the background to make viewers ask about it.
-
Share rapid fire information so people have to pause and rewind.
-
Reply to comments in follow up videos to boost engagement.
-
Make an obviously AI generated video but pretend it is real, then reveal the truth later.
-
Hide tiny background details that people will argue about.
-
Keep random Chrome tabs open with something funny visible.
-
Talk about an app, website or product without naming it so people demand the name.
-
Say “check the link below” but forget to include the link, then add it and join the conversation in the comments.
Use these tactics to draw attention to real value, not to cover up a weak message.
Example
There are a ton of examples, but adding a “random” object in a video – like Wiliam Brown does with his coffee cup can generate comments and engagement…
See also
