What Makes People Click vs Tick

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Sometimes I write to the customers' own language, ideas, likes — what makes them tick. But, if the main goal is to get them to click, I write to the customers' psyche and sub conscious.

Like great graphic design, the urge to click something should feel natural and go unnoticed. The moment a user of your digital experience has to think about what they are clicking, you’ve lost them to their thinking. There is a psychology behind what makes people click, and it’s not always the same as what makes them tick.

Tell Them Something They Didn’t Know

Nobody likes being told something they already know — it feels like a waste of time, and it’s boring. Don’t be that brand. Starting with an idea that tells something new or intrigues with new ideas will make people want to know more and reach your click. Starting with something that makes them tick by using phrases and ideas they already know, might seem like you’ve hit the jackpot, but it makes it harder to stand out, and to get people to click or want to see more. Sometimes it’s nice to tell them something new about what makes them tick, but it’s gotta be something great and really new.

Give Them Something to Grab Onto

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If I don’t grasp why you’re talking to me, then I’m not going to trust your content enough to read on or see more. Take a step back and ask, what you want your audience to grab onto, to click onto. Taking up someones time or attention with something that makes them tick, but doesn’t seem to have a purpose, makes your product or content easier to forget and less trustworthy. Use ingredients of what makes them tick (like a soccer ball for soccer fans) but make sure there’s a purpose there too. What you want them to grab onto could range from motivation to the need for a better, new soccer ball.

Complete the Story

Of course I’m going to click on “See More” if it completes, or is the next step in, the story I’ve been shown so far. Using CTA’s that fit within the story you are telling makes people click. Using a CTA that just makes people tick with words you think they’ll like and sound fun, might be exciting, but it creates a break in the flow.