Headlines Matter

Avoid these four headline disasters

1. The Desperate Headline

This is also known as clickbait.

Medium is not a fan . . . actually, readers aren’t fans of clickbait either.

Clickbait headlines sensationalize and mislead people into clicking on your article. They are characterized by unfulfilled promises and meager information.

Trying to scam readers into viewing your writing isn’t only frowned upon; it’s damaging. This habit will cause readers to distrust you and even avoid anything else you write, on or off Medium.

Here are ways to spot and avoid clickbait headlines:

2. The Clever Headline

Writers are clever by nature, I understand. It’s our never-ending wit and charm that entice our readers into our wordy worlds.

But clever and funny can be the enemy of clear and concise . . . as you (hopefully) noticed in the first sentence of this section. Quality writing is direct and clear, void of debilitating expressions that drown the main point.

This is what Strunk and White wrote in The Elements of Style, “Omit Needless Words. Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that . . . a machine should have no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short, or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell.”

Don’t make the reader work so hard. Here are headline writing tips direct from the top floor of Medium’s world headquarters!

3. The Smart Headline

Congrats on all the letters after your name. Your degrees and certifications are amazing! But that doesn’t mean your headline should be filled with mind-numbing jargon.

Instead, aim for catchy with a side of clear and concise. Headlines should inform, yes, but the heavy-handed verbiage that only you and your nerdy friends understand won’t pull in readers. In fact, it may alienate them.

Here’s some advice for creating catchy headlines.

4. The All-About-Me Headline

The headline is not about you, the article is not about you, and, sorry, but the information isn’t about you either. I’m not trying to be mean, but none of this is about you.

Go ahead and grab a tissue. Then come on back and finish reading.

Your goal is to solve a problem for the reader . . . and they should know exactly what problem that is from your headline. People will read what you write when you make it easy for them, you answer a question, or you provide practical advice.

Keep it simple and review these 30 straightforward headlines for the sake of clarity.

Instead, Focus on Specific

Be VERY, very specific.

Avoid generic phrases and sweeping generalizations; these are likely to exclude your target audience.

Think of the headline as the peak. It stands apart from your article and is the first glimpse of your writing that people see. It sets the tone and has the power to open doors. This is no time to leave your audience in the dark by dressing your headline in ambiguous summaries or pseudo-special words.

The headline is your time to shine!