79Writing Headlines
Learn How to Effortlessly Write an Intoxicatingly Irresistible Headline—And You Won't Believe What Happens Next!
BuzzFeed became one of the fastest-growing sites in the history of forever in part by mastering the writing of irresistible, weird, curiously grabby headlines that we are collectively too weak to resist—like the one heading up this section.1
Like “36 of The Absolute Worst Things That Could Ever Happen to You.” Or “People Are Sharing ‘Unwritten Rules' of European Culture and as an American, I'm Low-Key Shocked at Some of These.”
Love the approach? Hate it? A little of both?
For many reasons, we can be grateful to the headline revolution sparked by BuzzFeed (and Upworthy, which more recently has shifted its content strategy away from its clickbait origins and toward feel-good news stories).
They've helped underscore the idea that the best headlines are those that humans (and not just search engines) love.
They've ushered in a more conversational approach to headlines.
They've elevated the job of the headline: from telling what a piece is about to telling what's in it for me. Headlines have 97% more empathy* for the reader than they did pre-BuzzFeed.
They've helped propel us to a place where brands see the value of creating headlines that we want to share with our friends.
The storytellers in us might also appreciate that such headlines give a little more context and personality to a post.
A headline from BuzzFeed such ...
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