Insert Headline Here

Insert Headline Here

I’m not a fan of sensationalist reporting in the media, and that flows over to social media. Newsletters & blog posts that have titles like “The 10 deadly blogging mistakes you’re making“.

Insert Headline Here

Don’t even get me started on headlines like “50 tools to increase productivity“.

 

I may fail at headline school but I keep mine relevant to my post & descriptive. If it’s a fun post & less of a helpful one, I’ll have fun with the title, like How To Clean Your Kitchen With A Volcano.

 

But, maybe these sensationalist headline people are onto something? Am I missing out of a bunch of panicky readers who will click over to my post about “deadly” things to avoid, rushing their mouse over to click on the link, but trembling with fear in case the things they didn’t know are so deadly that they stop breathing before they click the link?

 

So I’m going to try rewriting some of my old post titles to the sensationalist style.

 

Instead of Twitter Chats and Growing Your Readership I could have called it “The 11 secrets to getting 10 billion readers to your blog!

Incompetence and Survival Preparation becomes “The ONE way you’ll stay alive this storm season!

Freakishly Realistic Dream turns into “I AM GOING TO DIE!

I Challenge You To Comment morphs into “If you don’t comment RIGHT NOW your blog will FAIL!

 

Notice the use of exclamation marks? They’re critical to sensationalist headlines. How else will the readers know that they have to do something right now?!!!!!!! 

 

How do you feel about these types of headlines? Have some fun in the comments and write your own sensationalist headline.

 

21 Replies to “Insert Headline Here”

  1. Ha! Love it! Yes I too am tired of the old Billion Ways To Increase Blog Traffic Or Die thing. Not just the post titles either!!
    Blogging is difficult enough without the doubts, fears and insecurities blasting at us in headlines!

    1. I got an email the other day that told me I had to read it ‘now’. So I deleted it ‘now’ haha.

  2. I LOVE !!!!!!!!!!! marks – but yes they are over used. A s journo, and former sub editor, who used to write headlines, I have to say that I rarely made such over the top headlines, these are usually left to websites and other social media places. However, I am guilty of beefing up my blog post titles to get people intrigued! 🙂 Emily

    1. I overuse !!!! too often haha.

  3. I blame buzzfeed. There is SO MUCH clickbait around now, but I don’t blame them – news outlets are fighting for your mouse’s attention. I love your revamped blog titles!!

    1. That’s true – I love/hate buzzfeed. They have some awesome stuff, but also a lot not worth reading!

  4. I try to write catchy headlines, but I am also very careful not to overdo them. I very rarely click on the really hyped up headlines that seem too good to be true, or perhaps too stupid to be true, so I think it’s about achieving balance in what people want to know about, but in a way that’s realistic.

    1. Yeah exactly, that’s why I try to go for descriptive – but then I get carried away describing and sometimes my post titles are a bit long 🙂

  5. I also have a background in journalism in editing, and found my “fallback” for headlines was always alliteration … it just seemed to come so naturally! eg “Beat the Bullies” or “Prosperity to Prison to Purpose”! See what I mean?!

    1. I love alliteration – when I was coming up with my other blog (Suitcase Scribbles) I tried so many travel themed titles with alliteration.

  6. 9 times out of 10 if I see a post with titles like that I go out of my way to not read them because I know that they will be filled with crap that I already know. The trouble with sensationalised headlines is that very rarely do they have the content to back it up. It’s like the Today Tonight of the online world.

    1. Haha I like the Today Tonight analogy.

  7. I have given those kind of headlines a go but I prefer an interesting headline rather than 10 ways to do this or that. I have posted those kind of headlines for my blog posts and have gotten a good response.

    1. I’ve never tried a sensationalist headline (unless I’m joking) but the list posts do seem really popular.

  8. Oh I hate them! I always feel ripped off!
    I often wonder too if I’m missing out on traffic because of my headlines but honestly I don’t care too much. I’d just rather they made sense. 🙂

    1. There’s a sense of value missing from them 🙂 I never put too much thought into my headlines – I’m just happy to get the time to blog some days.

  9. I’m hopeless. I name mine random things that play havoc with SEO but I is what I is – R.A.N.D.O.M.
    old dog, new tricks…… know what I’m sayin’?
    #lateibot

    1. I have a general dislike of SEO on a conceptual level so I’ve never even given thought to how they work with SEO.

  10. LOL. Yes, I am a bit like you. And like Tegan says above – the trouble with these headlines is they hardly ever come through with what they promise. Ick.

    1. I think it would be a bit better if the posts at least didn’t contain basic information when you do click through to them.

  11. […] know, I try to stay away from “gotcha” headlines. I mock them. But this is actually a thought I’ve had in my head for a some time. Is Facebook marketing […]

Leave a Reply