Dating headline questions
25-Mar-2020 18:07
A headline's purpose is to quickly and briefly draw attention to the story.
It is generally written by a copy editor, but may also be written by the writer, the page layout designer, or other editors.
One brand that absolutely kills their headline game time and time again is Refinery29, an online publication that caters to women readers.
I have to actively resist opening their email newsletters, since I’ll end up spending 30 minutes more then I planned to on my phone (but it’s hard because their subject lines are so enticing! The reason Refinery29 excels at this is because their headlines are typically very opinionated, and leave the reader wanting more. This tip may seem obnoxiously obvious, but I couldn’t leave it out because it’s proven time and time again to be effective.
For example, try turning your headline into a call-to-action with words such as “Try” or “Click,” or addressing the reader directly by using the word “You.” Transform a generic headline with a power word like “never.” What use is running an ad or creating a video if people aren’t even interested in the topic?These headlines often will appear to make incomparable objects equal, conduct irrelevant analogies and tangents away from a hidden kernel in the headline, or deflect blame from a third-party within the headline.