1. Headline Variation (12 marks) Using the article from Part A, Question #1, you are to create three (3) different headlines. Each headline must emphasize a different headline element discussed in class. (3X4=12 Marks)
“5 tips on how to clean your mattress, according to experts”
As I explained in the first question, the article lists out the ways people can clean their mattress effectively, I think putting the fact that the information is listed out in the headline could increase readers to the article because you’re sending the message to the readers straight out of the gate that the information will be easy to read and easy to digest as a whole, this is because when it comes to an article like this, people don’t want to have skim through all sort of writing to get the information that they are really looking for when they click the article, they just want to get they’re looking for, easily.
“Here’s the secret to mattress cleaning, according to experts“
I have not taken according to experts out of this headline because I think that ensuring the reader that the article is backed by experts is going to increase readership and gain trust with the audience and that’s why I have kept it in with this headline, now for the rest of the article, I really went with a strategy on this one that focuses more on building intrigue with the reader and pushing them to click on the article with that motivation, using the word “secrets” is a great way to try and convey to the reader that they are getting something from this article that they may not be able to get elsewhere, and that is meant to excite them when it comes to reading the content within the article, this goes back to creating incentive for the reader within the headline for them to click on the article and that’s is the main objective with this headline as a whole.
“You don’t know how or when to clean your mattress? Let our experts tell you!”
This headline is built specifically to talk right to the reader and is supposed to answer a question that they may have in the back of their mind right in the article, I think laying out that question right in the beginning of the headline is effective for catching the attention of the reader, I may be bringing up catching attention a lot but I believe that is one of the primary goals of a headline and I think that especially in this digital age where people are constantly scrolling and attention spans are lower than they’ve ever been, having an eye catching headline in a digital setting is easily one of the most important factors for having an effective headline that is going to translate into readership for your article on a digital platform, because if you don’t work to make that headline eye catching, the reader is just going to scroll right past it and go onto to the next thing they see due to the high concentration of content on digital and social media platforms.