Clickbait and Influencers: How Peripheral Cues Affect the Reach of Native Ads

Davor Trbušić · Luka Šikić · Dražen Maleš

Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci, Vol. 43 No. 2, pp. 511–536

The research examines how peripheral cues — specifically clickbait headlines, sources of information, and visual components — affect the reach of native advertisements through the Elaboration Likelihood Model framework. Analysis of 543 native advertisements from major Croatian internet portals revealed that uncertainty-based headlines achieved the highest reach among clickbait techniques (44.38% prevalence), though non-clickbait headlines often performed comparably. Ads featuring influencers as sources of information achieve significantly greater reach than those relying on other types of sources, with influencer-driven content reaching mean audiences of 14,645 compared to alternatives. Industry-specific patterns emerged, with consumer-focused sectors employing emotional appeals while technical sectors favored expert sources.