25: that’s how many headlines Upworthy requires its writers to draft for every article. Wow!
What’s more, Upworthy then tests the headlines to see which ones spur the most clicks. The payoff: a click-baitish headline can drive upwards of 500% more traffic than a boring one.
Indeed, here’s the headline-heard-round-the-net (not from Upworthy but from Forbes):
* How Companies Learn Your Secrets
* How Target Figured Out a Teen Girl Was Pregnant Before Her Father Did
Which would you click on?
If you analogize a headline to a tweet or status update, the same principle applies: the more swings you take, the greater your chance of hitting a home run.
So, don’t just go with the first headline that comes to mind. Develop multiple options. Play around with questions, declarations, listicles. If you have the time, maybe poll your colleagues to see if a consensus emerges.
The more we can subject our suppositions to data, the more “Hey”-like results we’ll experience.
