Why it’s Risky to Write Instigator Headlines

Note: This is the latest post in a series on How to Write 7 Types of Catchy Headlines for your landing pages or online articles.

“Instigator” headlines catch a reader off guard and rouse emotion by making a counter-intuitive or surprising statement that intrigues the reader and gets them hooked. But because of this they are risky headlines to write…here’s why you need to be careful when writing them.

The core part of instigator headlines, the surprising statement, is also the reason why they often don’t work: too often the surprising statement isn’t surprising after all. Writing this type of headline is risky because your corresponding content (e.g. article or landing page) must justify the headline. It’s too easy to write a instigator headline and then back away from your assertion in your copy…this quickly erodes trust in your reader. Instead, you need to make an impassioned argument that supports your over-the-top headline, at least enough so that people understand your level of hyperbole.

Here are few examples of effective “instigator” headlines:

• Forget the Job Hunt. Have a baby instead.
• How Porn Will Keep Me in Business
• Google Wave is Dead
• Are Most VCs Dinosaurs Who Need to Hurry Up and Die?

For each of these headlines, the author has made a statement that they must support in the resulting copy. In the first example “Forget the Job Hunt. Have a baby instead.” the author must explain why it can actually make sense to have a baby instead of getting a job. The author might make the argument that “you’ll be happier” by having a baby instead of continuing to work, maybe mentioning results from a survey that analyzed women who have been in that situation. The author also needs to explain why this crazy idea might just make economic sense…the absurdity of the title leads one to think that they’re choosing to have a baby without having a job.

If the author instead softens their argument and ends up with a fluff piece that doesn’t address the real issues inherent in their title, they’ve lost the trust of their readers, who won’t come back next time to read something of little value.

Note: an instigator headline does not have to be true. The headline “Google Wave is Dead” implies that Google Wave has, in fact, disappeared, but the article could very well be about why the author thinks Google Wave should be dead instead of it actually being dead.

There are several indicator words/symbols that often show up in instigator headlines:

• ?
• is
• how
• most
• many
• all
• everyone
• everything

These headlines are similar to “gossip” headlines in that they leave the reader wanting to know more. By creating some tension, providing real content to back up your tantalizing title, and by catching your reader off guard, you can attract readers. Just remember: use this technique sparingly, and only make promises in your headline that you can keep in your copy.

Original Article