How to Ethically Hijack Doomscrolling to Boost Engagement

Let’s be honest — we’ve all found ourselves in the doomscroll spiral. You’re just checking one thing... and next thing you know, it’s an hour later and you’ve consumed 50 sad stories, 3 conspiracy theories, and a cat video for emotional recovery.

At SCROll STOP, we don’t just watch these habits — we use them. Smartly and ethically, of course.

Here’s how brands can tap into the psychology of doomscrolling to actually stop the scroll and spark real engagement:

🔄 What Is Doomscrolling (and Why Can’t We Stop)?

Doomscrolling is our brain’s weird way of trying to regain control. In a world full of chaos, we hunt for more info, thinking it’ll help — even when it’s just making us feel worse.

But here’s the twist: this behaviour creates a perfect loop of attention.

🚨 Negative Emotion = High Engagement

Posts that spark shock, urgency, or even mild anxiety are 25–30% more likely to be clicked. That doesn’t mean you should create fear — but you can use curiosity, tension, and relevance to hook people.

Think headlines like:

• “This Ad Got Banned — Here’s Why That’s Genius”

• “Why Everyone’s Getting This Wrong About Branding”

• 
  

🧠 Tap Into the Pattern

People scroll fast. But they pause for:

• Relatable chaos (like a messy desk or fake mistake)

• Bold text or weird visuals

• Posts that break rhythm — like a tweet in a Canva frame

Design for disruption. That’s how you hijack the scroll.

✅ The Ethical Bit

Manipulation? Nah. Magnetic content? Absolutely.Always lead people to something valuable — a real insight, a laugh, or something useful. If you’re gonna steal attention, pay it back.

Final Thought

Doomscrolling isn’t going anywhere — but your brand doesn’t have to be invisible in the feed. Play the game smarter, with strategy and style.

Need help making content that people can’t not click? SCROll STOP’s got you.