Writing & Editing

8 successful headlines—and the psychology behind them

Have you ever wondered why how-to or numbered-list headlines get so many clicks? Here’s your answer.

By Courtney Seiter
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Untitled Document I recently dug into research about headlines to prepare for a webinar on the science of writing must-click headlines on social media.

I found plenty of data about which words are in the most-shared headlines, how long headlines should be, and more.

What was especially interesting were the psychology behind some well-known headline formulas and what makes them so clickable. Here’s an overview of eight winning headline formulas and the psychology behind them:

1. Surprise

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