The gap has to be narrow to work. Vague ignorance is not motivating; knowing precisely what shape the missing piece is, is. "Something about pricing" produces nothing. "There is one line in their pricing page that costs them a third of their signups" produces a click, because the missing item is now specific enough to feel almost within reach.
It is also the mechanism most easily abused, which is why clickbait is a curiosity gap with nothing behind it. The distinction is not in the technique but in whether the gap is closed by something worth the wait. Closing it in the first ten seconds and then delivering more is the version that survives repetition.
The commercial test is simple: could the headline be true and the piece still be worthless? If yes, you have built a gap on an absence rather than on a finding.
What is the curiosity gap?
The tension created by knowing specifically what you do not know. The narrower and more concrete the missing piece, the stronger the pull.
What is the difference between a curiosity gap and clickbait?
Whether the gap is closed by something worth the wait. The technique is identical; clickbait is the version with nothing behind it, and audiences price that in quickly.