9 Reasons Why Web Writers Should Love Buzzfeed (By a Person Who Hates Them)

I, like many people, hate Buzzfeed.

Can you blame me, though? Empty content, pointless listicles, and, of course, quizzes. Lots and lots of quizzes. There’s a reason why I’m a die-hard Clickhole fan.

Yet they get millions of unique visitors every month. They’re worth at least $850 million, possibly up to $1.5 billion.

Let the haters hate.

So it looks like the website is here to stay. Why not learn from them? After browsing the site for some time, here’s some tips I learned:

1. They write killer headlines. This is something many bloggers and marketers often overlook. In an age where you can be on a site for less than 30 seconds, your content needs to grab the reader’s attention immediately. Buzzfeed uses genius clickbait headlines to attract viewers. They test and change the headlines to make it more attractive. TIP: Check the URL on one of their articles to see their original titles. Cracked does this a lot, too.
2. Seriously, they write killer headlines. I could make another blog post entirely about their headlines. Whether it’s informational (17 Incredibly Helpful Charts For Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner), hilarious (It’s Hot So We Cooked A Bunch Of Things On The Road And Here’s What Happened), or just bizarre (Miley Cyrus Wore A Prosthetic Penis On Stage Last Night), Buzzfeed can pique your interest and get you to click.
3. They use lists. We love lists. They make articles easy to read or skim. No one likes to read massive blocks of texts. As everyone knows, lists are a Buzzfeed staple. A few sentences per bullet or number is so much more efficient. Bonus points if you have a one-sentence summary in bold ;)
4. They back up their headlines with good content. This is the reason why the Upworthy/ViralNova/etc. clickbait craze is unsustainable. Your content can have the greatest title ever, but if it doesn’t keep your reader’s interest, they aren’t going to to continue reading it. This was the original reason why I hated Buzzfeed. However, in recent years, they’ve beefed up their content and actually do a decent job with it. And speaking of good content…
5. They tailor their content to their audience. Buzzfeed knows their audience well. They know that millennials are their top demographic, so they tap into their audience’s minds, especially when it comes to the 90s. Remember to know your audience.
6. They keep their writing personal. No one wants to read an article written by a robot. Use words like ‘you’ and ‘we’ as if you are having a personal conversation with a single reader. Buzzfeed has mastered this art, especially in their listicles.
7. They integrate emotion into their headlines. Buzzfeed uses emotion to attract the reader into reading their content. Titles like 19 Tweets About Wine That Will Make You Laugh Out Loud combine a subject their target audience likes as with the reader’s expected reaction before they even read it. They are confident that you will laugh, and you believe it enough to read the article.
8. They diversify their content. This is one of the smartest things Buzzfeed has ever done. In recent years, Buzzfeed spread its media empire to YouTube, to much success. They have a podcast. They even do long-form journalism. Everyone consumes content in different ways, so Buzzfeed expands and diversifies their audience. I don’t care for their listicles, but I have binged many of their videos on YouTube because they’re so relatable. Now that’s how you gain a following.
9. They’ve mastered social media marketing. I think this is the key to Buzzfeed’s success. Good or bad, every article, listicle, and quiz is so inherently shareable that even I share one from time to time. A good headline + good content people want to share + social media = a greater reach to potential readers and subscribers. I can’t imagine Buzzfeed being at the level it is now without the internet and social media.

Love ’em or hate ’em, Buzzfeed is a web content powerhouse.

So instead of blindly hating them because they’re annoying and overshared by friends and family, we as writers, bloggers, and copywriters should look to them for inspiration.

Even if that inspiration is in the form of 23 animals who just want you to have a nice Monday.