Adweek's social editor shares tips for engaging headlines that have helped fuel the magazine's huge traffic growth.

2. (And no, we're not here to praise clickbait.)

3. The old thinking:
A good headline is short
and SEO-driven.

4. The new reality:
A good headline is a
shareable headline.

5. Today, effective social media begins
and ends with effective headlines.

6. When readers share your content, they're most
often sharing your headline.
(Art is super important too, but not always shared.)

7. So what makes a great
headline?

8. A great headline…
Is personal and insightful

12. A great headline…
Should stop you in your tracks

15. A great headline…
Should be provocative without
being salacious

20. A great headline…
Isn't clickbait

21. Clickbait is a false promise. It's a
tease with no substance. It's an entire
post that could exist in a single tweet.

25. And Facebook is cracking down.
"When we asked people in an initial survey what
type of content they preferred to see in their News
Feeds, 80% of the time people preferred
headlines that helped them decide if they wanted
to read the full article before they had to click
through." - Facebook Newsroom, Aug. 25, 2014

26. Yes, a headline should be intriguing, but it
must also be honest and informative.

28. A great headline…
Presents a mystery that can only be
solved by reading further

32. A great headline…
Makes you emotionally curious

36. A great headline…
Is conversational

40. A great headline…
Is rarely written alone

41. Don't go it alone
Even if you think you have a great headline, it never hurts to ask a writer or
editor you trust for feedback and see if it can be improved.
Keep a network of your fellow headline aficionados and turn to them often.

42. A great headline…
Is as long as it needs to be

43. Our Top Stories of 2014 (So Far)
24 People Who Applied for the World's Toughest Job Were In for Quite a Surprise
Girl Fakes Getting Her Period, and Pays the Price, in Hilarious New Ad From Hello Flo
Trained Dancers Are Completely Appalled by This Ballet Ad for Free People Clothing
Coca-Cola Invents 16 Crazy Caps to Turn Empty Bottles Into Useful Objects
DiGiorno Is Really, Really Sorry About Its Tweet Accidentally Making Light of Domestic Violence
Ad of the Day: Peyton Manning and Cam Newton Prank Store Customers for Gatorade
Ad of the Day: Guinness Has Made the Only Ad You Need to See This Fourth of July
Perfect Match: Brazilian Kids Learn English by Video Chatting With Lonely Elderly Americans
Did Beats by Dre Just Out-Nike Nike With This Incredible World Cup Ad?
Budweiser Set to Charm the World With Its 'Puppy Love' Super Bowl Ad
Avg. # of words: 14 | Avg. # of characters: 80 | Avg. impressions: 2.6 million

44. A great headline…
Is one that works

45. If you come up with a headline that goes against
every piece of advice in this presentation, GREAT.

46. Always question. Always experiment. Always measure.

47. Questions to Ask About Your Headlines
● Is it accurate?
● Does it oversell?
● Does it undersell?
● Is it short enough to tweet?
● Is it long enough to make sense?
● Is this how I would explain this article to a friend?
● Is it clear what's in it for the reader?
● Would I click it if I didn't write it?

48. Thanks for your time.
David Griner
Twitter: @Griner | @Adweek | @AdFreak
Instagram: @DavidGriner | @Adweek
Adweek.com