The Scientific Guide to Creating Sticky Headlines - 0 views
www.steamfeed.com/uide-creating-sticky-headlines
2014 writing WriteLink freelance writer list tips headlines guide
shared by John Lemke on 22 Jun 14
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According to Social Triggers and Wired Magazine, George Lowenstien, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University developed a theory called “the information gap theory of curiosity.” Lowenstein says “curiosity is rather simple: It comes when we feel a gap ‘between what we know and what we want to know.’” (source) He goes on to say “This gap has emotional consequences: it feels like a mental itch, a mosquito bite on the brain. We seek out new knowledge because we that’s how we scratch the itch.” That’s why these headline formulas increase traffic.
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Imagine again that you’re a blogger looking to leverage Facebook. You begin to click on multiple posts titled “How to get more traffic using Facebook” and bunch of other variations. What happens? All of the posts begin to run together becoming indecipherable to your brain. Psychologists call this cognitive overload and you passively read post after post after post. You never truly connect with the blogger or the message.
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By adding a quantifiable benefit, you’re accomplishing two things. First you’re laser targeting the type of reader you want to see the post. And second, you’re giving them a realistic goal to strive for.
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Ask yourself if you can add either a quantifiable benefit or a specific time frame to your post. Can you tell the story about how you got more readers to your blog in 30 days? Or can you tell the story about how you helped a friend drop 15 pounds without starving herself?