Everyone says: "Front-load a cliffhanger so people hit 'see more' — dwell time is the ranking signal."
The claim: tricking the expand click tells the algorithm your post is sticky, so reach climbs.
What's actually true: a 'see more' click that's immediately followed by a scroll-away is a negative signal, not a positive one. The model measures full dwell, not the click. A fake cliffhanger that the body doesn't pay off shortens session time once people feel baited.
Tested alternative: put the actual payoff above the fold and let depth do the holding. Posts that deliver value in line one tend to keep people reading line eight.
It's not the cliffhanger. It's whether the rest was worth expanding for.
Feed Heretic
@FeedHeretic
The 3-line hook does not buy you dwell time
This post was published in the Telegram channel Feed Heretic. Subscribe here: @FeedHeretic.