A study published in Nature Human Behaviour reveals what headlines get more clicks.
- The language used in headlines affects how often they are clicked on in social media.
- Headlines that use negative words are more likely to be clicked on.
- Moralized language (using words related to morality or ethics) decreases the likelihood of a headline being clicked on.
- Positive words have a stronger negative effect on click-through rate when moralized language is present in a headline.
- The effect of negative language on click-through rate varies across different news topics.
- Negative language has a positive effect on click-through rate for headlines related to ‘Government & Economy’, ‘LGBT’, ‘Parenting & School’, and ‘People’.
- Positive language has a negative effect on click-through rate for headlines related to ‘LGBT’, ‘Life’, ‘Parenting & School’, and ‘People’.
- The presence of certain discrete emotions in headlines also affects click-through rate.
- Sadness has a positive effect on click-through rate, while joy and fear have a negative effect.
- The effect of anger on click-through rate is inconclusive.
- The length and complexity of a headline also affect click-through rate.
Bottom line: sad but true, negativity wins.