What grabs a reader? What causes a reader to click on an article? What happens next will shock you.
No, it's not clickbait. It's all in the headline. That is the first piece of information that a viewer will see that determines whether or not someone will take the time out of their busy day to read. Headlines encompass the good, the bad and the ugly. So below are some examples of the bad and of course, the ugly.
Dead Body Found in Cemetery
Shocker. Not sure if this was intended to be a pun or just a weird coincidence. Regardless, it made its way onto fine print. This title has actually made its way into several news articles, just Google it. I dare you.
Tiger Puts Balls in Wrong Place Again
This is the kind of headline that makes you read it more than once. Not really the purpose of a headline, but it caught your attention regardless.
Federal Agents Raid Gun Shop, Find Weapons
I'm not sure if it is a common pattern of using very obvious statements as headlines but it sure does get the point of the article across.
Homicide victims rarely talk to police
Again with stating the obvious. This would make a better headline if it actually occurred. A homicide victim talking to the police? Talk about a story.
A-Rod goes deep, Wang hurt
Do what? If one does not know anything about sports, this may be one of the greatest headlines to come across. Poor Wang.
Midget sues grocer, cites belittling remarks
Oh man, that sure was punny. And any good John Mulaney fan knows that saying midget is almost as bad as saying the 'N-word'. This publication obviously didn't know that but took advantage of the situation.
Missippi's literacy program shows improvement
Yeah, you read that correctly. Not only does it make journalists everywhere cringe, it is rather ironic. So go ahead, read the title one more time, for old times sake.
Republicans turned off by the size of Obama's package
Now this is some political news I could get behind. Beats having to hear about Trump and his toupee again. Just a little bit of phrasing can go a long way.
I was paralysed by a pork chop
...uh...
Son of Westboro Baptist Church leader attacked on live TV by naked 500lb man who burst out of bathroom, sat on him and shouted: 'Who's your daddy now?'
I wish I was making this stuff up. Even though this is a long ass title, it really lets the readers know what they are getting in to whether they want to hear it or not.
