Chapter 50The Value of a ReadAKA Sensational Headlines Are Evil
See what I did there?
If we let it in, the online world can be a very noisy place—but only if we choose it to be. Sensational headlines are used to encourage clicks, but that doesn't mean writing good headlines is inherently bad. We need to be passionate about our content, and the headline is where that starts. Headline writing is an art. I know writers who come up with their headlines first, and then write content around them. Some of us think most creatively in 140 characters; nothing wrong with that.
The best way to encourage quality content isn't necessarily to stop sensational headlines but for us all to stop sharing the bad stuff. As soon as a site gets you once, stop following it. There is too much amazing content out there to allow our time to be focused on the bad.
Upworthy.com is a site known for its headline writing, so I was pleasantly surprised when I read the following quote about what the company feels makes things go viral. You can read the entire post by following the link in your footnote.1
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