When someone comes across your story in a social media feed, it’s your headline’s job to convince them to click and read more. It’s important to consider the type of emotion you want to evoke in your readers and use the right words to do it.
One classic way to make a headline pop is to use emotional trigger words that are known to draw people in. The words “shocking,” “amazing,” and “incredible” are all strong emotions that can evoke a reaction from readers, making them more likely to share and comment on your article.
Another popular strategy is to create a sense of urgency in your headlines. This can help readers feel that there’s something they should know, even if they don’t have the time to read your full article right away. This technique is used effectively in this New York Times headline: “New Rules for the Longest Titles on Facebook.”
Sometimes a little controversy can do the trick, too. This headline from HubSpot uses the word “controversial” to grab the attention of scrollers, and it works to get them emotionally involved with the topic.
A headline that uses the phrase “first of its kind” is another common way to grab a reader’s attention. According to Steve Rayson of Buzzsumo, headlines that use this phrase have a strong correlation with social engagement. However, it’s also important to be careful not to overuse this strategy — you don’t want your headlines to come off as gimmicky or over-hyped.
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