Engagement bait
Content that begs for interaction — "tag a friend," "comment YES" — to game the algorithm rather than earn it.
Engagement bait is content engineered to extract cheap interactions — "like if you agree," "tag three friends," "comment YES below" — in the hope of tricking the algorithm into wider distribution rather than earning it with a real hook.
It backfires. Most platforms now actively penalize obvious bait, cutting reach instead of boosting it, and at the extreme it can contribute to a shadowban. Genuine questions and strong openings still drive comments; manipulative pleas just train the system to distrust you.
See also