Words that makes your headlines more shareable

Choosing the right word—no matter the occasion—is a bit of an art.

This is particularly true on the Internet, where a reader’s first impression of an article or blog post is probably word-based. This is a stark contrast to the world of music, movies, and even books, where you have a cover image to help inform your decision. When all you have to go on is a headline or email subject line, which words are going to capture attention best?

Communication experts, marketers, and PR specialists stay awake at night wondering that very thing. They’ve come up with a list of words that science tells us are very effective at not only getting people’s attention, but at helping to create highly shareable content. Some might be a surprise; others might not.

Let’s break it down by post type.

Blog posts

Audiences know what to expect when they’re browsing blog posts. On a blog, there will be a handful of genuinely useful or informative posts, along with no small amount of junk. How can they sift through it all? What words might tip them off?