Now you are going to apply what you have learned in class. As per the class discussion, please provide me with three different headlines for the story (article in Question #4) and outline your reasoning(s) and explanation for each. Please ensure you base your answer on the different elements of headlines we spoke about in class. Please go into detail for each. (12 Marks)
Headline 1 – “You Will Be Amazed When You See These 50 Vintage Images”
- For this headline, I relied heavily on power words, as seen throughout, and the number featured, as it’s a specific feature of the article. Based on class discussions and PowerPoints, there are certain 2-word and 3-word phrases that produce better interaction than others and are proven to within multiple headlines. For this headline, I used the 3-word phrase “When you see” in order to make the reader anticipate the content more, and also be more inclined to view the content, because online readers would rather scan images than read text, and this phrase makes that clear. I also used a power word “Amazed” used for vanity and bragging, which is exactly the use for it in this headline, making the images seem so much better than if they weren’t described by an adjective at all.
Headline 2 – “In Case You Missed It: Here’s 50 Vintage Images That Will Make You Speechless”
- This headline followed the format that many news and clickbait headlines follow; the colon method. This utilizes a colon at the start of the headline after a captivating phrase, in order to make readers interested and ready to read the rest of the article. This aspect plays on the FOMO factor for attracting audiences, which works well for this headline as it is about images that people probably haven’t seen before, so most readers will relate to the starting phrase and be immediately engaged. I also used another 2-word phrase, “make you” which is proven to work with readers and has been used 30 times in viral headlines.
Headline 3 – “Are You Ready To Be Amazed By These 50 Vintage Images?”
- This headline was developed using a mix of classic formulas, power words, and a leading sentence. The classic formula used was “are you ___?”, which is used in headlines where the answer is obvious. This works well for this headline because it’s up to the reader to decide if they’re ready to be amazed, enticing them to open the article no matter the answer and build curiosity. I used the same power word above – “Amazed” – to signify vanity, as the whole point of this headline is to keep the content a mystery for them to see for themselves. The end having a question mark makes this headline a leading sentence, building off the curiosity factor utilized throughout the entire headline.
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