As discussed in class, why do you feel Headlines are so important in web content? Please provide me with an example of a headline you clicked on recently (submit the exact headline, including a screenshot) and outline in detail why you clicked it. In question #1, I asked why it resonated with you. For this question, I am asking why you actually clicked on it. This cannot be the same headline as question #1 (8 Marks)
Why are headlines important for web content:
As talked about in class headlines are so important – especially in our industry because ““If the headline is poor, the copy will not be read. And copy that is not read does not
sell goods”[i]. As talked about in class we have about 3 seconds to catch our viewers attention with a headline- and if it does not hit all your efforts and thousands of dollars can literally go down the drain and fail. [ii] In fact, some headlines are literally a business and industry in and of themselves. Headlines, are the way we lure people in to read emails, content, articles, ads etc. And as stated in class PowerPoints “ Traffic to your post will vary depending on the power of your headline. If you fail to make it impactful and clickable, every other marketing step that you take will be a total waste of time.”[iii]
In the world of marketing as discus in class we tell stories and in order to do this we have to use headlines as a gateway- and the strength of your headline can make or break the entire campaign/ overall success. If you do not have a strong headline that not only grabs the viewers attention and resonates with the audience- but is good enough to stand out among all the other headlines in its surrounds so people click your article to read etc. And if your headline fails to make a impression on the reader and or does not get them to click- you will essentially loose that reader and possible costumer forever. THIS IS WHY HEADLINES SO IMPORTANT.
In fact, as discussed in class for some business/ sites such as CNN shown bellow- The headline is literally the advertisement on some sites as native content- so the ads that look like a story almost:
Source for image bellow: [iv]
Below is a example of native advertising- where the headline is essentially the advertisement. This form of advertising is great because it kind of blends in with the rest of the content that is on the page- especially on a major news source websites like – CNN! If these headlines fail to engage with there users- they will literally have wasted thousands of dollars and will have lost the opportunity to likely ever reach that costumer again.
This can be backed up by a article that was written by Stack Adapt- where they stated “ The headline for a native ad is often the first part of the ad that a user will see and read. Given this, you’ll want it to capture and hold attention or you risk losing the costumer. If an audience doesn’t understand your message, they are unlikely to click on your ad.”[v] – meaning you had wasted your time creating content, ads etc. THAT NO ONE WILL SEE IF YOUR HEADLINE FAILS! Which is why they are so important!
Secondly in class we talked about BuzzFeed and magazine companies- and how there sites basically live, thrive and or die by the performance of the headlines they produce for their articles- because if there headlines are not compelling enough to make theme want to click on their headline to read there articles and for magazine companies buy and read there magazines- they literally would no longer have business. Meaning their entire business strategy is essentially having strong headlines that are shocking, make promises, evoke curiosity, give value, ask a question, answer a question etc.
For Buzz feed for example their strategies mainly involve creating very clickable and compelling headlines that tend to like inspire curiosity, use evoke emotions, and touch on trending topics- etc. In fact, according to a article from Buzz Feed literally has a entire article giving good advice for making compelling and effective headlines- which can be read here – [vi] all in a effort to maximize the readers engagement/ to increase success. Additionally, BuzzFeed specifically has a group that measures the effectiveness of how certain types of there headlines perform – which overall shows the important of headlines and howe headlines themselves are content we consume. This article also talked how “the top 50 Buzzfeed writers who were let go because of poor performing content”[vii] Simple because if the headlines don’t perform, the content won’t perform, which means you make no money- showing that research shows the importance of crafting headlines that are strong.
EXAMPLE OF A HEADLINE YOU CLICKED ON RECENTLY ON:
“ 22 ways that are seen as normal in movies or tv but would be super weird IRL” [viii]
Link: https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilykling1/weird-details-in-movies-and-tv
The reason I actually clicked on the headline “22 ways that are seen as normal in movies or tv but would be super weird IRL” [ix] on BuzzFeed was because
- The number in the title of this headline is a odd number- which as we talked about in class appeal more authentic are more real and more trusted in comparison to even numbers. In fact, according to this article “Research in psychology suggests that odd numbers can evoke a sense of curiosity and engagement. They can create an element of surprise or tension, drawing viewers in to explore the arrangement more closely.”[x]– meaning I was likely more subliminally likely to click on this link simple because it was a odd number and what my unconscious reacts to them.
- The IRL slang- decently caught my eye in this as it is relevant to people in the same audience as me who are heavy texters and tend to use shortform slang in out everyday life. So since this aspect of the headline was familiar to me. Additionally, this made the headline have more of a casual conversational tone rather then like a formal pitchy tone- which overall makes it more is catchy/ with the times and also better aligned with people in the audience such as myself. In fact according to this a report done by WBNSU- ‘having abbreviations in headlines can help enhance memorability, red ability, appeal and help engage readers’ [xi]
This kind of plays along the same line for the word “suuuper” – as when people in the gen z bracket such as myself are texting we tend to add extra letters to words- further making it more enticing to actually click the link.
- Social refence/ cool fact information gap- though this headline obviously is not talking about anything that important in theory- it does talk about something that interests me and would be socially relevant to me and also will help me stay informed + have unique insights for when having discussions with other people.
- Curiosity- this headline got me curious because it did not fully answer the question and left out key details of the actual picture- which is why I clicked on it. Because there was still a mystery/ info I didn’t know and I’m curious
- unexpected factor and some novelty– Usually on the day to day when I’m doing research for school or am reading the news online, I’m seeing kind of the same types of article headlines overall for the most part. However, this headline specifically kind of offered a unexpected factor and some novelty
- Listicle Format- beyond the fact that this headline included a odd number- it includes a lectical factor which according to Mailchimp- phycological means we subliminally know that “listicle formats can cover practically any topic and present that topic in a way that’s easy to read, digest, and share. Which is why These article types have proven themselves as successful ways to drive traffic and engage audiences.” [xii]
- Familiarity and relatability + paranoia- Considering the words “seen as normal in movies or tv but would be supper weird IRL” was used/ stated in the headlines- I automatically was triggered because its like a) I watch movies b) I tend to pick up traits of movie characters I like after watching them- and what if some of things I think are normal in movies are actually not normal . So the emphases on “Suuuper”- made it sound fun but I also don’t Wana be weird
- Conversational tone: I know I kind of touched on this in one of the points above- but this headline does not sound like its selling you something or like you are trying to be persuaded to do something. It simply is using a tone and style of voice that is causal and like a friend talking to you with the use of “IRL” and “Suuuupper”- which made it more appealing to me/ made me actually click it
[i] W6 – C – How to Create Winning Headlines in 9 Simple Steps page 2
[ii] W6 – A – Crafting Great Headlines (W25).pdf (8&9)
[iii] W6 – D – How to Write Headlines – Step-by-Step Guide (W25).pdf (page 2
[iv] CNN. (n.d.). CNN. https://www.cnn.com/
[v] Hynes, E. (2024, July 2). 6 tips to drive campaign success with native ad Formats. Resources. https://www.stackadapt.com/resources/blog/native-advertising-formats
[vi] Training, E. (2016, January 22). 18 insanely clever tips for writing headlines that’ll make people feel things. BuzzFeed. https://www.buzzfeed.com/edittraining/give-great-headlines
[vii] Buzzfeed headlines that earn the most shares and links – Fractl. (n.d.). Fractl. https://www.frac.tl/buzzfeed-headlines/
[viii] https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilykling1/weird-details-in-movies-and-tv
[ix] https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilykling1/weird-details-in-movies-and-tv
[x] What is the science behind odd numbers being visually appealing when decorating? (n.d.). Quora. https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-science-behind-odd-numbers-being-visually-appealing-when-decorating
[xi] https://www.wbnsou.ac.in/openjournals/Issue/2nd-Issue/July2024/5_RB_Tasildar.pdf
[xii] How to write listicles that captivate your audience | Mailchimp. (n.d.). Mailchimp. https://mailchimp.com/resources/listicles/