HEADLINES | SURVEY
Let’s Talk Numbers, Headlines, and Everything Fun!
What’s in the headline for you as a writer?
If we are going to have a real talk — let’s talk about Everything Fun first! Dancing, Christmas trees, snow sledding — all sound like fun, but I mean our wonderful publication, fun reader!
With all the wonderful supportive comments I’ve received for being brought on as an editor, let me begin by saying thank you to all of you. In line with my nature, I find it necessary to clarify that I will not be editing your submitted pieces for this publication. Hollie does a magnificent job and will continue to do so until she feels there’s a need for more help.
As an “editor” I now have access to the stats of our publication. As a mathematician, I have a love for numbers and analysis. I will spend some time looking at how our publication performs and share updates with you when needed.
Do you have a burning question? Itchy curiosity?
Share it with me in the comments — I’d love to take a stab at trying to answer your question!
Meanwhile, I’ve had a burning question of my own!
What impact do headlines have on whether an article is viral or not?
Most of us open articles day in and out on Medium as readers. How many of you stop to ask yourself:
- Am I reading this because of the catchy headline or because I’m merely reciprocating?
- What about the headline makes me want to read this article?
- How can I improve this headline if I had to?
I have done this on occasion. I want to encourage you as well.
Quick Anecdote
I read a decent headline by a wonderful writer a few weeks ago and then noticed that the subtitle was even better! I had a strong inkling both the headline and subtitle would make a dynamic headline together. I ran over to a headline analyzer and compared the written title vs the “new one” I proposed by putting both together. It instantly gave it a much higher score.
My Informal Study
I did a random study over the course of two months while looking through my “For You” feed. I chose 22 random articles by writers I do not follow and have no personal connection to. I asked myself these questions:
- What do you think this article is about? (wrote it down before reading)
- What was the story about? (wrote it when I finished)
- Make a note of whether they matched.
Roughly 50% of the articles matched. Perhaps that is the goal of a headline to at least pique interest but not quite be explicit. Would you prefer to know exactly what you were going to read by reading the headline before you did?
I personally found only 25% of the articles had a catchy title (granted this is entirely my personal opinion). What surprised me the most was that most of the headlines had less than 10 words — on the shorter side (I should have counted the characters too, but didn’t think to).
Let's have fun with a survey! ✅
Surveys show that surveys never lie — Natalie Angier
Let’s dive a little deeper! I’m curious fellow readers and writers — what’s in a headline for you? How do you define a viral article? Can you tell which headlines belonged to viral articles?
If you wouldn’t mind sharing a couple of minutes, would you kindly fill out this survey? Thank you in advance! Results will be posted next month.
Here’s wishing everyone a fun December! Enjoy your family and friends — and for those traveling please be safe!
After two challenging years of travel bans, restrictions, and lockdowns, more people are making big travel plans despite financial concerns, according to a new report by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The company just released its annual Holiday Outlook 2022 report, showing a significant bump from the roughly one-third of people traveling for the holidays in 2019.
Thank you, Hollie Petit, Ph.D. and Toni Greathouse