If You're in Digital, Of Course, You Have to Know How to Play the (escalating) Headline Game
"...headline hyperbole has taken an explosive turn"- Jonathan Bouquet, The Guardian, May 29, 2022.
In the attention economy , which operates more and more on clickbait, headlines are high-value currency.
Early in the digital game, when I began blogging in 2005, I got it: An article not receiving many page views could get a second life if it was reposted with a different (read that "more catchy") headline. Usually that was effective. And if the article was popular it could get a third life by being posted later with another catchy headline.
As competition keeps increasing for attention, it's become a dog fight. You bet I focus on how I can create THE headline which will grab, hold, and grow attention.
Incidentally it was partly because I was so skilled in the headline game that AOL had hired me as contract career columnist. If something wasn't attracting eyeballs, then slap on another headline.
We will continue to juice the headlines. That will be the game as long as we communicate digitally.
Connect with Editor-in-Chief Jane Genova at janegenova374@gmail.com.
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