I subscribe to the NPR news feed to keep tabs on what’s going on in the States while I’m in Mexico, and there was only one headline out of the 50 or so that I saw today that prompted me to click through to the site.
What was the headline?
For those who don’t know, Joe Biden is Vice President to President Obama. Now, I have to tell you that I really could not care less about politics. I am extremely apathetic in that regard. But I just had to click the headline to see what the photo was.
Imagine the power of a headline that makes people click even when they have zero interest in what you’re saying!
That’s how powerful that little “…That You Have to See” clause is. Making it “…That You Have to See to Believe” might be even more powerful, though slightly more tabloid-ish. Or maybe an exclamation point at the end would add more emphasis to it. I don’t know.
So your job now is to use that little headline trick in a blog post that you write sometime soon. I’m guessing it will garner more views than your average blog post. Did you notice that I used it in this blog post title?
Oh, and if you need to see what photo the headline is referring to, here you go :)
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
ok, you got me to read your post AND look at biden’s pic ;-)
i’ll pass it off as osmosis from the good mexican food you’re probably having done there ;-)
I am indeed having great Mexican food down here. Life is good :)
Also, I live really close to a street called Rio Lerma.
Hey Tristan, I’m in the same boat as you when it comes to politics so I know exactly where you’re coming from. As for the title, I think that adding “That You Have To See To Believe” could work in very specific situations but it’s really more of a title that TMZ uses on a daily basis. Haha. I’m going to try using this “That You Have To See” title trick on an upcoming photo essay from Zion National Park. Thanks for the tip!
I love Zion National Park.I lived in Utah for 5 years. Beautiful place.
In fact, I actually just looked at your blog and saw your photos from Angels Landing. I climbed up the steep side of that thing a few years ago. Good times.
Awesome! What a state. It was my first time visiting Utah and I was seriously impressed. There is so much to see there, it’s crazy. You mean to say you rock climbed up to the top of Angels? If so, that is unreal!
Yep. Here’s a pic of me high up on the route: http://i.imgur.com/MAKAM.jpg
Wow, that’s impressive. I thought I was cool for climbing it. Haha. BTW, I posted a video of my Navajo Trail hike in Bryce and this week I’ll be uploading a video of my Canyon Overlook trail hike in Zion. Check them out when you get the chance… http://www.youtube.com/pausethemoment
The one thing you need to be careful of is: false promises. You might fool them once into clicking through, but if you ever promise something that “you have to see” and the reader finds it to be a dud…they’ll never believe you again. (I am not saying you did that or that Mr. Biden’s picture isn’t interesting – I am only saying this is something to be careful about.)
Very true. You certainly don’t want to lie to people just to get more eyeballs on your blog.
Very interesting article that you’ve posted. Found the views to be quite informative and intriguing. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Becca!
I like imagining having the power of a headline that makes people click even when they have zero interest in what you’re saying! I’m sure technology will come up with a way to do that in the not too distant future, i shall wait with abaited breath.
I’ll keep an eye out and let you know if I see something like that anytime soon :)
Tristan! Good stuff ! Want to meet in Belize next year??? Or maybe La Paz area in Mexico, since that’s a convenient starting point for Kayaking around the S. of Cortez for a few days.
Stay You !!!
jean