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Better headlines that avoid being Clickbait!
Or 4 reasons reading this post will save your life this spring.
We’ve all seen the standard clickbait headline. Designed to get you to click then what you find inside draws you in further. Still, a clickbait headline represents an extreme version of some useful pointers for writing good headlines. A word of warning though, take it too far and you’ll end up with clickbait headlines that promise to save people from certain death if only they follow your advice. This is not good.
Give your reader an idea of what they are committing to
This is also a good pointer for structuring your work as well. You may have seen some writers give you an estimated reading time for their posts. Others might begin their headline with the classic ‘6 tips to…’ This is helpful as it gives your reader an idea of the length of time your post will take to read. It also helps them see the shape of the post before they start reading.
Now, if everything your write follows this framework, that’s just getting a bit lazy. So, consider the principle and work out if it is possible for you to help your reader understand what they are committing to when they start reading.
