An often overlooked but critical part of content marketing is the headline. The best content with a boring headline that does a poor job of giving the reader a reason to click has failed.
Studies have shown that up to 80 percent of readers never make it past the headline, making it at least as important as the content itself.
Our findings showed that number headlines (e.g., "30 Ways to Make Drinking Tea More Delightful") resonated most, followed by reader addressing (e.g., "Ways You Need to Make Drinking Tea More Delightful"). More on what we think that means in a bit.
Are Readers Developing Headline Fatigue?
The research shows what savvy content marketers already know: that readers have definite preferences when it comes to the headlines they click. In fact, sophisticated marketers test multiple headline versions prior to publishing to discover the one that performs best.
Deeper insight into reader headline preferences is a good thing for marketers – it means they can discover what works and what doesn't and that knowledge can be leveraged to drive clicks. But, there may also be a downside to knowing that number headlines and superlatives induce the greatest click.
How many "Amazing," "You Won't Believe!," and "6 Ways..." articles can readers tolerate before they reach headline fatigue? Are we, as content creators, in danger of immunizing readers to strong headlines because of how frequently we use them? Or, worse yet, are we in danger of alienating them entirely because of how frequently strong headlines have not delivered on their promise?
Leading Indicators
If a recent satire website launched by The Onion is any indicator, we may already be at that point. ClickHole is a...well, I'll just let them tell you in their own words what they are:
What Is ClickHole?ClickHole is the latest and greatest online social experience filled with the most clickable, irresistibly shareable content anywhere on the Internet.
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