Writing a great headline is a balance of psychology, grammar, and strategy. Because a headline has one primary job - getting the reader to engage with the next line - successful writers treat headline creation as a distinct skill.
In this age of social media headlines on YouTube videos and in written publications clickbait often overwhelms legitimate headlines to the point where readers can be lured into reading bullshit videos and articles.
Typical clickbait is sensational, exaggerated, or misleading titles, or text previews designed to grab your attention and trick you into clicking, watching, or sharing a link. The one's that I find to be really irksome are what I call, Fantasy Headlines.
Here's some recent examples:
From YouTube videos;
"Musk is F*cked." I suspect this is one that would be popular worldwide. At first glance you assume Musk is in trouble. However, when you view the story, you find out that Musk told advertisers to go f*ck themselves.
"MAGA Violence." Readers are hoping to see MAGA unravel from within but are going to be deeply disappointed with this video.
"Trump Can't Handle it!" High hopes here that Trump poops his diaper when confronted by hecklers at rallies.
"Trump Can't Run from It." At last Trump is trapped by his own corruption and justice prevails. Democracy is saved. Sorry. You're being teased.
From written sources;
The Progressive - "The Christian Supremacist Network is involved in Brazil's Election." This headline shouts out the nefarious Christian Supremacist followers have been caught red-handed in getting involved with another country's elections. But the only one caught is the reader who thinks there will be repercussions for their involvement.
The Daily Kos - "Senators cross aisle to mitigate harms of Trump's pro-AI world." The reader is sure some bipartisan action will happen to save the day, but when they actually read the article it's just another false hope thinking spineless Republicans will stand up to their master Trump.
Common Dreams - "Israeli Settler Attack on Post Photographer Must Force a Reckoning in Washington." I agree, but the likelihood of any kind of action by Congress is zero. It's a fantasy for now. Maybe when the Democrats retake congress such a reckoning could happen.
My plea to headline writers today is to take the TACT Test before publishing your headline.
* Taste: Is it appropriate and respectful?
* Attractiveness: Is it compelling enough to grab attention?
* Clarity: Is it completely unambiguous?
* Truth: Is it 100% accurate to the story?
As it Stands, I wonder how many headline writers today could pass the TACT Test?
No comments:
Post a Comment