Those clickable CNN.com headlines
Cory Bergman November 28th, 2006
As web producers know, it’s all about the headlines. A great headline can double the clicks over a mediocre one. So I couldn’t help but notice how CNN.com was working overtime on Tuesday night in its main headline block with these gems:
X-Men illustrator dies in Superman pajamas
Clerk swings machete to stop porn theft
Mom charged with baby’s microwave death
Man paid $1,500 for camera, got sauce in box
6 Comments Add your own
1. Mike Escutia | November 28th, 2006 at 10:47 pm
Must’ve been a slow news day for them.
2. Emery Jeffreys | November 29th, 2006 at 7:56 am
Editor’s owe it to readers to write accurate headlines that will compel Web viewers to read a story. Reporters owe it to readers to craft a story worth reading or seeing. It doesn’t matter what medium is used — Web, TV, newspapers.
It’s all about the end user.
At UPI we used to say write bright tonight. It hasn’t changed.
In the old days they used to pay headline writers by the headline. And they got paid at the end of the day so they would not jump ship to a rival.
3. Ziv | November 29th, 2006 at 8:09 am
ok, now on CNN:
* Pope visits site believed to be Virgin Mary’s home
* Teen played Virgin Mary, now she’s pregnant
* Ornery sea lion bites 14 swimmers in two days
* U.S. to North Korean leader: No iPods for you!
Is this a news service?
What’s your take on the video headlines by the way? I really hate it that they appear in the same area as the story headlines. I always expect to read a story but instead get their robust video stream popup.. which I promptly close.
4. Scott | November 29th, 2006 at 10:53 am
Whoever writes those really tries to suck you in. It’s very impressive. They love dropping the location, so that US readers will think a Far East story is local.
5. Steve Safran | November 29th, 2006 at 8:01 pm
Something else to keep in mind with headline writing (and I steal this lesson freely from Warley): you’re not writing for the people already at the site - you’re writing for search engines. People are seeking out keywords in stories, so you want as many of those keywords as possible in your headline. Your headlines should be literal, not clever or pun-filled.
I know, I’m the biggest offender.
6. Gawker CNN Coverage | November 30th, 2006 at 11:48 pm
Gawker tracks these down nicely
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