I debated which image to include
Please don’t judge me based on the above al.com headline that was published on June 25th.
I really do have an important point to make. (If I haven’t already lost you to the al.com link)
Media is going through a huge transition. Reporters are evaluated by their bosses on the number of views (or clicks) they get on their published articles. And why not–the more clicks the article gets, the more the media company can charge for advertising.
Headlines are the most powerful tool a writer has to get the reader’s attention.
All of us are bombarded by content. We don’t have time for it all, so we browse scores of headlines searching for anything that might get our attention. Headlines drives readership. Write a great article with a boring headline and no one will read it.
But the headline has to deliver on its promise. Readers may click on a provocative title, but if the content doesn’t live up the title’s promise, the author’s credibility is ruined.
Note that headlines are not written just for paper newspapers any more. Readers select headlines from media platforms such as al.com, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
Backstory
Now I do have an interesting backstory for you.
Phyllis Neill, my biz partner, and I publish ComebackTown. The purpose of our blog is to begin a conversation on a better Birmingham. Our blog is republished on al.com.
I’ve learned the importance of a provocative title: Did Mt. Brook blow up Birmingham?; How 155 white guys are ruining Alabama; Birmingham haters—eat your hearts out.
I can pretty much estimate the number of people who will click on each article by the headline.
Last week we published a piece titled, “Damn it! Birmingham’s not that dangerous.”
After a couple of hours, I received an urgent e-mail from my representative at al.com…
“Your latest piece on crime stats is really interesting. However, I changed the headline to read “Darn it! Birmingham’s not that dangerous (Comeback Town).” I know it’s important to have attention-grabbing headlines, but we can’t use curse words to do it. In the world of dirty words, I know damn is pretty tame. But our “bad word” filter for the comments section catches “damn,” so if we don’t allow our commenters to say it, we shouldn’t use it in our headlines. You don’t have to keep “darn” in your headline if you don’t want to; it was just the first and closest thing I could think of. If you do change it, just keep it G-rated.”
I responded…
“I just saw this headline on al.com this afternoon, “Drinking only soda for 16 years is bad, man rips off penis, pork bullets”
…and I’m not allowed to have ‘damn’ in my title?”
Her response…
“That is quite a headline, but it’s accurate and uses the anatomical term. We wouldn’t let a reporter say “penis” just for the sake of saying it.”
I can understand, but I was surprised because we had published several blogs on al.com that included the word, “hell.” There’s no way in hell we’ll ever work together, and A community leader gives Rotarian types hell.
So it appears that “damn” is not acceptable; “hell” is fine; and it’s okay to describe any body part that is anatomically correct.
We are certainly in a new world.
David Sher is a co-founder of Buzz12 Advertising Agency. You can read more of his posts by looking for the “David Sher Posts” category in the sidebar of Buzz12’s website. – See more at: http://www.buzz12.com/
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