Amid a sea of online content, your headline is the first (and often only) thing readers see. It’s what grabs their attention, sets the tone for the rest of the article, and ultimately determines whether or not they click through and read more.
Political stories dominated the top headlines of 2019, with Hurricane Florence, the midterm elections, and a Supreme Court battle all making the list. However, some of the most popular headlines of the year were completely unrelated to politics. A viral egg photo, Tide Pods, and the death of Bongo cat all earned their spot on the top trending list.
Protests dominated the world’s news agenda in 2019, with Hong Kong’s anti-extradition protests, Algerians demanding a political overhaul, and American activists rallying against police brutality all garnering global attention. The resounding message of these protests was that the public wants to be heard and their concerns are legitimate.
These trends demonstrate the importance of a clear, straightforward headline that conveys the content’s value and promise. Readers are more likely to engage with content that aligns with their expectations, which can lead to a higher number of conversions and click-throughs.
A third explanation for the accuracy-sharing dissociation focuses on people’s tendency to prioritize their own ideology and social identity over truth when deciding what to share on social media. This theory proposes that people consciously share inaccurate content in order to reinforce their own views, gain status by signaling their moral integrity, or for other purposes. Consistent with this account, a recent study found that simply asking participants to rate the perceived accuracy of a politically neutral headline before making judgments about sharing significantly improved their ability to discern between true and false information in subsequent social media sharing decisions.