{"id":9323,"date":"2016-09-25T12:59:41","date_gmt":"2016-09-24T23:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/?p=9323"},"modified":"2019-11-21T19:05:44","modified_gmt":"2019-11-21T06:05:44","slug":"hot-click-bait","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/funny\/hot-click-bait\/","title":{"rendered":"The killer thumbnail image \u2013 HOT CLICK BAIT"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"post_overlay\" class=\"PostsList__post_overlay\" tabindex=\"0\">\n<div class=\"PostsList__post_top_overlay\">\n<h1 class=\"float-right\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><button class=\"close-button\" type=\"button\"><\/button><span style=\"color: #666699;\"><strong>The killer thumbnail image \u2013 HOT CLICK BAIT<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p class=\"float-right\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Can the right thumbnail image pull in viewers like a flock of birds to a moldy loaf of bread?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"PostsList__post_container\">\n<div class=\"Post\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"column\">\n<article class=\"PostFull hentry\">\n<div class=\"PostFull__body entry-content\">\n<div class=\"MarkdownViewer Markdown\">\n<div>\n<p><img class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/click.baitc7b40.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">A sub-culture that has long paid attention to front cover images is magazine publishing. Particularly magazines with no real content, who rely on totally superficial impulse purchases. That would include most magazines but particularly magazines about celebs. In fact, front cover images are the only subject that the publishers of these magazines have ever really looked into. Or more accurately, the only subject they have paid for someone else to research.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/vanity-fair-caitlyn99c5a.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">What got me started with thinking about all this was seeing a post by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/steemit.com\/@kyriacos\">@kyriacos<\/a>\u00a0which had the best click bait front image I have seen so far on Steemit. It really ticked all the boxes, so I was gobsmacked to see the post languish all day at only $8, before taking off and pulling in a mind boggling $16. Possibly it wasn\u2019t the most upbeat and inspirational post of all time, but the lead image was great.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/steemit.com\/life\/@kyriacos\/romance-is-manipulation#@sift666\/re-kyriacos-romance-is-manipulation-20160913t063432673z\">https:\/\/steemit.com\/life\/@kyriacos\/romance-is-manipulation#@sift666\/re-kyriacos-romance-is-manipulation-20160913t063432673z<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/maxresdefaultf35e7.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Admittedly I did recently do two posts myself about the best time to upload your post to Steemit. And after those posts both netted me less than one cent, I began to wonder if post upvotes might be a mysterious and unfathomable process of random events involving giant aquatic mammals rather than something that could be broken down into easily followed rules. So quite possibly any theories I have about click bait images are rubbish too.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/505c7a08fe9366b.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/steemit.com\/steemit\/@sift666\/what-time-is-it-revisited\">https:\/\/steemit.com\/steemit\/@sift666\/what-time-is-it-revisited<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/moby-dick2ecd7.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">But falling back into that whole \u201cluck of the whale\u201d line of thinking feels like defeat to me. I\u2019d like to understand how to direct traffic like one of those old time policemen with white gloves.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/Cianca6aa8ac.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">When I\u2019m not on Steemit, one of my other online identities is that of a webmaster of a site that occasionally posts fake porn pages with 100,000 pervy tag words. It\u2019s safe to say that these pages generate a lot more traffic than any of my Steemit posts. I have no idea how that tactic might fair on Steemit, but I get the impression that adding 100,000 porn tags to my Steemit posts probably wouldn\u2019t attract that many extra votes, and might even lead to problems &#8211; so I haven\u2019t tried it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/extreme.ultra-porn-home627c0.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a title=\"This link will take you away from steemit.com\" href=\"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/sift\/the-biggest-free-porn-site-in-the-world\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/sift\/the-biggest-free-porn-site-in-the-world\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Using some click bait thumbnail pics on Steemit on the other hand, is right up my alley, so to speak. (Because I\u2019m into photos and images, not because I\u2019m into any kind of weird insertion techniques.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/51svL-8J9PL._SX349_BO1204203200_62f13.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">First and foremost, in a giant column of thumbnails, our lead image needs to stand out like dog\u2019s balls. Like on a small dog, with balls so huge that they drag on the ground and flop from side to side when he walks, like two tennis balls in a thin, worn out stocking. And we need to use every trick in the book to make our balls bigger and floppier.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/file_18324_column_how-many-dogs-are-neutered-without-surgery6c8ce.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The thumbnails on Steemit are so small that one of the key tricks used by magazine covers is just not going to work for us. Words. We can\u2019t just add a bunch of text to our lead image because as a thumbnail nobody will be able to read it. Even saying \u201cJustin Beiber caught naked in sex scandal\u201d is not going to be a drawcard in a tiny thumbnail. So essentially, we are limited to one simple striking image, with no text. (Unless it was very big text maybe, and I\u2019ll experiment with that in another post.)<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/hypnotic-spiral-purple-and-white-background-in-3d_vk5k0e6ee__S000081812.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Here is a checklist of things to include in our images, based on what magazine publishers consistently use \u2013 eyes, faces, direct eye contact, celebs, bodies, and sex appeal.<br \/>\nSo, like moths to a flame \u2013 what pulls readers in?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/canva-konect-science--technology-magazine-cover-MABsS2FIiHAec903.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/sports-illustrated-swimsuit-issue-kate-upton7a243.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Now, in addition to those things, here is a key secret design element used by my world famous web design company Frot Design, in creating some of the most iconic thumbnails and logos of all time \u2013 intense use of purple &#8211;\u00a0<a title=\"This link will take you away from steemit.com\" href=\"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/CS-Flaming-Logo-web.720.purc1394.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">The colour purple has special characteristics. It is alluring, and confers a sense of regal luxury, which no other colour can match. So whenever possible, use purple. As long as everybody else keeps failing to grasp this design basic, you can stand out from the crowd simply by making your dog\u2019s balls purple.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/purple-dog-with-gold-collar-mdf8534.png\" \/><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>SIFT666 aka Ian Gregson is a collector of phallic purple plastic objects and crypto-currency investor from Wellington, New Zealand.<br \/>\nIn between designing purple websites and painting himself purple, he likes to watch YouTube videos about the rituals of primitive cultures and is currently developing a new purple website portal to rival Steemit called\u00a0<a title=\"This link will take you away from steemit.com\" href=\"http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">http:\/\/www.frot.co.nz<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img src=\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/640x0\/https:\/\/www.steemimg.com\/images\/2016\/09\/18\/beach02ebb.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><em>This post was originally uploaded to my Steemit account \u2013<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/steemit.com\/steemit\/@sift666\/the-killer-thumbnail-image-hot-click-bait\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">steemit.com\/steemit\/@sift666\/the-killer-thumbnail-image-hot-click-bait<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The killer thumbnail image \u2013 HOT CLICK BAIT Can the right thumbnail image pull in viewers like a flock of birds to a moldy loaf of bread? A sub-culture that has long paid attention to front cover images is magazine publishing. Particularly magazines with no real content, who rely on totally superficial impulse purchases. That [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":""},"categories":[12,34],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":17521,"url":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/conspiracies\/give-that-tranny-a-thumbnail\/","url_meta":{"origin":9323,"position":0},"title":"GIVE THAT TRANNY A THUMBNAIL","date":"May 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Something I'm gradually doing on my Transvestigations webpage is looking through the whopping list of possible trannies and adding some thumbnails. Here are the latest updates: Aimee Semple McPherson Alanis Morisette Allison Janney Amal Clooney Angelina Jolie Anthony Daniels Brad Pitt Cameron Diaz Carrie Fisher Catherine Zeta-Jones Cynthia Nixon \u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;CONSPIRACIES&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/Photo_1522299369120-b01-500x500-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1520,"url":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wordpress\/image-sizes-on-wordpress\/","url_meta":{"origin":9323,"position":1},"title":"IMAGE SIZES ON WORDPRESS","date":"January 4, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"BEST SIZES FOR IMAGES ON WORDPRESS This is something I found confusing to begin with, so this post is a bunch of notes to myself. A big part of why I found this confusing is that coming from an old school background in Dreamweaver, I was used to thinking in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;FROT DESIGN&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/38.media.tumblr.com\/tumblr_m02j87c0zm1qiklxro9_500.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1029,"url":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/frot-design\/my-take-on-cameras\/","url_meta":{"origin":9323,"position":2},"title":"MY TAKE ON CAMERAS","date":"March 1, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Some of the best photos on this blog were taken with my old Canon Ixus 330 1.9 megapixel camera that I bought back in 2002. It fitted in my pocket and was built like a small metal brick. I just wanted to mention that, because too much talk of overkill\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ART BY FROT&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/IMG_0657c1-1024x768-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11519,"url":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/funny\/i-am-new-to-steamit\/","url_meta":{"origin":9323,"position":3},"title":"I AM NEW TO STEAMIT","date":"September 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi everyone, my name is Angelique. I am very new here but heard am gonna meat great guys right here. I am a professional fashion designer, model, waitress, stripper, and pornstar in Las Vegas, and I love meeting new people that can impact me positively. I have stared in several\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;FUNNY&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17844,"url":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/steemit\/post-the-sort-of-content-on-hive-that-you-want-to-see-yourself\/","url_meta":{"origin":9323,"position":4},"title":"POST THE SORT OF CONTENT ON HIVE THAT YOU WANT TO SEE YOURSELF","date":"June 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Back in August 2017 I celebrated my one year anniversary on Steemit with this post. My name was @sift666 and I was all keen and full of enthusiasm on Steemit back them, like I am on Hive now. 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I first heard about Steemit last\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;COMPUTING&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9323"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9323\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.frot.co.nz\/design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}