通讯器n Headline Writing Myths We Should All Stop Believing

这是一个la脚的标题 - “我们都应该停止相信的普通标题写作神话”？

I could have tried something with a lot more sizzle and punch, right? Like these …

OMG! I Just Discovered Why I’m Losing Traffic! Wait Until You See Them!

I Won’t Be Able To Sleep For Weeks! The Freaky Reasons Why I’m Losing Traffic!

Mind: Blown! This Guy Knew Something Was Wrong With His Traffic. Wait Until You Find Out What He Discovered!

Can This Be Real? The Secrets That I Just Realized About My Traffic! My Life Will Never Be The Same!

You’ve seen titles like that. You’ve clicked them. And you’ve wondered,我应该写这样的标题吗？

This style of headline (combined with a few well-placed pictures) is popularized by viral sites to generate huge amounts of traffic.

Who wouldn’t want to click on videos of Coke in toilet bowls, men hugging lions, and babies sticking their hands in dog’s mouths?

Though headlines like these have been popularlized, they often perpetuate some of the most deadly headline creation myths. I’m going to take you on a tour of just a few of them, and hopefully caution you against some of the traffic-killing side effects that they may have.

揭穿普通标题写神话

神话＃1：始终写好奇的差距头条。

Truth: Overusing curiosity gap titles can ruin your credibility.

One of the most successful headline styles has been the “curiosity gap” headline, also known as the “emotional intrigue” headline.

The information gap theory of curiosity states that people are driven by the desire to gain some new knowledge or information. When a headline can successfully create such a gap in a user’s knowledge, it pulls them in with an intense feeling of curiosity.

乔治·洛文斯坦（George Loewenstein）在他的专着中解释了这个想法：The Psychology of Curiosity” published by the American Psychological Association.FastCodesign解释了理论succinctly:

First, a situation reveals a painful gap in our knowledge (that's the headline), and then we feel an urge to fill this gap and ease that pain (that's the click).

的缺点——或者curiosity-gap的信息theory is that it can degrade credibility if the content doesn't deliver on what the headline promises. A headline is the reader’s first opportunity to determine credibility. If a headline does not immediately establish integrity, then the content is less likely to be trusted. (And being trusted is what makes people actually read your article -- which is what you wanted them to do in the first place.)

Clickbait标题有效吗？绝对地。对于某些网站或文章，它们还可以吗？当然。这是否意味着您应该在内容营销的每一部分中使用它们？也许不会。

In other words, mind the gap.

神话＃2：写卑鄙或轰动的头条新闻。

Truth: Sensational titles can alienate your readers.

There’s a ton of clickable value in sensational headlines, butthey also come with a long-term traffic-stopping effect。

But let me drive back to a crucial starting point in headline creation -- is this right for your audience? Perhaps it is.

But perhaps, like many writers have experienced, the only benefit of a headline that drips with voyeuristic appeal is a few extra clickthroughs and then a fistful of lost traffic. As soon as people get to your site and realize that the link has been a ploy to get more traffic, they'll bounce -- possibly forever.

误解3：拥抱令人震惊的头条新闻。

真相：令人震惊的头条可以减少您对现有读者的感知价值。

令人震惊的头条有价值吗？流量上升可能有限，但是这样的标题通常并不提供真正的价值。

We love to be shocked. Surprising experiences release a surge of dopamine into our system -- the feel-good neurotransmitter. With this kind of experience, shock value headlines are appealing on a surface level.

On another level, however, they are empty and unfulfilling. Here’s why:

• 令人震惊的头条新闻缺乏深度。标题吸引了我们，但是是否有内容可以支持它？很少。
• 令人震惊的头条新闻感到绝望。在互联网上的大量信息中，很难获得点击，分享和阅读。我们必须伸展才能达到高度shock.当我们这样做时，这是显而易见的。
• 令人震惊的头条新闻没有质量。令人震惊的小报样头条通常会导致基于意见或谣言而不是可靠的事实的文章。这是成为内容营销人员的危险场所。

Moz的伊斯拉McKetta钉的时候她写道:

For me, reading headlines on BuzzFeed and Upworthy and their ilk is like talking to the guy at the party with all those super wild anecdotes. He's entertaining, but I don't believe a word he says, soon wish he would shut up, and can't remember his name five seconds later. Maybe I don't believe in clickability as much as I thought …

So where does this lead us? If we reject the myths of popular headline creation, then what do we do? Can we write a perfect headline?

如何写完美的标题

我坚信没有完美的标题。寻找完美的标题就像找到完美的云一样。是什么定义了完美的云？如果我看时已经消失了怎么办？为什么是that一个完美的，而不是它变成两分钟后的一个完美？

Headlines follow trends. They adjust to the nuances of cultural interest. They vary within a changing subcultural milieu. Most importantly, the ideal headline depends 100% on the particular audience to which it is addressed.

Here is what youcan做写Btter的头条新闻。

考虑一下您的读者想要什么。

您的目标不仅是编写一个积累大量点击的标题。取而代之的是，您想要一个可以说明读者的利益和需求的标题。

如果是纽约时报例如，开始发表有关在带有婴儿的浴缸中游泳的婴儿海豹图片的文章，或者其他一些愚蠢的标题？我认为这可能不是他们的读者感兴趣的标题类型。同样，Macrumors几乎无法摆脱有关有史以来最热闹的猫视频收藏的最大收藏的文章。

不要仅仅考虑一下标题将如何吸引更多的流量 - 考虑一下它是否吸引了更多的流量正确的交通。

维持信誉。

当您创建标题时，您的权威和作者的声誉就在线。该标题将附加到您的名字上，以实现互联网的永远。

What does that headline say about your credibility? Can you be trusted by your audience to provide relevant news and trustworthy information?

巴里·施瓦茨（Barry Schwartz）（心理学家，而不是SEO）可能永远不会写这样的文章：

为什么不？因为巴里·施瓦茨（Barry Schwartz）是一位受人尊敬的作家一位教授，a决策心理学领导者。

So don't just focus on how a headline could bring in more of your readers -- think about how it helps shape their perception of you.

提供价值。

Value is more important than clickability. Articles that deliver on the promise of the headline and help solve problems are the kind of articles that will give long term significance to your readers.

许多Clickbait文章的问题在于，它们不会坚持讨价还价的结尾 - 在用户点击标题之后，他们发现自己盯着一篇文章过度宣传。

In the end, don’t spend your time chasing the perfect headline in order to garner more clicks. Instead, focus on crafting a headline that will bring you more readers (not clickers), sustain your credibility, and bring value to your audience.

图片来源：MondayDots