
People will decide whether to click on a story or article based on the headline.
You could write a brilliant article, blog post or press release, but if the headline doesn’t ‘sell’ the content to your target audience, it won’t matter.
Think of all the headlines you scroll past vs what you click on to read.
Headlines are so important that some national newspapers and magazines have specialist writers called sub-editors to create them.
So what makes a clickable headline?
Different styles work for different types of content, but the key is creating some intrigue or tapping into an emotion or need.
Headlines also need to give enough information so that the reader knows what they’ll get from reading on.
Here are four headline examples and a breakdown of how they work:
1. Pique interest news headline

This headline, from the North West Business Insider, tells the reader enough, so they know what the story is about but leaves out certain information to help create curiosity.
It tells the reader that it is a development deal, the size of the deal and where it is. What it doesn’t say is who was involved in the deal, the type of development and the details of the transaction.
To find that information, the reader has to click through to the story.
News headlines are a balancing act. Reveal too much, and there is no reason to click through; reveal too little, and curiosity isn’t pricked.
2. Challenge or surprise headline

Presenting a statement in a headline that is incongruous with common thinking or trend is a great way of getting people clicking to read on.
This headline on a LinkedIn article by Daniel Paulusma creates different levels of intrigue depending on your views of hybrid working.
It appears to challenge the thinking of advocates of hybrid working, potentially highlighting something they’ve missed: Am I wrong? ‘What is the evidence?’
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